I Am A Saint!

Really I am. A veritable saint. On Wednesday when I went over to shut Henny & Penny in for the night it was probably 50 degrees and they didn't want to be shut in but I had to shut them in because I was on my way to yoga and they just don't wait for you to arrive at yoga and furthermore they don't really appreciate latecomers. Om. First I chased Henny & Penny around a bit, then I got the hoe to use to kind of herd them into the roost. You can't herd chickens, at least I can't. Finally I got smart and left them alone for a minute, well, I stopped chasing them. Henny went right up the ramp and Penny followed so I quick moved the ramp and dropped the door to shut them into the warm for the night. I went happily off to yoga never realizing that this was on my shoe. Ew, chicken bappie. Ew. (and random snowflakes are floating down. Oh no, you don't) The good thing is there was another egg that I wrapped in a paper towel and tucked into my backpack to be safe until I got home. Thursday morning it was snowing and no way did those chickens want to go out of the roost. I was firm, me and my hoe handle, we clonked on the back of the roost and then shooed them out the door, they walked into the snow, complaining all the way. Namaste. As I said yesterday Henny wanted to go right back in but I soothed her with a pat or two and a sprinkle of chicken feed (chicken feed, heh) so I could put in fresh water and feed--and collect the only egg. Last night they were happily in their roost when I arrived in the 4" of snow to shut them in because I was on my way to Knitting Guild, but there was no egg. No egg! And I looked, I even shoved Penny out of the way and she did not like that. (Tough, I'm the grandma here and I don't take any guff from my grandchickens.) This morning when I went to let them out there were two eggs. Yay! It took a bit of coaxing to get them to come out into the snowy yard but I kicked the snow away from some of the ground and they got the message that it was okay to walk in snow. Now we have 5 eggs. Do you think there'll be one when I go to shut them in for the night? I don't know, but I get to go tend them on Saturday too and collect those eggs. This has been a fun and profitable, if slightly poopy, job. I think I'm going to go get barn boots at Fleet Farm.

There's no fiction today. By the time I got home last night I spent some time with Durwood, ate my yogurt and cookies, and went to bed. Today I'm going to try to take it easy, read magazines, and knit. I already blew the snow and shoveled a bit, and those floating flakes out there better not try to get together and make something of themselves. They'd just better not.

--Barbara