talk a lot, peck a little more

Amy's first egg

Both my sisters have chickens.  I'm generally not a very jealous person but those chickens really bring it out in me.  I would love to have chickens but I live in a neighborhood with a homeowner's association and some real persnickety people that would tattle on me for sure if I had chickens pecking around in my backyard. That, and I really don't want the responsibility of feeding one more living thing.

But someday. Someday I will have a cute little troop, or I should say, brood of  hens to lay me brown eggs for breakfast. I will have a darling hen house painted robin egg blue. And I will go out each morning with a basket to collect the eggs.

My older sister, Heidi, has yet to get an egg out of her chickens.  Her first four chickens were sent back to the farm from wence they came to become Sunday dinner because they didn't lay. Her second batch have yet to prove themselves. Pray for them my friends. Their names are Henrietta and Penny.

Last spring my little sister Amy got four Rhode Island Red laying hens. She named them Mae, Murdle, Marge and Helen.  This left me the only sister without chickens. Chickenless. And green with envy.

Yesterday she got her first egg. That's it up there in the photo. She's very proud of it.

And this is her daughter Charley. Charley loves the chickens and helps care for them. I think Amy's pretty proud of her too.

photo by chelsea

If I can't have chickens, then by damn, I'm gonna taunt my sisters with thoughts of what might happen to theirs should they be less than vigilant.

Childish? I guess there are some things you never grow out of.

"The Opportunist" by Secondsister

the little red hen

Little Red Hen Bracelet

One day as the Little Red Hen was scratching in a field, she found a grain of wheat.
"This wheat should be planted," she said. "Who will plant this grain of wheat?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
Soon the wheat grew to be tall and yellow.
"The wheat is ripe," said the Little Red Hen. "Who will cut the wheat?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
When the wheat was cut, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will thresh the wheat?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
When the wheat was threshed, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will take this wheat to the mill?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
She took the wheat to the mill and had it ground into flour. Then she said, "Who will make this flour into bread?"
"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
She made and baked the bread. Then she said, "Who will eat this bread?"
"Oh! I will," said the Duck.
"And I will," said the Cat.
"And I will," said the Dog.
"No, No!" said the Little Red Hen. "I will do that." And she did.