Simplicity in the midst of complexity. |
It has been a long while since I’ve written, but I promise
to try to get back on track with a posting once a week. I returned to full-time
work in September, and in some ways found it hard to write about the hens. I
missed them, and it was difficult for me to think too intently about M&L,
the gardens, and the hens at home. Not writing about them was perhaps a form of
self-preservation. Or avoidance.
But as time has passed, I realize
that though I miss M and L, giving them a little more space for self-reliance
and independence is a good thing. I missed being there to pick them up from
school, but I really enjoyed heading off to work as well. Was it OK to be happy
to have that time away, doing my own thing?
I’m not
sure the chickens notice my absence. They still come running when I step
outside, which warms my heart, but as usual, they go about their business and
ignore me once I scatter scratch or give them treats.
Over the last few months, the
pecking order in the flock shifted and changed. Pearl suddenly seems to be the
low hen on the totem pole, with Clover hopping on her back and pecking the top
of her head from time to time. K says that Clover has had her fill of Pearl’s “Queen
of the Fair talk.” She earned a blue ribbon, but it appears that doesn’t carry
much weight with the ladies. Clover especially seems intent on being the boss
hen.
Luna, the fragile blue orpington
pullet we got in July, was still not walking well, and when I found her light
body in the coop one morning before work, I wasn’t surprised. Saddened, but in
a way relieved. I’d known it was coming and didn’t really want M&L to
discover her.
And so we
have a flock of seven, of whom only three seem to be laying regularly. Pip, the
Ameraucana, started laying her lovely blue-green eggs after I started back to
work, and has been very business-like about it. We have a nice steady supply of
her pretty eggs. Thelma and Louise, the Australorps, are laying fairly
regularly, so we typically get about two eggs daily.
The other
hens – Violet, Pearl, Clover, and Oreo – seem to be on sabbatical. They still
work industriously in the garden, picking the last bits of green from the beds,
taking care of any bugs or worms, and fertilizing the beds, but it’s been months since any of them produced an egg. K says it’s like they are all on chicken
social security. I know that in a more serious flock, they’d have been culled
for stewing, but I can’t bring myself to do so. They are more than a food
source for us.
They are
touchstones, and their personalities and quirks fit together. I sometimes get
home early enough to visit them in the evening. And on weekends I sit down for
a bit and just watch them, and it is a meditative act for me. They go about their usual business. And that calm
and continued routine brings me balance. I do love my job, but I can still come
home and spend time with M&L, connect with the hens, and putter around the
coop. Chickens are good for grounding,
for centering, and they lend richness to life with their simplicity.
Hi Debbie, new fan here and I couldn't agree more that chickens have the ability to ground and center us!
ReplyDeleteI love it if you would join me at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week! http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/clever-chicks-blog-hop-10.html
I hope you can make it!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
I can totally relate and definitely agree. I am a crazy chicken lady :) Mine are so much more than a food source. They actually sparked our interest in becoming more self-sufficient which led us to move out into the woods with lots of land and we've never been happier.
ReplyDeleteFound you via The Clever Chicks Blog Hop :)
Tammy
http://ourneckofthewoods.net
Tammy -- I love my little urban coop, but I am so envious of your little place in the woods. What a lovely tree with a Kitty for an ornament :-). I linked to you -- thanks for posting!
DeleteDebbie
I love this! New follower here. Please come share at my weekly Farm Girl Blog Fest. http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/11/farm-girl-blog-fest-10.html
ReplyDeleteI would love to see you there!
Lisa
Fresh Eggs Daily
Lisa -- Thanks for the invite. Love your blog! I added mine and have linked to yours.
DeleteI've done some work for Urban Farm and Hobby Farm Home and I love both magazines -- nice to see them on your site! :-) Between your blog site, Kathy's and Tammy's I am planning to enjoy my morning coffee reading and clicking -- great stuff!
Debbie
Hi Debbie, I’m Anne from Life on the Funny Farm (http://annesfunnyfarm.blogspot.com), and I’m visiting from Farmgirl Friday.
ReplyDeleteThis was a timely post, as I'll be starting back to work soon. First time in 15 years, so I'm worried about how I'll handle the time management part. Worried that I won't make time to enjoy my hens. Like you said, they're so grounding, and we all need that in our lives, don't we?
Anyway, thanks for posting this. If you’ve never visited yet, I hope you can pop by my blog sometime to say hi…
Anne -- I love your blog. Thank you for sharing it with me. I'll post a link to it on my page.
DeleteI know it sounds silly, but when I accepted the position I'm in now, I was worried about how much I'd miss my hens. I do miss them, but they are so nice to come home to.I don't have as much time during the week (especially since it's dark so early) but I find that I really enjoy my weekend time with them, and even just a short visit in the evening is a nice patch of peace :-)
I'm a new follower. I hope you keep writing. I'm new to chickens; I have 5 laying hens 28 weeks old. (Just starting to lay) It's all very exciting!
ReplyDeleteShirley -- Thank you for the kind words! I love my hens -- and I really was not expecting to be so attached to (and entertained by) them! Hope you enjoy your ladies also. :-)
DeleteDebbie
Lovely post Debbie as usual. Hope you are all well.
ReplyDeleteThank you Claudia -- we're doing fine. It's always so nice to see your icon appear and your name pop into my email box. It always makes my day :-) Hope you are enjoying the holidays!
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