Recently a reader emailed me asking about my chicken dreams. After the bear slaughtered most of them last year (the remaining chickens took to the forest and resurfaced one by one the week following) the survivors were relocated to a small farm in Wantage. The rooster was GORGEOUS! (Like win first place at the fair gorgeous!) They are now with a family with small children and giving eggs on a regular basis. The husband is a European type who, though stoic, has a tender connection with animals.
Was I sad? Sure. Did I give up? No way! I look at it as a delay in my dream. As the endless winter abated, I began to put seeds to soil in my kitchen - crafted a makeshift greenhouse from opaque containers and thought of the chickens. Apparently (when I went away on a girls weekend with my dear friends - The Vagina Mafia )- my youngest son missed them as well and went to the farm store and hand picked 7 fluff balls as a surprise for me.
Though it was a nice surprise, I was worried because in a few weeks time I would have to source yet another permanent home for them. Enter Stoic Euro family. They wanted to increase their flock, but with small children, a business to run, mom in the work force and other animals, they did not want to raise the chickens from babies. So I have become a foster chicken girly (for now)! The handshake deal was that I would raise them from fluffs to semi adulthood. i.e. I got my chickens!! They grow fast and are hitting teen chicken age - they are arguing and are currently in my bedroom by a grand window. Chickens in the bedroom?! Yes it was the only way with this years past addition of Lincoln Edgar (serial killer cat)
I wake up to chirpings but I must admit my favorite thing of all is bedding down for the night - and listening to THEM bed down for the night. Sweet little trilling chirps that slowly ebb to sleep... They will be moving on soon - and who knows where this crazy life will take me this time next year? I could very well find myself in one of the rented homes I stalk - with a yard, with seedlings in the kitchen and with sweet little birdys to call my own - The Journey is All.
Hold fast to your dreams - Gods delays are not necessarily Gods denials.
Namaste
