The Chicks

A little time has passed since I wrote. In May I had my left shoulder surgery. With weeks of recovery and all the drama that goes with that. I have had a lot of help and am pretty good now. An hour of exercise in the morning, [when it doesn't hurt too much] and bit by bit I am seeing more movement and strength. Soon it will be August, the month when I should be strong enough to do things here again. Did you notice I didn't mention the garden.... Perhaps some salad and a few beans and beets. Handling the tools and pulling weeds was just too much. This month it has been raining ever week and it is wonderful for the ground. It is too much for me. I think I'll get my vegetables from the Farmer's Markets. That is good too. I'd like to meet some of the other farmers.

I wanted to write because my 2 week old chicks are comedians. They are starting to get serious about eating and being 'characters.' They were in a little protected well heated area for a week. Now they are in a partly heated 6x12 area. They run and climb and travel in packs. They love to get on the top of anything. This noon I put in a three foot 'big girl' feeder tray. It has a rod on the top that can spin, to keep girls from walking in the food. It is a good thing, about 30 can eat at a time. About a dozen little birds walk up to the tray and start to eat. Good new! One bird jumps up on the rod, The rod starts spinning, the bird is flipped off. Another bird jumps on, the spinning rod flips her off too. And I start to laugh. And laugh. It isn't a feeder--- It's playground equipment. They try and try and get spun off. I laugh and laugh. I have been so serious so long. Tonight I came back to check them. They were all sleeping, most flat on the chips, with wings and feet spread out. And there was one bird at the feeder having a good night snack.

I stepped outside, clipped the coop door and heard the coyotes on the hill. Just talking and yipping. I got the shivers in my back.