Happy Memorial Day!

Molli is leaving after a great, but short, visit. I am so sad, I actually cried last night, I am embarrassed to say. I haven't cried much lately--except maybe when I am reading a news article or moving part of a book. There is so much more I would like to do with her. I enjoy her company and her help and her thoughts. I am very lucky. I will see her again and talk to her many times. I am so proud of who she is and what she has accomplished, and her goals. 

She and her sister bought me chickens--5 Buff Orpingtons. They are too young to lay, and one or more may be roosters. They are fun to watch. I had been wanting some for awhile, but hadn't been able to find any. Most are sold as baby chicks, requiring a level of care I did not want to invest. My one remaining hen, Gladys, has stopped laying. She is broody, which means she sits in the nest box trying to hatch eggs. I suppose she was lonely and her instincts told her to raise some babies, but of course, she would need a rooster for that. She glares at me if I open the door. Yesterday Ray got her out for a few minutes and she squawked horribly a few times, terrifying the babies (well, they're probably more like teenagers, 3 or 4 months old). 

I could have ordered chickens this age, but the shipping is prohibitive. I had been asking around, but no one had any for sale. I had even answered a craigslist ad, but gotten no reply. Molli and Amelia told me they wanted to get me some for Mothers' Day. They read several ads and they called the lady who sold us ours a few years ago. Unfortunately, her husband died and she has stopped raising chickens, at least for now. She gave Molli another name, but she didn't have any Orpingtons (and she is in Washington, Ga--about 50 miles from here). 

She corresponded by text with some people in Winterville and we met them in the parking lot of the Golden Pantry convenience store. They had 5 in a pet carrier--lovely young bronze chickens. They told her that 2 of them are definitely hens and they wanted $20 for the bunch, so we took them all. Not sure what we will do with any (or all) of them that turn out to be roosters...We spent lots of time watching them yesterday, learning to tell them apart, wincing when they attacked the smallest one. We have named him Zephyr and are already inappropriately attached. We suspect he is a rooster, as well as one other, but won't know for sure until they start crowing. Not interested in learning how to sex chickens, although apparently I would be much in demand if I did. 

 

Our coop is complicated. Gladys lives in the "new', more secure coop. I would not put young chickens in with her, especially now that she's so grumpy. They are in the old coop. The two are attached by a run and we can open and close the doors to the run so they don't meet each other until we think they are ready. Gladys certainly has not shown any interest yet. In fact, she seems even more angry, if possible. The young ones are curious and hungry, exploring everything. They are also pooping a lot. They love being in the tractor and having grass to eat under their feet. They were fighting over a wasp and eating other insects they could catch or dig up. 

Other than that, we have had several busy days. Molli has met friends. We went to the service yesterday and stayed for the 4th Sunday lunch. We brought a big salad we had put together before we went. Other than that, none of us had any responsibilities during the service. The choir wasn't singing, Ray wasn't doing sound. It was quite pleasant. We also did a little shopping. We have a shower to go to next weekend and Molli helped me pick out what to put in my "dining room basket." I never attended a basket shower before. 

The best thing that happened yesterday is there was a thunderstorm. It started slowly and I tried to get the chicks in the coop so I could close the door. I got soaked. They huddled under the peach tree and did not go in. Eventually, I gave up. Cameron the dog was terrified. We let him in the house and he lay in the kitchen (where he was in the way), with his nose under the cabinets. The garden was dry and needed the rain, so I am looking forward to working out there today. The weeds are much easier to pull after a good soaking. Ray and Molli got the chickens into the coop after it stopped and closed the door. I made chicken for supper, which is a little weird, but we managed to eat it. We watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy while Molli packed. I fell asleep during Big Bang Theory, which means I was pretty tired.