When walking through a flock of chickens, especially little chickens it is best to shuffle. Chickens make no connection between your foot and danger, focussed as they are on the bucket. So as I walk through, in my boots, I gently push a swathe through the little ones. They have let themselves out of the nursery now and are an official and delightful rabble. The ones I raised in the basement are unusually tame.
Guinea fowl live a long time and can walk with only one and a half toes.
Peacocks and their hens and the Guineas Love their own reflections. They are not afraid of them as they recognise them as one of the flock. So looking at themselves in the window is a pleasant surprise.
When offered an egg Sheila opens her mouth and waits for it to be popped in behind her long yellow teeth. Poppy bats at your hand with the side of her head, hard, with her mouth open, and often through sheer luck and a good deal of danger I can slide the egg in through the side of her mouth. Poppy is not a clever piggie.
Tima has learned to run away from me and towards her bowl when she sees me approaching with her carrots. Tane rus crossing my bows, still trying to trip me up in the hopes of getting a head start on his dinner. Callifornia pigs don’t eat out of bowls, he shrieks. Drop the bowl! And they do shriek.
Kittens often sleep in a tangle with no definite ownership of their own arms and legs. As though they lend each other their limbs in their sleep. A bloodless gentle sleepy exchange. When they awake they gaze with silent wonderment at their little fingers and claws not terribly sure how they came to be attached to the ends of their legs that were not there when they went to sleep either. Then they roll over with a huge yawn and fall willy nilly off the chair. So often I think they are doing it on purpose.
Plumbers here cost 72 dollars an hour.
Some Farm raised Salmon are fed pelletised chicken remains (at least I hope they are pelletised). I never thought about what they were fed before. But very seldom is the whole of a chicken sold in the marketplace, they are pieced up, for a fussy public, leaving a huge amount of waste that is sold on as feed. Which is not a bad thing in itself. Except You are what you eat – eats.
A sore throat is only the beginning.
Kittens are the epitomy of the expression Fall Asleep.
While my brain was full of wool, the battery ran out in Camera House. Ran Out.
Nanny Boo is often observed lying flat on the floor with a kitten under his chin. No-one is saying how the kitten got there, but nor does anyone seem to mind.
It is dreary here again. I think animals feel dreary too when the sun has been hidden for weeks on end. We are going to love the sun when it finally comes back.
The bees are still alive.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
49 responses to “Small things”
Good morning, Celi! No pictures? Not a problem. I could easily visualize everything you described. 😀
On little peeps: I have learned the hard way to shuffle. 😦
Your plumbers are cheap – you’d be lucky to get that price for half an hour here and they have a minimum call out fee.
Hooray for the bees 😉
I shall remember that when we get the next bill..goodness.. c
I don’t know how you manage to write with such elegance and insight, feeling as rotten as you do. You can’t imagine how I love learning what you have observed and how much I appreciate your sharing your knowledge.
Gargling with salt water–yeah, another remedy. Never seemed to work for me though. Maybe bundle up and sweat it out?
Very cold here today but gradual warming coming…I hope for you too.
I laugh picturing Sheila and her long yellow teeth waiting for an egg…shell and all! You’ve got to get better! And quick!
You have the gift of words, who needs the camera. As for your cold, rest and drink a lot of fluid. I hope you feel better soon.
You don’t need a camera, you have a special talent with words. I hope you feel better soon, drink a lot of fluid and try to rest.
Aww I hate the dark and dreary and to be sick in the midst of that is hard. I like hot tea with honey in it…but I’m sure you know all that. Get well, Dear Friend!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/?s=The+Adventures+of+Fuzzy+and+Boomer&submit=Search
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I have never read a more beautiful description of the life and wonders of kittens. Every day our son looks longingly at the photographs of the kittens. Late last night he phoned and asked me how far away you lived. I think he had it in his mind he might drive to the Farmy and take home the kitten of his dreams. XX V.
Dammit, I was really hoping you’d get off lightly with the lurgy. I found teaspoons of honey, hopefully you have some honey stashed, soothed my throat and sore coughy chest. And I did aspirin gargles, and scotch gargles. Just keep an eye on it though, and try to get as much rest as you can. And when sun comes out, sunshine will help.
Loved the words today, my head made the pictures. I have reservations about farm raised fish, I wish food was just food not a commodity… Good news the bees are ok 🙂
Flat battery! you and camera house, not good that it has gone to your chest, if you were here I would put you in front of the fire with Vicks Vapo Rub on your throat and forbid you to go outdoors – yeah right! I’m not even taking my own advice. You are making me want chickens again.
God I love your blog. It’s so rich and full.
This came from a foodie friend of mine in India:
Sore throat remedy
Make a paste of about a tablespoon in total – equal portions of each turmeric, honey and ground basil then dilute to about half a glass in hot water or more usually milk.
Gargle well and swallow. Repeat gargling to use all of the mixture.
(This one is amazing. I tried it before going to bed and next morning my throat was no longer like sandpaper!)
Bee happy! Glad of their cooperation so far.
The Chicken Shuffle…you could create a new dance craze…with the littles anyway…and they are the fun ones
Some farm raised salmon are raised in pens in the ocean swimming round and round in their own stuff…people are raising pollution and health concerns. (I have to eat something….)
Sleep heals. Maybe a sun bake if the sun ever comes back….so grey this year. I make everyone run out if the sun even peeks out for a minute. Fought a cold since before Thanksgiving (hate it when my left side clogs and ear won’t work) Sleep and sun…and hot tea. Stay bundled up, but take a fresh air walk (not between chores – one for just looking around…stress hinders recover. And laugh. Please laugh. And dream of beaches..soon?)
Take care Ci
I hope you feel better soon because we don’t want you to feel rotten on your Birthday!
XO
A little worried about your sentence: ‘A sore throat is only the beginning’ – hope, hope, hope the infection has not progressed. Yes, gargling with salt good: read from one of my medical dailies yesterday that doing so with apple cider vinegar [as strong as you can take it] is even better! Seems all good with the four-leggeds; loved the vignettes. Plumbers: be happy!! Here you pay a ‘come-out’ fee of 60 dollars usually and then about 20 dollars for every quarter hour spent at your place: and will they hurry – ha! ha!!
It’s so irritating being sick isn’t it – thinking of you and your beautiful animals.