For the past 5 years we have kept a small flock of free range chickens. We love our ladies. So much so that my husband doesn't like to leave them home alone, one of us should be here in case a hawk, coyote, or other random chicken snatcher comes along and gets one of the girls.
This year I hemmed and hawed about getting more chickens. We had four at the time. I just wasn't up to the commitment of getting 25 more - which is what you have to order - or finding someone to split the order with. I figured we would take our chances this summer and hope the girls survived. Then there were three.
Then last week we lost two more. We have one beautiful golden Brahma left. She is a great layer and although a bit perplexed about her lack of chicken sisterhood, she is adjusting to the single girl life. The question, for us, is do we begin again or do we allow a moment in our lives to be chick free?
Photo: not the best photo, but this painting hangs in my dining room and was painted by Ada Elizabeth Murdock, my sister May 2008.