And now there are 10. . .

I walked out the back door the other evening and was shocked to see my adopted chicken walking through the backyard followed by nine fluffy yellow chicks! She had been missing for quite awhile and I was beginning to worry that Mr. Fox might have gobbled her up. Apparently though, she's been on maternity leave, hatching her new brood! I was so excited!

I hurried over to her, hoping I could catch a chick and get some good pictures. She went under the fence and of course all her babies followed, and then here came old Curious Cooter to see what all the ruckus was about and the feathers started flying!

The Mama Chicken went berserk when she saw that big clumsy donkey coming toward her chicks, so she started jumping all around, squawking and holding one of her wings out like she was hurt, trying to distract the donkey. When that didn't work, she would fly up to his head and neck to try and peck him away. Cooter pinned back his ears and threw her off and she came screeching back to him again and again until he cleared away from her babies.

In the meantime, the chicks were scattering willy nilly all through the barnyard, probably wondering what in the world had gotten into their crazy Mama. One of the chicks came right under the fence and into my hand, cheep-cheeping so sweetly. I held it for a minute, telling it how cute it was and petting it's soft feathers, and pretty soon the Mama and all the other chicks crawled under the fence and out to safety, so I put the chick down and she ran to join the others.

The Mama circled around her babies, gathering them up and clucking to them reassuringly, probably counting them to make sure they were all there. Then they all wandered off down the fence row, clucking and cheeping to each other about their near miss with the big bad donkey and the silly woman with the long brown hair.

Made With Love

When I got home from work tonight, I found a care package from Oregon waiting on the front porch. Apparently my mother-in-law is missing her baby son and decided she needed to send him some love in the form of homemade flour tortillas and a block of Tillamook cheese. Yum!

The taste of homemade tortillas warmed and folded over with melted cheese inside brings back good memories. No matter how hard I try, my homemade tortillas never turn out as good as hers. I remember well my first lesson in making them back when I was a teenager in high school. I was in the kitchen with Sid's Mom and two sisters, trying to make a good impression and it was my job to mix the dough, which you always do by hand, never with a mixer. There I was with both hands down in the bowl and sticky dough up to my elbows, doing my best to mix the ingredients to the perfect consistency.

I looked down into the bowl and was mortified to see little red things dotted all throughout the white dough. My sister-in-law looked over my shoulder and burst into obnoxious snorting laughter while my face turned redder than the specks in the bowl! Turns out I was doing such a good job of mixing the dough that all my fake fingernails were popping off one by one into the mix! How embarrassing! We had to pick them all out to salvage the batch.

As the lesson continued, I soon realized I was a hopeless case when it came to making homemade tortillas. Rolling them out was a total joke. Tortillas are meant to be round, not shaped like the state of Florida or Idaho, all lopsided and jagged. I was never going to master this task. Even now, more than 25 years later, my tortillas aren't perfectly shaped, but at least they're edible, thank you very much! And I can whip a batch up in record time too!

But don't worry Mama, yours are much preferred over mine, so thank you for the care package and for the memories!

Noah! Where are you when we need you?

We had record breaking rainfall this past weekend and the flooding was amazingly devastating! Our area had 16 inches of rain in just two days and some of the rivers in the area crested at all-time record high levels. We were seriously considering putting an ad on craigslist for a boat big enough for two of everything, that's how bad it was! All the local news channels were on constant report-mode all weekend long, showing us pictures of area flooding and giving us alerts as to when to expect the next onslaught of rain, thunder, high winds and hail. It was a nerve-wracking weekend for sure. Poor Tubby just paced back and forth all weekend and we all went a little stir crazy with cabin fever from not being able to venture outside.

Saturday, there was no way out of Leiper's Fork in any direction, so we were completely stuck at home. We drove down our road taking video of the rushing waters and all the damaged fencing. The bridge at the end of the road was completely impassable and the water was up to the top and spilling roaringly across the road. Fences were down everywhere and the only thing keeping the livestock inside their pastures was the creek beds and ditches filled to brimming with water gushing down the roadways. We drove as far as we could, which wasn't that far, taking pictures of all the blocked routes we normally take in and out of our little village. The river had washed out three of the bridges and was dangerously close to several estate homes, including Tim McGraw's. The big stone entrance to his estate that has stood there since the late 1800's, was completely washed away. A lot of his fencing was demolished and I imagine he'll have quite the crew out there mending things the rest of this week, as will a lot of the farmers in our area. Naomi Judd even called in an alert to the local news station saying her fences had been washed out and her buffalo were roaming willy-nilly, so everyone should be on the lookout.

Parts of Nashville were completely under water. Hundreds of homes lost all over our area, with many neighborhoods completely wiped out. Even in downtown historic Franklin, we had canoes and rowboats floating up and down 5th Avenue! Unbelievable! Car dealerships with cars completely submerged. One news caster showed a man standing on Mallory Lane, a road in Franklin near our biggest shopping mall, and he had literally caught a fish with his bare hands! He stood there for the camera, proudly holding this humongous two foot long fish, and then he threw it back into the waters rushing through a swollen ditch. One person sent in video of a huge snapping turtle right at the foot of the steps of his front porch, partially submerged in a yard that resembled a small pond.

Hospitals were flooded, businesses lost. 15-foot flags and light poles along Riverfront Park in Nashville were completely under water. Opryland Hotel had to evacuate over 1,500 guests. Three local interstates were completely shut down in several areas and parts of Interstate 24 had stretches with hundreds of cars with water up over the rooftops. 124 cars and semi-trucks were stranded on one particular stretch of the interstate where the river ran up over the bridge and people had to be rescued by boat. Boats on the interstate!

All weekend long we watched reports of water rescues, both human and animal. Horses stuck out in flooded pastures that now resembled lakes, and all you could see was the tops of their heads straining to keep above water. We saw people standing on the tops of their roofs, waiting for boats to come and rescue them. Aerial shots of flooded neighborhoods with nothing but water as far as the eye could see. Cars piled on top of each other like toys, homes washed right off their foundations, huge dumpsters and storage sheds and even a portable classroom, floating down the roads like paper boats. After the water receded, you'd see asphalt buckled in ribbons all along the parking lots and streets, only to be washed further away with the next deluge of rain.

Today, as I made my way into work, the sun was shining brightly and there was nothing but blue skies above. There was only one route open in and out of town and traffic is bumper to bumper as it's being diverted until they can assess the damage to roadways and bridges that are still impassable. The forecast is nothing but sunshine for the rest of the week. As of right now, the death toll is 11 and I pray for all those who have lost everything in this terrible disaster!

Treasure Hunting

This morning I was having the most wonderful dream! I hated to even wake up, I just wanted it to go on forever and ever. In the dream, my Mom and I were at the most fantastic yard sale and we were the only two people there, so we were loading up with all sorts of fantastic bargains! Mom had a big pile of treasures set aside for herself and I had an armload of things I just couldn't bear to live without! My most treasured item was a set of two antique stained glass windows in perfect condition, and for only $12 for the pair! Unheard of! Believe me, I know, because I have an assortment of vintage stained glass windows that I've collected over the years and I NEVER found one for that cheap!

When I woke up this morning, and all throughout the day, all I've been thinking about is yard sales! It's getting to be that time of year for all the signs to start popping up and I can't wait! I've got butterflies of excitement in my tummy already, just anticipating the thrill of the hunt and the exhilaration of that special find! Lord knows I don't need a single thing, and our house is already bursting at the seams with this and that, but I just can't help myself. I'm a descendant from a long line of packrats and whether I need it or not, I just HAVE to have it, whatever it might be!

My husband won't admit to it, but I've got him hooked on yard saling too! Sometimes he has more fun than I do and he's got a good eye for a bargain! He surprises me with all kinds of neat things, like beautiful oriental rugs, lamps, furniture and nick nacks. He'll hit a yard sale on a Friday while I'm at work and when I get home he's like a kid at Christmas waiting for me to see what he's found.

When I was younger, I used to think I wanted to be a real life, honest to goodness treasure hunter when I grew up. Like an archaeologist digging in the desert for some long lost civilization, or an oceanographer diving for a sunken cache of gold and trinkets. Even now I dream of becoming a salvager, buying up old houses and searching inside for hidden contents tucked away in attics or basements, or hidden inside walls or under floorboards. How much fun would that be! The archeology dream lost its lustre when I found out how much schooling was involved, and I cured myself of wanting to become an oceanographer at age 12 when we went to Hawaii and I went snorkeling for the first time and realized I was claustrophobic! And unless I somehow come into a fat bank roll to finance the buying up of old houses, I guess my salvage dream will have to be put on hold too.

So, that leaves me with the yard saling! With $20 in my pocket, who knows what I might find on a Saturday morning! Look out, here I come!

Donkeys and Chickens and Foxes - Oh My!

This past weekend, we had a new visitor to our yard. It appears our neighbors across the road and up the hill have decided to share their chickens with us and one of them moseyed over to our place to roam free. It was quite a treat to see a chicken in the yard. I've always wanted some of my own, but my hubby says no, we have enough to take care of as it is. . . He's no fun!

Anyhoo, Monday morning as I was leaving for work, I stepped out onto the porch and there on our porch swing sat the chicken! I startled her and she startled me back, and we both ran squawking our separate ways. Needless to say, if I wasn't already awake, I sure was now!

The first thing I do when I get home from work in the evenings, is take Tubby out back to "water" the bushes and stretch his stubby little legs. Last night, as he was going through his routine, I went out to the fence to see why the donkeys hadn't greeted me in their usual noisy way. Normally, all I have to do is step onto the back porch and they assault me with hee haws, begging for treats, but tonight they were silently absent. I looked out into the pasture and saw Clementine and Baby Chloe' huddled together looking out toward the back fence. I could see Cooter way in the back with his ears pinned back and looking down toward the ground, but I couldn't see what he was looking at. I climbed up on the fence just in time to see Cooter chasing a cute little red fox! He chased him across the pasture and the fox ran under the fence.

I called Cooter to me, and all three donkeys came running. I noticed the fox was still standing on the other side of the fence and I thought he sure was brave because surely he could see me and Tubby standing there watching him. As soon as Cooter was out of the way, the fox darted back under the fence and into our pasture. I watched him snatch up a dead chicken and run back under the fence and out behind the neighbor's barn. Oh no! Poor chicken! I couldn't believe that fox had already killed my new-found friend!

This morning however, as I was leaving for work, there was the chicken, safe and sound and clucking away in my yard again! Hooray! She's okay! So what did I see the fox carrying off? Maybe it was a small turkey, or some other kind of bird, but it sure looked like a chicken. I'm just glad she's okay, at least for now. . .

Earth Day 2010

I became one with the earth today when my dog Tubby knocked me down the hill and into the neighbor's ditch. It wasn't exactly how I planned to celebrate Earth Day, but hey, it was a start! You'd think I'd learn, as this was the second time he's knocked me into that particular ditch! I swear I could even see him smile when it happened and he thoroughly enjoys himself when his Mama is rolling around in the grass at his level!

While I don't necessarily suggest you celebrate Earth Day the same way my morning started out, here are a few other ways you might rejoice instead:

Take your yoga mat out onto the porch and let the birds be your song of inspiration; plant some tomatoes; take a walk through a field and pick wildflowers; go fishing with worms you dig up from your very own garden; climb a tree - you can do it!; toss bread to some ducks; feed pigeons at the park; make a daisy or dandelion chain and actually wear it in your hair - I dare ya!; wiggle your toes in the sand or splash in a mudpuddle; sit on a rock and listen to the ocean crash to shore; take off your shoes and let the grass tickle your feet;

However you choose to celebrate this wonderful Earth of ours, make it special! Thank God for the beauty of it!

Rescuing Daisy

Now don't laugh, but Daisy is my beloved stuffed hippopatamus that I sleep with nearly every night. She's my little piece of childhood that I'll never be too old to let go of. She's cashmere soft, gray with tiny ears and coal black button eyes. She's been there for me when I'm sick, and she's soaked up my tears when I've been sad. She nestles in the crook of my arm and is cushiony soft against my cheek throughout the night.

Some mornings she helps me wake Sid with a silly little song we sing together (Daisy and me, not Sid). She perches on his chest and with the help of my hand moving her arms up and down and her head bobbing back and forth, we sing a song to wake him up.

"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you! It won't be a stylish marriage, cuz I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet, upon the seat of a bicycle built for two!"

Then it's giggles and smiles and Sid's magically awake! Works every time!

The other morning as I made the bed, I set Daisy on the rocking chair and hurried off to get ready for work. About a half hour later I realized it was awfully quiet in the house. Where was my slobbermonster scamp of a dog who's usually grunting around my feet all morning? Quiet cannot be a good thing!

I walked into the living room, but Tubby was nowhere to be found. I could hear him grunting though, so I followed the noise into the bedroom where I fully expected to find him chewing on one of my shoes. Sure enough, there he was laying next to the bed chewing furiously on. . . OH NO! Not my Daisy!!! My poor, precious little Daisy! I screamed, "Tubby! No!" and snatched her out of his slobbery jowls. She looked up at me with her tiny black button eyes as if she was saying, "Mama! How could you let that awful dog do that to me?"

My sweet Daisy was absolutely drenched in doggie drool. I chased Tubby out of the room and took Daisy to the laundry room to further traumatize her with a splash in the washing machine and a bounce in the dryer. I thought, if she survives this morning it will be a miracle!

Later that night, when I got home from work, there was my soft, cuddly Daisy waiting for me to come home. You'd never know the terror she had witnessed earlier that morning. I grabbed her up and took her into the bedroom, but this time I didn't recklessly toss her into the rocking chair where Tubby the Terrible could snatch her away again! From now on, I'll be much more careful with my steadfast and cherished friend!