Thursday, December 13, 2018

Wild Things In A World Of Domesticity

Oh, god. I am worn out. I couldn't sleep for about a third of the night due to anxiety-fretting about not having the house/cats/chicken-sitting covered while we're gone and meanwhile, we're leaving in one week. Also, I knew I had a check up at the GYN's today in order to get my bio-identical hormones refilled for another whatever length of time. So. Yeah. Anxiety through the roof.
I got up and whined to Lily and Jessie via text and then I went on a good walk which is the smartest thing I could have done. And look what I saw!



Never in my life have I seen mushrooms like this. I believe they are Lion's Mane mushrooms or, perhaps Bear Head mushrooms. Either way, they are fascinating to look at. I was so glad to have seen them. 

I cleaned the hen house and I got ready to go to town for the appointment which of course involved leg-shaving and thoroughly hygienic cleansing. You ladies all know what I mean. I got there ten minutes early and wasn't called in until forty-five minutes after my appointment time. This gave me plenty of time to strew and fret and worry but when I finally got back into the exam room, it didn't take very long and I have to admit that the doctor was truly, truly nice. We discussed Cozumel because when he asked me what my holiday plans were (and you have to talk about something when someone's down there, fiddling with your most sacred parts or up here, giving the old and also sacred bosoms their exam) and I told him I was going to Cozumel he told me that he and his wife had gone there on their honeymoon thirty one years ago- the same exact year that Mr. Moon and I visited for the first time. So that was a pleasant little connection and before I knew it, he was done and I was out of there but of course now I'm in the post-exam-anxiety crash phase and feel as if I could sleep for a week. 

I witnessed something else I've never seen today. Three of my young birds were going at it in a way that reminded me of nothing so much as a cock fight. Neck feathers were ruffled and pecking was happening and wings were being stretched. After awhile, one of the birds lost interest but the other two- one a yellow one, one a brown one- kept it up for at least twenty minutes, moving down to the hen house area and the last I saw of them before they went to roost, the brown one was chasing the yellow one through the woods. So, I reckon I have at least three roosters out of that little brood of eight. 
Ooh boy. 
I really cannot complain about this. The odds are good that at least half of them are males. But I really do not need or want more roosters. The two I have now get along beautifully but have split the flock at roosting time. I honestly think that Ringo and his ladies and Dearie are indeed jungle fowl and a friend sent me a very interesting article about those very birds. 
My favorite quote in it is this:

"The domestic chicken is descended from the red jungle fowl, which is native to tropical South East Asia. The bird was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago, and rapidly spread around the world, to be used for meat and eggs."

Although Ringo does not have all of the characteristics of the red jungle fowl, he has enough to be a close first cousin and as such, I do believe that he has all of the wild and wily characteristics of his very distant relatives and also displays the reasons they were able to be domesticated. 
I have a deep affection for all of these strange birds, especially Dearie as I have watched her brood and hatch and raise her chicks. She let the boys do what boy birds have to do today but kept a wary eye on them. One of the things I found so interesting about their tussling was how they demonstrated what in human boxers is called "clinching" when they seemed to take a period of rest, but with their necks instead of arms wrapped around each other for a few seconds before one of them would begin fighting again. 
I wonder if the dinosaurs which are an even far more ancient ancestor of the chicken fought like this too. Can you imagine humans using the same techniques and strategies to fight that dinosaurs did? 
I can. 

Well. Enough of my theories and musings. 

It's going to rain again tonight. 

May all chickens, jungle fowl related or not be safe wherever it is they decide to spend their night. 

And all of us too, we pathetic humans who have no fur or feathers, no claws or talons, no beaks or wings but do certainly have the ability to build and create shelters and weapons and libraries and art  and invent pap smears. 
And brains with which to wonder about how all of it came to this and where in the world it is all leading. We laugh about how children go through the "why" stage, asking why in every situation, but if we are honest, and if we are curious, we never grow out of it which is one of my favorite things about people. 

Love...Ms. Moon







13 comments:

  1. Ugh. The yearly pap smear. I never used to mind, but the last time I went my doctor (who was old as the hills and on the verge of retirement) was rude and abrupt. He pressed so hard on my belly he left bruises, he shamed me about my weight, he blew off the questions I had about the fibroids he discovered, and it was altogether a terrible experience. I couldn't believe how my kindly old doctor had changed, and then a month or two later I got a letter announcing his immediate retirement. Maybe dementia was setting in? Who knows. But I haven't been able to bear to have another ob/gyn exam since then, that experience was so bad. :(

    I'm glad your doctor was nice, and I'm glad you've got the visit over with. You're going to have a BLAST in Cozumel, no matter what lies your anxiety tells you right now.

    I hope you're feeling better today, Mary.

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    1. I can totally understand why you haven't gotten a gyn exam in awhile. Try to find a doctor who is gentle and kind. There must be one around somewhere who will not bruise nor shame you.
      Jesus. Thank god that guy retired.
      And I AM feeling better today. Thank you, Jennifer!

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  2. I'm a why person as well. I always want to know why.

    I've had to see a lot of my gynecologist in the past few years because of post menopausal bleeding. He's a nice man and so funny. One time he touched something in my vagina and I felt a gush of warmth. Then he's grabbing paper towels and wiping. I asked him if he had made a mess and he said, maybe.

    So now you have chicken fights at your place. Too funny.

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    1. Oh my! Was it pee? Or was it the mysterious G-Spot that he touched?
      Inquiring minds want to know..."Why?"
      I saw two other teen chicks fighting today. I'm in deep trouble.

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    2. No, it was blood but I like how you think. I'd visit him more often if he found the G spot:)

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  3. you brave woman- I have not been in to a GYN for one hundred years...no point, I reckon, may as well look up my nose. I do not miss those awkward visits at all...We must learn from the chicken gods, how to do this life according to nature. My oh MY that shroom is magnificent! Glad you spotted that!

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    1. Well, I have to go to this guy every two years or so to get my bio-identical hormones renewed. He was cool about that, too. I am grateful.
      The chicken gods are far more important than most of us realize, aren't they?
      Isn't that mushroom amazing?

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  4. I don't ask 'why' so much as 'how'. as in how did you do that. I suppose in the old days, the roosters of any new brood were the ones that ended up on the dinner table. not that this is relevant to anything but I read an article about how America is shifting away from Christianity (and the other two Abrahamic religions) with it's god is separate and made the world to the older more pagan understanding that god is immanent in the world. that the segment of the population that has put aside 'religion' but consider themselves 'spiritual' and are reviving or inventing new practices to address that concept. it's not a new religion yet because it hasn't coalesced into a uniform practice/ritual but it could very well be the beginning stages. it was pretty interesting.

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    1. That IS interesting, Ellen! I'd like to read that article. Do you have a link?

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  5. and I meant to say how cool those mushrooms/fungus are. I see some weird ones out here but nothing like that.

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    1. I didn't even know that such mushrooms existed. I should probably go collect them and cook them. But I'm a wimp.

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  6. Those mushrooms are incredible. I've never seen anything like that. Nature is amazing. Don't cook them! :)

    I guess it was inevitable that some roosters would arise out of that little flock. But knowing how much trouble you had with roosters before, I hope (for their sakes) they are better-behaved!

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  7. And now we have the why machine called google. My daughter calls it google university. Those mushrooms are extraordinary.

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