Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Good-Bye To A Sweet Little Hen


Well, shit, y'all. 

Last night when I shut the chickens up I did a head count which we always do although if one is missing, there's nothing to be done about it since it's dark. But we do count their little chicken heads and since last spring, we've had seventeen every night and have been saying how amazing it is that we haven't lost any this year which is not generally the case because every critter on earth loves chicken from possums to raccoons to hawks to eagles to owls to foxes. And more. 
But last night I could only count sixteen and it was Tweety that I could not find. Now sometimes those chickens can be wily, especially the banties, and hide in the hen house under straw or behind another bird or up on a ledge and although I gave the hen house a good look-over with the flashlight and couldn't see her, I thought that maybe she'd surprise me in the morning by being there. 

But she wasn't. 
When I went out to open up the hen house door I found feathers.


Just feathers, no body, so I'm thinking a hawk snatched her right before she went to roost. I feel so bad. She was such a funny little bird-chicken and I adored her tiny eggs. But when you keep chickens you just have to face the fact that you're going to lose some. Especially if you let them free-range. But even if you keep them cooped up, predators can sometimes get in and take them, as we know and I think that diseases and infections are more apt to happen if they are cooped all the time. 
So.

It got pretty cold last night but I was cozy. I made up my bed for single-sleeping with sheets, a cotton blanket, the quilt, the duck, and the duckling. Jack cuddled up to my hip so I was definitely not cold. Our new heater works fine but I set it low at night and even crack the window above my head. I like it cold(ish) so that I have a good excuse for all the covers. Hell, I even have the fan on but that's for sound more than anything. I slept very, very well. 

Hank came over before noon. He's trying to reset his internal clock so that he's not nocturnal. He'll always be nocturnal but he can keep more normal hours if he works at it. He seemed bright and cheerful today, quite handsome in a new green plaid flannel shirt, and we visited on the porch. I gave him eggs and some field peas and a plant for Rachel. Before I knew it, the day was half over and I'd done nothing, really. I ordered a few things I needed online and a few little Christmas presents. Not much. But it's a start. I also ordered some flannel for a blanket for August and I realize now I’m  should have ordered some for Magnolia's blanket too. I'll do that tomorrow. Joanne's online had regular $7.99 a yard flannel for $2.99 so I need to order all I think I might want. I got a package ready to mail to a friend and did a few other tiny things. Nothing really. But somehow it was suddenly five o'clock. 

I've talked to my husband and he is happy as can be. He said, "Lord, it's beautiful here." I know he loves being in the Tennessee woods and I love thinking about him there. 

I've put the chickens up for tonight- sixteen. I had to wait awhile for the last three to finish up their twilight corn-pecking before they decided to join their family in the roost. I just stood and watched them scratching away until one at a time, they decided to go to bed. There are always a few stragglers. Perhaps some of them are like Hank- more nocturnal than the others. 
I've gotten out the Goodwill cashmere and again, I am so surprised at its warmth and softness. I do hope to go thrift-shopping again some day. 
It'll happen. 

And now I'm going to go cook one of my favorite things- the roasted cauliflower I love from the New York Times cooking app. I'll eat it while watching more of "The Crown" which Mr. Moon told me it was okay to go ahead and watch without him. 
Ha-ha. 
Can I just say that Charles and Diana were a fucking train wreck? Good god. Bless their hearts. 

Love...Ms. Moon 

17 comments:

  1. So very sorry to hear about Miss Tweety's demise...... it never gets easier to lose one even if we know it *may* happen at any time. So sorry. And I love that roasted cauliflower recipe! One of my favorites. May you have a sweet nights sleep with cats at peace with each other (as much as is possible)
    Susan M

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  2. I'm sorry to hear Miss Tweety has likely met with a sticky end. When we lived near the Desert it happened to one of our Two Cats and so we had to convince Miss Priss to become a partially Indoor Cat at Night, even tho' she'd come to us as a Stray so HATED being trapped inside. She got used to it and it probably Saved her there. Here we didn't have to worry about that, we're back in the City enough that even tho' it's Mini Farms in our Community and some Commercial Fields being Farmed, fewer Natural Predators to pick off Livestock or Domestic Pets. I agree that Charles and Diana clearly were in an Arranged Marriage and Loveless Union that made them both quite miserable. I'm glad the Younger Son defected to Canada with his new American Bride and their precious Son to avoid the Royalty Pressures of his Birth and all the High Drama that he Married for Love. My Boss at the DA's Office was originally from India and had an Arranged Marriage, her Sister had an Arranged Marriage to the Brother of her Husband... so Two Sisters were Married Off to Two Brothers. She Lucked Out and had a marvelous Husband that she actually Loved, but she would have had to Marry him even if she didn't or he didn't, Cultural mandates still being strictly enforced in both Families... it's quite unfortunate in this Day and Age.

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  3. I am so sorry about the chicken(s)?. There are coyotes in Van Cortlandt Park which is at the end of my street. My daughter and I worry about the outdoor cats in the neighborhood. Since I can worry about everything(and do) I wonder about defending my dog in case of an attack. Fred is a fearless cockapoo however,all 20 pounds of him.

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  4. Sorry about the loss of the little chicken. As you say, it happens, but it's still sad when it does. You get attached to these little guys.

    I must check that roast cauliflower recipe. It sounds good. Tomorrow I'm thinking about a cabbage pie recipe I saw today, from an Italian channel. We'll see.

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  5. So sorry about Miss Tweety! I am not a fan of wildlife attacking chickens. I know it’s just what they do but still....
    Why can’t Hank be nocturnal? Did i miss something?
    Debbie

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    1. Because my Rachel isn't and we like to spend time together. Also because if I want to do anything during the day - doctor appointments, for example - it's straight up hell when I go to bed at dawn. My goal is simply to go to bed by one am and wake up in the morning instead of early evening on a regular basis

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  6. well poop, that little bird was a star! her feathers are pretty, her eggs were gems. so sorry. Damn! Your bed sounds cosy.

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  7. I am so sorry about Miss Tweety...and your bed does sound nice.

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  8. Miss Tweety. I think we all remember when she came.
    Charles and Diana were as big a mess in real life as on screen, and I hold her death totally against the royals, who I really otherwise like. I don't blame Harry and Megan for pulling up sticks, though they also need to stop making up these photo opportunities to act like royals when they are just movie stars and "influencers" now. Enough Crown! Goodnight to you, too.

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  9. They WERE a train-wreck, but there's also been a lot of press about how the show isn't entirely accurate when it comes to their relationship. (As I'm sure you've seen.) I'm so sorry to hear about Miss Tweety. She lived a happier life being outside than she would have if she'd been cooped all the time. Glad Mr. Moon is having fun in the woods!

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  10. "The Crown" is pure fiction. The truth is that Prince Charles met Diana in "The Marquee Club" in Soho. They were both in disguise - Charles in his latter day punk rocker outfit and Diana like a woman of loose morality with laddered fishnet stockings and a leather corset. They got wasted on tequila and then sniffed lines of coke before making beautiful love in the middle of Hyde Park as the dawn was breaking. That's how it all began. Pay no heed to "The Crown" - except as fairytale entertainment.

    RIP Miss Tweety

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  11. oh! not little Miss Tweety! damn. well, as you say...life. and everybody has to eat. I've not done much the last few days. ordered my sister's christmas present, worked on the Square store some more, wrote a couple of posts. after that frigid Monday night and Tuesday, today is warmer. we also keep the house cold at night, 62˚, and so Monday night I had my summer quilt and my winter quilt on the bed.

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  12. I think "train wreck" is a pretty mild description for Charles and Diana. Maybe not at the beginning but the honeymoon phase sure didn't last long!

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  13. Sorry about your hen. It's life isn't it?

    I like it cold at night too, especially when I'm having hot flashes:)

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  14. I'm so sorry to hear about Miss Tweety! How sad!

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  15. So sorry to hear about Miss Tweety- at least she had a happy life-able to scratch and wander and not be cooped up in a tiny cage.

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  16. Sorry about your Tweety. Nature can be cruel. So can humans--but didnt they cast Diana perfectly in the Crown? Say hi to Hank! Love that man.

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