Accidental Homesteader
…a funny thing happened on the way to the bar
Zen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance
One of the unexpected pleasures of yard chickens is that every day, just before sunset, we have to go out and feed and water the chickens, then wait for them to put themselves to bed. Now, we could just do the water and food, go inside and do whatever, then come back after dark, but we have taken to watching the sunset, chatting, watching the fireflies, and just being.
Those who know me, know that I’m fairly high strung. I relaxed once in 1976, and didn’t care for it one bit. But there is something just peaceful about sitting and watching the sunset over the corn, while waiting for the chickens to do their thing, listening to the birds, and the coyotes, and the wind. If the husband is off doing stuff, I’ll often sit alone, working on some task that requires mindfulness, and turn off my brain. Today, it was harvesting arugula seeds from the volunteer arugula in my lawn (referred to as “Yard Chard” – there’s also chard and green lettuce, but the arugula is ready). We are going to use some, trade some for other seeds, and give some away. There’s a lovely group Plant a Row for the Hungry, and I’ll see if they want the seeds. Some of the yard chard was still alive, so we planted it in planters, and are letting it go to seed as well.
So, thank you chickens, for the most relaxing part of my day.*
*Note, I fully anticipate that I’m totally going to be bitching about chickening in January… but for now, I’m thankful.
Accidental Homesteader 