The Circle of Life

It’s been a tough week around here.  Truthfully, everything in life comes with its ups and downs, and maybe I am less patient than I used to be.   Know I am less patient that I ought to be.  But really…

On top of the regular joys of people thinking my life is easy or handed to me because I am a military wife (funny one, really) we have finally made enough headway with the insurance that they are testing Bailey for the medical issues.  The boys at school got her quite scared of the blood draw.  The technician was absolutely wonderful, and explained exactly what she was doing and how it would have been different if she were drawing blood from one of her goats.  Wow!  But lots of appointments and waiting rooms keep us all on edge, especially when hens are sitting on eggs and does ar ready to kid and the dark comes earlier and earlier as winter approaches.

Wednesday night, we  got home, and I began to unload the car as the kids ran back to begin with the animals.  I was on my second armload when Bailey came back.  It wasn’t the- goat in labor look.  But it was the come help look.  One of Wyatt’s Silkies, the last white one who he has had for some time and is known for riding around on Huey’s horns, was down in the pen.  Not the cat this time, she was in seizures.  She led me back to find Wyatt in the bantam / show pen, crying and trying to calm her down.  She isn’t a young bird, she is one of the first he raised from a baby chick, and this breed is prone to neurological issues.  Bailey and I gathered our supplies, and Wyatt cooed at his little friend.  We went through the check and tried to comfort her, as Bailey mouthed to me over Wyatt’s head that it looked almost over.  We sat with Wyatt an let him cry, talking about his silly hen Plume Snowflake and that it was okay to cry.  This isn’t a factory farm, things are different here, and the animals are special.  And Plume was special, she would sneak out of her pen and into the buck pen to ride on Huey’s horns- one of the few chickens he allowed to do that.  She would sneak into the feed bucket and con Wyatt into bringing her up to the house, where she would con Remington into cuddling with her.  The first time she did it, Remington really wasn’t too sure about her, but Plume kept nudging closer to Remington’s spot until she won her over.

By this time, it was seven, and getting chilly.  We took care of little Plume and the things you have to do in these cases, and then got back to chores.  On the way in, Bailey held the flashlight so Wyatt could feed and water the hen that decided to sit in egg in the box next to the greenhouse.  Bailey and I traded out, since I wanted to check the eggs.  As Wyatt picked up the mama hen, two babies lay peeping at us!  And then another was under her wing.  Three new lives to join the family.  Three new little sets of opportunity and promise.  Exciting, really.  And exhausting, too.   Reminding us all of the circle of life and our place in it.

 Wyatt fell asleep on his homework.  It took a lot to maneuver him up the ladder to the bunk bed, but he made it.  And he woke this morning sick.  So he went to grandma’s house, Bailey and I went to town.  Now Miss Rose is trying to go into labor under the beautiful moon.  We shall see...