Talking about chickens...

 I know.  Technically, it's late fall... but damn it's windy!  Our low last night was 30.  I knew the weather would get cold eventually... 

Every winter, I put plastic sheeting around my chicken enclosure.  There's already a metal roof.  The plastic cuts down on the wind & keeps snow & ice from accumulating inside the enclosure.  I'm not sure the chickens appreciate it...

The Rhode Island Red chicks are 3 months old now.  When I got the chicks at Tractor Supply, I didn't pay attention to if I was getting all females or "straight run" chicks.  Straight run means there could be male chicks included.  None of the chicks have started crowing yet... so maybe they are all female. I haven't started naming them yet.  I'm waiting to see "who" each of them is.  There's one bossy bird I've started calling "Mad Max".  I guess if it's a female, I'll have to change it to Maxine.

An immature female is called a "pullet"  and an immature male is called a "cockerel".  Rhode Island Red pullets usually start laying at about 4 months of age.  So, maybe I'll get eggs by Christmas...  But, typically, chickens do NOT lay eggs in winter.  You can keep a light on in their enclosure & "force" them to lay.  I prefer NOT to do that.  They'll give me eggs when they are ready.  I'm content with that.

I don't sell my eggs.  And I don't eat my chickens.  Thankfully, Arkansas has a huge chicken industry.  New chicken houses are going up everywhere.  Batesville & Pocahontas both have processing plants.  Our local grocery store, Bill's Cash Saver, carries organic free range chicken & eggs. 

I also have another trio of French Black Copper Maran chickens.  

I know.  This picture has 4 birds in it... the oldest hen, Jet, died last summer.  Now we only have Prince (the rooster), Mahogany & Ebony.  They're all getting older & don't lay anymore.  Prince is not a very energetic rooster either... The 3 of them just hang out in their side of the enclosure... doing their chickeny business.

Jet was a great mamma chicken.  She even raised guinea chicks for me.  She was the grandmother of all the birds I had for the past several years.  But I decided to go back to Rhode Island Red chickens, so I won't be replacing the Marans as they pass on.

Restarting my blog

 My friend, Barbara Stiles, talked to me yesterday via Facebook Messenger video calls... And she asked me to resume my blog.  This was a bit of a surprise.  

I've known Barbara more than 10 years.  She used to live very near me, on one of the local lakes.  But do to health issues & her inability to drive, she moved closer to her daughter in North Little Rock.  She now lives in on of those low-income elderly apartment complexes.  And she does NOT like it.  She's lonely.  She has no outside space to grow plants or walk her dog.  

Getting older.... losing our abilities to do the things we love... missing friends we've lost contact with... these are all issues we have to deal with as we age.  And it's hard!

With this "pandemic", people are feeling more isolated & alone.  People are afraid of spreading this virus to their elderly friends & family members.  And the "lockdowns" are making those feeling even more profound.  People are losing their jobs.  Not everyone is eligible for Unemployment Compensation.  The food banks are being stretched to their limits!

Our recent election has many people upset.  People are feeling like the whole election process has been compromised.  As the Inauguration draws closer, many people are fearful of riots & unrest.  I believe their fears are well founded.

The social unrest of the past year has been astounding!  I can't remember any unrest at this level since the race riot in Philadelphia back in the 1960's.  I was a kid back then, but I remember that the adults in my family were very concerned about them. 

Back to my chat with Barbara... She reminded me of a gathering we had here at our house back in 2015 or so.  We had a fun day & talked about our crafts.  And we ate good food.  And I think that's what most people are missing in these "Pandemic" days.  The connections we felt with other people.

Do yourself a favor.  Call a friend up & chat.  Tell them how much they mean to you.  Remember, the love we feel for one another is what we will take with us when we leave this world.