The flock

Let's meet the girls.

I got 5 grown hens from the local feed store. I showed up on a Friday morning with 2 large amazon boxes with airholes cut into them, and the guy cracked up at the creativity. They were living in cages packed so tightly, I feel like I rescued them. The first day they rolled around in the dirt like they'd never seen it. And they probably hadn't. 

They are all red star hens, and I couldn't tell them apart so after about a week I put a different color zip tie on their legs. Except for one. She was supposed to be yellow but I couldn't catch her so she's the only one without a bracelet.

Their names:

Clover- supposed to be yellow.
She keeps her distance. Out of respect for me being unable to catch her, she was named after the whole reason they are here.

Coco- Blue. 
Easton named her. 

Micora- Purple.
Lilah named her.

Gertrude- Green.
Named after my Aunt Kate, who for some reason was nicknamed this after a chicken named Gertrude.

Princess Mary Jane O'Kief- Orange.
Named as if she was a racehorse, by some friends who named her after... a favorite hobby. 

They are all pretty mild-tempered. Everyone except Clover will let me pet them, and will eat out of my hand. They love strawberry tops and bananas, but won't touch kale or watermelon.

Here's a shot of the very first egg. What an expensive egg!

chickens

And now, for a little chicken content.

Here is the coop, designed to be cute and easy to clean. It is moveable in the event of a hurricane or severe flooding.

The run, attached to the back of the coop, includes some area under the deck to gain square footage, shade, and use otherwise wasted space. Every opening is secured with hardware cloth.

We ripped out an old rotting firewood stand, put in flower beds, and planted grass to boost our backyard curb appeal.

And, of course, here is the flock.

life appreciation post

You know, sometimes I have to stop and take a deep breath and re-center myself. Been feeling a little off lately.

I have been traveling a lot, which inherently creates a need to adapt, and I've also been navigating the shifts that come with perimenopause. Yes, I saw the doctor and they said that I basically have 2 options. Either get my levels tested and take hormone therapy, or deal with the natural process and take good care of myself in the meantime. Of course I chose the crunchier option.

This week, when I left for the airport for the second Monday in a row, I really didn't want to. But since there was nothing I could do to change the situation, I had to change my mindset. I could be sad that I have to leave home, or I could re-frame my point of view and be excited for the adventure and the opportunity to see a new city. Why spend the time being upset when I can choose to change my mood? 

Fortunately, I've had practice with shifting my focus to appreciate the present. And I'm so glad. Because even though my days were filled with layovers and work, it really is cool to visit a new city. I didn't have time to do much, but in the last couple of weeks I was able to do some recon and see if these cities were worth visiting again. And, they were.

How lucky am I that I get paid to travel? I've been to some really cool places and met some cool people. My company pays for my snacks. I get to keep my airline, hotel, rental car, and parking points, which enables us to travel for fun on a budget. I get to come home to a house in paradise with a wonderful husband who carries my luggage upstairs, makes sure the toilet is clean (LOL I'm not mad at it) and fresh flowers are ALWAYS on the table. I get to sleep in a comfortable bed next to him and wake up to scratchy beard kisses and drink my coffee in the morning with views like this.

So yeah, life gets busy and I get tired, but when I stop to take it all in, it's all pretty damn good. I am SO lucky.