Friday, August 24, 2012

join the chicken circus

writing for five minutes on join....

if i gave you fifty chances, you couldn't
possibly guess what i was doing last night
at nine
in the dark
wearing flip flops....
join me in laughing
as you conjure the scene -
the door to my chickens' coop
was closed
and i didn't know it
so they couldn't put themselves to bed
properly
do you know that at dark chickens
stop moving?
they find a roost and
stay
there
i stepped into the yard to go tuck them in
(close the coop door)
and found
one on the handrail
one on the power box
three on top of the coop
and one AWOL
i couldn't run them in because, as i mentioned,
and continue joining in the laugh,
they don't move after dark
i had to catch them
with my hands
yes, it was scary
(imagine squawking, flapping, pecking, cussing)
despite a fear of snakes lurking in the dark
i searched for twenty minutes with a flashlight,
CSI style,
until i found the last one,
statuesque in a holly tree just twenty-three inches
from the coop
think i'll go boil an egg....

so, what were you doing at nine last night?

linking with -


the gypsy mama for five-minute-friday
beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday
studio jru for sneak peek friday

10 comments:

  1. hahahahaha, you are a true farmer......rocking a baby girl at 9 last night
    happy friday! love ya

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  2. Ack! Your essay is so delightful. My grandmother had chickens and they always scared me. I can't imagine picking one up. What a vivid picture you've painted.

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  3. too funny. I wish kids did the same thing. At nine, I was tucking myself into bed :).

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  4. Awesome!! I had to come when I saw "A Chicken Adventure". I mean seriously, how could I not. You did not disappoint. I have a 3 1/2 yo boy, so sometimes it's like catching a chicken in the dark and putting him back to bed. There's always the stray little car you have to worry about stepping on, not exactly like a snake. I need to go poke around your blog now.

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  5. This totally makes me miss my chickens!!! I had to do that once... Only we had a rooster, too... I just ran around with a flashlight till I found him and then chased him in...no way was I picking him up! My heart was seriously blessed by this story!
    Last night I'm pretty sure I was just lazing around in my pjs!

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  6. Awesome. I feel your pain and cracking up all at the same time. Hmmm...at nine I was living out a nightmare: a group of church ladies sitting in my living room for a live webcast that never came through - was left trying to figure out plan B which ended up working out ok but still....

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  7. thinking of one of my best friends who got chickens this summer ;) but at 9 last night I was snoring ;)

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  8. Can picture you and your chickens. Sounds like me and my boys sometimes around bedtime.

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  9. ha! this is one of the (many) times i wish we were just up the street, so you could've called on me to help chicken-gather. i just love you and your life so much.

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  10. My mom gave the last of her chickens away last year. I miss them...and their eggs! I also miss you, Kendal! Hope you are doing well :)

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