Grandmother's Time and Time for a New Chicken Calendar

  Looking at a new calendar brought all these thoughts on today.

 Hey, you like animals?  Maybe you like chickens?  I do and if you don't like them, you are missing a  real  experience of joy because they are so fine, a master painting of nature, a masterpiece in color, very industrious creatures in one's life and chickens keep us furnished with our daily egg, you know! And most all of us eat chicken, at one time or another. Don't we?


Sadly, I don't have any chickens; they need a peaceful environment to live and thrive; they need protection from harm, from stress of any type in order to be good layers.  They are prey for many animals.  They cannot defend themselves, except to run away.  Here at home living with several dogs; a chicken would be in mortal danger.

So, I have an emptiness, a sad lack in my life.  I grew up living among chickens and was a very happy laid-back, nice and kind kid with regard to our laid-back chickens.  Never fearful,  they nor I, although they could pitch out some high squawks, rattling my little sensitive ears with that very startling noise, when being chased.  I saw no problem when I did this as a 3 and 4 year old innocent, sprinting along and telling them to be quiet. Ahem, we won't go there today.  Okay?

I could have swooned with the pleasure I got from holding a tiny recently hatched minute  'diddlie' or 'doodie' as we called them.

For about eight years we lived with my grandmother.  The chickens were hers and gave us a good supply of eggs and on occasion, a feast of finger-licking real fried chicken, food that tasted like it was supposed to taste.

 Feed me chicken now and I can guarantee that taste is gone; gone forever, I'm afraid.  Chicken taste left chickens a few years ago, right at the time that we began buying them, weighing in at two pounds a breast or leg quarter, big as a turkey's!  Shot thru and thru with antibiotics and hormones. Tough as shoe leather!

I read an item recently that stated all commercially sold chicken in the US is now produced in China and 80 some % of all pork, same place.  True or not?  Doesn't sound good to me.  Can't be fully true for I've seen chicken production farms  in a few places over the years and the hobby of backyard chicken farming is growing in leaps and bounds. The quality of the range rovers' eggs is superb!  They taste as they used to, before mega farming took over the planet.


You should have known my grandmother, whom we called Mussie; this name came about starting from the fact that her baby twins had spoken the word for "mama". The name remained through life among family and friends.  Otherwise, she was addressed as Mary or Mrs. Smith.

Mussie was trim and slender, a very spry Irish woman with shining blue eyes that rarely showed a look of displeasure and with a full set of the whitest white perfect teeth until she died. Never a cavity. She cleaned them with a birch twig, always.

Mussie had a temper - don't we all - but it rarely ever showed and then only with her displeasure and correction of a misdeed of some one who knew better and did it anyway.

My grandmother was a very hard worker, always busy.  It was rare that I saw her at rest.  She was so good for us children.  I wish she was still here with us.

 It has suddenly dawned on me that I am almost to the month as old as she was when she died. Another 4 months and she would have turned seventy-seven years old. She became very forgetful in her advanced years. I am there now also.  It's so unfunny to live with.  The medical pros call it Senility.  What a nasty sounding word.

 Mussie protected her children fiercely; I suppose over the fact she was a widow when my mother turned six. My grandfather, Dennis, died of pneumonia. I never knew how he looked until recent years when I was given this photocopy of a studio portrait. - I immediately saw  a living breathing replica of my youngest brother Freddie.  Won't he be surprised and pleased when he sees this picture!

Grandfather Denny

Mom was the youngest of a brood of seven, three of them gone from homes when Denny died, married, with families of their own.  I am 10 years older than Mom was when we lost her presence.

I was thinking about Mussie yesterday after seeing a picture of the Dominique breed  of chicken on a calendar.  Mussie had several of what are called Dominecker hens, fat and calm creatures, black and white feathers.  Chickens  'busy about' a lot. I can picture in my mind watching our chickens scratching out a  place in the dirt for a good dustbath and settling down for a rest or sleep, all fluffed and plumped feathers, that gradually smoothed down in orchestra. The body was not fluffy and plumped then.  A nice memory.

I recently went to Ann' blog.   She has chickens, several different breeds.  She is very good with her camera  and is an artist, an all around creative artist. She started a few years back designing her own calendar.  I missed the chance to get one; my loss then.  The newest one, for 2018, is now available to buy; one which I consider a real Keeper.  Each month gives you a nice picture of her chickens.  The Dominecker is at the month of December 2018.
  
Here is the link to purchase one if you like chickens. copy and paste http://edificerex.blogspot.com  A very nice quality-made item to keep yourself on track for next year and to add some true color and beauty for your enjoyment.

Ann, called MamaHen, lives on what she earns and she has put much thought and work into this creation of hers.  She retired from welding construction awhile back and went back to her art interests and finishing her home, which she built from ground level to completion, starting it a few years back; working on it as she was able to buy materials while working as a welder.  Yes, Ann is a woman of many talents and if you would like to learn how many talents, type in her blog site and let it take you away.  I think her blog is the finest! See what she has created on her empty plot of land. and here is a link to get her newest calendar for 2018.   http://www.lulu.com/shop/ann-beaird/my-calendar/calendar/product-23434164.html