Left Field Chapter 2: Breakage and Loss

The last posting could have gone on and on, so I decided to tackle the collection of balls that landed in left field on a "ball by ball" basis. Last posting ended up focusing on the crazy snow patterns we experienced this winter (it is NOW Spring and I refuse to accept any more snow) and this entry was intended to focus on breakage. The breakage I had in mind was the crazy two weeks in which our car broke, our bus broke, our refrigerator broke, our washing machine broke, and only a few of the heaters in the rental house we currently inhabit felt like working. I planned on regaling the comical way we tip-toed around afraid of breaking yet another thing, and how slowly but surely one thing after another was either replaced or repaired. Instead I am going to swing the bat and write about the breaking of my heart when I returned to the farm this afternoon to find the neighbor dog feasting on our small flock of chickens.

Now those of you who are loyal readers of the blog may recall that we lost a few girls to an aerial predator a few months ago, and while that was upsetting and unnerving it does not even come close to what went down today. I arrived at the gate enjoying the first real sun we were granted all week. Toby arrived home a bit early and was playing with the kids back at the rental. I was planning on doing some evening chores and a little work in the orchard to make up for a week spent inside with the rain. However, as soon as I saw the neighbor's dog in our yard I knew there was something wrong. The dog immediately bounded up to me looking proud at what he accomplished but also in a panic. Apparently as he wolfed down (that meaning rings so true right now) one of the girls her bone got lodged in his mouth and he was in some pain. I rushed him back to his home and into the arms of his stunned and saddened owner and then returned to assess the carnage.

Two girls, Fondo and Cherry-Egger, were the only ones recognizable and pretty much in one piece. Their soft feathery bodies were still quite warm and although the color had all but drained from their combs, earlobes and waddles I hesitated to pick them up for fear of hurting them more. I briefly considered cleaning and eating them in a sort of macabre memoriam, but Toby nixed that almost immediately when I offered it. Instead, I tucked them into an apple crate and stashed them away for a proper funeral the next day with the whole family. I then walked the entire property, and the three adjacent properties to see if I could find any other girls. Sobbing and unsure what to do I fell back on my purpose for coming to the farm this evening, and proceeded down to the orchard to start observing the trees for bud development.

Three trees into my observations I heard a wonderfully familiar sound and raced back up to the coop to find that one of the girls Rose had reappeared at the coop. She was loudly proclaiming her survival, and probably her sadness over what had transpired and when she saw me running toward the coop she ran just as fast toward me. All our chickens have imprinted on me as their mom and I can only imagine what was going through her little mind as I scooped her up and held onto her for at least ten minutes.

Feeling a little revived I put Rose in her coop and made one last walk around the property before the sun was totally gone. It was that end of the day when the birds and frogs sing out to welcome the night, and when the diurnal creatures high-five the nocturnal animals as they tuck in for the night. I was dumbstruck to see eight deer in the neighboring field; just standing their watching me look for a lost chicken, reminding me that things come and go. It was almost as if they were all saying they were sorry, and it was not my fault for letting my girls stretch their legs and wander around searching for the perfect grub. They too were taking their chances standing in such numbers in a wide open field. Life is for the living.

When I walked back to the coop to close the door and say goodnight to Rose, Mildred another one of the girls showed up and quickly ran into the coop as well. With two chickens now present and accounted for, I breathed in and tried to be thankful. They on the other hand settled in to what they do, scratching around, looking for that perfect grub. I really hope they find it tonight, they have earned it.