Chicks, kids and chickens

Andrea and her gentle hen

Okay, let me first say that I'm not usually a jealous person. I'm at the age/state of mind that offers contentment in who I am regardless of my job title, economic status, having not yet travelled everywhere I hope to visit yet. HOWEVER, I am literally green with envy with those who can keep chickens! Ever since I helped Chef Brian Scheesher (then Exec. Chef @ The Sorrento Hotel and is now chef/owner of Trellis in Kirkland, WA) at a cooking class where he spoke of keeping bees and chickens at his house in Seattle, I WANTED them!

Friend Andrea's Hen house #1

My CC&R's don't allow "critters" here in our Sequim neighborhood. Dang it! I love the looks and sounds of chickens. They're visually appealing to me and the gentle clucking sound is soothing but their EGGS, now that's what I'm talking about! The nearly neon orange of the yolks, the firm whites, the rich buttery taste. I get flat out jealous. Just saying'!

So when my girlfriend Andrea had her son's birthday party recently, she offered to give me a tour of her two henhouses. She knows I'm green with envy and wanted to show me the "realities" of keeping hens.

The ladies have been busy!

The laying boxes

She keeps her hen houses clean so the potential odor wasn't a problem for me. She pointed out the fencing enhancements they've made after being burrowed into/over and chewed through by rodents and raccoons eager to eat the feed or the chickens themselves. I took mental notes.

The ladies in house #2

My son Alan holding the fresh, warm, organic eggs

What beautiful plumage!

"Where are you going to sit?" "Sit next to me!"

She let the kids and I feed them grain by hand to get a closer encounter with them. We all kneeled down quietly and let them eat off our hands.

A fashion show of poultry plumage

Hello red hen!

 I soaked in their gentle clucking sounds for my memory bank. I wonder if there's an "App" for that sound...?

Black and white party!

Some of them were very gentle and some were not. The one that went after our fingers kind of freaked me out a little but still didn't deter my yearning. One can always have chicken for dinner if she gets too much of a diva.  Just something I filed away for future reference when I have my hen house(s?).

The "not shy" red hen...catch the attitude?!

My son and I finally had to return home and leave the party and the hen houses. I mentally vowed to make this a reality someday. I even put it on my "50 Things I need to do" list that I made up after reading Kimberly Taylor's blog Blackberry Farm last week (http://kimberlytaylorimages.com/mimicharmante/).

Oh, and BTW, Kim has chickens too on her farm too, and kids, and geese and a photography studio and she travels to amazing places and she takes amazing images! Check out her blog, she does not disappoint!

Our favorite, gentle red hen saying her "goodbyes"

So this Sequim chick left feeling more affirmed than in her quest for hen keeping! Not sure where this will

happen but it will someday. Andrea gave me a dozen fresh eggs to take home with us. Some of them were the ones collected together. Those eggs were still warm. How cool is that?!

The parting, party gift of gorgeous organic egg 

Here's to living DELIBERATELY my friends. That's my word for this year. I'm going to print out my "50 things" List to remind me everyday the goals I have and the actions needed to support those goals.
Find your deliberate goals,  create your "50 things"List and go after them.

"Don't let the fear of striking out, keep you from stepping up to the plate" ~ Babe Ruth

Chow for now my friends!