The chickens have been happy. The last of the snow has melted and they have full run of their yard. For some reason, they now spend part of the day under our shed. There is a hole in the fence that is just big enough for a chicken or groundhog, the latter of which is who created the hole in the first place. The groundhog lives under the shed, drinks the chicken's water, and accesses the grass (and any growing plants) through their yard. The ladies don't seem to mind. I panicked the first day when I couldn't find the chickens in the yard, then I heard faint clucking noises and saw dust floating out from under the shed. I admonished them for laying eggs where I can't reach them, but I don't think they're actually laying any under there. It just must be a nice safe place for taking a dust bath and siesta.
I wonder if chickens give thought to any time other than the present? In the snowy winter, when they spend the whole day in their coop, do they yearn to stretch their legs, to gobble up a fat white grub? In the wonderful book, The Tomten, by Astrid Lindgren, the Tomten thinks that perhaps the horse "remember a clover field, where he trotted around last summer." Or is the current situation, cold rain or hot sun, the only thing that the chickens think about? If the latter is the case, then there are two ways for them to handle the situation. They can think, "Woe is me, cold snow, cold snow, when will it end?" and get in a depressed funk. Or they can just accept their reality and focus on the positive. They have constant access to food (they do have to brave the elements for a mere three feet to get water) and they have shelter. They have each other to provide companionship and warmth. (If they want it - we have one chicken that sometimes sleeps by herself at the opposite end of the coop.)
Do you see where I'm going with this? We can either long for better days to come in the future (with bigger grubs/paychecks/vacations) or we can live each day as it comes and appreciate it. No day is perfect, and a perfect day today does not mean that tomorrow will be perfect. Grab the good things in your life now. The rooster has crowed - seize the day!
(I don't have any rooster pictures, but I like this crab.)
Shared On The Home Front for the HomeAcre Hop.