the Chicken Revolt

The chickens are on my naughty list.

They have eaten our tomatoes,

decimated our strawberries,

destroyed the garlic bed,

and I forgave them...

But what they did Wednesday morning,

was crossing the line.

It all began with my brilliant idea to try the

"Three Sisters Method"

when planting our sweet corn this year.

Provided it actually works, I'll elaborate more on that

later; for now it suffices to say - it is an Indian method

that involves planting your corn, beans, and squash

together - in a way that benefits all three.

The first step involves making 18 inch mounds...

Precisely five feet apart.

After making 11 of them Tuesday night,

(a whopping 1/3 of the goal)

it dawned on me why it was a tribal custom.

I was wondering where my tribe was....

Well,

predictably, the chickens broke in at the crack of dawn,

and destroyed, and devoured,

every last mound and kernel of corn.

I considered tarring and de-feathering them all.

I used to like chickens,

but after my special pet chicken

-Anna Magdalena Bach-

died this past Winter,

the bond was weakened.

So, our chickens will likely be losing many of their

freedoms in the coming days.

Wednesday was spent replanting and

building a fence of protection

around my corn mounds,

but I feel it is time for our plants to experience liberty.

Gardening - free from fear of scratching claws,

pecking beaks, and diabolical birds in general.

Hope.