Thursday, July 25, 2013

Tea, cat and seeds.

With all this July heat I am able to make sun tea on my deck. I savor the tasty sun tea. My cat Poppy, has lost his winter fat and is a lean can once again. Summer heat means my collards have gone to seed. I am winnowing off seeds from their husks. Busy as always in the summer.




9 comments:

  1. Dear Ms Ruthlynn--

    Hi! I'm Izzy, the girl that came to your farm, and the one you gave great books to--thanks for that!--but I want to do something for you in return, so I am making a story just for you! Maybe I can just post each chapter in your blog! Have fun with your awesome Ameraucanas!!

    ~Izzy

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    Replies
    1. Wow, you are a great writer. I will be happy to have your chapters added to my blog.Glad you are sharing your skills for all to see and enjoy.

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    2. I named Lynn after you, Ms Ruthlynn!
      I am glad you like my story and hope you will be reading the chapters in your spare time.

      :) Izzy

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  2. Chapter One

    "Another three eggs, Peeps? Good job!" Lynn said withdrawing her hand quickly to avoid any more pecking.
    She wiped her mouse brown hair out of her crystal blue eyes and smiled, whistling a little tune to herself as she walked away from the coop with four eggs in her basket.
    "Any more eggs, Lynn?" a man with black hair and deep blue eyes asked from behind the newspaper. "Yup. I got us four more eggs, and Peeps is sitting on another three,"
    "Another three?" The man exclaimed, putting down his paper. "Why, it's the fifth time this year that she's had three eggs! My goodness, she's such an excellent mother." Lynn nodded in agreement. "All her chicks turned into fine pullets and tasty cockerels, didn't they, Dad?"
    He nodded and returned to the paper. Lynn grabbed herself two Oreo cookies and a piece of bread, then walked back out to the chicken coop with an empty basket.
    All the Ameraucana chickens and bantams where inside the coop because of a slight downpour, but Lynn didn't mind at all. She opened the coop door and made sure that it wasn't covering the chicken's door, and then walked inside.
    "Here you go, guys," Lynn said, throwing little pieces of bread to her chickens. She made sure, of course, that the newbies and bantams got some too.
    Her Phoenix rooster strutted around the coop, taking a couple of leftover pieces every now and then. Lynn walked over to her garden, making sure everything was okay, and trying to shoo away the squash bugs without success.
    She tended to her comfrey, basil, and mint, then finally walked over to the roses. She picked out loose thorns and picked up dead flowers to throw into the compost.
    Then, Lynn walked back over to the comfrey and put some on the cuts she got from the thorns.
    Lynn locked the garden gate tightly and walked inside her home, laying down on the couch and sighing with relief. All that egg collecting and tending and chores wore her out; but she didn't mind at all.
    "May I have my allowance, Dad?" Lynn called from the living room. "I put it on your dresser," Dad called back. "Thanks!" Lynn replied, settling back down again.
    "Oh no!" Lynn gasped. Her bunny rabbit escaped his cage again. He was a Rex rabbit, therefore Lynn named him Rex.
    Rex was trying to dig through the carpet, and he had made a couple rips in it. "Rex!" Lynn called, and Rex stopped his digging for a moment.
    In that very moment Lynn scooped Rex up and carried him back to his cage, putting him back in again. "Stop doing that, Rex. You know you can't dig through the concrete under the carpet," Lynn scolded.
    Lynn suddenly remembered the Oreos in her pocket and took one out, scooping off a little frosting and putting it under Rex's nose. Rex tried to get it, but Lynn drew it away and said, "If you don't behave, I won't give you any frosting, understand?"
    Lynn licked the frosting off her finger and ate the rest of the cookies. "Lynn! Come look at this!" Dad called.
    "What?" Lynn asked, leaning over his shoulder.
    "There's an ad up for an Ameraucana rooster! We can finally get rid of that Phoenix of yours!" Dad said, pointing at the ad. "If we get that rooster, we're selling two hens, not my Phoenix,"
    "Fine, fine. I guess two roosters is better than one. One of them can look after the hens outside, and the other can look after the hens inside." Dad said.
    "We should select our worst egg-layers to sell, though. We need those eggs." Lynn said.
    "I think two butchered hens would be worth more than two live hens, mm?" Dad said, looking up at Lynn.




    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your writing and memory are amazing. You are welcome to visit anytime.

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    2. Thank you. I intend to become an author when I grow up.

      :) Izzy

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  3. Chapter One (continued)

    "Da-a-a-a-ad! No way!" Lynn protested. "Fine, fine! We'll sell them alive! Just don't make the new owners promise not to butcher them, okay?" Dad said, giving Lynn a stern look.
    "Deal." Lynn replied. "Go get the bunny carrier; I think two hens can fit in it, mm?" Dad said, grinning.
    Lynn nodded, grabbed the bunny carrier, and walked outside. She knew that the only two twin Ameraucanas where the worst of the worst of egg layers, which is kind of weird because they are supposed to be excellent mothers.
    After rounding them up, she brought them to her dad and said, "All packaged and ready to go," with a playfully serious voice. Dad replied, "Thank you, private. I shall return these to the president of the local market."
    Lynn and Dad broke out laughing, like they always did when they did this little share of jokes. It was just kind of a joke they shared.
    Soon, they had sold the hens and where driving up to the address the ad said.
    "Here we are," Dad said, parking in a neat gravel bed just outside a clean little chicken coop.
    A lady was out tending to her flock, refilling the water and grain bowls. "There's the rooster!" Lynn says excitedly, pointing to an Ameraucana rooster.
    "He's a big one," Dad replied. "May I help you?" The lady said, smiling kindly at Lynn and Dad. "Uh, yes, we've come to buy your rooster," Dad said.
    "Oh, my rooster! He isn't sold yet, so you can have him for $25!" The lady said, her green eyes wrinkled up in a smile and her blonde hair tied up in a neat bun underneath a large sun hat.
    "He's over there," The lady said, pointing to the big rooster. Dad gave her the money and managed to get him in the bunny carrier.
    Before we knew it, we where pushing him under a cage, and pushing a cage buddy under with him.

    TO BE CONTINUED.......

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  4. Chapter One (continued)

    Lynn went gathering eggs the next day, as usual. She didn't take any of Peeps eggs because her dad already bought a space in the paper for an ad for the soon-to-be chicks.
    Lynn found six abandoned eggs in all. She gave one lucky egg to Peeps.
    She dropped off the eggs and tended to her garden and Rex, then went back to the coop to check on Red Hot.
    Red Hot is the new rooster, and she named him that because he is a deep red, like a Red Hot candy.
    The buddy she had put with Red Hot is named Chic Chick, pronounced Chick Chick. Chic Chick is a sassy but kind old layer, so she doesn't spend a lot of time on the nest.
    "Hey, Red Hot, Chic Chick," Lynn called softly. Chic Chick came quickly, but Red Hot hesitated. He was still not so sure this was home.
    "Red Hot," Lynn repeated. Red Hot stayed, still shying away. "It's okay, I'm not foe," Lynn said softly.
    Chic Chick gave a loud aaaaAAAAAAAAAaaaaAA! to say, heeeLLLLLLLLooooOO!
    "Shhh!" Lynn said firmly. Chic Chick walked away, squawking irritably.
    "Chic Chick! Red Hot!" Lynn called, a little more desperately. Chic Chick ignored her and Red Hot flinched away.
    "I'll try again tomorrow." Lynn sighed to herself. Red Hot didn't understand very well, even though he had many examples to follow. Except the spunky rebels weren't exactly the best role models......
    Lynn walked out of the coop with her hand shoved disappointedly in her pockets. Who knows, maybe she should try letting out Red Hot tomorrow.

    Or maybe not.............


    ~END OF CHAPTER ONE~

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  5. So, yeah, that's the end of the chapter, but there will be plenty more once I think of something that should disrupt the peaceful life of Lynn.

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