What day is it? Wednesday!
What does that mean? Friday Fictioneers!
What? Yeah, well… yanno, sometimes there’s no explaining things. This week our lovely leader Rochelle has chosen a picture by Todd Foltz. You want to play? Click on the frog below and add your 100-word max story link.
City Mouse Goes Country
Betsy loved spending the summers at her grandparents. She got to live a completely different life than the one she had in the city. A life that was simple and felt more real. She particularly enjoyed the chores Nana made her do. Waking up with the sun, collecting eggs from the chickens was one of her favourites. Who knew chickens could be so affectionate?
“Hullo Susie. Hey there Gertrude. You ladies have something for me this morning?” she asked as she scratched them under their chins. They clucked their responses rubbed against her arm.
She wished she could live here forever.
I had chickens once and they are very affectionate. They seem to love their humans. Excellent use of the prompt, Dale.
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My cousin had three in his backyard and was so surprised at just how much they were.
Thank you, Monsieur!
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😀
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On the other hand, a farmer’s life is hard and insecure
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Yes, but in the eyes of a child, life seem so good, doesn’t it?
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There speaks a lady who has had a hen pal!
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Hahaha! Nope! But I do know people who have 😉
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I loved it when we had the chickens, and we only named one. They were really funny sometimes, but Maggie wasn’t impressed when they pecked her bum and she refused to wee in the garden after that.
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So much fun. I contemplated it. My cousin did and loved it.
I can imagine! Having one’s bum pecked can’t be fun!
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We had 5 to start, then lost one, but our little flock did us proud. When we lost another, we decided to rehome the three together having read that single birds aren’t accepted into established groups. Our little trio, and hen house, were retired to a small holding and kept a one eyed cockerel called Steve company. Scraggy, the only one we’d named and the finest of them all in the end was the last to pass away and was found ‘asleep’ in the nesting box.
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Awww. How sweet? Not losing any, of course, but the rest. Yes, they are miserable alone..
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we got over a thousand eggs from them. I even made a sash for egg Numero 1000!
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Wow!!
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We had chickens, also, and lots of other farm animals when I was young. Excellent short story.
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Thank you, Timothy. My grandparents had chickens, rabbits (which my sisters unfortunately baptised before they were served for supper… Of course they didn’t know we would be eating them!) and a calf.
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That was part of farm life.
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Yes. Needless to say my sisters were not impressed…
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I had no idea hens could be relational!
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They really are!
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Positively idyllic 🙂
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Especially when you are a child, I should think.
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What a delightful story and great use of the prompt.
Never had chickens.
Nor lived on a farm nor had family on a farm to visit.
In my twenties, I was transferred to Edmonton and decided to live out in the country. I rented an apartment in a geodesic dome that was attached to a farmer’s barn. One day, I drove into my drive and there were a bunch of cows in my path. I was terrified! I snuck out of my car, climbed through the fence to get to my door and called the farmer to come and get his cows. “Just shoo them away,” he said. “shoo them?” I asked. “Yeah. They’re pretty stupid.” Ain’t happening I replied. They may be stupid but they’re really big.
Definitely not a farm girl. 🙂
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Buahaha! YOU were the chicken 😉
My cousin had three of them in his backyard and was surprised at just how affectionate they are.
Glad you enjoyed my little story – fiction for once!
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Definitely an idyllic scene.
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Oh yes. I think it would be lovely for kids to experience this at least once in their lifetimes.
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I was chased by a chicken once for what seemed, and still does, like miles and miles. They don’t like me.
Grandparents! Spent summers at grandparents’ houses. It was extra special because the only thing separating this grandmother’s house from the other grandmother’s house was a 3-foot high brick wall. Back then I have to climb it. I still dream of those days. The memory came back this morning actually. Being in a grandmother’s house is the closest thing to being a chick in a nest under momma hen.
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So… No chickens, then? 😉
What a lovely memory, Sawsan.
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NOOO chickens, thank you ! I looked like an idiot.
That was 16 summers and grandparents’ homes. The best times of my life.
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Hahaha… Poor you.
Wow.
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Hey Dale, in the 30’s today, unbelievable, its getting more and more popular I think. Good stuff; you saw eggs, I saw bald people. Lovely piece, but I couldn’t have the chickens in my garden, they are evil
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Today we are finally NOT in the 30s – and I’ll take it.
LOL! All good. And glad you enjoyed my piece.
Well… my cousin’s chickens were very lovable.
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awful eyes no matter who’s cousin owns the chickens!!
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Q
I didn’t realize chickens were so affectionate. Makes me almost wish I was a vegan . . almost.
And I dig the way you went all Town and Country with this one. Because there is something magical about visiting a place that is wholly different from the one you call home, when you’re young. The countryside must feel a million miles long to Betsy, and her ‘friends’ provide her a unique comfort she couldn’t find anywhere else.
Well spun tale!
B
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B,
I had no idea either until my cousin told me. Ummm… not me. He brought me fresh eggs a few times. Yumm-O! And I ain’t opposed to eating the mamas either…
So glad you did. I figured it was time I wrote some fiction. And I thought how different it must feel to a kid used to the city. It must be so magical (for some; hell for others, I’m sure). I think for Betsy it was what she needed.
Gracias, mi amigo querido,
Q
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The stuff we learn!
And yes, over easy works pretty well for me. Unless I’m in a scrambled eggs kind of mood, but that takes a lot more work as I like mine super fluffy.
Magical IS what it is. It works either way, I’m guessing. If you were to take a country kid and put them in the city, they probably would feel the same way.
MUAH!
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All the time.
They will be fluffy all right. I have to say I do like a nice soft poach now and again, too.
I would like to think anything that is the opposite of what they are used to would inspire awe. Magical because it is brand new and full of sights and sounds that are so different than what they are used to.
MWAH!
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Indeed
Me too. But when scrambled, it has to be done just right, nothing worse than dry scrambled eggs.
That is just it, the difference. Whatever side of the fence you’re on, the other side always feels somehow more magical, doesn’t it?
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Yes.
And, I promise you, they will be fluffy 😉
Absolutely!
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It’s a must, 😉
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Duly noted 😉
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Beauty! 😉
😘
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😉
😘
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Happy days lovely post 💜💜🌹
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Thank you, Willow.
Yes, Happy Days!! 🧡🧡🌻
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💜
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😀😀
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😉 😉
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🧡
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😀💜💜
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🧡🧡🌻
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Is another true story 🖤☀️🐓🐔🐔🐓🐔🐓🐣🐤🐥🐥🐥🐤🐣🐠🐥🐤🐣🐔🐓🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓🐓
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Nope! Fiction all the way!
You kill me, Willow! LOL
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Lol 💜💜😀☀️
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Nuts, that’s what you are.
🧡🧡🥜🌰
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Did you spot the odd one out 😀
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It’s a fish among the chickens 😉
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You didn’t give me a chance to reply!!
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Well you know me, have you found it 💜
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Yes I did!
🧡🐠
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Well done 💜👍
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😉
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😀
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I walked round the garden on five different occasions today, very pleased with myself 😀
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Good for you!!
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Falling asleep now , it’s nearly midnight here , take care 💜😘
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Sweet dreams!
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Thank you, I slept like a log, exhausted, I hope you sleep well too 💜
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Happy you did. Me? not so much. But then, I rarely do.
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Yes it was unusual for me but I was so tired 💜
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Then I am glad you rested!
Now for me… off to work in the thankfully, not so humid heat as we had last week.
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Have a good day 💜
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You too!! 🧡
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Dear Dale,
We had chickens for a year. From Easter to Easter. That’s another story. At any rate, Shannon who was seven at the time loved coming home and gathering the eggs after school. I never had to use my garbage disposal either.
I love this story. It made think of the times we spent at Jan’s uncle’s farm. We could turn the kids loose and never have to worry about them.
Again, sweet story that leaves your readers smiling. 😀
Shalom and lotsa uncomplicated hugs,
Rochelle
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PS One of those chickens turned out to be a rooster, so we did find a few fertilized ones on occasion. Lots of double yolkers, too. 😉
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Haha! Surprise!!
Double yolks are so cool to find
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Dear Rochelle,
I know I responded to this one! Where the eff did it go? Maybe it’s one of those where I started, was called away and then accidentally flushed it. My bad!
How cool to have had that experience with the younguns! And saving your scraps is a bonus.
So very glad you enjoyed this and yeah, isn’t it great to let the kids go and know they are safe?
Thank you, thank you!
Shalom and lotsa egg-citing love,
Dale
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Sweet story, Dale 🙂 I could understand why Betsy wants to live there forever.
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Thank you, Adele.
I want to be Betsy!
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You’re welcome, Dale. I think we all want to be Betsy 🙂
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I like to think that when she’s older she’ll remember how wonderful she felt at her grandmother’s. ❤️
My former midwife now raises therapy hens. She takes them to special events.
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I like to think so, too ❤️
Oh wow. How cool is that? I need to find myself something cool to do… Why oh why did I not go to school?
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What? You’re like the coolest and you can do so many amazing things.
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Ah well… that is very kind of you to say…
Maybe I should rephrase that into why can’t I make money doing the cool things I like to do so I don’t have to stand for 12.5 hours making sandwiches and serving hot dogs…
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Aww–yes, well that’s something very different. 😏 That sounds pretty awful. I hope you can find something else.
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It is. There’s a part of my that really enjoys the back and forth between customers and me but there’s a huge part of me that is just in too much pain to want to continue to do it.
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😔
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I wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up… 😉
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Yeah. . .I know the feeling. 😏
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Ugh…
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Ah, this was my sister’s chore! And she sometimes found a nest she didn’t tell us about, and didn’t collect the eggs from, till one day there’d be a proud mama hen in the backyard with a swirl of chicks around her, chirping all the way. 🙂
I hope Betsy finds her way back to the country as a grown-up, with her own chickens to greet in the morning.
Lovely!!!
I liked this a lot! 🙂
Na’ama
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How sweet is that? There was obviously a rooster in the midst for there to be chicks 😉
I like to think she will
Thank you so much
I am ever so glad you did!
Dale
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Yep, there was a LOUD rooster … We no longer heard him, but whenever there were guests around, I’m sure they were woken in the predawn hours to his ‘serenade’ … 🙂
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I’ve no doubt!!!
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🐓😁
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😊
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Very sweet. I’m glad Betsy didn’t get pecked in the bum — different story altogether!
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Thank you. And no… no pecking in the bum!
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Great story. Memories of an egocentric, fun time. Life seemed so si ple then.
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Thank you, Jan.
I’ve never had the real farm experience but I imagine it would have been nice to spend the summer on one…
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Good story of a simpler time. We had some chickens and the boys olives going out and getting eggs. I did also as a youngster.
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A great story of a fun time.
Sent from my iPad
>
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Are you having trouble with your iPad, my friend? Three comments 😉
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Y’all seem to have had regular roosters. I’ve never had any, but there’s one somewhere on the other side of our hills that is very confused. He crows at dawn…and at brunch…and for lunch…and tea…and dinner…and high tea…and supper…and apparently just to say goodnight. Or is he just that good with the ladies?
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Hahaha! That is too funny.
I would assume he is just a well known guy about town! I have no experience whatsoever with chickens, to be honest.
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And…I just realized that was half of a Fictioneers piece. So watch for mine to be frogged!
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What? I’m confused!!
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FAB!
That was me! ⚡️💥 🐔❤️ ⚡️💥
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No way! How cool is that?
🧚🏻🌟🐔😍💞
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Very! Loved the farm in summer. buk buk beeeeokk
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Love it!
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Am all country mice myself. And with that comes certain knowledge. For instance I know which end of the chicken the egg comes from. OMG! By that, affection maybe profound relief. Oh an Big Macs and McChickens…..never mind.
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All country mouse, eh? No way! You know that? I knew you were smart.
…. Never mind, indeed.
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And gathering eggs in the morning is such a delightful chore
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It can be, can’t it?
I can only assume, having never done it.
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My brother used to keep chickens… charge my mum for the eggs, despite so bought the feed and as often as not feed the chuckens. Tycoon in the marking….
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Ha! Reminds me of when my sister and I set up a Koolaid stand on the street in front of our house. My mother came out for a glass, and I told her it was fifty cents, please. She said, “But I gave you the Koolaid!”
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Such children are bound to go for. My brother did… not the tycoon, but he did alright
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Business is business, eh?
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Hahahah!! Love it!
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What a bugger!!
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Yea. We often laugh about it
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No doubt!
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🙂
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some time off at the farm can be good. it’s a break we need for our sanity.
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I think so!
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A simple but good lifestyle. Although winter might change her opinion?
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Since she’s only shipped off for the summer, she need not worry 😉
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My friend has 10 rescued battery hens. They were in a terrible state when she got them, scrawny, skinny and with few feathers. A couple of months later they looked magnificent and now they are really enjoying their new-found freedom.
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Now that is a lovely story, Keith! Yay your friend!
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Lovely slice of country life!
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Thank you, LOuise!
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My mom grew up on a farm. When I was a kid I got to spend a week at the farm with my grandma, and I did some of those chores too. When I was REALLY young, like 5 years old, I was sent out to the chicken house to get the eggs and I found two. I was walking back to the house, carrying one egg in each hand when the farm dog, who was HUGE as I remember him, came running up and he scared me and I squeezed the eggs in my hands in fear and they broke and got all over my coat. I remember crying over that. But mostly I loved being at the farm.
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How cool is that?
And oh no!! That must have been traumatizing for a little one!
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Your story made me really happy this morning! Thank you.
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Now that makes ME happy!
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Life can seem so peaceful when you’re away from the hustle and bustle of the city!
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Indeed it can!
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Ah, a quiet, simple life!
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Yes!!
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Must be organic eggs, they’re in the spotlight. 🥚 Lovely image with just the right hint of sunshine.
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Haha. Must be.
Yeah, the photog did a great job.
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😇
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Not mine, yanno… I did the glow of sunshine on grass yesterday. 😜
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Understood. Still nicely done. On both counts. 😊
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I agree re photo and I thank you re story.
😉
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Very nice. there is a world of wholesome fun living on a farm as a child.
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Thank you, James
I believe there is
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Oh, I’m with her!
Beautiful story, Dale! …and yes, chickens are affectionate! 😉
xoxoxoxoxoxo
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Aww thank you, Marina. I wouldn’t mind finding myself in the country side right now…
xoxoxo
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🐚🏝⛱🏊🏻♀️🏡🌳🎋🌴…
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More like…
🐄🤠🐓🐔🐷🐖😜
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😂…and why not:🐶🦊🐷🐧🐔🦉🐏🐿🐓… by the sea!!!!!! 😉
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Hahahah!!
xoxoxo
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😉 xoxoxoxoxoxo
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My aunt who lived in a very small town in Alabama had a chicken coop in her backyard. She collected the eggs every morning for our breakfast, And I got to go next door to get butter from her neighbor’s cow. Wonderful memories.
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Oh how lucky you were!
I remember going to my grandmother’s and we’d get the milk with the thick cream topping from my great-aunt. Berries with that cream was divine!
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Such a sweet story…chickens really are a delight to own and care for…We were City Chicken Farmers with 28 hens until Bird Flu swooped in and then I freaked out and returned them all to the Feed Store. My loss. Loved your story and the memories.
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Awww, thank you.
I have a few friends who have chickens in their back yard. My sister was contemplating it but they can be rather messy…
I dunno. Must be nice to have fresh eggs every day!
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Good story Dale! I wish I could live there forever too. Country life is the best.
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Some days, I’d love to escape there; others… not so much!
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I miss having chickens. They are so peaceful and they love just following you around.
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Such a lovely fragment of childlike memory! Chickens are innocents, scratching away in the dirt and producing such an amazing nutrient rich delicacy! Children are innocents, scratching away in the dirt, and making friends with ease 🙂
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What a lovely thing to say, Trish.
I kind of wish this had bee more a part of my childhood.
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This reads as if it’s autobiographical, but judging from other reples, you only wish it was!
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Glad it reads as such. Hey! Looks like I can do fiction! 😉
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Always good to have a break. But wait till she actually has to do the chores in the countryside 😉
She will be missing the concrete and the morning traffic rush.
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Oh she has to do them (collecting the eggs was just one).
Since it’s only for the summer, she’ll be back to that 😉
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No doubt, Betsy misses this life in the city. Nice story 🙂
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Actually, she doesn’t. She likes the different peace of the summers at her grandparents.
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My maternal Grandparents raised chickens. Your story brings back memories of when I visited them.
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Sweet! Love when my stories evoke memories.
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I’ts such a nice happy tale
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Thank you. Sometimes you just have to keep it simple.
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