I am woman hear me...cluck...

~"There is no such thing as a normal life.  There is only life."~

Anne Rice-The Wolves of Midwinter

 

 I just don"t understand why, but whenever I happen to mention that I have chickens, most people like to tell me how stupid they are. 

 "Oh, you have chickens?"  "Yes!  I love my chickens!" "They are so stupid!" "What do you mean? They're chickens."  "Yes, but chickens are stupid."  "As opposed to what-cows?"  Chickens are chickens...they do chicken things because that's what they are supposed to do. Which is basically, to walk around all day eating.  Honestly?  I kind of envy them lately. 

  Perhaps it's the weather..or maybe it's that three of my herd are going through different stages of  puberty-From "I DON'T want to learn about this weird stuff!" and "HEY MAMA! WHAT'S SEX?!" (at the supermarket) to monosyllabic grunts.  "Hey buddy-how was your day?".."...mumble.." I feel like I am floating adrift in a  constantly changing sea of hormonal waters.. NONE of which are my own!

  I had thought that it would be easier as they grew. That once they could find their own shoes and put themselves to bed-I could take a moment here and there...maybe use the bathroom uninterrupted ...you know, live a little...And for a while (10 minutes in 2012) it was.

  It isn't that they are awful-far from it. I really have a great bunch of kids.  It's just that they are all needing so much and all at the same time...that all I can do is slap band-aids on problems instead of helping them to work things out. I don't know who is more overwhelmed-me or them. I know that we will get through this-just as we have gotten through everything else so far.  With A LOT (like it or not) of conversations and laughter. I mean, puberty can be an awful time-so, you might as well laugh at as much of it as you can..except that I'm mostly laughing like...well, does anyone remember the movie version of Jane Eyre-with Orson Wells as Mr. Rochester? Remember Mrs. Rochester?  The unstable wife that he kept locked in the attic-who eventually sets the house on fire?  Well she had this laugh...

  It's so different from when I was a kid. I'm the youngest of six siblings-and as far as I know, none of us ever went through puberty.  It just was not done at my house. My mother was uncomfortable with anything below the neck and above the ankles-therefore that section of body( a.k.a.-the neck and ankle holder) was never discussed.  Everything I learned was from books and rumors...but mostly rumors. I must say, that I had some interesting ideas... You can imagine my surprise when I woke up one morning and noticed two protrusions coming out of my neck and ankle holder! 

   We are doing our best to be as open and honest as possible. Talking about body changes and feelings.  Reassuring them all that they are o.k. and that it's natural to feel uncertain and afraid.  Growing up..body changes-all of it is scary.  Knowing that you will one day be on your own-even scarier.   *sigh*  It's hard-I must admit. I worry for all of them-and for different reasons. Sam, WANTS and LONGS for so many things...Lily, she wears her heart on her sleeve...and Oscar? When we ask him how he is going to take care of himself as an adult he says "I'll be fine-my wife will take care of me."  So I sit there and listen to them...seemingly composed, trying to be calm and reassuring-understanding and informative ...but in reality I am wrestling with  Mrs. Rochester's laugh-trying not to let it escape.

  Right now, my chickens are outside...eating corn and just walking around.  I wonder if they can hear Zoe and Lily fighting...Oscar eeeeing..or my crazy cackle...I wonder if they think that we are the stupid ones? Probably not.  They seem to be content just being the chickens that they are...I kind of envy them..