I feel it in my bones.  Now there is a saying for you.

Where did it come from?  We have a lot of bones.  206 roughly.   We start out with a lot more than that… but somewhere along the line… we lose about 64.  I think it is a result of being mindless.

But… back to the deal.

That phrase:  I can feel it in my bones.  A hunch.  A premonition.  I belief that something will happen….

Perhaps.  I guess I get “feelings” about things fairly often.  Sometimes they pan out, and other times… not so much.  I will blame my poor “hunch” record on those missing bones.

But let’s get down to the bare bones.

I’ve been chilled to the bone.  Frequently.
I’ve been bad to the bone.  Again, frequently.
I’ve boned up for exams.  Not so frequently.
There are times when I have been like a dog with a bone.
That typically results when I have had a bone to pick with someone.  At those times, typically … I’ve had a bone of contention.

There were times in life when I worked my fingers to the bone.
And I still do.
Perhaps that is why I feel like skin and bones sometimes.

What the heck… Knick Knack Paddy Whack.  Give the dog a bone.

But seriously…..  Let’s make no bones about this last one.

Sticks and stones may break my bones.  This phrase then goes on to say that “words will never hurt me.”  Whoever came up with this saying… is whacky.  Whacky like a funny bone.

Unfortunately,   I have been hurt by words.  I get hurt by words all the time.  On occasion, I even get my feelings hurt when nary a word was said.  I am pretty sensitive about things…. probably as a result of lack of confidence.  Nonetheless.  It happens.
Perhaps…I am just too thin skinned.
Or I wear my heart on my sleeve.
Or that I get butterflies in my stomach.
Or…I just can’t keep my eye on the ball.

Oh.  It sounds like it could be any number of things happening… when those words hurt me and my bones.
Maybe I just need more calcium.

You know…  it just hit me.

These Chickens of ours.  We are really fond of them.  We are.  Just this evening, we sat out in the coop with the Orpington’s.   They are friendly chickens, indeed.  And they seem to be developing little personalities of their own.

We think they are beautiful creatures.  But truth be told… they are going through a slightly ugly phase.  Those awkward growing years.  I suppose… for for chickens…. those awkward months.

But here is what hit me.  The analogy.

I remember those college days… when you would go out to a bar and throw back a few more cold ones that you really ought to. Things become much funnier, and way more interesting.  And you meet a really cute somebody… in my case…. a really cute chick.  And the next day… you wake up…. and the cute chick isn’t so cute any more.

Well…. there you have it.

I for one, am glad those days are gone.  I don’t drink any more.  And I am a lot smarter about certain things.

But these days… when I DO pick up a cute chick… it is a REAL Chicken.  There really ARE cute chickens…. or  perhaps….. Ugly Orpington’s.   I guess it all depends on the beholder.

There is a wise old saying ….by Confucius… which goes, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”  —  Jawaharlal Nehru

So… I bring you some absolutely beautiful scenes from the coop…. and a flashback to week one.

THE CUTE CHICKS….

THE AWKWARD ORPINGTON’S

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE…

“HEY THERE BUDDY BOY.  I SAY, I SAY…..  I CAN WHISTLE A TUNE HERE ON THIS BLADE OF GRASS HERE IN MY BEAK… I SAY, I SAY.

I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT CAMERA.  TALK TO THE BUTT.

“Beauty is whatever gives joy.”  —  Edna St. Vincent Millay

Today, is a pretty good day for history.  Most days are actually.  You’d be downright surprised at the things that have happened in the past.  Today’s past…. the Chinese Government seriously hacked the U.S Government’s Computer System.  Easy-Peasy-Japanesey.  I’m telling you, this is not a good piece of history.  We’ll have to see how this one plays out.

But here are some more historical tidbits, from a little longer ago than just this afternoon.

In 781 BC the oldest recording of  a solar eclipse occurred, in China.   Yep.  They were ahead of the game, even back then.

On a lighter note… no pun intended….. the Montgolfier brothers launched the VERY first  hot-air balloon…. unmanned.   This happened in 1783.  Then, a year later…   in 1784…. Madame Elizabeth Thible becomes the first female balloonist.  I am pretty sure all of this happened in France.  I wonder if sending a woman up… meant it was still… unmanned.

Here is one of my favorites.  In 1892, the Sierra Club was formed in San Francisco, California.  Good Club.  All about the environment.

And then… the whole world changed.  In 1896….. a Mr. Henry Ford took his first Ford Automobile through streets of Detroit.  I think he was tooting his own horn.

And then… MY whole world changed.  You see… in 1907, the automatic washer & dryer were introduced.  This is very good news for me… Ms. “OCD Lover of Clean Clothes”

On this date in 1964, those good old Beatles started their World Tour in Copenhagen Denmark.   The titles of some of their songs create a synopsis of my life… I think.  You see I started out looking like a Walrus until I was about 2 years old.  Hence, “I am the Walrus.”  And they skip around from there… including “I’m So Tired”… “The Long and Winding Road”…   “Fixing A Hole”…. “The Fool on the Hill” and “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.”

Finally, and perhaps my favorite historical fact for today…  a long time ago… in the year 1070 … in a cave far, far away… a cave in Roquefort, France to be exact… my very favorite Roquefort cheese was created.   There is a lot to be said for being Bleu.

I am telling you.  The list for June 4th goes on, and on, for some very extraordinary occurrences.  Many are happy.  Many are sad.  And many are just super.  Like in 1967… The Monkees took home an Emmy for their Outstanding Comedy Series.  Now that is worth laughing about.

So it just goes to show you… on any given day… anywhere… something spectacular can happen.  Just grab any day in history, and you will find this to be true.

So… when WE wake up each day… maybe our first thought should be… “Something spectacular is going to happen today. “  And as the Beatles so aptly put… “Across the Universe”…. “Let It Be”…”Here, There, and Everywhere.”

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.  —  Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.  —  Lucius Annaeus Seneca

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  —  Confucius

In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.  —  Nikos Kazantzakis

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.  —  Thomas A. Edison

This day was askew.  Not necessarily bad, at all.  It just seemed like everything was on its side.

I am a creature of habit. It’s true.

In fact… I am about as much about the “routine” as they come.  I probably would have been great in the Armed Services…. in THAT way at least.  If there is a regulated course… I am the one to follow it.

I don’t mind eating the same thing over, and over, and over again.  In fact, I kind of like it that way.  Same with the the schedule.  And I like everything in its place, neat and tidy.

This is more commonly known as OCD.  But I am WAY off topic.

Back to the day being turvy… and topsy.

I had breakfast this morning with my Bro at the Eaton Place. This was really very nice, and I enjoyed it thoroughly… it was just out of my normal morning schedule of a workout and breakfast at home.

Then, the two of us went to visit Mom at Greenbriar.  She wasn’t in her room.  She is ALWAYS in her room.  But not today.  She was in the Beauty Shop getting her hair curled up beyond belief.  So we sat in there, took long deep breaths of that permanent-solition-smell… and had a great visit.

The entire day went this way.

It wears me out when things are a little sideways.  I think I get tired from holding my head tilted at an angle.  Just a bit off-center.   Which may explain the reason I am so light-headed tonight and not making much sense.

Even the baby chicks had their heads all cocked on the slant, this evening.

Yet another indicator, reminder, and affirmation that this day was leaning sideways.  Hence, my head on a tilt.

Which… I suppose… can be quite problematic.  Because when you are seeing the world edgeways… you may not be capable of reading the writing on the wall.

Heavens.  And when you can’t read the writing on the wall….. perhaps you don’t know for sure when your ship is coming in.  And THEN…. IF you miss the fact that your ship is coming in…..
…. you, my friend…. have missed the boat.

And we know what happened when the dinosaurs and the unicorns missed that ONE boat….

I’m simply pointing out things can go terribly wrong.

I just hope tomorrow will be a little more on track.  Maybe…. if I can get my head on straight….

I like things that have a staying power.  Especially “things” I like.

Okay… what do I mean exactly?

Well, I am drawn to those parts of life which seem true, and long lasting.  The things you can count on.  Your dog.  Your watch.  Your watchdog.

That appliance which has worked for 38 years now, and still…. going strong.  A good old album by your favorite Rock Group.  Mount Rushmore.

Some things are fleeting.  Those things which fall into the “Flash in the Pan” Category.  For instance, how about that Gangnam Style Guy?  The one with the giddy-up dance, and slicky hair.  I for one am glad he’s not at the forefront of popular media attention any longer.

Furbies.  Poodle Skirts.  Fried Everything.  Milli Vanilli and Scritti Politti.  Those sorts of things.

Then there are times when something seems to last forever and you don’t want it to.  The Flu.  Poison Ivy.  Bad Hair.

So, yes.  Those things with staying power …. which I like.  The main thing that comes to mind are people.  Those certain individuals in our lives, who are there through thick and thin, high and low, fast and slow.  The True Blues.  The Tried and Trues.  Pallies.  Buds. A few select friends.  A few select family.

And if we are lucky enough to have them in our lives… we should be thankful.  Grateful for them, and for every moment we share with them. They will always be there in spirit…  but sometimes the moments have a way of slipping by.

Life is so full of this….  this series of times when our hearts are filled to the fullest… and other times when they are emptied beyond belief.   Those hearts of ours.

And… that Staying Power.  Is what I like.

Everybody who knows me… knows I love the Superhero. I have since I was a kid.  I am kind of picky about my Superheroes too.  I don’t like them all.  But there are quite a few that I think are…. just….  super.

Aquaman was one of my favorites.  Batman was up there…  and so was Spiderman.

Not a big fan of Superman though.  Go figure.  It might have been the hairdo.  Or the Kryptonite.

Yet, I think I use the term loosely. Superhero.  For instance, I loved Speed Racer and Racer X, Underdog, Dick Tracy, Mighty Mouse, Mr. Magoo, and Scooby Doo.

Yeah.  I guess Scooby Doo isn’t really a Superhero, but I used to think he did some pretty amazing things..

But here is the deal.  All of them, at some time or another, utilized some piece of very cool gadgetry to foil the bad guy.  They always had some kind of computer, or radar, or radio, to assist in saving that day.

There were contraptions, and utensils, and mechanisms in their homes, and vehicles.  They had instruments they would wear… like cool goggles, or some kind of gizmo-helmet.

And THEN….. there was the WATCH.  I am pretty sure it all started with  Dick Tracy.  But all of them.. at some point… had a very, very, high-tech, crazy-go-nuts, watch.

Sometimes, they would even say… “Let’s synchronize our watches.”  Ohhhh… that used to make me go ba-gamma-rays…. right out of my little head.

I can remember… when I was pretty young… that one day… I vowed… I VOWED ONE DAY…. I would have a Super Watch…..
…. ….. … ..

My Apple Watch came today.

I am awesome.

And now….   …… ….  I have to go save the world.

One App at a time.

“If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.”   ― Gordon A. Eadie

“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”   ― Marcus Aurelius

“Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.”  — George Bernard Shaw

I have been thinking about a time when I was quite young.  I was running the neighborhood with a couple of pals, and we decided to pick flowers.  Mostly from people’s yards.

It really wasn’t my wish, and I am not sure it got my vote.  I can’t remember picking any flowers in fact.  Instead, I was preoccupied with looking for really good rocks in those flower beds.

Thankfully, I think.  When Miss Knuge came out of her house screaming at these three ruffians, I was empty handed.  It probably saved my butt.  However, I believe my counterparts were scolded quite harshly by their parental units.

Nevertheless, I loved rocks when I was a kid.  I had them all over the place in the backyard.  I snuck them into my room when I could. My pockets were always filled with them.

I  haven’t changed in that way, at all.  Yesterday, at a party, I had a long and involved conversation with someone about our love for rocks.  There is a constant quest in my life… always looking for that “great” rock whenever I am… welllll…..  anywhere at all.

Why do I love rocks so?  I am not sure. Why do people like refrigerator magnets, or glass figurines, thimbles, beer can collections, or fancy spoons?  We are drawn to different likes and interests…. because our brains are different.  Thank goodness for that, I’ll tell you.

We do what we do… because we each have our own way here.  Our own path… our own road we travel.  We make our steps along the way… by what is in our heads, and our hearts, and our souls.

Back to the rocks.  For me, it isn’t so much about “collecting” something.  It is more about the way that particular rock makes me feel.  I think some are beautiful, while others are mysterious.  Some look mean.  Oh, it goes on.

These days, I surround myself with rocks. They are in our house, in our landscaping, and anywhere else I can manage to put them.

I am drawn to them, with such an interesting force.  It could be their slower molecular pulse.   Maybe. You see… their motion is operating at a much lower frequency.  Perhaps…. they help me to slow down… especially when my pockets are filled with them and I am walking uphill.

“Be curious, not judgmental.” — Walt Whitman

“Each of us inevitable; / Each of us limitless—each of us with his or her right upon the earth.” — Walt Whitman

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. / You must travel it by yourself. / It is not far. It is within reach. / Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. / Perhaps it is everywhere — on water and land.” — Walt Whitman

“Do anything, but let it produce joy.”  — Walt Whitman

Do you see that farm in the background?

Well there is a story behind the guy who lives there.

That guy lives on the same road as Jesse, Haylee, and Levi.  You see, today we went to Haylee’s Graduation Party.   Yep.   I can’t believe it actually.  It seems like just yesterday she was running around here in diapers, eating Gerber’s Blueberry Buckle, and being uncommonly brilliant for her very young age.

Where does the time go?  She is all grown up now.  Heading off to college in the fall.  And she is STILL uncommonly brilliant.   Among other things.  I think she may even still eat Blueberry Buckle.  But nonetheless.  It was a great party in honor of her graduation from high school.  Very fine indeed.

But I’m off topic.  The farm in the photo.  The guy down the road.

He used to have a big boat that he would park there…  out behind the back barn.  We are talking about a pretty darn big boat.  Then he would disappear with it, for months on end.

As we came to find out… he was bit of a robber on the high seas.  South of Greece… in the Mediterranean Sea.  Yep.  A pirate.

Can you believe a pirate lives next door to them?  Well.  Not any more, really.  These days, he grows corn.  And…. he sells it for a buck an ear.

It was a sticky-hot day in July.   The kind of day that hangs on you heavy wet robe.   Mary called and told me there was an injured dog on State Route 122.  Someone had found it in their yard.  They were giving it water and keeping it in the shade…. but they did not want to keep this “hair ball.”  Not one bit.  They said it was the ugliest dog they had ever seen in their entire life.

I went.

When I got there, in fact, I saw a small black motionless furry thing, laying in the grass.  I approached cautiously, picked it up, and took it to the vet.  As I walked through the lobby, cradling this dog in my arms… I announced to anyone who would listen… “This is not my dog.  This is not my dog.”  You see, I was a Golden Retriever Snob.  Yes.  I was a GRS at that time in my life.  I did not want any other canines but those Beautiful, Majestic, Smart, Strong, Golden-Children-Retrievers.

So. Back to matted black furry thing in my arms.  Diagnosis from the vet… a broken pelvis in four places, broken tail, broken teeth, tongue bitten clear through… and on.  Would it make it?  Maybe, but chances of that dog walking normally were slim to none.  It was pretty young though… about 2 years old or so.  So who could tell.

As it turned out… on that day…. Mary and I took that little dog in… to see if we could get it to mend.

About a half of a day later… the “it” turned into a “she.”  Then a couple hours later… “she” got a name.  Maxine Virginia Swift.  By this point in time, she had won our hearts over… fast and furious.

She began to transform.  Over the next few weeks, she limped less and less.  It wasn’t long before she learned to run.  She found her spunk.

And now… NOW…. 13 years later… she believes in her little Terrier Head.. that she is the mightiest creature on earth.   And she lets everyone else relish in this well-known fact.

Why do I tell this story again?

Her spirit is mighty.  She rose from a very desperate, and dark place.  She transformed.  She found love in her heart, and she felt that she was loved by others.  I believe this was the key factor.  Love.  Knowing love….  in one’s heart and soul.

Love for others… and for ourselves… love is what matters most of all.  That, and Milk Bone treats.

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”  —  Mother Teresa

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”  —
Ferdinand Foch

“…then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  —  1 Corinthians 13

The phone rang bright and early this morning.  Not my phone, but Mary’s phone.  I get up every morning at 5:30, so it wasn’t too early to call me.  But it might have been a bit crack-of-dawn-ish for anyone else.  It was just a bit after 6 a.m.

The United States Post Office on the line.  My chickens had flown in.

“What?  My chickens are here?  MY CHICKENS are HERE!”  By 6:30 a.m. I was at the Eaton Post Office banging on the door.  “Open up in there!  Ye has me chickens!”

Actually, the drive to the post office was quite nice.  There was a beautiful sun rising… and a mist swallowed up all the fields.  It sort of took my breathe away.   OR it could have been that I just slugged down a big gulp of hot coffee.  WAY TOO HOT coffee.

Anyway, back to the chicks. I picked them up, introduced myself, and we got in my car.  They are probably only a couple of days old.

You see… I wanted NOTHING to do with this farm animal adventure.  I would not have anything to do with the care of the chickens which we were getting a few weeks ago.  No way, no how.  But then I started getting the bug.  Mary took me to a chicken show… I got my American Poultry Association Membership… and it has been a slippery slope ever since.

From then on, I decided the breed for me was going to be New Hampshire Reds.  (Mary had Orpingtons on the way.)  So… as a late birthday present, she ordered me 4 New Hampshires… and today they came.

As we drove in front of the house,  with that beautiful sun making its way a little higher from the horizon….  a gentle young deer stood in a bed of purple wildflowers.  It was so incredibly picturesque.  AND then…. As if it couldn’t get any better, a little brown fuzzy bunny hopped along the road, near the deer.   (Oh my gosh!)  As I pulled into the driveway and started up the lane…. a Flicker flew past my car and into the field….  and yet another stunning chestnut-colored deer stood in the tall grass.

I slammed on my breaks.  “What is this…. Freakin’ Disney???  Is there a camera on me???  Is somebody filming this?  Besides our security cameras?  I mean.. I feel like I am on The Truman Show or something…”

And then I laughed out loud.  Some days feel like a bit like Disney.

You see… the truth of it is…… I love these little chickens.  They have changed me for the good, I think.  Their little fuzzy feathers… and tiny peeping peeps.

I will especially love them…. when they start laying eggs for me.  Then we really WILL be pals.