Sunday Afternoon With the Girls

As the self described "mean Aunt", I have some rules about my yard. Rachel is good about following them and her friends think she's cool because her aunt has fancy chickens 1/2 a block from the Elementary school.

My niece, Rachel is collecting feathers to make me a fan.Chicken tricks - they'll jump for a treat, but it's hard to catch on camera...
I promise - they're about to jump
Okay, whatever - Elisa decides she's out of here and flies away...

Last May 1st I was home in the afternoon cooking dinner for my spring employee party. I heard noise in the front yard and went to investigate. Mrs. Seiter's had her elementary school class on my front walk where she was teaching them a valuable lesson.

I know this for a fact because she taught my children second grade, me piano lessons for several years while I was in middle school, I babysat her children, her daughter is best friends with my sister, I made her daughter's wedding cake, she lives 3 doors up from me.... Suffice it to say that I know she is a wonderful person and enthusiastic teacher.

Each year on May Day I find a "May basket" of flowers on my front door handle. It's one of my favorite things about living here because my brother and I used to make May baskets and leave them for neighbors when we were children.. The beauty of it is there is no note, it is a simple anonymous kind gesture.

Sometimes receiving is as good as giving when one has given themselves and can appreciate the significance.

So back to May Day 2008 - I went to my front door to find a class of giggling children delivering baskets and invited them to my back yard to see the gardens. "YOU HAVE CHICKENS!" They exclaimed. A couple of the little girls told me they had chickens too.

The boys loved stomping around in my large stand of bamboo. Much to their dismay, I made them get out of it and explained about it's growth pattern. Mrs Seiter's took a picture of one of the children handing me the May basket for the local paper - and they were on their way.

It was very sweet.

I would love to schedule classes to come by and see how it is possible to have a few chickens in the middle of town. It is increasingly important for people to understand their food, where it comes from and how they can control some of it. The college and high school are working on it, I'm not sure about the elementary school, but I plan to volunteer.

Tomorrow night is the Community Council meeting. 7Pm, open to the public, chickens are on the agenda, should be fun, stop by.