The Enemy

It's hard to say which animal loves food more -- Gracie, our beloved mutt of 13-plus years, or the chickens. Either way, Gracie ALWAYS wins.

Too Much Sports TV

Conversation while taking a bath:

Joe: What is Viagra?

Mom: A drug.

Joe: Have you taken it?

Mom: No.

Joe: Has dad?

Mom: No. Not that I know of.

Note to self: Need to censor ESPN more.

Farm Boy

Having chickens for Joe has proved to be great for the family dynamic -- much more than having dogs. Sure, Joe loves the dogs but having chickens has taught him to pick up poop without hesitation.

Egg Count

In spite of unpredictable spring weather (we reached nearly 100 degrees for a few days), Chicken and Pox laid 37 coffee-colored eggs during the month of April. I celebrated by having fried eggs rolled up in pita bread. Yum!

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!

I cut this lovely Red Lion amaryllis this morning from our backyard since the weather today is a bit unpredictable. I didn't want it wilting in our hot Southern California sun. Worse yet: getting pecked away by the chickens.

This is the second year for this grand flower. I bought a dozen or so at the end of Christmas 2008 when they were 90 percent off at Target. Money well spent.