The above photo is of my Daddy and my Aunt Dorothy, taken circa 1940. My aunt Dorothy just recently passed away, and this was one of her photos that my cousin shared with us. As I was looking at the photo, I wondered aloud about the object prominently displayed on my dad's vest- a watch maybe? Not a watch, shared my mom, but a medal. A medal that he won in a statewide poultry judging contest for Future Farmers of America when he was in high school. Poultry! A few minutes of rummaging later, my mom produced the medal above. See that rooster? I knew there had to be some reason lurking in my background for my affinity for those cackling creatures.
My fascination with chickens began many years ago. We kept chickens on our farm when I was growing up, but most of them were the kind you really didn't want to get attached to- the kind that would eventually wind up on the dinner table.
We had two bantam hens named Speckles and Desmond that were considered pets, and then there were the roosters Carrot Top and Rojo. I learned early that roosters don't just crow when the sun comes up. They've got to crow all day long just to make sure it stays there!
I now have my own motley crew of chicks and chickens and enjoy eating the eggs they produce and watching their antics. (Well, all of them except one rogue rooster who is no longer around to attack my grandson. But that's another story.) I can't help but wonder what my dad would think of my little flock. He was a champion poultry judge, you know!
Lovely pictures and what a great story.
ReplyDeletevery cute post! I can't believe you own your own chickens. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely memory of your father! Memories and stories like this will always be cherished! When I was small, my mother used to rear chickens and ducks too. We have a pet chicken named "Chemeh", two pet ducks name "Nila" and "Comot". We play with them often, such fun. When we had to move to an apartment, there was no place for them, rather than ending up on the dinner table, we gave them away to a friend who has dozens of chickens and ducks. My siblings still talk this even though many decades have passed! Such memories are meant to be cherished! Please excuse me for this long comment .. I guessed I got carried away when I read about your pet chickens! It certainly brings back fond memories!
ReplyDeleteI love living vicariously through those lucky enough to own chickens! They are so pretty and I'm sure a hoot to watch-enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice story. You began my day with a smile. Your dad would be thrilled to know "it's" in the genes. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post;it must be so neat to have you own your own chicks.
ReplyDeleteRita
Just jumping back in for a minute. The plate is actually a saucer. Take care...Mary
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story, it made me smile! And how wonderful that you have your own chickens, you can't get eggs any fresher or better!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! Your little chicks are absolutely adorable. And it must be amazing to have such fresh eggs!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! Thank you for sharing it. I'm sure your Dad would be proud. =)
ReplyDeleteThis was such a lovely post. I love finding connections to family members. Your dad would be very proud, I'm sure!
ReplyDeleteI love old stories like this one, and finding connections between family members. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat an adorable story about your dad. I do heart eggs myself...
ReplyDeleteThe story of your rogue rooster reminds me that of a rogue turkey that used to attack my s/o when he was a little kid...:)
thanks for sharing your memories with us, and I can't imagine life with out eggs, let alone chickens!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful chickens! I so wish we could keep chickens, but my husband says no. My neighbors keep chickens and occasionally bring us fresh eggs. What a treat!
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One of my mother's favorite sayings was
ReplyDelete"you don't get it from strangers". You evidently didn't get your love of chickens from strangers either ;) Cute story.
Oh! What a cute post and the pictures are great :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your chickens and story! I have always wanted chickens but the long winter here makes it a little trickier. If not for that, I'd have a yard full of them.
ReplyDeleteVery fun story. Thanks for sharing it and I can understand the chickens a little. Our
ReplyDeleteneighbors right across the street have six and they are quite adorable. Wouldn't want to have to kill them though and eat them, too cute.
Hilarious! Thanks for the explanation. We had chickens when I was growing up too...named HENrietta and POULTRYgeist. Silly. :)
ReplyDeleteBetty...how fascinating for you to discover the reason behind your affinity for these creatures.
ReplyDeleteCharming story...always touching to go back to our personal histories to better understand ourselves ;o)
Ciao for now,
Claudia
Hi, this is my first time to visit your site and I really like your stories, photos and recipes! Thanks for sharing:-)
ReplyDeleteThere is always the rogue rooster.. isn't there! Ha... making me smile and thanks for letting me get a glimpse at your brood! Megan
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in junior high I spent the weekends watching an older woman, just keeping her company and helping around the house. Her husband, who used to manage a poultry business, had passed away many years before, but there were still drawings of chickens and of him all over the house. My favorite was a caricature of him holding three chickens in each hand with a sign saying "women love him, chickens hate him". Plus, how many of us can resist those fuzzy yellow baby chicks? If not for common sense, I'd have a coop in my tiny condo too.
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