True stories of a small flock of remarkable individuals -- and other critters.



Showing posts with label marky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marky. Show all posts

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Wandering with Marky


Together we've climbed mountains and 
 we have raced.  

We've waded,



rooted, 

and we've flown. 


We have tended flock 

and we've stolen kisses.

We've explored


and we've voyaged. 
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  

This month, after fifteen years of high adventure, our sprint has slowed to a stagger.   
We still explore, but it's different now.  We don't go far. We take our time.
Sometimes Marky needs a few minutes to really process that sniff in all its nuances.


And just down the path, there's more sniffing and thinking to be done. 

So I stop, and I look around and I think about it too. 

I find things. 
delightful things. 

Elegant things. 

We are wanderers now. 

But you know,   

not all who wander are lost. *                       


                                                                      *J.R.R. Tolkien



Saturday, March 15, 2014

LilyLove


A few weeks back, I went over to my friend Terry Golson's house for a visit, and to congratulate her on the publication of The Farmstead Egg Guide & Cookbook. I love to hang out at Terry's house. Her kitchen always smells of fresh baked treats, and she makes a great cup of coffee.    

Marky loves to visit, too, but Terry's dog Lily stresses him out a bit.  
Because Lily adores Marky.

On this visit, Lily adored him even more than usual.
You know how girls can be a little scary sometimes.

Marky attempted a few subtle cues, but nothing he did could change the way she feels about him.
Lily was happy to gaze at Marky from either end. 

  After coffee, we went out back to see Terry's critters.
Marky seemed relieved to have a little distance between himself and Lily, 

But soon she found him.

Pip and Caper lured Terry into their yard and put her to work
scratching butts and giving kisses. 

I, of course, made a beeline for the henhouse, 
to visit with Terry's lovely ladies.

Marky's nose caught the scent of Phoebe, 
the long-eared member of Terry's flock. 

He set off on a bunny hunt.

And Lily set off on a Marky-hunt.


Find Marky in this picture.  (click to enlarge)

By the end of our visit, Marky seemed to be coming to terms with Lily's passionate attention.  
 Because love really isn't the worst thing that can happen. 

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 
Win Terry's Book!  
This post is part of Terry's official Blog Tour to celebrate the publication of 
The Farmstead Egg Guide and Cookbook!  
Please leave a comment below (with your email address) in order to win, 
then head over to Terry's blog at Hencam.com  to find out more about Terry and her animals, and for a list of awesome blogs on the tour! 



Sunday, November 3, 2013

A Chicken in Love


Until recently, Marky's job was a piece of cake.
He was in charge of three old ladies.
Lil'White and Daisy have never been much trouble, 
and Lucy hardly ever moves from her chosen spot.

This was a pretty cushy job.  
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  

Then came the four young Nuggets.  
Four additional chickens shouldn't have been much of a challenge for a professional chicken-protector like Marky…. 

But these four chickens were unlike any that Marky had met before.
These four Nuggets adored the dog. 
  
They truly enjoyed his company.  
These little gals gleefully pushed the boundaries of chicken-canine relations. 

They stared at him.

They flapped at him.
They cornered him. 

They napped with him.

They stalked the poor guy.



Being friendly with the flock was not part of Marky's job description.

All this attention made him very uncomfortable.  
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     

Eventually, Marky felt pressed to teach each of the little ladies a lesson. 

Below, for example, was Phoebe's moment.  She came in from the left and scooted behind Marky.... just a little too tight a squeeze.

Don't worry -- she escaped unplucked.

Next, Dorrie pushed her luck 
She got a little too close.



Just moments after I clicked this photo, Marky expressed his feelings toward Dorrie.  She now demonstrates  proper respect for the dog's personal space. 

One by one, each of the little ladies learned the hard way that Marky's beak contains teeth.

Scarlett, the little Buckeye, had her moment with the teeth, too, but she was not deterred. 

Every day, Scarlett continues to risk her shiny red feathers….




to be near the dog.
She examines him from behind. 
She gazes deep into his eyes.

 
Marky just wants to be left alone. 
Scarlett just wants to be close to Marky.
  
Wherever the dog goes, Scarlett finds him. 
Marky has become extra patient with this little gal. 
Maybe he realizes that another display of fangs will be useless in thwarting her advances.

He tries to ignore her. 
And I try to fend off disaster.
It's Scarlett I'm scolding in this photo - not Marky. 
And still she doesn't get it. 
Thank you, Marky, for not killing the chicken today.

…..it's not easy being Marky. 




But it's also not easy being a chicken in love.