My cousin Meredith, who moved to Australia twenty years ago, was here this week for a visit. She brought me the perfect house gift – a copy of the magazine “Australasian Poultry.” The cover photo is of a little girl holding a hen and the caption is, “Kids and Chooks.” “Chook” rhymes with “book” and it is my new favorite word. In Australia and New Zealand “chook” is slang for chicken. “Chook” sounds just like the clucks that my chickens say when they are pleased with something. I think that “chook” is an endearing and expressive term and I would like to start using it. What do you think? I hope you folks down under will be flattered. I promise not to say it with a fake accent.