Thanks to everyone who showed up to talk “chicken” at the Verrill Farm Tomato Festival yesterday. Why is it that people bubble with happiness when they talk about their girls? I’ve been thinking about this. You hear that people love dogs because dogs provide unconditional love. Well, chickens bring chatty good cheer to one’s day. When I open the back porch door, the girls come running to their fence, with a look of expectant pleasure on their faces. Yes, even though they have beaks that don’t allow for expressive smiles (which we humans are programmed to relate to) it is easy to see their optimistic outlook. Sure, some of them are bossy and demanding, but it is done in such a fussy, curious, and silly way that you smile. That’s the thing about having hens. You smile a lot around them.