Yesterday was one of those perfect, 60 degree, Spring days. Did I go window shopping, or sit at an outdoor cafe drinking an iced latte? No! I moved manure. I’ve got an area at the back of my yard that has poor, sandy, pebbly soil. I’ve had soil trucked in, which is expensive, and it just seems to disappear. Last year, I came up with a better solution. I put a temporary chicken wire fence around a 20 foot diameter area, inside of which I wheelbarrow loads of the coop compost from the previous year. Everyday, or so, I’ll take a couple of chickens up to this patch and let them scratch around, spread it, and dig up bugs. In June, I’ll plant pumpkins. In the fall, the chickens get to do their thing again.

Last year’s patch is now ready for wildflower seeds. Yesterday, Snowball and Petunia got the honor of doing the inaugural scratching in the new pumpkin bed. So, don’t worry. If, when watching Hencam, you think that a couple of hens are missing, they’re just up in what we call, “hen heaven.”

I might be there, too. I’ve got two lawn chairs right outside the fence. I could bring my laptop and get some writing work done. Or, I could just sit in the sun and watch the girls. Maybe I’ll make a latte.