Thankful Thursday

I know it is odd to begin a post with being thankful
for a chicken, but I love this silly, little chicken. She is so serious
about all of her chicken business and when she was a
day old chick, she was the one no matter how many times
in the night I checked on her, she was the one on watch.
She is still like that, I go check on my chickens at night and
she is always the one who watches me.

I had let my older chickens out in the yard to have some,
"me time." I have noticed quite a few times a sharp-shinned
hawk, flying down and watching my chickens, but I had listened
before I let them out and everything seemed normal.

I went back in the house and was doing whatever it is I do all of the time
maybe laundry, since that seems to be my hobby.
I went outside again to check on everything and I walked around and
counted beaks and all of them were doing what they do taking dust baths,
scratching in my flowerbeds, following me around hoping for a bit of stray
bread in my pocket. My white silkie was missing.
I went tearing around the yard looking in all of the places she
likes to go and no hen. Finally over in a hole I see this chicken in a
crumpled heap. I started running thinking that maybe the hawk had
got her and got scared off. I ran up to the hole and she raises her head
up and looks at me like "What's wrong with you?" She had her head under
her wing and she was deep in a dust bath sound asleep in the morning sun.

I admit, I wanted to sit right down and cry. I was so relieved, I won't be leaving
them out anymore because I know it would be the white silkie that the hawk would
zero in on because she just stands out like a beacon.
So I am so thankful for my white silkie.
I was going to write a post about my lovely grandchildren, and who knows why
a chicken story came out of the key board. Sometimes fingers just take over.
I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!