Counting Chickens, The Vietnamese Woman and Stubbs

I hope I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch here...

but...

Guess what gals?

I feel good today.

I mean - like, really good.

This morning was iffy - I felt a bit dizzy.

I still have a bitty headache.

Once I had breakfast and got moving, I felt good.

And guess what else?

I didn't take the Prozac.

Mmmmhmmm....I decided..'what if I don't need it?  What if the withdrawal side effects are over, why 

bother keeping taking the Prozac?'

So I threw caution right into the wind, and didn't take it today.

Seven days without Effexor now - and today the first fully chemically free day.

I feel hopeful.

The staple gun to the brain feeling has stopped.

I made myself an appointment at the Naturopath doctor that I found.

She comes highly recommended, and I'm looking forward to meeting her.

It's August 22nd.

A two hour consultation.

Hurray!

I truly know that sometimes prescription drugs are, or maybe seem the only way to go.

But this is what I think - and take it with a grain of salt - because it's just what I think - and thank God for antibiotics..but weren't they derived from a moldy piece of bread?

My thought?

Everything that we need to heal is in us or around us in nature.

I think that most of our sickness is from what we think, eat, and how we treat our bodies so carelessly.

I'll say no more.

Onward.

Here is the story of the Vietnamese woman and Stubbs.

Y'all know I've been buying fingernails.

I'm rather in love with them.

My hands look so lovely, and these suckers hold up well to the abuse I put them through.

Well...the neatest older Vietnamese woman did my nails last time, and we chatted up a storm.

I did my best to understand her, but I do declare I'm sure I missed over half of what she said.

Anyhow - we talked about bees, chickens, Vietnam, gardening, retirement, men- etc.

She stopped by to get honey.

She loved the yard and wanted to see everything.

She was here a good hour.

I loved listening to her talk - and give me garden tips.

I wanted to do a little video - imitating her - not in a make fun of way - but just to give you an idea of how precious it was, but Aaron didn't think it was a good idea.  He thought it could be misinterpreted.

Anyhow - she is walking around, loving everything and saying 'You hard worker! You do this by yourself?  You hard worker!'

Then - we get to the chicken coop, and Stubbs was seeming a bit under the weather.  She'd seemed that way the day before too and I was just keeping an eye on her.  I didn't think that she would be contagious or anything, so I left her with the flock - but decided that morning that I would take her and bring her in - a little special loving.

Stubbs - proudly wearing her 'Most Beautiful Chicken' ribbon.

My Vietnamese friend, whom I'm ashamed to say - I don't know her name (and she stopped her again today!) - says 'you get her out!  you get her out now!'  So, I go get her - and we examine her - and she tells me that she thinks an egg has broken inside of her.

"You feed her garlic - you make her hot inside".

I have no idea why - but I have been saying that - at least ten times a day.

It will go down in the files with "mmmmhmmm, and I don't even feel good'.

So, I did what any chicken lovin' human would do - I made her up a big ole pot of oatmeal...filled with garlic.

I flat out burnt up the first batch because my neighbor stopped by and we were jabber jawing in the yard - we both smelled something burning at the same time.

Made another pot.

The blessed little Stubbs hungrily ate her allium porridge amongst the daylilies and moss roses.

I came in, but just for a moment (ok a half an hour) to get her a bowl of water - and when I returned to the garden patch where she was hunkered - alas, she was gone.

I'm trying to make this sound dramatic.

I never saw her again.

I've looked and looked - and couldn't find her.

It was a mystery - I mean - I knew she had to have passed, but not to find her?

Today - Glenco smelled something off in the garage..and well...there her carcass was - tucked far under the workbench.  I haven't the heart to look.  My last memory of her was her beak in a bowl of garlic oatmeal.

Now, the question is - did my new Vietnamese friend suggest the garlic for healing, or seasoning??

Law.

I will miss you Stubbs. 

I will miss bringing you grubs, worms and dandelions.

I will miss you following me around the yard and pecking at my pants, sitting on my spade waiting for treats.

I will miss your ridiculous cackling, announcing you laid an egg.

I will not miss you pecking the new chickens, or eating your own eggs.

But now that you are gone, I can't even be mad at you for that.

Til soon sweet Stubs - may you have the best spot on the pole at the big roost in the sky.