“Rumi said, There is no proof of the soul.
But isn’t the return of spring and how it
springs up in our hearts a pretty good hint?”
I had the pleasure of reading Mary Oliver's collection of poems, Felicity, this week. (And I'm looking forward to listening to this tomorrow.) If you think that poetry is high-falutin' or inaccessible, give hers a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Her poems are saturated with a deep appreciation for the natural world, and this collection is filled with words on love. The two most basic things that make everything else worthwhile - that's the highest recommendation I can give.
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In other springtime news, I am delighted to report that I have channeled the efforts of two of my broody hens toward hatching out some eggs. They've been sitting for two days, and the chicks should hatch on Easter weekend. How fitting! I had firmly decided after last year's chicks that I did not want any more chicks. I didn't like the mess, the noise, or the hassle. Or the fact that they were in our basement. But then these hens took it upon themselves to be broody, and I had to figure out what to do. After considering the price of laying hens or chicks of the breeds that I want to add, I figured that free is worth a try. Since I didn't have space to house four broodies and chicks, I put two of them in a spot to discourage broodiness for a couple of days, which worked like a charm. With a bit of help from a friend and a dozen fertilized eggs from her beautiful flock, I moved the other two into the maternity ward where they are patiently waiting and rotating the eggs as needed. I am much, much more excited than I thought I would be. I'm really, really hoping that all goes well and that we at least have a few hatch, and that they're not all roosters. Time will tell!