Poultry Pandemonium!

http://www.garnercitizen.com/2010/02/garner-says-no-to-backyard-hens/

That's the link to the full story on our battle for legalizing hens as pets in Garner, NC. We had an insane night with the city council yesterday. It seems that we have some serious cases of alektorophobia in our town. I'm glad they never watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We may have an outright ban on rabbits if they had.

Anyway, the good news is that even though they aren't ready to embrace backyard hens as acceptable pets for the masses, they have decided to allow us to keep our little therapy brood for Evan's sake. This is beyond fabulous news because really, they are the best pets we have found for him since we had to get rid of our dog. Yes, I'm one of those people. I got rid of a dog. Save it, the lady who placed him in his new home already gave me the biggest guilt trip of my life. I was crying so hard when she left that the salt from my tears was stinging the blisters on my neck. I tried to show her the blisters and scars all over my body that my sweet little terrier has inadvertently given me after a little lick lick went systemic and I broke out all over, but she was having none of that. I was a dog-giver-upper and there was no going back. At least Reba went to a good home where they automatically changed her name to princess or something equally fluffy.

That said, we love our chickens. Have I told you lately how much we love our chickens? And we are so thrilled that we don't have to find them new homes. They have the greatest personalities! Each one is different and I doubt anyone could come up with better, more appropriate names for them than Lydia has (Goldie, Silvergirl, Little Fast Runner, Little Rock Daisy Joe, Toasty, Cadburry and Rhymer). The smallest ones are the sassiest and always in charge. Our easter egger is completely, certifiably insane. Although since she started laying a couple of weeks ago (GREEN EGGS!! YES!!) she's mellowed considerably. I sort of miss her wild eyed antics, but it's better to be able to cuddle her and eat her eggs with ham soaked in food coloring than to laugh at her psychotic races around the run.

Other than the girls being legal now, (when I say girls I'm lovingly referring to my chickens, not my daughters. My daughters have always been legal, thank you very much!) things are plodding along as well as can be expected! Lydia begged me that I not make cupcakes for her school birthday party. I was devistated by this. How rare is it to find a school that actually allows parents to bake for parties and isn't scared of the state of my home and kitchen, but rather overlooks those possibilities of cats on counters and mold in dishes (I have none of these BTW) and just enjoys the fact that I enjoy baking?! Anyway. We made a crash stop at Lowe's foods and picked up a two for one pink grease topped sugar lump special (gag.. i hate commercial lard baced icing! ugh.. give me REAL butter please!) Lydia was thrilled and that is all that matters. She also had her actual friend party at Chick-Fil-A. Let me tell you! That was heaven in a basket. They did everything, the kids ran wild, it was completely affordable (way cheaper than I've ever done a party at our house before) and we were all filled up on lemonade and chicken and went home happy. By the way.. CFA also lets you bring in your own homemade cake if you want to. Gotta know who your friends are!

Evan is doing really well in home school. He still struggles with some of the usual ASD stuff, but he's not miserable all the time and that was the main goal. The chickens and a more flexible schedule along with A TON of sensory input through the day has really made a huge difference for him. He's been very interested in April Fools day and the idea of playing jokes on people to make them laugh. So for my birthday, he got up early and set up presents and then decided to make the whole house beautiful with a nice white covering of snow from the salt shaker. I walked down to the family room in bare feet and had to freeze in my tracks. I love long walks the beach, but this was very different. Salt through the entire main level of my house was not something I was enjoying between my toes. I put on a happy face, however, (I'm not giving up my slot as mother of the year that easily!!) and calmly explained to him that we should do April Fool's jokes on April first, Maggie's birthday, not Mommy's birthday. He said.. "oh. Ok. But are you sure it was really funny?" This is his favorite way to start every sentence these days: Are you sure we can go to Disney World today for school? Are you surethere are generators under the ocean? Are you sure that I have to wear underwear? on and on and on! Are you sure that Maggie HAS to be in our family?

Speaking of Maggie. She's completely sassy faced, two years old and full of it. I say: Hey Maggie will you please get the forks for dinner? She says: No Mommy. I'm too busy. You get them! To which I am, for once, speechless. But once I recover all I can follow something like that with is: Time out Maggie. Which is followed by weeping and wailing the likes of which you've never seen. But she has this squishy baby face still and the sweetest smile and she loves to hold my hand and show me everything new and fabulous in her world. She melts my heart then slaps me wide awake over and over again every day.

What great blessings we have! Great kids, great family, great friends and we get to keep our great chickens! Ahh... Bliss :)