My Neighbor's Chickens

by Shelia Parker Nelson

Every afternoon, they cross the road a'runnin'.

The neighbor's four chickens to my yard are comin'.

They cluck to one another as they peck and they scratch,

about the ants and the chiggers and the ticks that they catch.

Takin' their time, to my back yard they walk,

where one finds a ladybug and lets out a squawk.

Three run towards her, in their awkward gait,

curious as to what the other found and ate.

They soon forget it happened, for you know what they say,

Chickens wake up in a brand new world each day. 

It's almost time to roost, the sun is nearly gone.

Time for the four chickens t' head back t' home.

At the roads edge they freeze, confusion they're displayin'.

"How did we get over here?" they seem to be a'sayin'.

Across the road they go, a'runnin' as fast as they can.

They sleep all night, wake up early, and do it all over again.

One says to the others "Where shall we go today?"

The others say "Across the road, we've never been that way."

 The End

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Shelia



A Visit to Old MacDonald's Farm

A few days ago I mentioned to Hub that I'd never been on a hayride. I think we were watching The Waltons at the time. They go on hayrides all the time and it looks like so much fun.

Hub is thoughtful. He always has been. He found a hayride. Not only did he find a hayride, but a hayride to a pumpkin patch and a barn full of farm animals and I even got to pet baby goats! I love baby goats!

We had so much fun at MacDonald's Farm. It's not too far from home, just a 15 minute ride to Sale Creek. It's a beautiful farm and you can read about it here:

http://www.oldmcdonaldsfarm.net/index-1.html

Here are a few pictures of Old MacDonald's Farm. Thanks for a very memorable afternoon Hub.

A Visit to a Farm in Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee

Chuck, my Sweet Little Momma, our grandchildren and I visited a farm in Gruetli-Laager today.

The small town of Gruetli-Laager is located on the southern portion of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.  

It was founded in 1869 by Swiss immigrants who established a farming community. You can read more about Gruetli-Laager here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruetli-Laager,_Tennessee

One hundred Swiss families purchased farmland, sight unseen. When they arrived they found the land was still in timber. No fields. No outbuildings. No money. Their first crop of hay was cut with kitchen knives because they had no money for tools. 

 You can read more about the Swiss immigrants here:

http://www.swisshistoricalsociety.org/Celebration.htm

There are two original Swiss farms remaining in Gruetli-Laager and one of them belongs to my Uncle George and Aunt Martha. 

Snow from last week's snowfall covered the roads and pastures at the farm.

The outbuildings at the farm are the original outbuildings. They are over 125 years old. 

 LuLu the donkey loves my Aunt Martha. So does Arnold the dog. My Aunt Martha has a soft heart for animals.

My Uncle George carries round bales of hay to the pasture for the cows.

 The welcoming committee greeted us as soon as we arrived.

This is an outbuilding my grandchildren were totally unfamiliar with. Raise your hand if you know what it is.

The barns, corncrib and wellhouse are a soft, weathered gray. 

Ahhhh, how lovely she is. 

Cows always like to have their picture taken. This one is particularly photogenic.

 My granddaughter fed LuLu the donkey a handful of crackers.

And so did my Grandson.

 LuLu wanted a closeup. I couldn't refuse her.

 

 The cows demonstrated how they walk around in the pasture.

And did I mention Arnold, the Farm Dog, is going to have puppies? 

 Hub stands outside the Farmhouse.....

...while my Sweet Little Momma warms inside.

Our last stop was the hog pen.

They were really busy and didn't take time to watch us leave.

We enjoyed our visit to the old Swiss farm on this cold January day in Appalachia.