Around the time that we knew we would be losing our beloved dog to old age, the neighborhood was host to several mama hens and broods of chicks. I think because we were sad to have lost our longtime animal companion we were more tolerant of the chickens. Kind of a circle of life thing, like the song from Lion King. (Obviously, our sadness was clouding our judgement....a little coo coo in hindsight.) Especially after we noticed the black cat tailing them. At first, there was mama and her five babies chirping in a line behind her. Then there were four, then three.....we started chasing the cat away instead of the chickens, hoping to give the chicks a chance. The chicken families have moved on. Except for one. The last chick that we tried to protect from that evil black cat has taken up residence. She is now a teenage hen, not a chick but not full grown. And she seems kind of lost without the rest of her family. Every morning she is some place with a view of the front door. When the girls and I get home from school, she is back until Mari charges yelling 'CHICKEN!!!!!.' Well, even though I still miss Murphy, this orphan chicken is wearing out her welcome. Sweeping up the tossed-about mulch around the lanai is getting old. And I will go and find that evil black cat before I start cleaning up chicken poop, that is for sure. We leave tomorrow for our annual trip north, and I hope that in the next month she will find some new friends and a new home. Either that, or you'll see me walking around the neighborhood with a can of cat food in July, looking for that cat.
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