"It's hard to get clos'r to a chicken goin' at him head on..."

A chicken lived every situation, every moment, like it was brand-new, and so lived in a constant state of wonder and surprise. "It's hard to get closr to a chicken goin' at him head-on," the old man said, because, though chickens had tiny brains, most of these brains seemed devoted to suspicion.

Rick Bragg, The Best Cook in the World

We kept chickens for a while when I was young. My mother found them frustrating, but also relaxing with their clucking, scratching, and general gossip sessions amongst themselves.

It's her 90th birthday today. It's the excuse for a family reunion so it will be full of good food and laughter and talk. We will not, however, be eating chicken. We're having TexMex for this celebration.

This quote and today's chicken picture are a little blog gift for her. Happy birthday, Mom!

Red Junglefowl

Illustration of male and female Red Junglefowl

 A main ancestor of our modern chickens which is still found in India and Southeast Asia.

Chickens and Park Vase

Albertus Verhoesen, Chickens and Park Vase

Filipino Rooster

“Errrt-uh-errr-uh-errrrrrrrr!
A texturized portrait of a Filipino Fighting Rooster.
Taken by Wayne S. Grazio, some rights reserved.

Origami Chicken

Modular Origami
by Jacek Halicki

Japanese Bantam

Japanese Bantam, Himmapaan

In honor of Hannah's chickens which are now laying 4 tiny eggs today. The ladies have newly achieved their maturity. We are well supplied and I really love cooking a couple of them for my mother in the morning.