by Meredith Chilson  I’m a bird watcher.  Chicken watcher in particular, but I also watch wild birds at our feeders, in the yard, and on my walks with the dog.  On the very cold mornings we had last week, little birds on tree branches and big chickens on coop roosts had similar shapes.  They were […]

by Meredith Chilson Once upon a time there was a man who loved his granddaughters…  Rich lives in Live Oak, Florida and has two enterprising granddaughters.  About five years ago, when the girls were only 7 and 5 years old, they told their grandfather their dreams: one little girl had plans to go to Harvard, […]

By Meredith ChilsonThis is the time of year that hatchery catalogs arrive, and just like the seed and garden catalogs that also clog our mailboxes, these “wish books” become well-thumbed, with corners turned down and photos circled.  At least, that’s the way it is at my house.  I pore over the glossy pages, dreaming of […]

by Meredith ChilsonIt’s probably no secret that I’m a bird lover. I have several backyard bird feeders, am often found slowly cruising summer back roads looking in shrubs for nests or even occasionally can be caught standing in my yard staring at the sky following the flight of a raven or the call of a […]

by Meredith ChilsonThe last day of the year. The sun never really shines through the overcast skies, the snow keeps piling up, and evening comes in the afternoon.  It’s the time of year that I dig out my notebooks, reflect on the past few months, and make plans for the next twelve. My journals contain […]

by Meredith ChilsonThe snow arrived on the first day of winter.  It made me think of those old cartoons that showed time passing with an arrow pointing to the seasons—when the arrow clicked over to WINTER, the ground was covered with snow and icicles hung from eaves.  That’s just about how it happened here.  A […]

by Meredith Chilson Isn’t it interesting how connections are made between people?  I was sitting next to a very nice lady at a meeting a month or so ago, and she mentioned that her sons were taking orders for popcorn, as a benefit for another local organization.  We love popcorn; I like to help out kids’ […]

 by Meredith Chilson The holidays are looming, and I’ve pulled down the crates and tubs of decorations and ornaments from the high shelf in the garage.  As I sort through the boxes, I realize that many of them are handmade—some of glitter, glue and toothpicks made by tiny hands, others of ceramic, glass or wood.  […]

by Meredith ChilsonCourtney collects chickens.  Well, maybe it’s more accurate to say that Courtney attracts chickens.  It all started at a yard sale almost six years ago. At this particular sale, a mother hen and five baby chicks were in a pen in the yard with a “free to a good home” sign.  Now, really.  […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author Finally.  There are beginning to be a few more eggs in the nest boxes.  The older hens are finishing up their molt—the new feathers are looking lovely, all strong and shiny.  I’ve been adding a bit of protein to their diets in the form of mealworms, and I think […]