Sunshine!!! We finally saw the sun beaming brightly for most of yesterday. I told my husband I thought it had been 3 weeks since the sun has beaten out the clouds. Those cloudy, gray, rainy days were probably a blessing for my photo-sensitive eyes those weeks…but it was so good to feel the sun.
My husband hauled a lawn chair off the porch and parked it by an old open front shed yesterday afternoon. My girls (also known as chickens for those who aren’t regular readers) are very partial to this shed as it has a dirt floor and provides safety from hawks and eagles who are always looking for a chicken dinner.
We talk every so often about taking the old shed down as our kids think it is an eyesore. We have a different perspective than our children….we see a building (that is probably using that term loosely) that still has function.
That old open front shed provides shelter for the girls, a place for them to dust bath all year long, and is a great place to store my feed as it is not too far from the coop. I think in it’s former life that shed might have been the original chicken coop for people who owned this place years ago. Maybe the girls feel at home for that reason?
So much of life is about perspective. Right now, I tire easily and being dizzy and a lack of balance has become a fact of my life. Going to therapy has become my social life, though I did make it into the grocery store this week!
I know it is a long road to recovery from West Nile but I am choosing to look back and see how far I have come, rather than look at all those therapy appointments that it will take to make a full recovery. I know people always say, don’t look back, but sometimes it is good to do that; just to see the progress made.
I am choosing the perspective of “look how far I’ve come” to keep me heading towards where I want to end up! Like our weather beaten open front shed….there are things I can accomplish right now…in the shape I am in.
Let’s choose, in the coming week, to see the blessing in the rainy gray days, to see the value in an old shed and to be grateful for how far we’ve come and the ability and opportunity to go further.
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
The most certain way to succeed
is always to try just one more time.
Thomas A. Edison
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/thomas_a_edison_149049
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 ESV
The Chicken Grandma 
Just one more time!!! I love this post❤
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That is how I go to Physical Therapy …. Just one more time and then another after that and soon I will be 100% again.
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Amen!!!
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Oh yes…It is good to ‘read’ from you again. And you know…the girls just know ..they know what they want and need. There is comfort in familiar things even if they are worn out and old like the shed. I have an old sweater like that that is miles to large for me, but it is warm and comfortable
and …no….I don’t wear it to town but I sure do to the mail box at the end of the drive.
continue to improve and hang in there. are you getting snow? Looks pretty close.
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We woke up to snow. Looked like Christmas….and then the electric went out for 3 hours. We were happy to sit in front of the woodstove.
I think I might have the same sweater as you!
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That featured hen is sure keeping her eye on you! Just love hearing stories about “the girls.” Truth is, I’m farming vicariously through your blog.
Glad you are progressing even though it may seem a slow pace. Having just gone through my surgery and recovery, I began to say to myself “I can do this or that a little better today than I did yesterday.” Sometimes I might have been kidding myself, but it gave the whole process a brighter outlook.
Keep at it and keep the chicken stories comin’!
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Will keep them coming Al. I think I take my way of life for granted most of the time. I have a couple “city” grandkids coming this weekend and I told my husband they should help him dig potatoes so they know potatoes come with dirt on them and out of the ground!
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Different topic Al. For some reason your blog always wants me to “sign in” to comment. It was not always that way if I remember right.
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Hi again, Faye. I double-checked my settings in “Settings-Discussions” and the box for requiring name and email to comment is unchecked. If it continues you can always comment, it will just show up as “anonymous for the sender. You can then put your name in the comment so I will know it’s you. In the meantime I will check with support to see if there is anything I can do further at this end. Thanks for pointing it out.
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No problem I just filled in the slots and commented 😀
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I agree with you about looking back to rejoice in the progress you’ve made. I sometimes think of the two and a half years I needed a cane to walk. I’m so thankful to be free of it and to be able to walk freely now. Therapy does pay off!!!
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I must be making progress Anne. This morning I got in the car and realized I had forgotten my walker. I had been taking it the last couple times to therapy “just in case”.
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That’s a huge milestone!!!! Congratulations!
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Sometimes we have to look back to see how far we have come. So happy to hear you got out to the store. Therapy is a blessing! 💗😊
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Therapy IS a blessing. I cannot wait till they let me drive myself there so my husband does not have to take me. Hopefully in a couple weeks!
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Good lesson. I also have an old shed, a workshop, a garage, a junk drawer, and they all all needed and full. Perspective indeed. 😀 I hope you surprise yourself with how quickly you recover but don’t over-expect and become discouraged. It is nice having you and your girls be back.
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Thank you Oneta. It is so good to be back. I do have to remind myself on the really good days to not overdo……that is hard as I am good enough to see what all needs doing in my house!
I laughed about your shed, workshop etc. We have a barn, a corncrib, an old schoolhouse and yes a junk drawer too!
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You are always so positive in your writing and thoughts Faye and I admire you for this … you will look back and say “I had it tough, but persevered” and as I told you before, you thought your 2018 would be filled with the high of a wedding, and anything after that wedding and a whirlwind time of getting together with friends and family would be just humdrum, never imagining what was in store for you. Baby steps and you’ll be back to feeling fit as a fiddle soon. We had a glorious day last Wednesday – balmy and beautiful and sunny with a blue sky. Like you, I marveled because it had been such an awfully long time. It has a Summer and Fall of gray and gloomy days and endless rain here in SE Michigan.
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I do have my times of sitting and feeling very sorry for myself Linda…but I can only live with myself in that state so long and I drive myself crazy.
Supposedly we are supposed to be in a sunny pattern the next week so I hope that weatherman is right! I hope that sunshine heads your way also!
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I hope the sunshine heads our way too Faye – they are saying snow flurries this Wednesday but I don’t think they will amount to anything, but we are having November weather right now, on the heels of a record heat wave! Once you feel more like yourself, you’ll gain back your energy and this medical issue will be in the rearview mirror. Hope the holiday season is not too taxing on you.
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P.S. – That’s a great close-up of one of the girls. A friend of mine posted a picture of sweaters that people make for chickens on Facebook yesterday. There is an actual website for it, so I’m enclosing it … free patterns for chicken sweaters. Wondering if you ever heard of doing this?
https://www.livinggreenandfrugally.com/collection-of-free-chicken-sweater-patterns/
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Linda,
You care so much. I wonder how the little girls( chickens) are caught to put the sweaters on. But they look cute with those sleeveless sweaters though.
Susie
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Susie, they are cute! I wonder if my girls would get really crabby at me if I tried dressing them!
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I’d wonder that too Susie – now, I would think it would be easier if they opened up on the back or the front but I guess a set of buttons or a zipper could potentially cause danger to the chicken. But what an interesting idea.
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Linda, I have seen those! I often wonder how my girls would react to a sweater. I wonder if they would be like a cat or dog and roll around? I know my girls love taking dust baths and that would not work too good for them!
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That was the first I’d seen them Faye and I wonder how they would react too. Yes, dogs just stand there and look pitiful when you try to dress them up. My aunt’s dog had a Santa Claus outfit and when she put on the boots, he refused to move in them. A dust bath would not work well for these sweaters … you do have a point. The girls might see you coming with these sweaters and they’d run as fast as their two legs could carry them!
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Faye,
I love your perspective. I often look backwards too- not to see how far I have gone from there though- just as a refresher so I can think again about things I need to value and keep and forget about those that need to be hidden. Sometimes from the past comes the foundations of the future. The “Me Too” movement is what comes to mind- for women who have suffered so much, the past has pushed them beyond limits to be strong to come and speak out. There is a strong Me Too movement in my country too.
God bless you on your baby steps and your days of sunshine and wintry whiteness too. Is your husband having to do double duty now ?
Susie
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I really like your perspective on looking back also Susie. Some things are good to remember and some to forget.
My husband is slowly having to do less of my stuff. I am back to doing dishes, taking care of the girls (mostly) and I even baked banana bread this past week!
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Glad you are recovering Faye, even if it does mean going slowly and lots of therapy.
Thank you for writing about your chickens, so far from the lifestyle i live in an Australian city, although my mother always had chooks when I was growing up
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Thank you so much Maureen!
I will keep writing about our farm life. Most farmers around here are much bigger and do not farm like us. My husband and I laugh that we are stuck a few decades back….maybe many decades!
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first, so happy to read this – and i love old sheds. Good you have sunshine too-very healing. And . . .I have prayed for several times a dAY. i LOVE YOU! Michele PS love that quote
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The prayers are working Michele! I always tell my husband that if that shed comes down the wood needs to be repurposed into a more solid shed….kind of a man cave for him.
Love you too Michele! Praying for your upcoming move that it all goes smoothly for you and your new Rabbit Patch feeds your soul! (And ours through your blog.)
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xoxoxo always
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It absolutely helps keep things in perspective to look back and see how far we have come. Just keep moving forward. I’m praying for your full recovery. ♥
The old shed is perfect for your chickens. Our chickens sometimes lay under our trailer so for the winter my husband moved it close to the coop and covered it with a tarp that hangs down over the sides. He then put straw on the ground underneath it. Now the chickens can be outside if they want but still protected from the elements.
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Our girls are really spoiled aren’t they? I told my husband what your husband does with the trailer. Our girls roam all over and often find their way under our trailer also.
Thank you so much for your prayers Ruth. They definitely help.
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So good to hear you are making progress! Looking back is a great idea when you can use it to measure progress!
My daughter was diagnosed with skin cancer recently (she is a leukemia survivor.) She was feeling really down about the treatment, etc. But she is a nurse, and is surrounded by many people who will not live, let alone live to survive another cancer. Perspective has a way of making the ‘worst’ not quite so bad!
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I am making progress. There are a few setbacks but I was warned there would be. Like your daughter, I look around, and can find so many others who have it way worse than me.
I will keep your daughter in my prayers Margy.
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Playing catchup with blog posts – hence the reason I’m here a few days late.
Fabulous to hear (read) your words, for you sound more positive and more like the Chicken I know and love. I bet your girls are thrilled to be getting their mom back, out in the fresh air and watching them again.
Sending you much love and praying that you make a full and total recovery.
Bucket of squidges ~ Cobs. xxx
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So good to hear from you Cobs. I am getting better week by week. My balance is improving and I even drove to physical therapy the other day! I did make my husband come along in case I did not feel like a safe driver….but it went really good.
There is still a brain fog, tiredness and a few other odd things but they should slowly disappear and I have learned to be patient while I wait for that. Maybe that is my lesson in all of this? And I think maybe I am learning to ask for help when needed and to rely more fully on God…..all really good things!
Blessings to you Cobs. Love you!
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Love you too, Chicken.
You drove?!!! Aw this is brilliant news!
Don’t fuss over the brain fog – it will improve – bit by bit. And the tiredness – well just give in to it and rest. What’s the point of trying to run before you can walk, eh?
There’s something I posted on my blog called The Story of the Spoons – which might help you understand your own self at the moment, and also help family & friends to understand too.
Now I’m not saying go and read it straight away . . . but maybe have a look when you feel like it. I think you’ll be able to relate to the story.
You’ll find it here: https://thecobweboriumemporium.wordpress.com/2018/10/23/the-story-of-the-spoons/
Learning to ask for help is the big thing – for I believe that you, like me, have a problem asking for help. I’ve learnt that, on the whole, people who care really do want to help, they just need that strong minded, independent woman to actually tell them what she needs doing!
As for relying on God . . . I can feel Him smiling and ‘hear’ the words . . . “It’s part of what I’m here for!”
Sending you much love and wishing you small improvements every day. Each day, you’re getting better and better. Baby Steps!
Squidges and love ~ Cobs. xxx ❤
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We just have to keep moving forward. What choice do we have, really? To give up? Not an option. That old shed is a great example of perseverance. Just like you…strong and unyielding. Keep it up..:)
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My sister in law and I have a saying, “You sit….you die.” We have decided that we need to keep moving no matter what!
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That photo at the top of your chicken is hilarious! So much personality. 🙂 So sorry you have been so ill. I hope you are feeling better and get fully recovered very soon. ❤
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That particular girl does have a lot of personality!
I am feeling so much better. The physical therapy is really helping.
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It seems most people that have birds are very passionate about them. I love going to my dads…he loves his birds and it is fun to watch him interact with them. I spent yesterday helping him clear out underbrush so that he could extend his coop and yard to better accommodate his feathery friends.
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My husband asked how long I was going to have chickens…..I told him as long as I could walk to the coop to take care of them.
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Ha!
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Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
The most certain way to succeed
is always to try just one more time.
Thomas A. Edison
—
I needed this Chicken grandma…
I’m not sure if it’s a sign but I hope so.
I will try just one more time…
Thanks for sharing inspirational and bible quotes. Love them.
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You are so very welcome! Those quotes are so good for me also. I love looking for them and I also love how they really speak to me.
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