Abandoned chicken enclosure
I’ve been in a strange space lately. Remembering when I had chickens and how much I enjoyed them. At one time I raised araucana bantams, and later I had Rhode Island Red bantams.
The araucanas were beautiful. One hen was a special pet. I loved to take treats to her and hand feed her. She so looked forward to my visiting the chicken house. And we loved their blue, turquoise and green eggs.
Three of the roosters were really mean and would attack us. They ended up in the stew pot. 😀 The rest behaved themselves pretty well.
And incubating and raising chicks was such a delight.
Some of my Rhode Island Red bantams. I lost my araucana photos in a computer crash.
I wasn’t quite as attached to the Rhode Island Reds. They were sweet chickens, but they were more ordinary looking than the araucanas. They did lay nice home-style looking brown eggs. There was one rooster we called Little Red. He followed us around the yard like a puppy and we got a big kick out of him.
I also had showpiece square foot gardens and canned and dehydrated most of the vegetables we ate. Also had pretty flower gardens.
But then I got the camping and traveling bug. At first we used automatic feeders and waterers for the chickens. But we couldn’t stay gone longer than a week. So I gave the chickens to friends so we could stay gone for weeks if we wanted to.
My gardens didn’t do well when we took off for two or three weeks in the gardening season. So I gradually lost interest in them.
But lately I have felt nostalgic about my chickens and my gardens.
A couple of pieces of sterling silver jewelry that I did a LONG time ago.
I don’t want to tie myself down so that we can’t take off whenever we get the urge now. And I can’t get enthused about serious gardening again. But I kind of miss my life that felt content and fulfilled with such mundane, close-to-the-earth pursuits.
While I was looking for photos of araucanas (that I never found) I ran across some other photos of crafts that I used to do. Also found some photos that reminded me of how much I used to love primitive camping, primitive skills, wild edible foods study, and a host of things that I used to do but don’t do anymore.
An arrangement I made using a weathered piece of wild cherry wood that Dad cut for me.
A raised rose coverlet that I crocheted
Maybe I need to re-evaluate my priorities. 🙂
Baby chicks that I incubated
I got so tickled when this chicken jumped inside the feeder where the motherlode of feed was!
Tinycamper's Blog 
Gwen
/ April 21, 2011Oh, wow, we use to do this when I was a kid. We had our own chickens. I remember a lamp on the box of new chicks to keep them warm. Good memories. And you as well.
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tinycamper
/ April 21, 2011Glad you enjoyed the chickens and that they brought back good memories. We never had chickens when I was a kid, but I was like a kid with them when I finally did get my own. So was my dog. She was fascinated by them. Thought we got them just for her! (She is gone, too, now.)
Sometimes I wish I didn’t feel this insatiable urge to go and see new places all the time! But when we do get out, that is what I really want to be doing now.
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Gwen
/ April 22, 2011When I was a kid we lived in 3 places. First on the ranch when I was a toddler. Then in a silver trailer parked either at my dad’s folks house or my mom’s folks house or out in the woods at the logging camp my dad worked at. (there were two camps). Finally, dad built our house and we stayed put from about the age of 10. I think this is where I get my wanderlust from.
I know now, that once you have the “rolling wheels” it is hard to stay put for long. We stayed put for 3 months this last winter. We have found that after about 2 weeks the “itch” comes along and we need to be moving.
I am really sorry about your new rig. However, you do have a moving home and that can be a blessing for now. It’s all in the timing. Your time will come.
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps 37:4
Gwen
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Nancy L Dugas-Gilmore
/ April 22, 2011Thank you for visiting my blog! Oh, yes. I too like the rear kitchen. Can’t wait to ‘take it for a trip’. You are my first camper/tatter blogger! How exciting. Now, I just have to remember to ‘behave’ or I may end up in the ‘stew pot’!! LOL Take and now to read the rest of you blog. Happy Easter!
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Gina
/ April 22, 2011Lots of things I don’t do either these days but I’m doing other things that I couldn’t back then. A season for everything……
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tinycamper
/ April 22, 2011A season for everything. I like that, Gina. Takes away my guilt at dropping the old pursuits. And I didn’t tat back then either. 🙂
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