I was sound asleep when I heard my wake-up call. So loud. So bossy.
The four chickens (whom I neglected to close into their coop last night) were awake.
And they wanted breakfast.
All four were perched on the back steps and calling in through the screen in the backdoor. "Humans! Wake up! We're hungry!"
Dang. Bossy things.
As soon as I appeared all bleary eyed at the door they hopped off the steps, hustled across the porch, and waited (somewhat) patiently by the can of chicken feed in the yard. I fed them and they said "thank you" as best as they could, by jabbing at each other for the best spot at the feeder.
Time to go back to bed. But…
The cat was mewing for food. And then the dogs wanted to go out. And come back in.
And now? I'm up. A little early, but I'm up.
Time for a little tea and a lot of gratitude for the ordinary blessing that this day holds.
There is chai in my cup and two big pots of milk are warming on the stove. (One for yogurt and one for cottage cheese.) The sun is shining in through the windows and it promises to be another beautiful day.
Today. I'll make laundry soap. And do the wash. Then hang it to dry in the sun. (My favorite chore of all.)
Today. I'll make tinctures and syrups for my man who's sick with the flu in high summer. Poor guy. The flu. In summer!
Today. We'll eat more spicy chicken soup. (Don't worry, hens. I'm not holding a grudge about the early wake up. We'll dine on a different bird.)
Today. I'll knit and sew and cook and clean.
Today. When I'll turn off the computer and immerse myself fully in today.
And so it begins, like always. Another perfectly ordinary (yet somehow extraordinary) day.
Today. What will it bring?
Mine brought a very early wake up call as well. We’ll be making sourdough bread, applesauce, and hummus. Hopefully I’ll make progress on my toddlers new quilt and get some laundry washed.
Chickens are such characters. I’ve heard so many silly stories from chicken owners.
Have a wonderful day!!
Hanging laundry outside to dry is also my favourite chore- I wouldn’t even call it a chore I like doing it so much!
mine brought early wake up calls for breastfeeding. now its a messy toddler in her highchair. and a friend brought me left overs from her wedding reception back yard bbq. all blessings today.
Great, I’ll do the same, pretty much.
Sounds like heaven!
Sounds magical!
As a mama who is unlikely to have another wee one, I actually miss those early wake-ups with all of my heart. Enjoy. 3
Agreed!
Unfortunately for you, we are the lucky ones who get to be greeted by a post from you 🙂 Perspective, I suppose. Thank you for such a contemplative start, and a glimpse at how similar yet vastly different our magical days are!
today I woke up to a cow to milk and a sweet little lamb passed to the otherside in our pasture… ugh. the real question is do I start milking the mama!? we’ll see, but what I want to hear about is your cottage cheese! I find it to be my “holy grail” of dairy products and have fed some unimpressive batches(read MANY) to my chickens… let’s hear all about yours!
So sorry for your loss. Nature is good that way, calling back souls we’ve barely had time to love.
As for cottage cheese, I am using the recipe from Home Creamery with a slight modification. I heat the curds VERY slowly, otherwise they turn rubbery. I heat them on the lowest setting my stove has. Too hot too fast = more mozz than curds. Hope this helps!
🙂
Spicy chicken soup sounds delicious, now that I have 3 locally raised chickens in my fridge that need me to do something with them tomorrow. Have you ever posted a recipe for that, or are you one of those “some of this, some of that” type people?
Ive never posted a recipe but I cook the chicken in stock (my bone broth recipe is posted!) with lots of garlic, curry spices (cayenne, turmeric, cumin, etc.) and a big piece of ginger and lemongrass if it is available. Then I remove the chicken to cool and add veggies: sweet potatoes or winter squash, onions, carrots, leeks, celery, etc. When those are cooked I pick the chicken off the bones and add them back to the pot. We eat it with coconut milk drizzled on top and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Yum!
And then the bones of course turn into the stock for the next batch of soup.