Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Bullying at 44

I can't believe it, but it's happening in my own backyard.

Bullying!!!

Poor Rigmar. First she sat in the nesting box for two months, just trying to have a family. She simply wanted some babies to mother, her instincts were kicking in.

But they looked askance at her then, and just tried to pretend she wasn't one of them. One of their flock! One of their group......engaged in that ridiculous behavior!

She gave up the notion of having babies and has tried to integrate herself back into the flock but, oh no!!!!!!

She began to molt.....first it was the feathers around her neck that were suddenly shed. But then all the beautiful long buff tail feathers began to appear on the floor of the coop. And gradually a lot of feathers around her body were gone and she looked like a shadow of her former self. A miniature of the rest of the flock.

She looks pitiful. And no pictures please, she would be mortified!

And they dislike her even more. They won't let her eat, they attack her if she tries to eat when they all eat. They chase her around the yard and peck at her. She has found a refuge in the top of the wall of the nesting boxes and stands there all day to avoid their fury.

But I'm for the underdog.....or chicken. I've taken to hand feeding her. She runs up to me when I speak with her. And since it has stopped raining I've taken her to the back fenced in kitchen garden and let her free range. She's gobbling up the Brussel sprout leaves and the beet tops. She scratching and picking up bugs in the dirt and finding a host of worms. And she is enjoying the sun and no BULLYING! Left alone and enjoying it.

I hope that when her feathers all grow back and she looks like the rest of the flock again, they will accept her back into the group.

Who knew that looks were that important to more species than ours!






















Thursday, October 13, 2011

I Have a Friend.....

And her name is Fran.



I was here last week. In her part of the world. It was a beautiful part of the world last week. No humidity, temps in the high 70's, white soft sand, gentle waves caressing the shore, little sandpipers scurrying around on their spindlely legs, pelicans flying low over the surf and wonderful family and friends to share it with.

For some reason, Fran has chosen me.

That's what it feels like. She has hundred's of friends but somehow I feel like I'm a special friend. She was there when I was a self confident college student trying desperately to reject the gospel. She would invite my family over for dinners after church and they would talk about the Lord. When I received Christ, she took me under her wing and gave me a short course on the Old and New Testament. We sat for hours around her dining room table as she carefully explained the theme and purpose of each book of the Bible.

She wrote me notes. And continues to write me notes, and sends me packages. She visited me in Boston, in Pennsylvania and here in Upstate New York. She says I'm a blessing and inspiration to her but I think I'm just reflecting what she has poured into me.

When she turned 84, she wrote and told me how frustrated she was with herself. She thought she was getting lazy! This was after she just had a luncheon for 30, had a send off party for some people in their church who were moving away and then gave a talk at their CBS Bible Study group of over 200 ladies. Lazy? I don't think so.

This time my visit was to help my aunt celebrate her 89th birthday. She has received a difficult medical diagnosis and I wanted to be there for this birthday.

Fran and Dick came to dinner with Aunt June and Aunt Millie and Elizabeth. It was fun to be together. I brought eggplant and homemade sauce and we had some pasta. The next day when Liz and I picked her up to go to the thrift stores, she had made 4 bags of chocolate chips cookies, all packaged up with ribbon and smiley faces. One bag for each of us. And they were sitting on a platter which I shall next use at Litengard, cute white platter with small red flowers around the edge. She made me dinner one night, filet mignon! The day before I left she calld early in the morning. "How about a pedicure?" She wanted to treat me to a pedicure because my "little" (size 8 1/2) feet were working so hard at the Inn and for the family. So off we went to get pedicures.

Dick sent me this poem that Fran wrote. Their Bible Study group was asked to write a poem discribing their faith walk. She said her first thoughts were, "Am I rusting or am I trusting?
But here's what she came up with

Keeping On!

I wobble-I squabble
I act like a child
I react, I resist- that's putting it mild
I love my Lord. He's the love of my life
Oh, how I'd adore to be mature in his sight

I'm excited, ignited
Then inflated in turn
I know I'm his girl
Will I never learn?

But I love Him I do
So I'll just keep on
Heard Him whisper just now
"My child- Right on!"

I love her, I do!