Wednesdom - Halloween

Halloween is the only absolutely fun holiday on the calendar.

A gal can pretend to be anything, and get away with it.

While eating candy.

Doves

Ok, Fabiola intended to wax all poetic about recieving grace from above, but the buzzer on the dryer just went off. Apparently, the need for clean clothes cancel the metaphysical in Fabiola world. Who woulda guessed?

Wednesdom - Walking In Autumn

There is no season such delight can bring,

As summer, autumn, winter, and the spring.

~ William Browne

Almost ...

Today

Just Past sunrise

Which follows dark thirty. That photo wasn't as interesting.

rolling over the clover

Well I, Fabiola, have to tell you that rolling in clover isn't quite as advertised. While mary was out in the feild in the floater, Fabiola flung herself flat on the forage (even Fabiola is weary of illiteration right about now) to experience this clover rolling thing for herself. clover stems are poky and clover flowers atract bees.

Wednesdom - Sweaters

The best sweater for walking outside in the chilly Autumn air

is one that is too big, too old

and knit by someone that you love.

If the wool can't keep you warm, the memories will.

Escape - Rootbeer Goes to Austin - Part 3

There she was, Rootbeer the Traveling Chicken locked in a cage in the back of a mini-van, anticipating a life in a suburban Texas back yard.


"This is not for the birds" said Rootbeer in her cage as the mini-van loaded down with the nice little girl (that wanted a really truly free range chicken) and her family headed west on 4th street.

Rootbeer's cage leaned to the left as Nice Little Girl's Mom turned right (a little bit too fast for Rootbeer's taste) on San Antonio street. Then there was the left at west 6th street where a bright blue sportster stopped almost clear of the intersection and the rider would have had a start at how close the front of his bike came to the side of the mini-van, had he not been flirting with the pretty blonde in the convertible camaro to his right. Then it was left again at Baylor Street, a quick swoop into a parking spot and everyone, Nice Little Girl, Mom, Brother and Dad all tumbled out of the mini-van. Dad popped up the back window of the mini-van because everyone knows that you shouldn't leave a chicken cooped up in the back of a closed vehicle in the sun, even if you are only going to look at the Treaty Oak for just a minute.

While the family took photos in front of the famous but sadly smaller tree, Rootbeer realized that this was her only chance at escape. Removing a hat pin from her hat (how else did you think that Rootbeer kept her hat on?), Rootbeer pushed up from below on the pin in the latch for her cage with the hat pin and grabbed the top with her beak. Pulling the pin out, allowed the hasp to fall over and the cage door to swing open. Wasting not a second, Rootbeer flew out the open back window (chickens can fly you know - just not very far -- but Rootbeer IS a traveling chicken, she practiced), scampered across the park lawn and before anyone in the Nice Family could notice, Rootbeer flew up into the branches of the Treaty Oak, where she tucked her head under her wing where she started a very long nap.

No Chcken story again today ...

Yes, yes, Fabiola knows that she needs to finish the Chicken Story. Sadly, that big drag Mary has been working (working, working) the last several days. Mary and the fella split the floater in two and are replacing the bearings. Never mind, it is a greasy, dirty process involving heavy jacks, sledge hammers, pry bars and swearing - all things that I, Fabiola want nothing to do with.

::whispering:: (Fabiola will tell you all about it the second that Mary is not paying attention.)

Darlings - thank you for your patience.

Wednesdom - Water Will Get You Wet ...

Water will get you wet,

electricity can get you dead.

If your wiring is all wacky,

hire an electrician.

~Fantastic Fabiola

Fabiola will be late today with her Chicken story update

Wild busy day here.  Fabiola appologises!   Still, Darlings, Fabiola will update the Rootbeer the Traveling Chicken story later this evening.

Rootbeer Shops At Farmer's Market - Rootbeer Goes to Austin - Part 2

After and exhilarating ride into the city, Rootbeer arrived at the farmer’s market. As the farmer’s truck came to a stop next to his vegetable stall, Rootbeer held her purse in her beak and flew down to the ground.

Rootbeer walked from stall to the next first looking at sweet corn, eggplant and fresh fruit. She stopped at one stall and was looking over some particularly nice McIntosh apples when she heard the voice of a little girl.

“Oh, Mommy look! A really truly free range chicken!” A perfectly clean, perfectly dressed little girl exclaimed. “Can we take her home? She could share Darling’s dog house and give us fresh eggs for breakfast in the morning!”

Rootbeer dropped the apple that she was holding and stared at the little girl. “No thank you little girl” Rootbeer clucked. “I am a country chicken, you look like a city girl and while I am certain that you are very nice, I bet that you have Koi in a pond in your yard and not one single armadillo.” “I bet that you couldn’t protect me from a rattlesnake like my people did.” No, no little girl, I am not going home with ack!!”

Rootbeer ended her clucking with an "ack" because the apple vendor had just plopped a wooden chicken crate over Rootbeer’s head and she was trapped.

“Twenty-Two fifty should cover the chicken and the transport crate.” Said the apple vendor.

So off in a crate Rootbeer rode, through the farmer’s market and into the back of a mini van where the back hatch door shut with a thud that sounded like the end of the world to Rootbeer.

Happy Thoughts - Farmer's Markets

Being pretty on the inside means you don't hit your brother and you eat all your peas -

that's what my gramma taught me.

~ Lord Chesterfield

Rootbeer (The Traveling Chicken) Goes to Austin -- Part 1

Because Sister J, wouldn't let Rootbeer (the Traveling Chicken) go for a ride in the car, Rootbeer decided to arrange other transportation. She trotted down the driveway, flew into a cedar tree that hangs over the road, and waited.

Rootbeer looked for a vehicle headed towards Austin. Before long, she spotted a neighbor farmer's truck loaded down with turnips. That truck must be headed to the farmer's market, thought Rootbeer to herself. So when the truck drove under the tree that she was sitting in, she jumped.

Rootbeer had a few moments of concern when she reailzed that chicken claws don't hold very well on painted metal surfaces. Fortunately, she slid back onto the piled up turnips. Chicken claws hold very well on piles of root vegetables. So Rootbeer (the Traveling Chicken) headed towards Austin.

Changes

If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.

Taking the day off ...

Fabiola waves hello to all her darling readers!

Fabiola is taking the day off to sit in her easy chair while Mary works.

Traveling Chickens

Rootbeer the Traveling Chicken follows Sister J (and the kids) everywhere they go outside. One day Sister J loaded the kids into the car and was about to drive away from the Tall Small House when "scratch, scratch, scratch" she heard the sound of tiny nails on the floormats in the back seat.

"Is that chicken in the car?" Sister J. asked the kids.
Laughing, the kids replied "what makes you think that?"
"I can hear toenails scratching on the floor" was Sister J's reply.

So Sister J swung around and looked over the back of the front seat.
"Chicken, get out of my car!" Said Sister J to Rootbeer.

Rootbeer (the Traveling chicken ) tried to remain where she was but Sister J (always a determined gal) shooed Rootbeer back out into the yard. Where Rootbeer, no doubt, started planning her next attempt at adventure.

Happy Thoughts - Travel

Like all great travelers,

I have seen more than I remember,

And remember more than I have seen.

~ Benjamin Disraeli

Bob the Bird and His New Friends

When we left Bob the Bird, he had been banished outside to the patio (daylight hours only).  Although his friend Henry the dog isn't always with him, Bob has met some new friends. 

Bob the Bird's new friends are Bluebell the Bunny who lives in a cage (mostly, sometimes, well, she has been IN the cage before).  Bob the Bird spends his days in his cage, which sits on top of Bluebell the Bunny's cage.  Bluebell and Bob and their stacked cages are happy outside in the sun.  Then there is Rootbeer the traveling chicken, who sits beside (or on top of) Bob the Bird's cage and makes clucking noises and peers this way and that at Bob the Bird.  Perhaps Rootbeer the traveling chicken is trying to figure out which strange chicken family produced Bob the Bird.  Maybe it isn't that at all.

Happy Thoughts - Cats and Lies

One of the most striking differences

 between a cat and a lie

is that a cat has only nine lives.

~ Mark Twain

Because Bob the Bird is loud ...

Daytime anyway, he moved outside. With the chickens.

Fabiola doesn't have time to say more right now. Perhaps, tomorrow, she will introduce you to the chickens. And Blue Bell.

Wednesdom - Politics

Our country, right or wrong. 

When right, to be kept right;

when wrong, to be put right.

~ Carl Schurz

Happy Thoughts - October - Pumpkin

Or, more or less correctly: punkin

O, it sets my heart a-clickin' like teh tickin' of a clock,

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

~James Whitcomb Riley