Okay, so, one of the best things about having a little farmlette again is the poultry. It's the fowl, I tell you! I love poultry. Yes, chickens are great, but I am a goose girl. I really am. People say- "Those suckers are MEAN. Have you ever had geese?" To which I happily reply, "Yes. I have and I miss them all the time."
In addition to that, I have this thing about them and they seem to reciprocate it. Seriously. They come to me and they hang out with me- wild ones- Canada Geese (my absolute favorite bird in the world.)
I actually had two that would come over to eat every day. I fed them by hand and I would whistle to them. Then, one day, I arrived and they weren't there so I whistled and whistled again- beginning to feel foolish and then I heard it- a faint honking from down river that grew louder and louder until they landed directly in front of me and I fed them. From then on, I gave that special whistle and they would come flying. They even brought their darling goslings though they kept the babies back from the strange human with the bread.
I love geese, what can I say?
So, I was cruising the hatcheries- doesn't everyone on a lazy day? -- And put together a fantasy order for myself- all of them day old chicks for the non-existent barn that I will someday have.
I saw on one site that you can order Canada Goose cross bred geese for an enormous sum of money so I looked away and continued my search elsewhere. I knew what I was looking for. I selected all of them for their eggs and/or for temperament and hardiness- These would be loved and not eaten. When I was done combing through the sites, I had 50 items in my cart:
6 rainbow layers (chickens)- for a range of different egg colors (even some green and blue egg layers)
A pair of Pekin ducks (male and female)
A pair of Indian Runner ducks (male and female) plus 2 more females
A pair of Pilgrim Geese (which I discovered are unavailable most places so I would possibly need to switch to Toulouse Geese)
3 female turkeys (the best eggs in the world!)
2 Turken hens - because they would make my son smile- look like turkeys from the neck up but are all chicken- oh yeah, weird!
20 button quail- the size of bumblebees when they hatch!!
10 Bobwhite quail
And all I could think was "Don't hit the Order button!! Don't do it. I'm serious- watch that clicking finger, Miss Impulsive. That's it- Walk away from the computer."--Because I really, really wanted to just click "Order" and use that money that I didn't have to spend-- on those baby chicks.
I wanted to have it all when I arrived at the new home- including a little Home Depot barn (since I knew that would be the least time consuming method of building a home for them) but I did dream of a more cottagey barn like this.
I wanted to get that call from the annoyed local post office saying ,"Your chicks are here, PLEASE come and get them- really- right now."
and when I answer, "You're not open yet."
Hear their response, "We are for you- come get these chicks- right now. Seriously."
As I hear the crazy peeping ruckus behind the person on the other end of the line.
Which is what happened over ten years ago when we had our other farmlette.
And then you raise them by hand and feed them and love them and and then they grow and blossom into big and small two legged feathered friends and you walk out into the yard and know that it is full of these lovely birds ready to eat out of your hand and follow the children around and make noise. And this- this reminds me of that path I started on years ago and left behind for city life-- only to return to now as I make a leap of faith and feel the wind whip around my face as I fall towards it.
But I know the prudent thing to do since there is no barn and no hen house- well, a hen house would be too small for these guys- would be to arrive and clean and paint and paint and paint and paint and paint and- did I mention, paint? And then, in the spring, build a little structure and get the chicks then. That is the prudent thing, I know. I am just impatient. I miss my birds and I have been missing them more and more. The goats will wait until spring or summer but those birds will be hard to wait for, they really will.
Someday soon, I will have geese and ducks and those turkeys and quail but until then, I will dream of them and plan for them and they will come to me when it is time and we will spread our wings together as we fly with joy into this new life.
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