The Chicken Who Came to Visit

Speaking of chickens and eggs, we had a momentary chicken buddy this weekend!

Before we could saddle up on our bikes for our Saturday morning coffee date, we were sidelined by this pretty bird. Fin noticed it first; it (we still aren't sure if this is a rooster or a hen; I'd be happy to know!) had been quietly sitting in our front garden bed, minding its own business, when Fin spotted it and went to give a friendly sniff.



In a matter of seconds, we had a lanky, clumsy, curious (but well-intentioned, I assure you!) dog and a terrified, speckled chicken running around our front yard. Before things got out of hand, I plopped down the tailgate and gave Fin the command to "load up." She shot into the bed of the pickup truck, and the chicken clucked and made its way under my car.

By then, a small crowd had gathered. None of our close-by neighbors knew from whence this chicken came, and without a collar or tags, I had no idea how to attempt to return it. So he stayed in our yard for hours... And then we left.

We came home late Sunday after spending Easter with our family, and noticed all the pine straw in the front gardens had been, how shall I say... relocated to form chicken-sized patches. In the back, all the mulch around the garden paths had been shifted around too. Surely, we surmised, the chicken hadn't made its way into the back yard?

But last night, another neighbor confirmed: he'd seen the chicken rooting around in our gardens; I can only hope he was eating all the bad bugs. Eventually the real owners showed up—the chicken had been missing for about three days.

So, I can now say we had a chicken for a weekend. All of us on the street enjoyed the little adventure in urban farming, that's for sure.

Have you ever had a random garden guest?

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If It Grows, It Grows.

Zucchini plants guarded by red Solo cup barriers.

I've been posting "Wordless Wednesdays," with plenty of pictures. But today, I just have a thought to share.

Gardening requires love, patience, work, and the right attitude. It requires that you relinquish a little control, and understand that you cannot predict the future.

I spent a bit of my day worrying about squash vine borers. Last year, all my cucurbits—cucumbers, squash, butternut, and melons—were decimated by vine borers. I didn't even know what they were at the time, but quickly learned that they are the bane to any squash farmer's existence.

With that worry on my mind, I began Googling. I looked up exactly how toxic Sevin dust—the only insecticide that will keep the moths from laying eggs on my squash plants—would be to my garden and for my dog. Hmm, that seems wrong for me, doesn't it?

I made a commitment when we began our backyard raised beds to go at it organically. After all, part of the joy in our gardens is the assurance that, by growing our own food, we are having a positive impact on our environment and on our health.

Chemical pesticides aren't the answer to my gardening worries. I can't control vine borers or the moths that lay them.

For the time being, I will rest assured, knowing that each of my squash plants is lovingly planted in its own little red Solo cup (bottoms cut out; it's a borer-avoiding tip from an expert at the Natural Gardener) and gets dusted twice a week with a dose of bacillus thuringiensis, which is totally safe for pets and humans.

My mom's advice to me is this: "If it grows, it grows."

That advice reminds me daily to step back and understand that much of this is out of my control. I will hope for squash, and will rue the day (should it come) that vine borers attack, but ultimately I will be grateful for whatever the garden decides to give me.

How do you find peace and balance in your garden?

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