They BETTER lay eggs!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."

- Melody Beattie

Colleen drove yesterday.

We had a small but palpable feeling of joy and gratitude.

For most of the summer now Colleen has suffered from severe dysfunction of her vestibular system, the part of the brain that controls balance. She suffered through debilitating vertigo attacks that completely limited her ability to do the simplest of things. Our world was turned upside down.

We worked for a diagnosis. It took internet research and eventually contact with a specialist in Delaware to develop a treatment plan. She started to improve. Little things , like doing the laundry, became goals. We begin to look at a different path for this bend in the Road to Bali. It has been an anxious time.

As of today, it’s been over 4 weeks since she had the last significant episode. She feels more confident. We have been working on new outdoor projects and she is gardening again.

And yesterday she drove! She tried to shrug it off like it’s no big deal. But later when she was talking with Curtis, her brother in Georgia, she brought it up with a small sense of pride.

This does not mean she is cured. The condition is chronic, but we are learning to manage it more effectively.

We are grateful.

So during this time we looked at new things to do. Colleen’s condition and the raging plague has stopped any travel for the foreseeable future.

‘The Road to Bali’ has never only been about traveling. It has been a journey of personal discovery that has filled our days with enjoying new treasures and experiences right here at home. We have already traveled more than we ever dreamed we could and we know there is more to come. But, not for now. The world needs to heal and life must goes on.

Which brings me to the chickens.

How do I talk about this without sounding like a crazy cat person?

We have been reading recently about climate issues. We are no where near the zeal and passion of my friends Eric and Michelle but maybe we should be. Both of us watched a recent documentary called “Kiss the Ground”. It is an engrossing presentation on the idea of regenerative farming.

I remember when I moved to Indiana I was curious why the cultivated fields only had 2 crops. It was alway either corn or soybeans. Where does all the other vegetables come from? Furthermore, I did not know that the vast majority of the corn grown here is used to feed animals. It’s a staggering amount.

It’s a complicated subject that is difficult to make into a sound bite. Essentially when you farm in the manner of most of Indiana, you strip the microbes out of the soil leaving only dirt. All of those microbes serve to capture carbon out of the atmosphere and in turn produce more plants. Then, as long as you do not strip it out, animals like chickens and cattle feed on the plants and the cycle continues.

(Cue Lion King Music).

This is the science behind regenerative farming. By avoiding monoculture crops, stopping stripping of the soil, rotating animals, and rotating different crops, you can preserve the environment , capture carbon and still make a living as a farmer.

For many, this is not new information.

It was to me.

In my own self absorption I thought meat came from Cost Co and I never thought much more about it. As long as I can get what I want, why should I care? Stores in the U.S. are over flowing with food. I know this is simplistic and childish but I was too busy to think much about it.

Then, we visited India and saw mounds of waste by the side of the road. School children in bright uniforms would wade through it. Cows would graze among plastic wrappers eating styrofoam. The air was thick with pollution. You can see what happens if you don’t do something.

Sooner or later the buffalo are gone and there is nothing left to shoot.

So we have tried to make changes. We now source our meats from sustainable farms and try to buy local. We make a better effort to not use plastics as much.

And we decided to buy some chickens.

We read about the idea of “Chicken Tractors”. Essentially these are mobile coops that you can move on your lawn every few days so the chickens always have new grass to feed. When they “Free range” in this manner it is good for both the chickens and your lawn.

So we traveled north of Fort Wayne to see a very chatty man who builds these devices for a living. As we made our way past the fall trees and Trump flags we came to his shop. It was a pleasure to see a man who clearly takes pride in his craftsmanship as he showed as a cedar tractor that would meet our needs.

It was not cheap.

These chickens BETTER lay eggs…….

Then we purchased our first flock of birds. We have eight. We picked the breeds that are interesting, colorful, and (hopefully) good layers.

One of the breeds we selected was a Silkie. They are striking birds for their plumage and sweet dispositions.

Our favorite is “RuPaul”.

Yes, we have named all of them. Moving on…

Ru is a charming little puff ball of a chick that liked nothing more than to get in your lap and fall asleep.

'RuPaul' on the right - 'Edna', a white Silke, on the left

Last night we had a setback. RuPaul developed ‘Wry neck”. It is essentially torticollis or neck spasms causing the head to turn to one side. We don’t know if she will recover. We have separated her from the other birds and are trying to nurse her to health.