April 15, 2006--Sounds like a sticky proposition, but sometimes it's just the way things work out.

Since the new chicks arrived on Friday it was a good time to clean out the coop.  The coop had about 6 to 12 inches of packed shavings on the floor which is good especially in the winter months, but a fresh bed for the spring and the new chicks is always a good thing.  So there we were, Blair chipping away with her birthday present--a whopping big shovel, Ethan hauling the shavings away in his wheel barrel to the property boundary, Winnie sweeping after her Mom and Aunt HaHa loosening up the packed shavings and wheezing all the way.  We did this later in the afternoon so as not to disturb the chickens while they were custom laying the eggs.

As the pine shaving pile grew larger at the property boundary, Ethan thought it might be a good idea to bring a dozen eggs to the neighbors who are downwind from the shavings.  Since Winnie and Aunt HaHa were contributing the most to the clean-up we were elected to make the delivery.  Aunt HaHa tried to drive there, but she was caught, chastised and dragged from the car.  So Winnie and her Aunt walked to the neighbors.  Since Aunt HaHa is so the country person, she led the operation and Winnie being the well-behaved country girl that she is, she quietly let me.  We walked down the long driveway, out onto the farm road and onto the main road and up the driveway to our neighbors. 

Luckily for the chicken coop clean-up, the neighbors were home and Winnie presented her eggs.  Having both grown up on farms in Vermont they were happy to receive the eggs and exchanged a half-gallon of maple syrup that a relative makes and sells in Vermont.  It was really fun for me to meet them because I love Vermont having spent time there when I was growing up.  It was where I first learned how to ride, muck out a barn, pick fresh fruit and vegetables and purchase raw milk for morning breakfasts on family run farms and just generally appreciate the concept of local farms.  I might be dating myself, but that was back in the 1970's and I have never forgotten it.

I also learned from our neighbors who had chickens on their Vermont farm that even though the chicken droppings were mixed with pine shavings it would still make good mulch.  In fact better mulch because the shavings would help draw out some of the nitrogen. 

Before we wore out our welcome, Winnie and I left our neighbors to their dinner.  Winnie led the way through the property boundaries and past the pine shavings--that route took about five minutes.  And we had at least a two year supply of  maple syrup traded for a dozen eggs.  I think we got the better end of the bargain.