Wednesday, April 28, 2010

One of These Things is Not Like the Other . . .

My Dad gave us a dozen eggs when we left Maine this past Sunday. We have had chickens at the house in Brunswick since we moved there, almost 30 years ago. My parents have kept a number of different kinds, but mostly Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks and Buff Orphingtons. For a while we had some fryers, but for the most part the norm at our place is to see a small flock of red hens running around the yard.


I didn't open the carton until that evening after the drive back home, and I laughed when I saw eleven brown eggs and one gigantic whitish blue egg! That's the beauty of a mixed flock, I guess! I remember being young and sorting eggs for the perfect dozen to enter in the Topsham Fair.

This led me to think about some pictures Mom had taken of the chickens a few years ago. I looked back and found this photo from July of 2008:


It was a pretty charmed life, I think, growing up in the country, with hens, and eating eggs that were fresh that day.

Thanks for the eggs Dad!

4 comments:

Busy Bee Suz said...

Oh, we joke about getting chickens. I think you did grow up in a charmed life my friend....not too many people had those as pets. :)

Kellybee said...

Allison,

Those memories from childhood are so powerful and wonderful!

A friend of mine here in Minneapolis has a dream of getting chickens. From what I hear, there are a lot of hoops to jump through in the city proper. It's easy to underestimate the value of growing up in an area where it's easier to do such things.

Glad you had such a good trip to Maine! One of these days (she always says), I need to make a trip back, with Sean, in warm weather. The poor boy believes that Maine requires cold-weather gear year-round, since that's the only time I've taken him there!

Jayne said...

I don't think I've ever had a egg "fresh that day." I can imagine they are delicious. :c)

Anonymous said...

You were very lucky! We hope we're giving our kids a similar life. :) Fresh eggs are incomparable!