We are social animals–we relate more to chimpanzees as they survive through amity than in the hawk soaring alone. Necessary to our survival and growth as a species has been our willingness to care for other living creatures. Short of the tolerated and mutually beneficial relationship of certain species no other animal on earth has taken the leap to raising and caring for other animals. Despite our horrific history of self-destruction we nonetheless want to care for other creatures. Though some of this is taught, much more of it sits in sedimentary layers of evolutionary knowledge stacked in our DNA, reaching back to days when we herded semi-wild horses across a cold windy plain. To this day it survives and thrives in my own children and I’ve watched with delight as Child Harbat has taken the chickens as her own wards. “I’m going to check on Ginger one more time.” “I sure do love those chickens!” Babbo, she let me pet her head!” “Ducky, silly girl, what are you doing?” “Hi, honeys come get some water!” She talks to them as a caring mother and yesterday finally got to hold Ginger, the most docile and inquisitive of the bunch. Here’s the face of a happy caregiver:
Writer, architect, father, husband.
Two of Ramseyland chickens were absconded by a hawk last week. Apparently, the raptors usual prey is to hard to catch as they run in and out of hibernation with the insane battle between snow and daffodils that we are having here. Last year Bob’s family lost Jelly (chicken) of Duo Jam and Jelly as she free ranged a little to freely into another critter’s turf.
I love this picture of her 🙂