every day is a good day
The chickens born this spring are now young adults. Some are even laying eggs. Each year, the flock takes on a new look. Do the single color ones envy the ones with splendid patterns? Or do the chickens of many colors wish they were all one color? And what will Miasa’s chickens look like as they grow? In a few months I’ll know.
Mi-asa’s 美朝 chicks hatched over the weekend. And among the six chicks which hatched is one very special chick.
The chick is Hazel’s, a turken chicken. Turkens have no neck feathers and cut quite the figure when they pose. As little chicks, they are among the cutest chicks there are. The question is, who is the father? If it is Sven, the Swedish flower chicken, the chick may grow up to be a turken with brilliant feathers.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the dress makers of the royal courts kept roosters and hens. When Sven, the Swedish Flower Chicken, holds court, he puts on a show as spectacular as Louis XIV. Sven’s tail feathers rise as elaborately as any wig Louis XIV wore.
Autumn leaves are pretty wherever they fall. Sometimes they fall on the water and float among the duckweed. It makes you wonder if they would prefer to decompose on dry land, or float about aimlessly until they sink to the bottom of the pond. If you were a leaf, where you would like to fall?
According to the old Japanese calendar, this year, November 7, is the first day of winter. The year is divided into 24 solar terms, with each term having a name. This year, November 7 through 21 is considered the beginning of winter. The next solar term from November 22 through December 6, Light Snow, is the period when snow starts falling.
For marking the season, I like the old Japanese calendar. Using the equinoxes and solstices makes the beginning of the seasons to late. The winter solstice falls on December 21 this year. By then, it seems winter has been with us for sometime. It makes more sense to use the equinoxes and solstices as the middle of the seasons, not the beginning.
It’s a beautiful start to winter here. After a furious wind and rain storm yesterday, the day started out clear and cool. A perfect way to begin winter.
