Maximizing happiness, it’s one of the maxims here at a man and his hoe®. What will make the chickens happier? What will make the plants grow better? What will make the dogs jump for joy? For little chicks, their mothers know how to maximize their happiness.

Finding the eggs of Cognac (the darkest egg), Lucky (the lighter brown egg), and Jacqueline (the white egg) in the nest this afternoon, that maximizes happiness. These three hens have taken to using the same nest. Lucky is always the first, laying her egg early in the morning. Later, Cognac and Jacqueline want to us the nest, and Cognac can cackle up a storm if Jacqueline is in the nest when she wants to use it, even though there are empty nests on either side.

In the garden there is the first pound of many ShiroHana-Mame (White Flower Beans) to plant. Some of the stray beans which fell to the ground from last year’s harvest are sprouting, so I know these will do well. Watching beans grow maximizes happiness.

The chickens are going nuts over the duck weed I hauled out of the pond. It is full of water bugs and tadpoles and other pond bugs. They like the duck weed too. Duck weed maximizes chicken happiness.

Bringing in a basket of eggs and asparagus for supper maximizes happiness. A basket taken out to the garden never comes back inside empty.