turning the page

Well, it seems Summer is fading out as our region of the Earth tilts further away from the Sun. The cooler daytime breezes that inspire my curtains to sail high into the air- and the nighttime chills that force me to crank my windows in a little more, are good indicators of this. Summer is in the beginning process of colliding with Fall. Change is coming.

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Kyle and I spent a lot of time last week trying to help our sweet chicken that touched our hearts in a way we didn't know a chicken could do. Her frequent visits into our area inspired us to give her a name. And Roadie was it. She would lay her eggs in the grasses outside our window and roost on our porch at night. Her spirit was free- she would wander around this farm fearlessly, all on her own. She very rarely had other chicken friends trailing behind her and I think it's because she viewed us as her friends.

She became sick out of nowhere. We saw her throw up one afternoon and from that moment on, she was never the same. I made up mixtures of flax seed, tomatoes and oats to help put nutrients back into her body. We took turns making sure she was drinking water- sometimes adding iron supplements that are used for sick animals like herself. We contemplated talking to the owner of  the farm about the issue- maybe he would call a vet to come help- but no doubt a vet visit would had left behind a hefty bill adding more cost onto a farm struggling to make a profit. What to do...

We ended up not deciding on the proper move fast enough. We put Roadie on a bed of straw in a warm spot in the barn the night before- when we woke up the next morning, we found her next to it. She was laying down stiff on her chest, her eyes were closed. It was so sad to see her that way. Kyle was moved- he bent his head down and then went outside to work and deal with his emotions, I suppose. He had tried so hard. I cried on our porch.

Kyle buried her under a tree between the creek and the garden later that day.
Sage asked about her a few times, but hasn't mentioned her lately.
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 Similar to us, though, Sage has been carrying on.

Like most kids her age, she is learning about life steadily, in her own little way. Her vocabulary is growing and it's beautiful to listen to the words she says and the small sentence she tries to tackle. I'm looking forward to talking back and forth with her...I wonder sometimes about the conversations we will have in the future.

She turned two last Sunday also. We had a small gathering at our home to celebrate. She had fun running around with her cousins and friends. Her face lights up with joy when she's around children her age, especially her cousin, Riley. I realized then, our girl has her own little community and that makes me proud.

So, we are turning pages. The roadie page and the two year old page. It suddenly feels like a new year over here. I'm feeling more changes are coming. I'm feeling some decisions have to be made.