Thursday, March 14, 2019

leaving

I came close to not leaving, and it was my fault.

Looking back, I blame being too well prepared too early. I had time this morning. Time to walk the muddy farmette lands, feed animals, sweep away messes...


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Time to admire Mr. Happy, who has really stepped into his role as flock protector. When a pair of hawks flew overhead, he ushered the cheepers into the barn. May he always have a safe place for them on his daily rounds!


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Time to smile at the cheeper invasion in the garage. Dance looks upset, but I have to say, the kittie can scoot away at any time. She chooses to stay put and talk to them ("this is my blanket!").


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Time to take note of Whiskers. He'd been absent for a few days. He makes a fleeting appearance today.


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Time for a leisurely breakfast with my loyal breakfast companion. Come rain or shine, he is there, across the table from me.


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As we approach late morning, I realize that I have attended to all things on my mental predeparture list. And I have two and a half hours before I have to pick up Snowdrop. So I go for broke: I decide to do one quick visit to the doctor that I'd been postponing. May as well get it out of the way. It's not necessary -- I've had this check up numerous times in the past and I've always gotten an all clear, but I thought -- what the heck: I have the time, go for it.

The doc comes in to the examining room, looks me in the eye and says -- is it true that you have a flight to catch in a few hours?
Uh huh...
Do you know that after the tests, if there is any ambiguity -- which there well may be, even if there are no issues, you cannot board an airplane today?
Uh no...

I almost walked out. But I didn't  - he seemed so serious about the state of my health that I succumbed to the "needed" tests and waited. And waited. And minutes before I just had to leave to pick up Snowdrop, he came in and said -- as it happens, you're good to go. No ambiguity.

He almost sounded regretful. Like I deserved a rap on my knuckles for waiting 'til the last minute (or not showing up at all). Still, in the end, he changed his tone, wished me a good trip and I flew out of there to pick up a cheerful little girl.

(At the farmette, she asks Ed if we could leave the eggs to hatch. She knows that the presence of a rooster may lead to fertilized eggs. From that, it's a hop skip to having babies.)

Snowdrop, we have six chickens already! (I did not say that this may be six too many...)
Just one little one? Just one?
 


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I would do many many things to make my grandkids happy. Adding another chicken to the flock is not one of those things.

(Besides, she is already very happy.)


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Snowdrop's visit is short. I have a flight to catch!

The airport is crowded. Flights have been diverted here from Chicago, people are scrambling to pick up connections. My own plane has a problem with a roof that has come loose and so we, too, are late. But not too late for me. I have an amply adequate connecting time in Detroit. Tomorrow I should be in Warsaw.