A week or so of on-and-off rain has once again turned out backyard poultry plot (known grandly as The Meadow although not a blade of grass graces it) into something resembling a buffalo wallow. We know this because, here at the Union Homestead Prep School and Home for Colourful Thinkers, we are currently working our way through the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and her repeated reference to them prompted a google search.
Most of The Meadow residents take this very much in their stride as long as there’s plenty of dry perches and cosy hideouts available and we keep the greens coming.
The same can not be said for Miss Jolene. As one who usually stomps around the paddock with the precision, purpose, prowess and pomp of a dedicated line dancer with Billy Ray Cyrus on the jukebox, our very own boot scootin’ lady is not enjoying the havoc all this mud is playing with her fancy, feathered finery.
We can almost hear Dolly Parton crowing with delight, her man is surely safe for now.
Union Homestead 
I think that I read all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books in my day. Sorry about the mud.
I also read them all and loved them. I find them quite difficult to read aloud, though, as thr sentences are often very long.
Laura Wilder was/is/will forever be a favorite with all of the Walker clan here! Now has that chicken a beard or has it had a breakfast with whipped cream????
She is a beautiful thing, is she not 🙂
I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books too. I must have a look at them again. Poor Miss Jolene – you’ll have to find her some boots.
It’s just a matter of cramming all those lovely foot feathers into suitable footwear 🙂
😀
If I was as handsome as that, I wouldn’t care for mud either.
Hi, I hope Miss Jolene – a most handsome bird – finds somewhere suitable to strut her stuff soon.
Already today she was happier as she’s found a bit of higher ground and her foot feathers have perked up😊
Is FG enjoying the Laura Ingalls Wilder books? I read them aloud to our girls when they were 6 and 9 and like you, found them not such an easy read – somehow they’d seemed far more exciting when I read them to myself decades before at a similar age. As a consequence, my girls never really took to them, nor to Anne of Green Gables (my favourite in the genre). If you’re looking for more “farmish” or strong young female protagonists, try Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright – set in the Dirty Thirties, it’s the adventures in one summer of a young farm girl (she’s nine) – she’s not unlike Fern in Charlotte’s Web, but far grittier and we get to know about her thoughts and feelings.
I recently saw diapers for ducks, and claw covers for cats (seriously) so no doubt there is such as thing as boots for chickens, you just have to look hard enough…:)
Farm Girl has a device called a daisyplayer for listening to audio books and “read” the first three books that way and loved them. We’ve just finished the series and i think her enjoyment of these books (The Long Winter excluded – t favourite) had more to do with the break from our reality as things were a tad gritty for a while. 😊 Will definitely check out your recommendation although you nearly lost me by mentioning Charlottes Web. For some reason, while all my friends loved that book, I just didn’t get it.
I know Daisy Readers – my father in law had one (macular degeneration in his early 60’s), and we loan them out to print disabled patrons at my library as well, though I gather they’re phasing out…and my eldest daughter who loves to read now, found it laborious slog in high school, and used to download or borrow the cd version of every mandatory book, play, etc that English classes required and read them that way first, using the print version later for the in-depth work. My favourite Laura book was Farmer Boy (not about Laura at all).
We’re three chapters into Farmer Boy and very much enjoying it.
Yes they’re phasing out daisy players here too in favour of ipod-type devices but FG stubbornly holds on to hers…she’s not fond of the isolation ear buds involves.
Ear buds aren’t fabulous for people with hearing aids either.