Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Sean's sister and brother-in-law (the Western Cheezletons) have a gentleman's farm, which means that they raise livestock as a hobby. They currently have some miniature horses, a small flock of sheep, several dozen chickens and a lone resident of the Cheezleton Home for Wayward Goats. Sounds like the starter kit for a petting zoo, right? Unfortunately, Sophie is absolutely convinced that the sheep and horses are vicious, man-eating beasts and has a full-body freakout if we get within 20 yards of the pastures. For now, we avoid the four-legged critters and just visit the chickens.
The chickens are various exotic breeds that lay eggs of the most beautiful, unusual colors. Every so often, we take home some of the surplus eggs. Not being an egg eater myself, I couldn't tell you how they taste. Probably a lot like storebought eggs, only fresher. I mean, it doesn't get any more fresh than straight from the chicken's butt. (Hey, if I have to think about it, so do you!) I do use the eggs for baking, but...I have a confession to make: Sean has to crack the eggs and peek inside first. Now, logically, I KNOW that the eggs were collected before the hens had the chance to brood, but logic is no match for a fertile imagination. I have cultivated a fear of finding a beak in an egg.
A few weeks ago, Sean's sister asked if we would be interested in borrowing a chicken to use in Sophie's spring portraits. Sure, I said, that would be very cute. Somehow, during the ensuing conversation, we decided that it would be very VERY cute if the chicken was wearing bunny ears during the photoshoot.
Yes, you read that correctly. BUNNY EARS. On a LIVE CHICKEN.
Naturally, there is not a lot of demand for bunny ear accessories for birds, so I wasn't able to find ready-made ones to buy. On to Plan B: making them myself. As I hunched over my kitchen table last Sunday morning, cutting out bunny ears of the approximate scale for a chicken and sewing them onto a twist-tie headband, I wondered if the chicken would be appreciative of the work going into this little project. Not that I expected the chicken to thank me profusely and promise to work the bunny ears into her vast wardrobe, just that a good-natured and cooperative chicken would please me ever so much more than a chicken who goes all kung fu on me when she figures out that the bunny ears are for HER head. The idea of having a beak - still attached to an angry chicken - firmly planted in my hand is even less appealling than finding a detached beak in an egg.
As it turned out, the chicken - a Silkie named Pearl - was a perfect model. She took the bunny ears home with her after the photoshoot. No word yet on whether she has been spotted wearing them on her travels around town.
# posted by Amanda at 12:11 PM |
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