chasing chickens in the rain

I wanted to title this post "stupid chickens."  But "stupid" is a bad word in our house.
{wrinkled eyebrows}

The rain started last night.  And it poured.  Cats and dogs.
Blowing in our glassless windows and soaking the floors, beds, dressers, etc.  This morning right before I had to head to town to pay some bills, I look out the back window to check on my chickens.  And lo and behold, there they are walking around in the yard.  11 drenched to the skin chickens standing helpless in the huge puddle that is my back yard.  So much for doing my hair and makeup.  I ended up running around in the backyard chasing them in the pouring rain and throwing them back in the coop.  One wet chicken at a time.  Much to the amusement of the peanut gallery laughing and rooting for the chickens to run faster.

I dumped out the feeder full of chicken feed "soup" and went to refill it with dry food.  I was greeted with a gigantic roach sitting on top of the bag when I reached in the barrel.  I don't do bugs.  I stomped away saying, "Guess they're going hungry today."  Then I stopped and smiled to myself.  A little voice in my head said, "I have kids....make them do it."  Alexis jumped at the chance to help me and ran over and reached way down in side....screamed..... and said "MOM, there's a big bug in there!!!"  Since I was a safe distance all the way across the yard, I said, "Don't be a baby, he's not going to hurt you."  {shudder}  Moriah and Alexis looked at the barrel for a long time trying to decide how to do it.  Finally they turned to me and said, "Mom, why don't we just put the chickens in the feed barrel?"  I'm impressed.  Sounded like a good plan to me.  But being the responsible adult I had to say, "no."

When I returned from town a few hours later, the rain was still coming down strong and I became worried about my wet chickens catching cold.  After all I depend on that as my source of food in a few weeks.  I figured I probably better face the storm and get a heat lamp on the birds.  Josh called on the phone while I was forming a plan of action.  I was a little insulted when he said, "Make sure you unplug the electric cord before you work with it."

I found an umbrella and went wondering around the yard for some discarded pieces of plywood to make a shelter for them.  Finally I found two suitable pieces (knocked off the snails trying to get out of the water) and sloshed back over to the coop to shelter them from the storm.  I was kinda proud of myself when I made a wooden teepee and arranged the lightbulb inside.  I ran the unbelievable long extension cord all the way in the house, through the school room window and plugged it in.  Walked all the way back and flipped the switch.  Light streamed inside and a few birds huddled around it.  It wasn't quite where I wanted it so I reached in to adjust it....and got my hair curled.  And the light bulb went out.

I switched the bulb, I jiggled the plugs, I tossed my umbrella in frustration...no light.  By now I was mad as a wet chicken.  To help things, my (visiting) M-I-L called out the window, "make sure you unplug the cord before you work with it."

Long story short my Mother-in-law and I worked on the extension cord, ended up putting Eden's bed lamp in the chicken coop, replacing the long extension cord, knocking the laundry room screen out on my head, and bumping the heavy piece of board over on top of a squawking group of chickens.  Still no light.  Frustration.  Mrs. Bonnie suggested that I BLOW DRY  the chickens dry so they wouldn't get sick.  {city girl}  Not happening.

What's the problem.  Why won't the light just work?  I couldn't get any wetter.....oh {smack forehead} I forgot to put a light bulb in the lamp when I put Eden's reading light in the coop.  {blush}  My wet M-I-L called me a "Dufus". (another bad word in our house!)

Those birds better appreciate it!

After all this I go into the  house to find Baby Brynlee sucking on the outside of a bag of powered sugar....{sigh}.