Happy Redneck Thanksgiving!

First T-Day at the new county homestead, and it's feeling a lot "country-er".  We're not really on a view property, but there's enough downslope behind the backyard to see about a half-mile across the valley.  It is mostly pasture land.  Most of the time, that is.  We've had whoppin' rain the last few days, and it is now a GIANT FREEKIN' LAKE out back.  Well, a lake with a road running through the middle of it.  The water never got high enough to mess with traffic, but it's pretty weird to see cars seeming to walk on water. 

My next-door neighbors are out of town, and one of their chickens has repeatedly decided to make a break for it.  Because of the slope described above, looking out my kitchen window puts me about eye-level with the errant chicken roaming out front.  Twice so far this morning, I've done the Bird Round-Up and put her back in her enclosure.

If you're now expecting Rockyesque chicken-chasin' hilarity, you should brace for disappointment.  I'm not dumb enough to chase chickens through mud, wet grass and wet fir needles.  On a slope.  And if I were, I'd never admit it on these hallowed pages...

First off, I befriended her with a handful of cereal.  Kix, in this case.  Then while she's pecking away, I just grabbed her and dropped her back over the fence.  OK, the second time she got loose she did elude my first grab attempt, so I just slowly followed her until she got herself cornered between the fence and the barn.  The trick is to not move too fast.  (For an apt comparison, picture the knife-fights in Dune).  Easy-peasy, but I did suffer a very minor scratch on my hand from one of her vicious talons feet.  She appears to be learning, though, and I expect future confrontations to be much more interesting and/or painful.  Good thing I have a lot of Kix.

Parenthetic:  I just did a Google image search for "Warrior Chicken" but none of those pics quite captures the ferocity I've had to deal with.  As usual, use your imagination.  Maybe I need to remind her that our turkey this year isn't all that big and I might begin to hunger for more flightless fowl later tonight.

Suffice to say, I will not be punked by a chicken!

So what are y'all thankful for?  I have a lot, but here's an abbreviated list:

• The elder of the two grandkidlets is at the other grandparents' place for the holiday.  Half the noise/mess/chaos!
• Moody's has upgraded my financial prospects from "incredibly hopeless" to merely "uncomfortably tight"
• While the next-door neighbor has a six-pack of chickens, he only has one rooster and he does not "Barackadoodledoo!" at dawn.  In fact, he's basically silent.  I should dress him in a little mime costume.

And you?