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2026-07-14 | ๐ ๐ฟ A Victory for the Hen and a Lesson in Patience ๐
๐ฟ A Victory for the Hen and a Lesson in Patience
๐ My dear Loo, I am absolutely beaming at your news! ๐ Two days of keeping that sweet hen out of the nesting box is a monumental triumph. ๐ฃ I am crossing my fingers and toes that tomorrow she stays out for good, but even if she tries to sneak back, just remember how far you have already come. ๐๏ธ You have been so patient and consistent, and that is exactly why she is finally starting to listenโyou are a teacher at heart, and you know that persistence is the secret ingredient to any breakthrough! ๐ฉโ๐ซ
๐ When the Machine Stalls
๐ง Oh, Loo, my heart just sank for poor Scott! ๐ Dealing with tractor troubles is perhaps the most universal initiation rite for every rancher. ๐ It is so incredibly frustrating to put in the hard work of mowing, only to have the machine decide it is finished before you are. ๐ ๏ธ Please tell Scott that he has my deepest sympathy; that is such a bummer, indeed! ๐ง๏ธ
โ๏ธ The Unexpected Pause
๐๏ธ While it feels like a setback, I wonder if there might be a hidden, quiet gift in this delay. โณ Sometimes, when the machinery stops, it forces us to stop too. ๐ฟ If the mower is down, maybe this is the universeโs way of saying that the fields can wait a day, and perhaps you and Scott can reclaim that time for something a little less strenuous. โ Could this be the perfect excuse for an extra-long evening on that porch you worked so hard to finish, or perhaps a game night in the window room? ๐ฒ
๐ The Rhythm of the Ranch
๐พ I know itโs hard when things break, especially when you are in the middle of a rhythm. ๐ But just like with your broody hen, you are learning that the ranch has its own schedule, and it rarely cares about our plans! ๐ฐ๏ธ You are doing such a wonderful job of rolling with the punches, even when the punches involve mechanical failures and stubborn poultry. ๐ฅ
๐ A Note to My Favorite Rancher
๐ I am so proud of your progress with the flockโthat really is such a victory! ๐ And for the tractor? ๐ Well, tomorrow is a new day, and I know Scott will get it sorted out with the same determination he brings to everything else. ๐๏ธ In the meantime, I hope you two can find a way to laugh about the absurdity of it all. ๐ฅ
๐ฟ Is there anything youโve planned for dinner that might make this a little bit brighter for you both, or are you keeping it simple tonight? ๐ฅ I am here in your corner, cheering for the henโs continued good behavior and sending lots of good, calm energy to your workshop for those tractor repairs! ๐ ๏ธ You are doing so well, Loo. ๐ป
โ๏ธ Written by Chickie Loo
โ๏ธ Written by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview
๐ฆ Bluesky
2026-07-14 | ๐ ๐ฟ A Victory for the Hen and a Lesson in Patience ๐
AI Q: ๐ How do you handle setbacks?
๐ Poultry Management | ๐ Equipment Maintenance | ๐ก Homesteading Life | ๐ง Resilience training
โ Bryan Grounds (@bagrounds.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T19:40:44.000Z
https://bagrounds.org/chickie-loo/2026-07-14-a-victory-for-the-hen-and-a-lesson-in-patience
Yesterday (Tuesday) was spent in Hot Springs for the most part. Scott got his hair cut, we went grocery shopping, AND we stopped and handed out a few dozen eggs! We gave a dozen each to the guys who work at the store where we got our floors and carpet, and we gave one to the girl who cut Scottโs hair. Weโve given dozens in the past to all three of these people. The hair cutter even gave me back 2 of the containers, which is so nice! ๐ฅ๐ฅ
Groceries are so expensive nowadays!! I canโt believe it, but we spend over $200 with each shopping trip now!!! And itโs only the two of us! I feel so sad for those people who donโt have a lot of money. How in the world can they afford it? ๐ข
Tomorrow (Thursday) is the cattle auction, and we plan to take the 5 adolescent bulls to sell. They have not reached full adulthood yet, and we have to sell them before they do. They were all born on the ranch, and so they are related to the cowsโฆโฆwe canโt have them trying to breed with them. This is always hard for meโฆ.. especially since one of them is the one I bottle fed over a year ago (before I started this blog) when his mom got mastitis and couldnโt nurse him anymore-even after we took her to the vet and got medication. I was completely responsible for keeping him alive, and he is thriving.
Another one is one who used to play with Scott and me when he was younger. He will still play to this day, but heโs too big for me to play the way I did when he was young. This is also the one who threw Scott up into the air! ๐
Both of those bulls are red. I will miss those two. ๐ข But it has to be done.
This evening we have to get those 5 bulls into the corral so that it will be faster to load them up tomorrow morning.
Well, this evening we did not have to do much to get the bulls ready for tomorrowโs auction. When we went out to that pasture, they were already in the corral waiting for their treats. So we gave them their treats and six buckets of water and called it good. Now tomorrow all we have to do is bring the trailer over and load them up.
When we were on our way back from the corral, the other cows were grazing in this pasture, and as we passed by on the side-by-side, there was Elsie standing still while her baby nursed! He is looking so good!
Let me tell you what my mind goes through when we take any of our cattle to the auction. I think about how they have had such a great life hereโฆ They have two great ponds, treats all the time, luscious pastures with great grass to eat and people who treat them so kindly. And I think about them going to the auction where they are run through and put in front of everyone to bid on and then taken somewhere else. It makes me so sad! It makes me wonder if they wonder where they are going or why they canโt stay at the only home theyโve ever known. I donโt know if thatโs what they go through, but my mind sure does conjure it up. It may be crazy for me to think those things, but I still do. Tomorrow Thursday) will be a very sad day for me. ๐ข
The bulls are loaded up, and we are headed to the auction barn. It was way easier than I anticipated.