Farm Friday, December 30th, 2022
Warm enough to let the chickens out
This week the deep freeze passed and we went from temperatures below zero to twenties and thirties. We let the chickens out and made a path for them to walk over to the barn so they could have some time outside of the coop. For most of the chickens this week, going outside was more important than fresh food or water. It gives fresh meaning to the phrase “cooped up.” We would be sad to see all our beautiful snow turn into slush and ice, so hopefully, it doesn’t get too warm.
In writing news, I published my December book club essay about Derrick Bell’s Faces at the Bottom of the Well. The book has a sticking with me and I think I understand existentialism a little better for having read it. I also dropped a short analysis of my 2022 stats.
No. These aren’t chicken tracks. There is a flock of wild turkeys that must be out there somewhere. Big ones.
I don’t think the above photo catches it but there is a deer who walked through the snow in front of our house and then took a tour around that shrub.
Can you see Orion? I love the nighttime abilities of my phone.
No tree. Plenty of cheer. Happy holidays, y’all.
© 2022 Andrew Gaertner. All rights reserved.
If you liked this story, use this link to subscribe to get notified via email every time I publish. I average 8–10 stories a month, so don’t worry about too many emails.
Wait! You say. What if I publish more than three stories in a month and you want to read them all? Then you will run out of your allotment of free stories and you can just ask me for “friend links” to any of my stories. But if you feel sheepish about asking for free stories, I do think a Medium membership is worth it. I read great authors here every day who write about race, sex, politics, climate change, tech, current events, and more. What? Only five bucks a month? Yeah. You’ll get your money’s worth, and if you sign up using my link, I get a small commission from each month’s payment. Win-win.
