The Man Cold...a Raging Epidemic

My pastor showed us this last night at a party, and I thought it was pretty funny. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz6DktXFvg4

If You're Like Me.....

To those of you who hadn't heard, either---- guess I'm essentially talking to Becky and Wendy these days :)---I just wanted to make a brief note about the passing of Gene's father. I found out through an email from Mom, saying: "Saturday night Gene's dad was taken off the ventilator. Pneumonia was rampant, and it was resistant to antibiotic. Last night he went to be with the Lord. The funeral will be Wednesday afternoon at 2 pm." Such a season of loss! I suppose, though, if I had to go it might be nice to make it through those gates just as the Christmas celebration is really kicking off! Our loved ones are probably all feeling sorry for us because we're still stuck down here listening to "I Wanna Hippopatamus" and "Santa Baby", while they have front row seats to a 24/7 concert performance by the band that invented music!!!! MODLIN FAMILY, OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO WITH YOU!

Just thinking...

Sandy, I hope this day has brought peace through your beautiful reflections. I too go inward, reflect, breathe out, and connect. Your writing does that. Perhaps a creative action would be another step...I was thinking of some marker like an ornament that you make for your Christmas tree each Dec. 6. The kids (present and future) could celebrate Hannah with this activity and see it on the tree each year.....Just a thought.

Becky, enjoyed your comments and blog!

Love, Wendy

Finally updated my blog

I'm too lazy right now to post pics to this blog, since I've just finally updated my own blog. Maybe I'll post a few later, but if anyone wants to keep track of our doings, you can also visit our family blog at http://www.inreyreform.blogspot.com/.

Does anyone else have a personal blog or website that we need to know about?


Becky

To Hannah

Hannah, I woke up this morning thinking about you. I wish I could hear even just a note of the marvalous Christmas anthems that are touching your ears right now. God bless you little one. We miss you!

Aunt Becky

In Loving Memory of a FAR GREATER Treasure

~ ~ Six years ago tomorrow (Dec 6th), in the wee hours of the morning, I held a very hungry Hannah to my breast for the last time. I haven't "publicly" remembered her in this way since that first anniversary. But I found myself staring into the calendar repeatedly today, and realized that my heart wanted to speak up, again.

~ ~ With the recent, shocking, loss of a CHERISHED "second Dad", followed quickly by the shocking loss of a cherished first chicken----not to mention the vast quantities of hormones currently coursing through my system, or the impending life change they represent----I suppose it's only natural that I'd be a bit nostalgic this season.
~ ~ Historically, the anniversary of the day I lost Hannah has never been as emotional for me as the anniversary of her birth. I guess that's because in her death, there was nothing but loss, pain, and darkness. From then on, when her name came to mind it was always followed by a huge period. The story of her life is over, nothing waits on the other side of that punctuation mark. Nothing. And on one level or another, I've had to face that "nothing" every day, since. But her birthday was another matter entirely. On that day, each time I whispered her name it was like the beginning of a story, full of "what ifs" and "I can't wait to find outs". It was about limitless possibilities, LONG futures, and generations of stories to follow. It was everything. And emotions, experiences, that powerful (and transforming) have a way of permanently imprinting themselves on a place, a date. You can't enter into the memory of a child's birth without confronting all that happiness again. All of that joy, that certainty of a future together, that boundless optimism, remains unchanged by the harsh reality that followed. On Hannah's birthday, my mind can't help but look at her the way I did six years ago---as a mother filled with hope for all the things my daughter will one day see and do. It's actually the only day of the year that I've ever been able to mentally escape the reality of losing her. But that escape lasts moments, at best, and the return trip is a devastating one.

~ ~ I don't know if any of my thoughts, here, are translating very well onto paper. I guess a much more simplified explanation would be this: October 17th is about Hannah being right here in my arms, alive and well. But December 6th is about her being in the arms of the Father----never again within my reach. I may weep for December, but I long for October. And therein lies the difference.

~ ~ I'm not even sure why I feel the need to write all of this tonight. I mean, it isn't exactly a proper "memorial" to her, is it?! I should have been taking the time to write about all of the things I loved about her, and the little things that I'll miss the most. (You know, like I did with Miss Scarlett!) But with Hannah, there were only seven short weeks to draw from. And the truth is, what I loved about her was........everything. She was an infant, after all! When our children are still so young, we mothers simply love every inch of them, every breath they take, don't we? We're so immersed in that new love that it's almost impossible to separate one aspect from the rest and say, "That's what I really love about her....." And when the child is just a few weeks old, our affection isn't about their individuality, yet----not their personalities, their quirks........It's about their existence, their presence, their very lives. So what do I miss most about Hannah Carolyn Perry? I miss that she was HERE. I miss watching her, hearing her, smelling her and touching her. That's all. For the most part, everything else that Hannah was, and is, is now defined by the process of losing her. What she meant to me, means to me, is completely intertwined with the fact that I am ever-changing because she once lived, and because she lives no more.

~ ~ Our children teach us so much about ourselves, don't they? They show us the good we have inside---good we never saw before. (And then, of course, they show us the ugliness that we swore we never would see......) Will has done that for me. But Hannah.......my sweet baby Hannah........she did something entirely different. She didn't reveal me, she changed me. If not for her, I would not be the person I am today. Her life has not impacted mine-----it has permanently ALTERED it! And, in fact, those alterations continue to this day. I only hope that when we meet again, she'll be pleased with the final results of her influence.

~ ~ Well, it's extremely late now (I've been working on this entry for a while, with many "Will breaks" along the way!). And although Will, himself, clearly intends to stay going strong well into the wee hours of the night, I'm going to retreat to my own bed in the mean time! Love you all--S

WENDY---(continuing the spiritual dialogue....)
I spend so much energy crying out to Him, struggling to "get to Him", and searching the distance for Him, when all the while He's standing a mere inches from my blinded eyes! All I have to do is sit down and start talking to Him to receive His healing presence, but I always start by attempting to clear imaginary hurtles instead! Why do we forever expect His home to be a mountaintop? Does it all go back to the negative way we view our own selves? Maybe I can't "let" Him be so easily approachable and readily available because I'm too caught up in believing that my shortcomings and failures will deny me the opportunity to share in communion with (and true service to) Him! Unwilling to forgive and forget my own sins or limitations, I keep my head hung low and my eyes shut tight with shame. Is it any wonder that I have no concept of the fact that the Savior is literally standing right before me, on firm and level ground, eager to FREELY and INSTANTLY administer the very healing that I'm so busy attempting to earn from Him?! Christ literally gave His life for the chance to offer us the gift of healing and forgiveness, and yet somehow I have more difficulty in receiving (believing, and living out) His forgiveness than He has in granting it!
I want to THANK YOU, Wendy, for inspiring continued meditation on these subjects. I haven't been doing that for myself in much too long, and sitting here tonight I again feel how much my spirit aches for it! Because I rarely leave the house these days, and haven't made it to church in what feels like a lifetime, it's such a huge blessing to be able to get those spiritual juices flowing again (right here at this little computer desk)!!! Thanks again, and please keep it up!!! (Especially here on the blog, where its safe for me to spend as long as I'd like to reading and writing with very little threat of migraine attack!!!) S

Sandy, your insight is inspiring. I thought I'd key off today's reading for an additional thought.

The reading is from Luke 6:17-23
At that time, Jesus stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven."

Isn't it interesting that at the time when we need Him most, Jesus stands "on a level place"? When we actually come to hear Him, and to be healed, there He is, "standing on a level place"---not balancing precariously, as our emotions are; not surrounded by brambles, as our prickly situations make us feel; not hidden from sight and difficult to find, as our fear and emotional isolation tempt us to think; not at the top of a mountain, unattainable except for extraordinary exertion. No, He is standing in a broad and open plain, on ground that is secure under our feet. His power comes forth from Him, and we are healed. We come with our insufficiency and need, and we are blessed. We come in our poverty, and our reward is great in heaven. All that is needed is that we come, with a heart that is eager to touch Him, and the emptiness is filled with the fullness of God.

Furniture Delivery

I'm currently looking into shipping a bench-type coffee table that Jane ordered for me which will be in Atl. next week.....Is anyone heading this way with room in the back of a car for a longish table? Just thought I'd ask. -W

WOW...Lots of good reading!

So, my, alot has happend on the blog since my last visit! It was quite an event hearing all the "MacNabb" updates. Sandy, I didn't know so much about Miss Scarlet and, truthfully, am very sorry for your loss. There are a FEW of us pet-loving folks out here and their deaths are QUITE traumatic--even for less emotional, rationalists like myself! So, condolences from us Hickory-ites.

Emily, I laughed out loud during the vomit story--though of course losing your cookies is never truly funny. I could so picture the whole scene!

Granddad seemed a little better today, but the bigger question is how that plays into the bigger picture. They're reducing his vent dependence and oxygen which have both gone well, but the pneumonia still does not seem to be affected. Kidneys are working again, which is good.

Thad has once again handled this disappointment in stride and is helping me do the same. I now look EXPECTANTLY (vs. pessimistically!) to early Feb.

I'm quite tired after another busy day and Hillary and I head our EARLY for our Mars Hill appointment.

Night-night,
L

My dearest San San - and rest of the family - I too must confess to a certain affection for Miss Scarlett. No trip to the Perry house was complete without a visit to the backyard to turn over big rocks or slide aside big planters in search of juicy morsels for our friend. She really was a lot of fun, and she certainly made me rethink the treatment of her caged up cousins. Compared to the rats, gerbils, rabbits, ferrets, and whatever else I've left out, Scarlett was quite entertaining. It's true that she did not use good toileting manners during her brief indoors visits, but I blame that on the bad influence of those dogs. She was only behaving like she thought she was supposed to!

Danielle, I have one ball type toy, 2 books, and 1 pacifier from your previous visit. Remind me to get them back to you.

It's late, and I need to hit the bed. Night all. C

Thinking Of You

Laurie (and Co),
I just wanted to express my sympathy for the disappointments that (currently) refuse to leave your plate! (Hopefully you'll get this message, even though it's going to be placed on the blog rather than via email----my eyes simply couldn't take another session on that email page!) I wish I could give you some helpful advice in the "trying to choose to be upbeat" department. But I supposed that's not a skill many of us have mastered.
As is probably true for all of us, your situation is a familiar one to me. And tonight, it has me thinking..........................(*****WARNING: Sandy is about to wax theological on you, and she will likely be long-winded. Continue reading at your own risk!*****)......................................................
Like you, I fervently pray for God's control in ALL areas---because I truly do want Him to be the architect of my life. And in the prayerful days and hours prior to a big decision/outcome (like Thad's), I also find solace and security in the belief that He will honor my request (in His way). But if, and when, His way proves different from my own, I inevitably begin doubting that He's really watching out for me at all! I question my previous sense of solace and security, wondering if it wasn't just wishful thinking, completely overlooking the fact that my deepest solace had been in the knowledge of His presence and participation NO MATTER WHAT the end result may be!!! How short is my faith's attention span!!! This then begs the unanswerable question: "Did I actually lack faith in, and acceptance of, God's providence all along? Had I managed to pull the wool over my own eyes---temporarily numbing the pain of being powerless in that situation? Or is it just that disappointment renders me vulnerable to Satan's finely-tuned weapons of deceit and devastation?
Perhaps the real answer, here, is that I should be preparing my heart for disappointment in the same way I might prepare to embark on any other spiritual battle. I shouldn't approach the subject of disappointment with religious theories and logical mental processes----I should look at it through war-wizened eyes, prepared to deal first with the spiritual attack it will bring and second with my emotional and intellectual reactions! For example, in your case you might have said: "Tomorrow I find out if Thad will be among those called early. If he is not, Satan's likely first moves against me (and my family) will be_ _ _ _ _ _. But I AM NOT Satan's toy, and I won't allow myself to be toyed with! Therefore, MY spiritual action plan in the event of a disappointment is _ _ _ _ _ _." Imagine how different the whole experience would be if, following disappointing news, my thoughts were instantly focused on launching a spiritual OFFENSIVE! I could respond like a confident soldier, rather than a powerless victim! For example: The soldiers at Gettysburg, etc, were surely hoping and praying that each new order from above would take them away from that gruesome scene, rather than send them charging further into it. But when disappointed, they had no time to dwell on that fact. They were soldiers. Hearing the command to charge, they would have instinctively, immediately, picked up their rifles and marched. Acceptance. Obedience. Action. I hope that one day I'll have the courage to try this approach and see what happens......!
Okay, on that note I'll finally leave you! (Will has a hankering for a tickling session and has been just about as patient as he knows how to be!!!) Laurie and family, you're in my thoughts and prayers. (And thank you for getting me thinking again, by the way! It feels awful good to be conscious!) S

Look out, below!

BECKY---apparently posts are placed on the page according to the time we began writing them, not the time we actually clicked "publish". Because I just published mine and went to view the blog page, only to discover that mine was posted under yours! I guess the fact that Will distracted me 30 times gave you the opportunity to sneak in undetected! Anyway, I thought I'd point it out for future reference (always remember took scroll down and make sure someone hasn't secretly posted below you)!!!

Too true, Emily.

I've already talked to you twice today, so I don't really feel like I have much else to say. I'm glad you are getting over your stomach gunk, though.

Anastasia, what's preventing you from blogging on work time? Everyone else does. ;-) Congrats on your wedding coordinator kudos. That's awesome! Almost makes me want to get married all over again. (With the same guy, of course).

And, Danielle, are you out there? What I really want to see now is a few new Coen pics. And, so as not to be a hypocrite, I need to go update my own blog with pictures. I expect recent pics of everyone else, but I don't think I've updated mine in at least a couple of months! But, then again, my kids are older and don't change quite as much. So, I can get away with it.

Love to you all-
Becky

Relief!

Wow, I literally felt my eyes take a gigantic sigh of relief when I returned to this homepage! (See the old-school email I sent out to understand that statement!!)

I decided to add to this posts' appeal with pictures, just to illustrate the point I made in that email! These are a random selection from our last big Atlanta get together (it only allowed six). Aren't you impressed that I managed to repress the urge to only post pics of Will (and maybe Coen)?!! That last one of Gene and Danny was taken at night in the pitch black (no lights even on), believe it or not! I still can't get over how strong my flash is!

Anyway, I'm overdue for a nap but just wanted to give a (tiny) information update based on the appointment I had with my neurologist this A.M.. Although he can do nothing to help me now ("Sorry but, I think we unfortunately agree that Junior comes first these days!"), he did ease my mind a bit regarding how those few weeks of medication may have impacted the baby. According to him, all but maybe one of the medicines I was on are really just "potentially dangerous in theory". The lab rat tests are always done at ridiculously high dosages, so negative findings there have to be taken with a grain of salt. And as far as the evidence from human experience goes, there really just isn't any. At least none recorded in a controlled scientific study. So the real issue isn't that they've discovered evidence pointing toward the danger of these medications, it's that they have NOT found evidence pointing to their safety. In the absence of proof that something won't hurt a baby, and if the medication is one that can potentially cross into the placenta, the safest thing to do is consider it a threat. And because no one in their right mind would choose to make their child a guinea pig, many perfectly safe medicines will forever remain unavailable to pregnant women like me. Ironically, that one medication I was taking which is definitely considered potentially harmful was found to be so only after having initially been "proven" safe. The fact of the matter is, one never knows----so less is always best! At least I now feel like there's a higher chance of having NO medicine-related issues than I was thinking before! (Oh, he also said that most of my medications' potential threats involved miscarriage rather than birth defects. And because the baby weathered that exposure period, and I no longer have the meds in my system, that threat is happily a thing of the past!)

Okay, off to take my nap! SANDY

PS----Emily, I'm thinking maybe the reason we're the only ones blogging has more to do with our home-oriented lifestyle than anything else. But I agree that while I enjoy hearing from anyone, it's disappointing to ONLY hear from the people I already have on my cell phone's speed dial!!!!! (Not that I necessarily use that phone often enough!) Also, Dr. Seiden mentioned having just seen my sister, and I told him that you shared his little "easy sister" compliment with me. You should have seen how red his face got while he told me you weren't ever supposed to tell ME that!! It was pretty funny! I assured him that our relationship is such that jokes like that are always well received!!

Ironic

Do you guys find it ironic that the people that communicate the most on this are the MacNabb sisters. I will of course give a nod to Wendy for keeping up with us. It is just weird that the people that I am in communication with the most are the ones that are writing on this. I do want to give a shout out to Scarlet. Having had the privilege of meeting her I must say that I will never view chickens the same way. And though I do still hold a place in my heart for Scooby and Jazz she is definitely on up there in the best Perry pets. (Notice I gave no mention of the cats I offloaded on you?) She will be missed. Back to bed with the stomach gunk. I just hope to God I am back on my feet tomorrow seeing as how I am off to Michigan with the two boys and no Adam on Friday.

BECKY---I'm afraid alligators enjoy a good chicken every bit as much as foxes, so you may want to give the matter some serious thought before ditching the indoor cat for an outdoor chicken (otherwise I'd obviously say go for it!!)!
WENDY---someone once actually attempted to submit something of mine to Guideposts before (ironically, I'm pretty sure it was my words on Easter following Hannah's death). They received notice that Guideposts doesn't accept submissions!! They only reprint articles that have been published elsewhere, or something like that. The truth is, trying to become a freelance writer for any sort of magazine is like trying to qualify for a triathlon----a ton of work, and rarely any payoff in the end!!! But that doesn't change how sweet it was for you to say that!!!!!!! S

Scarlett Memorial

I think I'll ditch my cat and try a chicken instead! I'm sorry I never got a chance to meet Miss Scarlett. My kids would have had fun with her. Her untimely death reminds me a little of poor Fuzzbuster, but Miss Scarlett sounds like a much better pet. I hope Will remains blissfully unaware.

Becky
P.S. In lieu of gifts, the Perrys have suggested you send donations to Roy and Becky Eyre.

Just kidding guys, lighten up!! You can send Sandy and Danny eggs instead. One a day.

W to Sandy

Sandy, Please edit your wonderful memorial and send it to Guideposts...just needs to be shorter, but your warm and colorful descriptions are perfect (minus the "haul butt"-wink-wink).

IN LOVING MEMORY OF A TRUE TREASURE

Hard to believe we were two months shy of our one year anniversary with Miss Scarlett, the little red hen. But it's even harder to believe she's gone. I think Dan and I are taking her death harder than either one of us expected-----probably because it wasn't expected at all! At least, not in such a shocking way.

I guess I need to back track, here, rather than assume everyone has a clue what I'm talking about! First of all, for those of you who are so far out of the loop you didn't even know we HAD a chicken, I'll offer a little background:

Last February our neighbor, Joe, flagged us over to his yard. (He also has a lawn business, and is our age, so he and Danny are pretty good friends---and Will's especially fond of "Over-There-Joe"!!) At any rate, much to our surprise he had walked outside to find a chicken scratching around in his front yard that morning. She was incredibly friendly, and let him pick her up without protest. He quickly set her up in a section of his back yard which has been fenced off from his dogs, and fed her whatever he could find in the kitchen. No "lost" signs were posted, and as the days passed Joe and his wife became increasingly fond of the little fowl (even though she wasn't giving them any eggs). Unfortunately, he also owns three young pit bulls who were becoming ever more intent on getting at her. As it was no secret that I've ALWAYS said it would be fun to raise our own chicken (for the eggs), two weeks after her initial arrival the little red hen joined our clan, and was given the very fitting name of Scarlett.

Thanks to the internet, within 48 hours I was an expert on chicken care and feeding! I discovered that the lack of eggs (and poor body weight) were simply due to improper diet and housing over at Joe's. So I practiced my carpentry skills in building a new home, and set out to fill her belly with all the omega-rich meals she could dream of! Happily, Scarlett plumped right up and immediately began showing her appreciation for the daily "buffets" by leaving one delicious brown egg every single day!!!

Like I said, I always thought it would be fun to have a pet chicken for the eggs. It was my assumption that the term "pet" was really a misnomer when it came to these feathered creatures. Boy was I WRONG! Truth be told, if I were to weigh the pros and cons, Scarlett may just qualify as the best PET I've ever owned! Chickens (when not part of a large flock) actually become quite bonded to their families---both the two and four legged members! And Scarlett, in particular, was fearless when it came to our dogs, cats, and four year old! She tolerated Will coming up to feed her from his hands, following her around making all the crazy loud sounds he could think of, and even giving her back the occasional petting! She loved to sneak up to the dogs when they were snoozing, then scratch out a little "nest" in their bushy tails and take a nap as well! (That is, if she wasn't busy pecking all over them in the apparent search for bugs!) Our cats were the only ones who had to be careful around Scarlett (not the other way around). I guess because of their size, she seemed to consider them a "food threat", and let them know it in no uncertain terms! For instance, if I bent down to pet a cat and Scarlett was nearby, she became convinced that I was bending down to turn over a rock and offer the hidden bugs to them! She'd come charging over, chirping her little "I mean business" song, and chase the cats until they were a safe distance from the "prize". When she returned to me triumphantly, I didn't have the heart to leave her empty-beaked, so I then had to FIND a bug or two!

The list of reasons I'm going to miss that bird are endless. I'm truly finding it difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that I'll never again be woken up on warm mornings to the sound of a chicken outside my window, literally "singing" about all the delicious bugs she's finding! Or wiggling around and making her hilarious chirping sounds while scarfing down favorite meals or treats! Pet chickens want to be with their human flock as much as possible. This means that if you're outside, the chicken's going to be AT your side most of the time. When I sat down outside, she'd eventually nestle down for a nap at my feet, head tucked into her wing and making wonderfully contented "sighs". And whenever the opportunity arose, Scarlett also strolled on in to our house like she owned the place! (Two of the pictures above are perfect examples---one was when I walked into our bathroom only to discover a chicken standing on the bathtub! The other time I found her literally inside our open linen closet, sound asleep!) Scarlett, like all chickens, put herself to bed before dark, without exception. But if we went outside and turned on the lights in the warm months, she'd always come running out of her roost (on our porch) to make sure she wasn't missing anything edible! I'll never forget her groggy chattering as she investigated the situation, and decided whether or not it was worth staying out of bed!

When you picture the way most chickens spend their lives these days---in a 2'x2' wire box, with countless other chickens stacked above and below them---you don't expect the birds to have much in the way of personality OR mental capacity. I started out assuming that I'd be lucky if she learned to respond to the familiar sound of my voice, and that expecting her to learn to come to her name was ridiculous. Once again, I was wrong. She not only learned her name (and several nick-names), but she learned several phrases that were directly associated with extra-special food morsels! For instance, "Here you go, girl" meant "mealtime", and she KNEW it! (Nothing in the world could lighten my mood better than the sight of that fat little bird lifting up her wings and hauling butt across the yard every time she heard those words!) Other example phrases are: "Here's one", "Look, look, Scarlett", and "Right here"---all of which pertained to bugs, rather than prepared meals. We'd be out in the yard together and she'd scratch around several yards away while I peeked under heavy objects. When she heard one of those phrases announcing the discovery of a tasty morsel, she was on me like white on rice! Man, that girl was fast! If either a dog or a human started running within Scarlett's line of sight, she'd drop what she was doing and take off after them----not chasing, only hoping to beat them to the FOOD they were obviously running toward!! (Why else would anyone run, right?!) In the summer I'd actually dig up little sections of dirt and race her to see who could locate the worms first (I'd try to cover them with my hand before she could reach them with her beak). I MIGHT have beat her three times out of hundreds! Usually she was literally in the process of consuming the worms before my brain even had time to register seeing it!!!

Okay, I know I've rambled on about Scarlett forever, so I'll stop myself and get on with the sad part. This afternoon I discovered a gruesome scene in and around Scarlett's roost. Hope had been acting crazy last night, and I had finally decided that she was hearing some sort of critter under our porch. In retrospect, I wish I'd allowed her access under there to flush the "critter" out, because apparently it was lying in wait for a chicken dinner. Based upon the evidence at the crime scene, the most likely suspects would be a fox or a coyote. (You wouldn't believe how specific all of the little predators are as far as what they do or don't leave behind!) Based upon our location, I'm thinking a fox is the culprit. When I first discovered the mess, I was literally shaking. I've always been incredibly stoic at times like this (living on a favorite street for speeders has taught me to be able to suck it up and retrieve lost pets for proper burial). But this time I couldn't even look around for fear of seeing more than just feathers and blood---I literally thought I'd pass out. The good news, if that's possible, is that on cold winter nights chickens sleep DEEP (in contrast to her warm weather habits, these days she never so much as stirred when we'd come outside and turn on the lights, etc). Also, my CSI skills lead me to believe that the whole ordeal was over pretty quickly for her. Had it been a raccoon or opossum (or even a domestic dog), the suffering would have inevitably been much more drawn out. Eventually those facts will help my heart. But for now, I just hurt. Even Danny has been in a state of shock over the loss. In pet-losses past, he always made clumsy attempts to console me (while obviously not feeling all that sad, himself). But this time he's clearly feeling the loss on a very personal level, as evidenced by statements such as: "I'm just gonna miss Scarlett so much, Sandy! I mean, she was a member of our family!" Those of you who know how animal-friendly Danny generally ISN'T will appreciate what that says about the unique charm of our pet chicken! Will, for his part, remains blissfully unaware of the whole ordeal. (And I have no idea how it's going to play out with him in the future.)

Well, on that note I'm finally going to bed. (Will pulled a VERY late night on me tonight!) Until later, SANDY