One evening while in Alaska, we were sitting around the table and Trish was talking about how she gets together with her friends and they call it a hen party.  Well, little sister, I hope you are reading this, because I’m going to show you how we have a hen party in the South.

While I was out of town, not only did Rose and Jasmine get out and prune Joel’s citrus  trees, but Clem the Blue Slate turkey got loose. This morning, when I went out to feed the chickens, I found Clem

pacing back and forth in front of the chicken pen.  He has lived with the chickens since he was little…well that is until about a month ago.  I truly believe he thinks that he’s one of them. I tried to herd him into the new chicken pen, but he wouldn’t go in.  Then, I decided to catch him…and I did…only I left the gate open, and when I turned back around, the chickens had made a run for it and were headed toward Joel’s flower beds. It was a Maalox moment.  So, I went up the hill and into the house to find Donna…with Clem clutched tightly to my breast.  I was hoping beyond all hope that Joel was still in the back on the phone.  When I found Donna, a big grin appeared on her face.  We put Clem in the chicken pen, and then, the hen party got started.

We herded hens in every direction except the right one.

Joel’s mama even joined the party, but we decided

to make her the gate keeper, which ended up being a smart move.

We herded chickens with shovels and brooms

and two by four’s.  It was quite a workout. When the gate was closed behind the last chicken, the hen party was officially over. The total length of the event was only about fifteen minutes, but we found that to be plenty of time. Yep, things are back to normal.