You know, we really do have the best of both worlds on our little gravel road. Here on the outerest edge of city limits, we don’t have to check for chemicals in the old well, but we’re surrounded by farmland, barns and country critters.
Lately, one of those critters has been making his presence known during my morning walks. The neighbor’s rooster and I love to be up with the dawn on these early mornings, unwilling to miss one minute of June’s glorious green parade. Today thanks to the rooster’s owner, the two of us were formally introduced. Every morning, while I meander along the road, the rooster’s highly ambitious neighbor jogs past me on her daily run. Today she stopped and begged me to pick lettuce and spinach from their garden, which is more proof of her admirable ambition. She actually plants a garden while I just think about doing it.
I took Anne with me, figuring this might be her only opportunity to learn to pick spring greens. As we headed to the garden, Mr. Rooster stuck his head out the chicken coop door and blasted a howdy doody our way. Once my ears stopped ringing, I put the daughter to work cutting lettuce while I took pictures of my new bud. However, he looked more imposing than chummy, so I kept my distance.
He crowed until our bags were bulging with greens, and then he crowed us all the way home. But tonight when we have spinach and strawberry salad, and tomorrow when we make Grandma Fern’s wilted lettuce, we’ll be the ones doing all the crowing.
Mmm, mmm, mmm. Life is so good along our little gravel road.
