The Rooster War!!!!

For those of you who know me very well, there are few things that I won't do, or at least try to do. I am not AFRAID of too many things though I don't like some things, like snakes, lizards, mice, rats, things of that sort, but I don't think I am too afraid of them. I just think they are creepy.... BUT I am afraid of full grown CHICKENS!! Yes, I know, it isn't exactly a farm animal one would think I would be afraid of, though I have almost decided it is birds in general. I have been bit by a dog and a rabbit, I am still not AFRAID of them, though I do watch out in certain circumstances. I have been butted, and horned, nibbled on, stomped on, and drug around and probably something else horrible I can't think of by a goat, and I am certainly not afraid of them. I have been knocked down by a sheep, pinched by a goose and ducks....... I am not afraid of them. Until tonight, I can't say that a chicken has ever done ONE thing to me..... I even had a rooster I really love call Sunny! He followed me like a dog, he drank water while standing on my feet as I filled up his water bowl. He ate bread from my hand....... BUT I was ALWAYS afraid of him. I jumped all the time, the chickens......I don't know what I was really afraid of....it is something about the way they look at you with one eye, and all run at you at one time.... I just creeps me out. AND I AM AFRAID. Tonight while doing chores for my neighbor, I turned on the garden hose that I had placed in a barrel. The barrel is used to fill various water containers for all the rabbits and other birds in their barn. Apparently the water pressure from the water coming on shot the hose backward and out of the barrel.....this in turn shot water all over a group of chickens eating under the rabbit cages and behind the cages ( another wonderful trait of chickens....they pick at poop all day if given the chance....ooooo!!!) Well, the chickens were already worked up and flopping around and clucking and making a fuss because the resident buck rabbit is having some kind of crisis whenever anyone comes in the barn. He is dumping his food and water, running around and causing all kinds of commotion....(I told him the other day, you would think he were a dairy goat for all the drama he are stirring up....good grief), So a combination of the water, and the rabbit caused the biggest in charge rooster to come running.....I ignored him....most of the time you if you go about your business and ignore them they just go away. (small brain, short memory)...... BUT not today!!! While I had both my hands over my head with a container pouring water into a bowl for a rabbit, it jumped up and attacked my leg.... for those of you who know, this was a BUFF.... a HUGE Rooster for those who don't know. He did not spur me thank goodness, but his claws were enough to let me know he was UNhappy. He fell off and I met him with my boot the next time...... He thought better of trying it again, but danced around and puffed up, so I grab a HUGE fishing net from the wall and carried it with me will doing the chores. (He didn't know that it probably wouldn't have hurt him, but it looked pretty big and really scary to him) He went on his way pecking the ground....... I finished the chores and hang the fishing net back in its place grabbed the carton of eggs and went on my way. As I went around the barn from across the yard came a lesser Rooster, a red one.....neck puffed wings out RUNNING at me..... I put my boot up only to have him ATTACK!!!! He pecked and spurred and flogged...... I shook my foot and threw him off, only to have him come right back at me.... so I hit him with the egg carton...(I am sorry for you animal lovers.....remember, I WAS AFRAID FOR MY LIFE....lol Only protecting myself) ..... He fell backwards and I figured that was the end of that, OH NO!!!! He jumped up and landed on my arm.....pecking and drawing blood with either his claws or his beak not sure which...... I began not to hit him with the egg carton but to BEAT him with the egg carton....eggs flew everywhere. ALL the chickens in the yard were starring and clucking and horrified. I continued to BEAT on him until he fell of my arm, I threw the egg carton at him and went, (no I RAN) to my van. When I looked back....he was all puffed up with that egg carton.....YES, he won!!! Now, to say the least, my ego was hurt. BUT as I was driving home, I thought, you know, that stupid rooster couldn't have KILLED me..... BUT I COULD have killed him. He couldn't have even wounded me enough to warrant a trip to the ER.....well, not likely. ( I wont dwell on that, the fear is rising....lol) How very silly to be so afraid of something so small. In all rights, chickens can be very LOVELY birds. I enjoy watching them peck and chase bugs.. (another of those unliked animals) I like to watch their social inter action. Why would I be so afraid of them, is it there is no real personality for me to read behind that EYE..... or the fact that they race to you all in one group making me think of the horror film "The Bird". I just don't know, but it is certainly unfounded. SO, I resigned myself to change my mind and not be AFRAID..... I can dislike, them for their unlikable behavior, or the poop on my front porch, or the stinky hen house...... but I shouldn't be AFRAID. The more I contemplated that, the more I realized that we as humans just do this, we find something small and make it SO much bigger than it is. We find fear where there should be none. We can make a toothpaste cap a DEAL breaker. The creator of the Universe has adopted me, "WHOM SHALL I FEAR?" A rooster?? A flock of chickens??? A mission to reach a person or person who are different that me??? To tell someone the reason that I am who I am????? For the most part, our fears are mostly unfounded. I know there are real threats, there are real dangers...... I guess what I am saying is, I KNOW God can and will take care of me in those situations. I may feel fear, (that is a human response used to get our full attention) but I wont let it paralyze me, or keep me from doing what I set out to do. SO, why would I let small thing in my life??? It is something to contemplate for sure. Tomorrow I have to face the roosters....... Even now, I don't look forward to it, but I WILL do it...... and I will try not to FEAR..... God is a BIG GOD....SO much bigger than anything I can imageine. AND for sure and for certain much bigger than a ROOSTER.......LOL.... I will let you know how it turns out. (I hoping for the small brain short memory.....)

Joy in the midst of sorrow......

The storms are past here for the time being....... What an unsettling time it has been the last few days. As a person who is very aware of my feelings and most generally the feelings of others, I can't help but be overwhelmed at this time. It is a strange mix of emotions..... I am so very happy my family, are safe and well, I feel blessed and awestruck at the power of nature. On the other hand, I am distracted, lost in endless thought about the tragedy that looms just down the highway. Not more than an hour away, so many families are hurting, are trying to make sense of a situation, that just doesn't make sense. I was even put on the spot the other day. Someone ask me why I thought that God let things like this happen? I was quick to answer, "because he wants us sometimes to take stock in our lives, to count our blessings. Because he wants us to think outside of ourselves, to help meet the needs of others. Sometimes he uses it to make us take a look at relationships, with family, friends, and most of all with him. He will use all things for his Glory. I don't understand it, I just believe it." Even though I DO believe it, I do with ALL my heart and soul. It doesn't take the away the sadness I feel, it doesn't take away the questions, or the shock. No, the only thing it does, is give me a place to go with all of it. I can't imagine not having a relationship with the Creator and Savior of the world during a time like this. It truly is what separates us from the rest of the world. HOPE.......... Knowing that the God who created us DOES have a plan, DOES love us, DOES hear us, and most importantly HE DOES want what is best for us. That is how we can have JOY in the midst of sorrow, HOPE in the face of Hopelessness. Yesterday as I walked out to the barn, grass still wet from ALL the rain and storms, I was lost in thought. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bloom on my peas, so exciting, then I realized the lettuce was twice the size it had been the day before. Then I noticed the green beans we huge and the broccoli had heads......the chicks had grown, and so had the grass....ugggg. Life had not stopped, the sun peeked through the clouds and I realized the SUN/SON still shines. I just had to remember, the JOY, the HOPE, the LOVE was still there, growing. I am still praying, I am still doing my part to help, maybe even more so, but I have JOY. That doesn't mean I am not going to shed a tear at a sad story, or feel heart sick over another tragic moment, what it does mean is I can share it with the Lord and do what he has called me to do in spite of it....... Have joy in the middle of the tragedy, and know that HE is still there.....and he ALWAYS will be........