Spring Chicks

I love watching a mama hen teaching her little brood about all the things a chicken needs to know about the world.  

She's fiercely protective, endlessly patient, and smarter than you'd think a chicken would be.

I slipped these little ones under her one night three weeks ago.  They've been a happy family ever since.

 

Our Dogwood Tree

When we were building our house in 2001, the builders asked us we we wanted them to take down the scraggly tree beside the back porch.  It had been scuffed up and they said it might not make it anyway.

The next spring it surprised us with its big white blooms. 

 It did survive that winter and put on its show every spring.

 We loved our dogwood that stood right outside our backdoor with a birdfeeder on its limb.

It flowered every April.

Every May there would be a windy day that causing snowstorm of white petals that would litter the ground below it.

But it had been scuffed up during the building process.  Each year we wondered if it would make it another year.

Our beautiful dogwood gave us its spring show for 20 years.

We'll miss you, Scuffed Up Dogwood Tree.