Update from the homestead

Our hens have begun to pull their weight around here. In the past week, our numbers on the farm have grown and we now have seven adorable, fuzzy, little, yellow chicks running around. In addition to the four full grown chickens, that will be 11 chickens in total. Did I mention that there are 12 more eggs in the chicken coop? Is it just me, or does that seem like a lot of chicken just to ‘have’?



The puppies, affectionately Bagel and Cream Cheese, are growing like weeds. As with all animals in Ethiopia, I see their tiny ribs too often, so I offer them whatever I can, usually peanuts, bread…they’re not choosy…they now follow me around like love-sick puppies.



In our previous account of “Life on the Compound,” we failed to mention that one of the dogs, Stewey ( I miss Family Guy), was in heat. I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. The whole ordeal was extremely annoying, because it drove every single dog in the neighborhood crazy, and we would often wake up in the middle of night to the sounds of vicious growling and snapping. That being said, 2 months later, we noticed her a little pudgier than usual, with significantly increased ‘laying around’ time. She’s knocked up, with potentially 5-6 more little jerks just like her, on the way. Now, I am a dog lover, really. But this dog has been known to regularly steal the breakfast right off our table, shred the garbage, and deliver blood-curdling howls at 2am. Forgive me if I’m not overjoyed and the thought of reproduction.



Also, no Pedigree-brand or Science-Diet dog food here. Said chicks and puppies enjoy injera as a main-stay in their diet as well.