Good Neighbors

We have some great neighbors here in Rancho Jardines.

This morning I woke up and opened all the windows to let the cool air in before it heated up today. Yesterday the house got quite hot and we now no longer need heating. I had just sat down on my kitchen stool, when I heard a great, loud squawk. If you have ever heard a chicken in distress, you would know it. I looked out my back window to see the hen soaring across the lawn with the grey pointer at her tail feathers. I flew outside myself and started yelling and chasing the dog around in my bare feet and pajamas. I must have looked scary myself, a vision of white and black at full speed.

We got the owner's number off the tag and made a "neighborly" call around 7. We thought we would let them sleep in. Those are the "good neighbors" we have here.

Our other neighbors are "great". Mike, on our left, lent us his rototiller. And Victoria, on the other side, gave us grapefruit to give away and fresh eggs for a breakfast. We see them quite often and talk over the fence. And when you are setting up a house, its always good to have free food on your right hand, and a tool shop on your left.

Another discovery was something Victoria and I shared this past weekend. While Travis and I were picking up the car on Sunday, my Dad was planting my beautiful flowers in my pots and heard a rustling noise in the oleander bushes in the front. He looked into the bottom branches and found a hen raising her brood-- nine baby chicks. Our other 3 have disappeared along with their mother, so we don't know where they have been for over 2 weeks.
On the topic of chickens, we send our condolences out to Emma and Joshua Quinn Harris who have recently lost their hens to a fox. We understand your loss and will name some of the new chicks Emma and JQ for you! We hope we can keep ours safe...