Whistling Girls




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" June 17, 2003 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart" You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription or a friend generously forwarded their copy to you. To subscribe send a blank e-mail to subscribe@write2theheart.com. ------------------------------------------------------------ Have you ever heard of a crowing hen? Pamela owns one! Whistling girls and crowing hens don't always come to a bad end, sometimes they become a heartwarming story in Write 2 the Heart! ------------------------------------------------------------ Whistling Girls and Crowing Hens By: Pamela Jenkins ------------------------------------------------------------ For several years I've had a small flock of chickens on our farm. They furnish us with fresh eggs for breakfast. They also do a wonderful job of keeping the yard bug-free in the summer. They can entertain us for hours with all their pecking and searching through the grass. But the thing I like most about chickens is simply getting to know them. Each one has its own personality. The dominant ones rule the roost. Some are cool and distant, but a few are happy to sit in my lap and keep me company. I have to laugh at the young upstarts who challenge their elders and are quickly put back in their place. And then there is the rooster, the head of the family, usually a no- nonsense kind of fellow who struts his stuff and keeps the brood in line. Sadly, in the past few years my flock has decreased in size and I suddenly found myself with only one chicken, an old Barred Rock we call Henrietta. This made things a bit quiet on the homestead. I sure missed the melancholy sound of the old rooster's crowing in the morning. The farm just didn't seem complete. Last week, I decided to restock my hen house with some new baby chicks. I picked out Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons. The salesman assured me these were the only chickens worth having when it comes to egg-laying. Just for a lark, I bought a few turkeys too. Henrietta doesn't seem to have much use for the new peepers. She ignores them, preferring my company when I'm outside doing chores. She follows me around the farm, clucking and talking to no one in particular, but she's never far away from my side. This morning I was letting the chicks out for the day. I was whistling to myself as I filled their water bowl and feeders. Henrietta was standing nearby, when suddenly I heard, "Raaa- rrrRAH!" It was an awful sound, and made me jump. I looked around and couldn't see anything that would have made such a noise. I asked, "Henrietta, did you do that?" Henrietta looked up at me. Then she stood proud and tall, flapped her speckled wings, crooked her neck, and let out a big, "Raaa- rrrRAH!" once more. Oh my goodness, I thought! This was a first for me. A crowing hen! She must have been encouraged by my laughter, because Henrietta crowed several more times. I guess in the absence of a true rooster, a girl's gotta step up and do what a girl's gotta do. It wasn't as pretty a sound as the roosters make, but it was definitely a wake-up call to the world. It brought to mind an old rhyme my grandmother was fond of quoting: Whistling girls and crowing hens always come to some bad end. Hopefully, some of my baby chicks will grow up to be roosters and can take over the morning serenade. Then Henrietta can go back to being the reigning queen of the barnyard. Until then, I have a little advice for her. Don't quit your day job, sweetie, we still need the eggs! Pamela Jenkins bunnies-n-birds @ juno.com You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story, just remember to remove the space before and after the @ symbol. The space is placed in the address to protect our writers from viruses and email harvesting programs. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator@write2theheart.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- Pamela Jenkins lives on a small farm in Oklahoma with her husband of twenty-two years and their four children. She is an office manager and enjoys writing in her spare time. -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Letters From Our Readers -------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Cheryl, I don't know which was funnier....Kathe Campbell,s toilet dilemma, or your book story. I'm glad God has a sense of humor and He gives it to us to get us through these times. Keep laughing! Annettee Budzban That Kathe can tell a tale! She is a card! She canturn a boring day into a three ring circus! :o) I would like to have seen that scene in her bathroom!! Betty King www.betty.newsmoose.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Military Prayer Reminder --------------------------------------------------------------- As you read over this list of names, please take that moment to pray for these young people and their families: Chris Speir Tim Speir Alan Thaddeaus Howard Todd Holland Graham William Julie Sagel Jessie Marshal Thompson Jason Eric Hernandez Kristin Danielson Ken Prieur Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military, or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl's Corner Children look at the world with a different perspective. Four-year- old Drew spied a guitar pick on the floor of my house. He squatted down by it and examined it carefully as if it were a new and different bug. I thought, any minute now, he is going to ask me what it is. So I mentally prepared an answer. Carefully he picked it up and continued his thorough investigation. "Nanny," he started, "do you have the guitar that goes with this?" Reminds me of a friends little girl. When told she couldn't go outside because it was raining, she ran to the window and called out excitedly, "Then we have to look for the rainbow!" God Bless, Cheryl ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- © 2003 Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors.