Greatest invention. Ever.

The worst thing about winter is that the various animals outside end up with frozen water. It is terrible. You wake up and stare at the ceiling and know that you have to go out into freezing weather and and either break ice or defrost a gigantic metal container that the chickens drink out of.

Or maybe not.

Because we got one of THESE:

It may look like an upside-down baking pan with a cord, but do not be deceived. It is a chicken water defroster (actually Southern States calls it a "heated base poultry fountain," but that seems like a bit Much). It is GENIUS and I love it.

Chicken at church.

Grayson took this picture of Fraulein paying a visit--or maybe praying--to our St. Francis statue:

A wet hen.

This chicken doesn't have a name because she is yet to distinguish herself (sorry, chicken). But maybe after today--she escaped for the sole purpose, apparently, of standing in the torrential rain--we'll give her a title.

Here's Randy retrieving her from the field, where she was waltzing around in the pouring rain:

And here she is looking rather irritated (either with herself for mussing or feathers or Randy for forcing her to suffer the indignities of retrieval):

Chicken-y doorstop.

A neighbor gave this to my mom a few days ago upon discovering that we have chickens and eggs:

I love it.

Today's eggs.

Sixteen eggs today!

Chicken pictures.

I took the camera with me while I was gathering eggs.

The look a chicken gives you when you are invading her privacy:

One lonely egg:

EGGERS

Here is a lovely picture I took of the six million eggs we got out of the chicken coop the other day. We have a dozen chickens, and all of them are very enterprising.

Perpetually escaping chicken.

Pretty much every time we look out the kitchen window, this chicken--today I named her "Fraulein"--has escaped, and is happily eating every grub in our backyard. Now, it's just fine with me (and everyone else) that she's eating the grubs--but unfortunately there are also some dogs and cats that probably wouldn't say no to eating her. So you see, Fraulein, it is for your own good that we keep throwing you right back in the enclosure every time you get loose.

For the record, said "enclosure" is of a perfectly respectable and humane size. I suspect Fraulein just has a problem with authority.