Hen pecked. The beak mightier than the sword.
Hen pecked – soo many males claim they fall victim to this cruel and insidious torture. ‘He wears the pants in the house – under the apron’, and how about, ‘she leads a double life – his and hers’. Hen pecked has been around since the mid sixteen hundreds – brow beaten and harassed by the persistent nagging wife.
One of my favourite past times, when I feel the urge to do absolutely nothing, is to silently stare out of my office window which happens to face the chicken house and watch with fascination the backyard antics of the humble ‘Gallus gallus domesticus’. Put simply, the chooks!
Our little flock of seven, consisting of 3 white young hens, 3 old brown hens and one noble rooster who goes by the name of ‘King Julian’, roam free-range around our small property. Their days are spent scratching and fossicking, constantly pecking at the earth, forever in search of succulent earth worms and crustaceous bugs.
King Julian may rule the roost, however the hens rule him, and when it comes to food, this gallant noble cock dare not interfere with the hens feeding frenzy. And should King Julian successfully dig up a tasty worm, he clucks and calls for his feathered girls to share his choice morsel. Yes, these cocksure, plucky girls certainly have their king, plainly put, under their claws!
And it’s not just the rooster who cops a beating from this formidable clan. Our aging male dog who was blissfully chomping on his bone one afternoon, was suddenly surrounded by these carnivorous feathered fiends, greedily eyeing his bone with their beady eyes. The old dog was in such a fluster, running for cover to defend his honour, only to be chased down and challenged.
Bird brain or not, these feisty fowls have a lot more going on in their heads than we give credit. Remember the old Japanese proverb, “It is better to be the head of chicken than the rear end of an ox”. I wouldn’t brood over this saying, however a couple of facts I did find interesting – there are more chickens on earth than there are human beings and, that in the past 50 years chicken brains have actually increased in size!
After discussing the chicken’s commotions with my husband and declaring that I too fell victim to their menacing ways in the garden, I decided to asked him if he felt ‘hen-pecked’. He was slow with his reply and then said, “mmm, no, of course not darling” and then added thoughtfully, “would you like me to put the chicken in the oven”?
Recycling dad’s undies!
The stumbling block; what a tedious thought, writing about yourself. It’s nothing fancy, just a little off the beaten track. Slightly weathered by the elements and the journey, happy to walk new paths as long as it’s not too straight. My lesson, keep it simple.
I have love and simple joy to keep my cup full. To remain optimistic, in touch with the world and keep a balanced view on life. Surround yourself with young people. Children keep the frivolity in your life, teenages remind you of your emotions and young adults give you a fresh, youthful approach to living.
Stay invigorated and enjoy. People matter. xx
PADDOCK RAMBLINGS 