An incident at The Coop
Here’s the story. For the last few days, the chicklets have been giving Mimmi wedding gifts. So far she has received portraits, drawn with crayons, flowers, wing-made potholders a vase made from clay and hardened by the sun, two blue bottles for her window sill and a head band with tiny red hearts. Today, Rene offered his gift. Mimmi chirped, “thank you,” and preceded to open the present. She gasped, and her eyes immediately filled with tears, when she looked down and saw Rene’s gnawed spoon laying in the open box. Barely able to peep, so overcome with emotion, she looked at Rene, who was staring at her, hoping for a smile, and chirped, “My darling chicklet, your heart is so filled with love. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with her wing. You have sacrificed so much, in order to give this perfect gift to me. I accept it with all my heart, little chicklet.”
Rene, peeped and chirped, even thought his heart was breaking. He flapped his wings and tried to look happy. The other chicklets were horrified and all holding their breath. They were shocked to see the spoon surrounded by tissue paper. No one knew what to say…so they said nothing at all.
Mimmi thought for a moment and then said, “Rene, this is a lovely gift and I will cherish it for my entire life, as I will all of my wonderful gifts, but this is a very valuable spoon. I’m not sure it will be safe in my home, when I’m not there. Rene started to flutter his wings. “I know this is asking a lot but do you think you might take charge of the spoon until I need it? I would appreciate it more than I can ever say. I know how busy you are but if you could watch over the spoon it would make me so very, very happy. It’s a big job, because I probably won’t use the spoon very often, so you’ll have to care for it most of the time.”
Rene was overwhelmed with joy. Once he was able to peep, “YES,” all of the other chicklets let out their breath and relaxed. Mimmi thanked him again and the chicklets all gathered around Rene and rubbed beaks with him. They wanted to show him that they knew what he had done and they wanted to let him know they all loved him.
Rene is now in charge of the spoon’s safety and he takes his job seriously. He knows that the spoon no longer belongs to him, even thought it feels as if it does. Everyone at The Coop knows about Rene’s sacrifice, love and selflessness. The adorable and kind chicklet gave the thing he loved most to someone else, just to show how much he cared. Mimmi said that she is rewriting her vows and basing them on Rene and his loving generosity.
Wedding gifts, for the happy couple, are starting to arrive. A sweet nest for eggs, books, dish towels, a basket for gathering corn, a plant, for beauty and surprises inside large and small boxes alike. This is just the beginning. The chicklets have been working furiously, making gifts of their own. Everyone is looking forward to see what they have made.
Cassie trained her cat, Nibbles, to meow a special song for the wedding. Clover and Snowdrop listened to the song and said it was…um, very cat-like. Cassie was thrilled and is thinking about adding an additions tune that she and Nibbles could sing together.
Meet The Heart Committee. Thistle, Bluebell and Rene are in charge of making and putting up hearts for the The Wedding. Several other chicklets are helping, when they can, but it’s a big job. There are a lot of hearts to cut and hang and the guests will start arriving later next week. The chicklets are having a great time, however, and spend at least part of the day decorating each other.
The chicklets finally finished the ride for the Bride and Groom. It will be pulled by a small goat or by two chicklets. The decision has not been made. The Bride and Groom will not see their ride until after the wedding. Everyone is very excited about the surprise and amazed at it’s great beauty.
Heart shaped cookies are being made and frozen. Crews of bakers will be filing the communal kitchen in order to make sure that this Wedding is truly delicious. There’s no end to the number of chicklets who have volunteered to be “taste testers.” Carrot cakes will are being baked for the bunnies and goats. Goodies will be prepared for those with different tastes/needs/requirements. The kitchen is a busy place and everyone is chirping and having a wonderful time.
Lois, Louise and Lara are having a dress rehearsal. They will be performing the After the Wedding Dance and have been working very hard to get everything just right. They are dancing a shortened version of Swan Lake, called Duck Lake. The Bride and Groom are looking forward to this wonderful ballet, danced especially for them.
The chicklets were looking for a special ride that would carry the bride and groom to the wedding ritual. They called upon one of their friends to do the job but after much thought, they decided they might want to go with something a bit smaller. The dragon said that he would be happy to help out but he had to agree…something a bit smaller might be the way to go.
Last night’s Poetry Reading was a smashing success. Everyone wished Ms. Angelou well. The chickens and chicklets told stories about her and read her poems out loud, sometimes two or three at the same time. But the building committee is already hard at work, this morning, getting things ready for the wedding. Tulip built a lovely WISHES BOX, with two slots, so that all of the chickens and chicklets can drop their notes of best wishes inside. The happy couple can read them at their leisure and enjoy all the love sent their way. The flower pots have been set out and will be planted in the next few days. Sparrow made the sign. Vincent, an artist, is quite happy with the ribbons but he knows that his job has only begun. Rene peeped for a bit, to brighten the day, and he is having a wonderful time, watching everything come together. The bride and groom will be expected to stand on the table and give a speech then have their picture taken. It might not look like much now, but the flowers and additional decorations will make a big difference, at least that’s what the chicklets told me.
Rethinking Life 
Written
on June 30, 2014