A Red Heart Broken In Two

It is all just a dream.
But, I am completely saddened to tell you...
that, my beautiful red rooster is dead.
He died a couple of hours ago.
I have already buried him.
It was a fight between multiple roosters. I didn't discover him until it was too late. He was badly hurt. He died in my hands.
He taught me much. They all do. They teach me to never take anything for granted. Nothing is guaranteed. Anything can disappear in the blink of an eye. Here are the only three pictures I took of him today. They are in the order taken.
Sadly, I never named him.
I think I will call him Heartbreak.
I am crushed, again.

"V" For Victory (...and some other nice shots)

These pictures are some nice pics from the past few days.
They really don't need me to write anything...
except "look"...

The Red Rooster Revisited

This guy gets a lot of attention.
Maybe, too much. Do we really need to see him again?
Maybe not...
But, if this was a strawberry patch,
we'd never find him.

Learning To Sing

Some are better at singing than others.
But, for a rooster, it is a must.
If it doesn't come naturally,
then, there is always the long road.
A rooster discovers that he can crow by accident.
It is not covered in the rooster handbook.
It happens when adulthood begins.
Roosters love to flap their wings.
On a random day, for no reason at all...
A young adult will flap his wings
inhale a huge breath of air while flapping...
then when he relaxes, the air in his lungs is at higher volume.
It pushes harder on the larynx and the rooster hears himself make a noise that sounds like a beginner on a bagpipe.
The usual effect is one of fascination...
because he starts flapping and flapping and flapping...
then he tries the open-mouth trick...
nothing works. It is a rhythmic thing that takes practice.
Usually, a few days is enough before we have another singer.
I just wish they would harmonize once in a while.

We're only playing!

It might look brutal and fierce...
but, they are only playing.
Someday this will be about women
and, there will be blood...
maybe even death.
I think life is too short...
at any length.
I love to play!
I don't want this to end.
Just let me play!

How's Life?

My new t-shirt says Christmas Survivor on the front.
On the back...364 More days!
But, really now...every day is a new day
a rebirth...a brighter hope...another opportunity
The beginning...the end...the middle!
To be thankful and take every breath with gratitude
...and humility.
Now, if anybody asks "how's life?"
I don't need to tell them "it's taking forever"
I just flap my arms and say
"I need more feathers..."

Have A Merry Holiday

I don't want to start jabbering. But, I hope everybody has a day filled with joy and hope. It has been a long year and much was difficult. Thankfully, the roosters were enough to inspire a determination to overcome. I don't think you'll find a better source than my birds. They really keep me going!
Merry Christmas!

Joy Of Life

Christmas?
What??? Only one day out of the whole year?
That is miraculous!!!
This is life...and it's all a miracle.
I have a lot to be thankful for...
some of my roosters are just the most!
But, I must tell you,
the biggest Joys can come from the smallest things.
These eggs were left behind in the nest.
They weren't even wrapped! But, when I picked one up and heard it go "Peep"...well, then I knew...these were presents from Santa!
That's when I felt my heart get warm
and, it felt like a songbird was singing in my ribcage!
Merry Christmas!