Mary and Martha

Outside, it's been so chilly at night . . .

. . . that I found frost on the crocuses

when I walked Todd to the bus stop this morning.

Inside, I'm building a "mama heating pad brooder" . . .

. . . to keep some little chicks warm while we build a chicken tractor for them.

(A chicken tractor is a mobile coop with no floor

that allows chickens to forage in your yard in a safe environment.)

This quirky project was inspired by my Uncle Jim, who used to keep three Golden Comet hens

in a chicken tractor that he would move to a new patch of his lawn each day.

He said the camo paint job was kind of ugly, but the chickens were fun!

Our two little chicks are named Mary and Martha (hatched 27 March 2023).

They belong to a category of chickens called Plymouth Rocks

(which seemed very fitting, since we live in Massachusetts).

Plymouth Rocks come in a range of colors (white, brown, silver, etc.).

Ours will have black and white stripes, and are called "Barred Rocks."

They are known for being hardy, friendly chickens which lay lots of eggs. 

I didn't tell the kids I was buying chicks today,

and I was curious to see how quickly they would notice 

puffy little creatures peeping in a corner of our kitchen.

Todd spotted them as soon as he sat down for his after-school snack.

Everyone else took a while longer.

I guess when you're a younger kid with less on your mind,

you're more likely to stop and smell the roses

(or listen to the noises in your kitchen).