A Year of Gratitude – August 21, 2024

I found my gratitude thanks to our hens today. I found enough fresh eggs in the nests to provide us with a delicious breakfast after I finished my morning round of chores. That’s reason enough to be thankful.

Our hens have slowed down over the past few weeks. They’re beginning to drop feathers here and there. Together, it’s a sign that fall is coming, that the laying season is slowing down as they prepare their bodies for winter.

It’s also a sign that there will be fewer fresh eggs for us to enjoy. The supply will dwindle until we resort to purchasing eggs from local farms with new hens that are beginning to lay through their first winter.

It’s no great tragedy that our hens will stop laying for the season, although I will certainly miss their beautiful and delicious fresh eggs. It does make me appreciate these eggs even more. It makes them more precious as I know that the hens will slow down until they stop completely.

Then the morning chores will become a bit more of a chore. Chores never seem so bad when they end with fresh eggs to bring back inside the farmhouse. I’ll be tending to our chickens and ducks without having fresh eggs as a reward.

I’ll start the clock and wait until they begin laying again. Until then, I’ll just appreciate these fresh eggs even more than usual. They really are a marvel.

#gratitude #grateful #thankful #thankfulness #mindful #mindfulness #chickens #chickenkeeping #eggs #fresheggs

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.