It's Not Fair

Yes, I sound like a five year old...saying "Its not fair!" But it isnt. Now is the time for life and rebirth of the ground, the trees, new life springing up everywhere. The temperatures are warming, the sun is shining.

Hank will not be able to enjoy this Spring. My stomach hurts. My guts are churning. I have not cried any tears yet, but I know it will come. Sometimes, it takes a little while for the whole idea of him being gone to settle in, and then I will sob and hitch and cry. Probably when I call Mama to tell her. Mamas are good listeners when you need a good solid ear to talk to.

I did everything I could. I guess he was just too old to bounce back this time. I gave him shots of penicillin, every 48 hours. He seemed to be getting better. He was eating, drinking. I was not prepared to see him passed away in the big carrier crate I have him in. I picked his body up, and put it right back down. I closed the carrier door and covered the doorway back up with the blanket I had over the carrier. Its not fair. I was doing everything right...so what happened. I don't know. All I do know is that I will miss him a lot, for a long time. Its going to hurt to go out in the yard and not see him strutting around being king of the yard. He was so sweet. He was a gentleman with the ladies too, never jumping on them like young roosters do. He would dance for them and find goodies for them to eat, and then, if they squated down for him, and only then, would he mate with them. He never chased and grabbed them like the young ones do.

So, with my heart in my throat, and my sadness out there like an open wound...this day will always be Hank Day at this farm. We will remember him forever. He would have liked today, its sunny and going to be nice and warm, with a gentle breeze out there today.

These first two pictures are the first ones I ever took of Hank. We had gotten home from being over at Mama and Daddys over the weekend and he was standing on the patio, soaking in his new home. The pictures are not real sharp because these were taken back when I didnt have a digital camera and so it was just from a regular camera with film. The date on these pictures in my folder on my computer was September of 2005. There is no telling how old he was when we got him. I am guessing at least three years old, so he did live a long life. I still believe chickens can live even longer though. I just wish he could have stuck around for this Springtime. So, at about 6 and a half years old, Hank left us.