There was a flood in Louisiana. I had a woman want to be friends with me on FB that has chickens too. We've really hit it off! I decide to donate to help out in the flooded area. I start looking around for someone to send the donation too and come across a name. I message her and we get to talking about all sorts of things. Come to find out she has a hatchery! Then Maria gets sick and passes! This woman has already donated a bunch of her chickens to the flood victims because they lost so many of their chickens in the flood. She doesn't hesitate to say she's sending me a chick! WOW! I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth and start making selections, but I needed her to know what sort of chick Jethro needed, because of the type of interaction he and Maria had. And I apologized profusely to her for it. I was just about ready to tell her no thanks when she found the runt in the cage. Bingo! That's right up Jethro's alley! Now she just had to check to see if it was a hen? Bingo! It's a GIRL! Send HER!
Jethro is going to be a daddy again! He's smiling underneath his tears! The little runt and her sister were born on August 31st. Maria passed on Sep 5th.
Now we know why Maria passed! This little tike is going to need two loving parent's to give it special care in order to survive! Things happen for a reason! There's no explaining them! They just happen! I feel Maria is sitting on my dad's lap in Heaven watching everything unfold down here! She's no longer blind and is a fat healthy hen again.
Yesterday she sent me a picture of a teeny tiny 5 day old baby! It's a runt and is going to be taken out of the cage due to the others running it over! Oh My! Same story with Maria! It's going to need special care and be watched closely! The one beside it is also coming with the little one! She doesn't ship one baby by itself! We know the runt is a little hen. She told me today the bigger chick is also a hen! So the original black chick is no longer coming. The runt is!
I showed Jethro the picture, told him that's his new little girl and he started crying. He walked off smiling!
And the cute thing? Is how that little one has her head turned just like Maria used to do as if to say: "Look? See how cute I am?"
Jethro and I both believe there are reasons for things happening! When Maria was a two month old little girl she was a tiny little thing. Her three siblings wouldn't let her eat and were always running over her! So that's how we started babying her and carrying her around. Every evening while waiting on Jethro to make his hour drive home? I'd take the four of them outside and sit with them so they'd have some yard time. Around dark-thirty little Maria was always the first one to jump in my lap. Soon after Jethro would pull up! So I started having him sit in the chair with Maria in his lap so I could go start supper! Then when he got laid off? I had him takeover completely! That's how they got so close! Then became so pampered!
These babies will never replace Maria or even take her place! She will always hold a special place in our hearts! Just like so many other special feathered kids we've had! Each one has their own personalities and their own ways!
Our precious little girl, Maria! Rest in peace! We will see you again!
TOD