I have never wanted to keep chickens, but I've long wished that someone I know would keep chickens. I know we don't know each other, but your newsletter still feels like the perfect amount of chicken life for me, and I thank you very much for including the chickens with your astute and learned observations on law, justice, and politics.
You would think so, right? But no, then they come over the cinder block fence and get trapped in your yard. Worse, you find one dead in your swimming pool . . . in Arizona no less!
I’m down to my last 3 chickens because my husband who does the cleaning of our chicken coop says these have to be the last. We’ve had these for probably 15 years. I notice how they like to watch me too. Some times I’ll catch them peeking around in different places. They like to watch my dogs and cats and the dogs and cats watch the chickens. Sometimes a cat will nestle down in the yard with the chickens. No one ever harms the others. These animals have helped me enormously through the Trump years. Now they’re with me again while the 10 year olds are acting out in Congress.
Chickens are the greatest composters I’ve ever seen. My neighbors also bring them food and then we’re all happy about not having any food waste.
Time to get out the knitting again. Thanks Joyce for sharing your life with us. You saved me from a nightmare of depression when I thought no one was watching what Trump was doing in the early days. Those were such dark times when I had to start taking antidepressants.
Sad to learn about Jamie Raskin. You’ve all become an integral part of my life . Thank you
The prospect of really good compost was one of the things that caused me to let our youngest kid talk me into chickens in the first place. It has not disappointed! Our fig trees has never been as loaded with fruit as they've been for the last 3 years. I planted them 25 years ago when we moved into this house and it's been amazing to see them like this, with a little good fertilizer along the root line.
Wishing you well! It's no accident that pet acquisition has risen so high. What a troubled nation and world right now., and we are in need of stability. Animals seem to keep their "center" much more than humanity, generally speaking. We learn so much from them. If we're really lucky, they love us.
Thank you Hope. As I was reading about Joyce's chicken's, I was holding and petting my eight-pound shelter dog Winnie, because I have spent the last few weeks--it was pouring almost nonstop in Los Angeles--worrying about our democracy. I notice that others are discussing their dogs as well. Edward Lehrman, below writes about how his dog Hazel amazes him with her ability to sense stress. Gary S. wrote about how his neighbor's dog is failing. James Dicker wrote about the death of his beloved dog Daisy. And, I could write about how my shelter dog Winnie saved my life when my husband was dying.
But, what I really want to know more about is why our legal system--particularly the DOJ
--seems to be failing us? Why does Garland remain silent about everything when his mentor Edward Levi, the AG under President Ford, felt it was his duty to explain to the American people, what he was doing. Why hasn't Merrick Garland indicted any of the Congressional Republicans who were allegedly involved in the Insurrection and Coup, and are now leaders in the Republican Party.
In December, why was Garland issuing statements about reducing the penalties for using meth, and saying nothing about the January 6 final hearing, and subsequent report. Yet, there were four Republicans who ignored the committee's subpoenas and had been named--McCarthy, Jordan, Biggs, and Perry--and allegedly nothing is being done about them, and now they all have leadership positions in the House. Why didn't Garland "clean house" in the DOJ? After the Trump presidency, why didn't Biden request that every single department "clean house" as Secretary of State Lloyd Austin did? Why didn't the DOJ indict every single Republican who lied to Congress? Why hasn't Garland gone after William Barr? Why hasn't he looked at the Trump adult children (Ivanka's 18 patents from China in the first two months of her father's presidency, Jared's1.4 billion bail-out from Qatar, and the Saudi's two billion dollar investment by the Saudi's when the Republicans are seeking to destroy Hunter Biden? The list of what Garland hasn't done is almost endless. Garland seems to have totally ignored the Mueller Report as the cases expire. When is it time to admit that Garland hasn't done his job, and if we want justice, Biden needs to appoint another Attorney General.
I also want to know why the Biden Administration found his classified information on November 2, and didn't say anything about it for two months, and what impact this will have? (Yes, it still is apples and oranges in terms of Trump, but I want to know how this will affect Jack Smith's ability to prosecute Trump.)
And, there is a lengthy list of what the January 6 committee didn't do, which was to focus on the crimes of Congressional Republicans, the Republican Party, Trump's cronies etc. Their recommendations for the future evidently were weak. And, what pressure is being brought to bear on the DOJ to do anything about the report.
These are just a few of the questions I have been wrestling with for the past two years (and there are many more about the four preceding years.) With all that President Biden has accomplished during the first two years of his presidency, he said almost nothing about Trump for the first year, was lax about removing alleged seditionists from within, and now we seem to be in worse shape than even--with Republicans in charge.
Not that I am a very good Buddhist, but hoping for different outcomes causes great unhappiness. Rather we should seek the good in ourselves and others. Seek the teachings (either religious or secular philosophy) and the company of like-minded and enlightened souls. That is what brings me to these newsletters. I fear we have entered a phase of chaos and we really need the solace found in "tribes." Most of us have little political power individually, and we are not clairvoyant. But, we have strength in numbers. Indeed we do.
Thank you for listing your questions. I share your questions and concerns and keep wondering everyday if these questions are ever going to be answered. These are huge frustrations that may never be addressed and I feel a great disappointment in our DOJ.
Thank you for letting me know you share my concerns! I feel like I have harped on the same issues over and over (on a different site), and no matter how much research I do, I don't get answers. Hopefully Joyce will address some of the these issues. I have heard so many former prosecutors agree with what I am saying, but nothing is ever done. I don't have the contacts and the clout to get my messages heard, despite emailing Biden 30 times since he was sworn in. I've voted for the last 51 years, and never have I felt like no one is listening, or cares, which is very depressing, and disturbing on so many levels.
I LOVE your chicken stories and am learning a lot about different types of chickens. The ones with the gorgeous blue earlobes are my favorites - so far! And thank you for the lighter fare. Lord knows we need it right now - desperately! :)
That we can still appreciate these sweet little birds reassures me there are more of us kind, caring people out there. "A society is judged by how it treats children and innocent animals."
Today I was doing my brisk walk in the neighborhood. My neighbor's friendly old dog ran to keep me company. She circled around and started back, and a few yards later I turned around. She had collapsed on the road with her legs jerking. My neighbor was running toward her and I joined them. She started to come to, looked at him playfully and extended her paw. We were worried about whether the old girl was going to die on the spot. He held his hand on her, and she eventually came around and got back to her feet. He tells me that she has changed lately, following him around everywhere he goes. She's also collapsed a few times lately. And yes, he has a relationship with a good veterinarian. I told him I would be there to support him when she goes because pets are family members.
Added: The next day I went out for my usual walk. My neighbor was at his front door with his old dog, who walked over to greet me and my wife. She followed us for a bit, and we urged her to walk back to our neighbor. He called her and she walked to him. Happily, she is still with us.
As I’ve aged, I’ve become more emotional. You’re walk left me thinking of Daisy’s last day with tears in my eyes. In the weeks before that day, she became confused and refused to leave the upstairs bedroom where she slept with us. I would carry her down to go outside, but soon, she’d want to go back up. She didn’t have the strength to climb, so I’d carry her. On the day we arranged to have the vet come over to help her peacefully leave us, we took her to a park. I carried her from the car. When I set her down, she managed to get up as another dog approached. Although she stumbled and fell frequently, she tried to romp and play. She came back to life on her last day. I still cannot think of that last day without tears.
Sir: I understand. I'm also more emotional as I've aged. I'm sorry about Daisy. We had a cat who we were driving to the vet to euthanize but Teddy jumped out of the car (in our long driveway). We gave her another day. We slept together in a separate room and enjoyed our final night together. I've seen animals get a burst of energy when they were obviously ill and it was their last gasp. Happened with one of our beloved pet rats, too.
With our old guy dog (Marcus), I tell him often when he can no longer walk up the steps, I'll do it for him. He goes after balls but waits for me to walk to the ball and throw it. I'm getting the exercise and our boy is happy. It's what we'll all do when our furkids are declining. Will be posting separately a song called, Emily Remembers, that I hold in my heart as we age.
All I can say is I love you, Joyce Vance! Thank you for keeping it real. We all need you and your chickens at this particular moment in time. Keep us posted regarding the new chicken coop. Sending all the best from rain-drenched Northern California.
Our old girl dog, Hazel, at 15 never ceases to amaze me with her ability sense a bit of stress and just diffuse it all away with a strategic lean on my shin at just the right moment. Here’s to the animals!
My chicken story: first time was as residents at u of Arizona med center. The chickens loved to go into our dried up swimming pool that we had to drain Cz we didn’t have any money to fix it. Then sadly they disappeared one week. Layer, We lived in N Carolina and one of our roosters attacked my son. My wife said no more chickens til the kids are older. Then in Oregon when my wife had breast cancer our third set of chickens-many varieties. She started her chemo and she said -chickens have to go. (Chemo is tough ). My wife by the way is a cancer surgeon herself. Now 15 years later she looked at me and said ya know, the chickens were fun. They just weren’t around at the right time.
Dear Joyce, I love Miss Pickles offering these delicate blue eggs, but I have to say I have a weakness for Ruth Bader Chicken. My best wishes to her for a long, industrious life, as her mentor.
I just love hearing about your chickens! It's a nice break from all of the other shenanigans. We don't keep chickens, but our golden retriever had me laughing yesterday. She kept barking and growling, not really something she does much, and there was no one at the door and the cat was minding his own business. Turns out there was an empty wrapping paper roll in the recycling bin in the kitchen. When I pulled it out and gave it to her, she was ecstatic. She paraded it around the house for two days until she'd completely destroyed it. Sometimes it's the simple things that keep us happy and sane. Thanks for all of the great work you do on our behalf. And thanks for the chicken posts!
I love your chickens and the stories about them. I am a dedicated fan of #sisters in law. I often wondered if you gave them names. No surprise of course you do. I currently own 3 mini schnauzers. Stella, Lilly and Gracie. They are my constant companions. I help to manage my stress and political concerns by simply playing with and petting my girls. They seem to know when I need them even before I do. Dogs are a higher level of being because they love you unconditionally no matter what happens to them. Thanks for your Substack. I learn so much about the law.
Have you seen Chef Pepin’s artwork? He paints lots of wonderful chickens. Checkout his latest book: Art of the Chicken, a master chef’s paintings, stories, and recipes of the humble bird.
I have never wanted to keep chickens, but I've long wished that someone I know would keep chickens. I know we don't know each other, but your newsletter still feels like the perfect amount of chicken life for me, and I thank you very much for including the chickens with your astute and learned observations on law, justice, and politics.
I felt the same way about chickens for a long time, so be careful!
Uh oh.
LOL!
Love hearing about your chickens. Thanks for sharing
I think it would be ideal to have chickens next door. Enjoy without the work.
You would think so, right? But no, then they come over the cinder block fence and get trapped in your yard. Worse, you find one dead in your swimming pool . . . in Arizona no less!
Bay Area California
I’m down to my last 3 chickens because my husband who does the cleaning of our chicken coop says these have to be the last. We’ve had these for probably 15 years. I notice how they like to watch me too. Some times I’ll catch them peeking around in different places. They like to watch my dogs and cats and the dogs and cats watch the chickens. Sometimes a cat will nestle down in the yard with the chickens. No one ever harms the others. These animals have helped me enormously through the Trump years. Now they’re with me again while the 10 year olds are acting out in Congress.
Chickens are the greatest composters I’ve ever seen. My neighbors also bring them food and then we’re all happy about not having any food waste.
Time to get out the knitting again. Thanks Joyce for sharing your life with us. You saved me from a nightmare of depression when I thought no one was watching what Trump was doing in the early days. Those were such dark times when I had to start taking antidepressants.
Sad to learn about Jamie Raskin. You’ve all become an integral part of my life . Thank you
The prospect of really good compost was one of the things that caused me to let our youngest kid talk me into chickens in the first place. It has not disappointed! Our fig trees has never been as loaded with fruit as they've been for the last 3 years. I planted them 25 years ago when we moved into this house and it's been amazing to see them like this, with a little good fertilizer along the root line.
You're giving the ten year olds a lot of credit. Maybe three year olds?
Wishing you well! It's no accident that pet acquisition has risen so high. What a troubled nation and world right now., and we are in need of stability. Animals seem to keep their "center" much more than humanity, generally speaking. We learn so much from them. If we're really lucky, they love us.
Thank you Hope. As I was reading about Joyce's chicken's, I was holding and petting my eight-pound shelter dog Winnie, because I have spent the last few weeks--it was pouring almost nonstop in Los Angeles--worrying about our democracy. I notice that others are discussing their dogs as well. Edward Lehrman, below writes about how his dog Hazel amazes him with her ability to sense stress. Gary S. wrote about how his neighbor's dog is failing. James Dicker wrote about the death of his beloved dog Daisy. And, I could write about how my shelter dog Winnie saved my life when my husband was dying.
But, what I really want to know more about is why our legal system--particularly the DOJ
--seems to be failing us? Why does Garland remain silent about everything when his mentor Edward Levi, the AG under President Ford, felt it was his duty to explain to the American people, what he was doing. Why hasn't Merrick Garland indicted any of the Congressional Republicans who were allegedly involved in the Insurrection and Coup, and are now leaders in the Republican Party.
In December, why was Garland issuing statements about reducing the penalties for using meth, and saying nothing about the January 6 final hearing, and subsequent report. Yet, there were four Republicans who ignored the committee's subpoenas and had been named--McCarthy, Jordan, Biggs, and Perry--and allegedly nothing is being done about them, and now they all have leadership positions in the House. Why didn't Garland "clean house" in the DOJ? After the Trump presidency, why didn't Biden request that every single department "clean house" as Secretary of State Lloyd Austin did? Why didn't the DOJ indict every single Republican who lied to Congress? Why hasn't Garland gone after William Barr? Why hasn't he looked at the Trump adult children (Ivanka's 18 patents from China in the first two months of her father's presidency, Jared's1.4 billion bail-out from Qatar, and the Saudi's two billion dollar investment by the Saudi's when the Republicans are seeking to destroy Hunter Biden? The list of what Garland hasn't done is almost endless. Garland seems to have totally ignored the Mueller Report as the cases expire. When is it time to admit that Garland hasn't done his job, and if we want justice, Biden needs to appoint another Attorney General.
I also want to know why the Biden Administration found his classified information on November 2, and didn't say anything about it for two months, and what impact this will have? (Yes, it still is apples and oranges in terms of Trump, but I want to know how this will affect Jack Smith's ability to prosecute Trump.)
And, there is a lengthy list of what the January 6 committee didn't do, which was to focus on the crimes of Congressional Republicans, the Republican Party, Trump's cronies etc. Their recommendations for the future evidently were weak. And, what pressure is being brought to bear on the DOJ to do anything about the report.
These are just a few of the questions I have been wrestling with for the past two years (and there are many more about the four preceding years.) With all that President Biden has accomplished during the first two years of his presidency, he said almost nothing about Trump for the first year, was lax about removing alleged seditionists from within, and now we seem to be in worse shape than even--with Republicans in charge.
Not that I am a very good Buddhist, but hoping for different outcomes causes great unhappiness. Rather we should seek the good in ourselves and others. Seek the teachings (either religious or secular philosophy) and the company of like-minded and enlightened souls. That is what brings me to these newsletters. I fear we have entered a phase of chaos and we really need the solace found in "tribes." Most of us have little political power individually, and we are not clairvoyant. But, we have strength in numbers. Indeed we do.
Thank you for listing your questions. I share your questions and concerns and keep wondering everyday if these questions are ever going to be answered. These are huge frustrations that may never be addressed and I feel a great disappointment in our DOJ.
Thank you for letting me know you share my concerns! I feel like I have harped on the same issues over and over (on a different site), and no matter how much research I do, I don't get answers. Hopefully Joyce will address some of the these issues. I have heard so many former prosecutors agree with what I am saying, but nothing is ever done. I don't have the contacts and the clout to get my messages heard, despite emailing Biden 30 times since he was sworn in. I've voted for the last 51 years, and never have I felt like no one is listening, or cares, which is very depressing, and disturbing on so many levels.
I LOVE your chicken stories and am learning a lot about different types of chickens. The ones with the gorgeous blue earlobes are my favorites - so far! And thank you for the lighter fare. Lord knows we need it right now - desperately! :)
That we can still appreciate these sweet little birds reassures me there are more of us kind, caring people out there. "A society is judged by how it treats children and innocent animals."
Today I was doing my brisk walk in the neighborhood. My neighbor's friendly old dog ran to keep me company. She circled around and started back, and a few yards later I turned around. She had collapsed on the road with her legs jerking. My neighbor was running toward her and I joined them. She started to come to, looked at him playfully and extended her paw. We were worried about whether the old girl was going to die on the spot. He held his hand on her, and she eventually came around and got back to her feet. He tells me that she has changed lately, following him around everywhere he goes. She's also collapsed a few times lately. And yes, he has a relationship with a good veterinarian. I told him I would be there to support him when she goes because pets are family members.
Added: The next day I went out for my usual walk. My neighbor was at his front door with his old dog, who walked over to greet me and my wife. She followed us for a bit, and we urged her to walk back to our neighbor. He called her and she walked to him. Happily, she is still with us.
As I’ve aged, I’ve become more emotional. You’re walk left me thinking of Daisy’s last day with tears in my eyes. In the weeks before that day, she became confused and refused to leave the upstairs bedroom where she slept with us. I would carry her down to go outside, but soon, she’d want to go back up. She didn’t have the strength to climb, so I’d carry her. On the day we arranged to have the vet come over to help her peacefully leave us, we took her to a park. I carried her from the car. When I set her down, she managed to get up as another dog approached. Although she stumbled and fell frequently, she tried to romp and play. She came back to life on her last day. I still cannot think of that last day without tears.
Sir: I understand. I'm also more emotional as I've aged. I'm sorry about Daisy. We had a cat who we were driving to the vet to euthanize but Teddy jumped out of the car (in our long driveway). We gave her another day. We slept together in a separate room and enjoyed our final night together. I've seen animals get a burst of energy when they were obviously ill and it was their last gasp. Happened with one of our beloved pet rats, too.
With our old guy dog (Marcus), I tell him often when he can no longer walk up the steps, I'll do it for him. He goes after balls but waits for me to walk to the ball and throw it. I'm getting the exercise and our boy is happy. It's what we'll all do when our furkids are declining. Will be posting separately a song called, Emily Remembers, that I hold in my heart as we age.
All I can say is I love you, Joyce Vance! Thank you for keeping it real. We all need you and your chickens at this particular moment in time. Keep us posted regarding the new chicken coop. Sending all the best from rain-drenched Northern California.
Our old girl dog, Hazel, at 15 never ceases to amaze me with her ability sense a bit of stress and just diffuse it all away with a strategic lean on my shin at just the right moment. Here’s to the animals!
Thanks for sharing news of your chickens!
JV- whether you know it or not, you have a great sense of humor. 👍
We are in this together.
My chicken story: first time was as residents at u of Arizona med center. The chickens loved to go into our dried up swimming pool that we had to drain Cz we didn’t have any money to fix it. Then sadly they disappeared one week. Layer, We lived in N Carolina and one of our roosters attacked my son. My wife said no more chickens til the kids are older. Then in Oregon when my wife had breast cancer our third set of chickens-many varieties. She started her chemo and she said -chickens have to go. (Chemo is tough ). My wife by the way is a cancer surgeon herself. Now 15 years later she looked at me and said ya know, the chickens were fun. They just weren’t around at the right time.
Moral : timing is very important.
Dear Joyce, I love Miss Pickles offering these delicate blue eggs, but I have to say I have a weakness for Ruth Bader Chicken. My best wishes to her for a long, industrious life, as her mentor.
Thank you for the chicken report. It is a nice reprieve from what feels like an onslaught of legal issues.
I just love hearing about your chickens! It's a nice break from all of the other shenanigans. We don't keep chickens, but our golden retriever had me laughing yesterday. She kept barking and growling, not really something she does much, and there was no one at the door and the cat was minding his own business. Turns out there was an empty wrapping paper roll in the recycling bin in the kitchen. When I pulled it out and gave it to her, she was ecstatic. She paraded it around the house for two days until she'd completely destroyed it. Sometimes it's the simple things that keep us happy and sane. Thanks for all of the great work you do on our behalf. And thanks for the chicken posts!
Our dogs love these, they chew them up into smithereens.
I love your chickens and the stories about them. I am a dedicated fan of #sisters in law. I often wondered if you gave them names. No surprise of course you do. I currently own 3 mini schnauzers. Stella, Lilly and Gracie. They are my constant companions. I help to manage my stress and political concerns by simply playing with and petting my girls. They seem to know when I need them even before I do. Dogs are a higher level of being because they love you unconditionally no matter what happens to them. Thanks for your Substack. I learn so much about the law.
Donna
Have you seen Chef Pepin’s artwork? He paints lots of wonderful chickens. Checkout his latest book: Art of the Chicken, a master chef’s paintings, stories, and recipes of the humble bird.
Thank you for sharing! They’re all so beautiful!
Ooooh, so relaxing! Thank you for the beauty!
Never too much chicken talk for me. Chickens by Proxy. Like being a Nana.