You know those fathers who announce that they are “baby sitting” when they have to look after their own kids for an hour or two? Well, I’m like them, in that I am “chicken sitting” Henelope and her sisters this weekend.
I rose at 6:30 this morning to let them out. I hustled them into their coop last night at 7:30 because I was late to pick up the pizza. This afternoon I’ll probably stop by two or three times to make sure Pecky isn’t picking on Shelly. I have new appreciation for everything Andrew and Jen go through in a day with those birds! Not every flock requires so much direct supervision. In fact, some chickens do more on their own in a day than I do in a year. Take the case of Hen, for example. More about that in a moment.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Woefield’s cause has been taken up by some Angel Booksellers (ABs). Cafe Books West in Rossland chose the book for their book club and made Woefield their #1 bestseller for several weeks running. (Take that, The Help!) Now I see the hand of Cafe Books in the good fortune that made Woefield a Rossland Reads selection against a little book I like to call To Kill a Mockingbird. (Those who follow my publishing career carefully, i.e. me, will remember that Getting the Girl defeated To Kill a Mockingbird in the HarperCollins March Madness last year. I like to think that people are tired of classics that delve into the dark heart of American race relations in favour of light comedies about fancy chickens and depressed sheep, as well as inept boy detectives.) Sarah-Jane English Christensen will be defending Woefield and we (me and the fictional people who live in my head) wish her all the best and send her our gratitude!
Another group of ABs who have single-handedly changed the fortunes of Woefield work at the Indigo at Edmonton South Common. Jodey, Janice and Jaimie and the rest of the team have sold, at last count, 155 copies. Yes, you read that right. Let’s show that one in initial caps, shall we? One Hundred and Fifty Five Copies! The booksellers at Indigo have been tireless advocates for Pru and company. They’ve been so great that Hen asked to go and live with them at Indigo. She felt she’d be properly appreciated there and so she has been.
Hen immediately took Jodey under her wing.
That done, Hen made a point of charming upper management (Tina and Troy).
Hen wasted no time hitting the mean streets of Edmonton.
She even found herself at the scene of a crime!
She recovered from that excitement the way I taught her: by having a few cupcakes.
And spending some time with her girls.
Then she went on a tear.
She discovered she has a thing for bare chested men in hats. I don’t know where she picked that up.
In fact, Hen’s got somewhat pronounced groupie tendencies.
She’s also got a previously undiagnosed case of oppositional defiant disorder.
Fortunately, she keeps a unicycle handy for those situations that require her to make a wobbly getaway.
In spite of her new urban persona, Hen still remembers the old ways. These include piney-woods classics like “Playing dead when an old yeller dog’s got you by the neck feathers.”
To follow Hen’s adventures at Indigo, check out her Tumblr account.
Thanks to the fine folks at Indigo for taking such good care of Hen. Rumour has it that one lucky person who attends my book club visit in September will win a chance to become Hen’s primary caretaker By that time, I’m sure Jodey and crew will have Hen’s various behavioural disorders under control. To get in on this action, join us Monday, September 26th at 7:00 p.m. at the Indigo at Edmonton South Common.
Thanks also to the many people who’ve taken the time to write to me. I’m a bit behind in my correspondence, but I appreciate every letter/email/tweet/f.b. message.
Okay. Better go check Henelope and her sisters to make sure no one’s planning to make a run for the Greyhound to Edmonton when my head is turned.
(This is Hen’s sister who lit out for Portland. At least, I think that’s where she landed!)
xox