If you were able to speak Chicken, the girls would have surely told you with great enthusiasm that today is by far their favorite day of the year. It's Leaf Raking Day!
Every year we shred the endless multitude of maple leaves that end up in the backyard, and add them to our raised beds. Each year the primary focus is the section of garden that was recently planted with garlic - usually we try to put a 5-6" bed of shredded leaf mulch over the ground to protect the cloves over the winter.
Once the girls arrived on the scene, I started setting aside a pretty hefty leaf pile to add to their run. Sometimes the leaves were so high they would get lost in the drifts, and then suddenly pop out, chest deep and startled.
I spent most of today cleaning out a room to make into a proper wood shop. (Yay! More on that later - definitely!) From where I was working I heard contented scratching, kicking and clucking from the run all day. Bugs and leaves and the best presents I supposed.
