Working, catching up, chickens, crazy politics

I've been shooting a tv show.  Loooong  hours. Much fun. But shooting in the rain and cold having given me  another god awful cold. The last day on set I kept a water bottle full of emergen-C.  While I was away playing at actor lots of things happened.  Jimmy held down the fort.  Meaning he took care of the chickens and the cats.  He didn't do it right the first day and the chickens charged him.  Had to explain that they are adamant about their morning snack. And when its  cold and crappy  they want a hot breakfast!  He  started giving them a morning snack but he refuses to cook for them.  He says they are just chickens!
While I was gone.... Twinkies were flying off grocery store shelves.  Not because twinkies are amazing but because its looks like they will soon be gone.  I should be more sad about this but I'm not.  Little Debbies are cheaper and taste just like  hostess products. "Quality ." is a non issue here.
The election is over.  It seems while I was working that several big republican players had public meltdowns because they couldn't believe  the republicans lost.  Some  pundit in L.A. has already endorsed Sarah Palin for 2016.  To my close, personal republican friends....... You folks are gonna have to step up and get involved.    To many crazies are too high profile in your party. Why would any one endorse a nut case like Palin when Chris Christie has shown  America what he can do in a major crisis. He took care of ALL of his people.  And then he captured the hearts of Americans all over the country by telling  the talking heads to STFU.  Of course I'm a crazy myself.  I think we  should pass a new law that all presidential candidates  should have someone from a different party as their running mate.  'Course that might increase presidents having accidents, but we  really do need to do something to bring politicians into the middle.
Texas wants to secede from the union.  ....again......  Texas has been doing this off and on since they joined the union in 1845.  Every time they don't get their way they throw a temper fit.  Can we just buy a cake and a plant and have a farewell party? 
I haven't even bothered with the Petraus  humpty dance.  Its  not worth the time to catch up on the back story.  I don't care.
The holidays are upon us (and we all know how I feel about the holidays).  The only good thing about the holidays is that they mean the sun will soon come back.  We can start planning our  garden in January, building cold frames, conditioning the soil and getting ready for the best time of the year.  

We've got history, I will not get attached

You all read  the tragic story of poor little Hashtag.  You all know I was broken hearted and determined to never get that attached to a chicken again.  Most of you also know that I was planning on culling the ancient reds this fall because their days of good production are far,far behind them. There is the dilemma.  One of the ancient reds  has had a personality change.  Last month she went into a hard molt.  Her feathers fell out and her comb shriveled.  This is normal for  any hen over a year old.  They do it once a year.   For some reason  this molt took a normally cranky and aggressive hen and made her needy and clingy.... to me. She hangs around the door  calling me and waiting for me to come out.  When I throw out food, she doesn't rush to be first to grab up all the good stuff anymore.  She  now stands at my feet and  waits for me to hand feed her.  She WANTS to be petted.  When I am working outside she  walks by my side barely avoiding  being stepped on.  When I stop she leans against my legs and  looks up at me in adoration.

I don't know what to do.  The young red was easy when she started acting like a pet.... I treated her like all the rest and shooed her away.  She eventually got it and stopped asking for affection.  The old red? We've got history.  Together, we experienced snowstorms, heatwaves,  baby opossum, the coup' in the coop, The noble battle  fought by  Elphie and Prissy during the carnage in the coop, the great exodus into the land of plenty,  the heart rending death of  Hashtag and the introduction of 7 new baby girls... one  of whom  will eventually be ruler.  And now she is looking to me..... The one who introduced her to sky and grass.... The one who has watched over her for 6 years.  She is looking to me. 
I will not give in! I will will not get attached. I will NOT get  attached...........I WILL NOT GET ATTACHED!!!!!!!!!!