No News Is Good News, Fowl Play at the Convience Store and I'm Tired

Hello All!
My back is still giving me trouble but it is much better.
No news is good news cause sometimes that's just how it works out. I expected a call from a friend, but I never got a call. There was no indication a call was forthcoming, I just thought it might be...all is well on that front though as far as I know. I won't lose any sleep over it but I do wish the friend would at least call and let me know all is well.
Fowl play at the convience store? Strangest thing I've seen in a long time! I pulled into 1st Stop this afternoon and to my suprise and the suprise of my passengers, there in the parking lot was a little black hen walking around like she owned the place. I went inside to make my purchases and said to the girl behind the counter, "Did you know you have a chicken running around in the parking lot?" She says, "That's our store mascot. Someone dumped her off here about nine months ago. We feed her everyday." Then she handed my son a handful of catfood and told him to toss it down on the sidewalk out front and the hen would help herself. I've been in that store at least once a week all year long and I don't recall there ever being a chicken around anytime I was there. This store is in the middle of town, right on the highway. Granted, Stockton ain't a very big town, but still. A chicken as a store mascot? And she eats catfood? Strange, strange, strange! She is a pretty little hen, seemed to be quite content. I wonder though, where does she stay when the weather gets nasty? Cold? They don't appear to have a shelter of anykind for her but there are some rather large evergreen trees out behind the store so perhaps she roosts there? I really don't know. It was quite a sight to me to find a banty hen running around the parking lot this afternoon. I will now look for her everytime I go there.
I'm tired cause I didn't go to bed till 5:30 this morning cause I stayed up all night finishing book number three in the Earth's Childrens Series by Jean M. Auel. The Mammoth Hunters was an excellent book! At a little after 8 Evelyn came over and hollered for Fred to come get his dog biscuit like she does every morning and woke me up when she opened up the front door hollering, "Freddy! Freddy! Come get your bone!" Freddy was fast asleep on the floor in my bedroom at the time. Then at around 8:30 RJ showed and barged through the front door waking me up again. It is now 2 p.m. and I'm running on about 2.5 hrs of sleep.
I am going to take a nap and then finish the laundry I started yesterday. Only one more load to go! Yeah! Then I am going to start the fourth book of the series--Shelters of Stone. I have not read all that one. The previous three I had read years ago but they were still like new books, especially The Mammoth Hunters. There are five books in the series.
I just wanted to tell you all about the chicken in the convience store parking lot. How many convience stores have a chicken running around in the parking lot, I wonder? Not many, I'm betting! Leave it to the Stockonites!!!
I have to make a few little books later today as well. Christmas is approaching fast! I need to go through the mounds in the closet and see what I have and what I need for gifts this year. Two bowls are painted sans their decorations and one is still naked. I did make seven gifts the other day so that's done. I need to go out to the closeline and snag some clothespins off it to make a few more of those things to have enough for everyone I want to give one to. I also have a chunky book to finish putting together, but that can wait a couple days or so. I'll need it on Monday to give to Allison so she can give it to her mama for Christmas. She did most of the artwork in that little book.
I got another message in a bottle in the mail the other day. Filled to the brim with art goodies. Also contained in that water bottle was a very nice ATC! Good things do come in my mailbox! I'm still waiting on some things from Finland though...I thing the post office is holding them hostage somewhere along their route. It has been a couple months since they should have been sent. I need to check on them with the girl they are coming from. I hate it when mailart goes missing! Luckily I have only had that happen to one envelope that I sent out into the hands of the postal system. I'm still wondering, after almost six months where the devil those three ATCs have landed. They sure didn't make it to Wisconsin!
I have five things ready to be mailed to various parts of the world. Three postcards and two letters with ATCs inside the envies. One of them should have been mailed the week of Thanksgiving but the van wasn't working then and I had no easy way to get to town to mail any of those. Tomorrow I will make a trip to the post office and remedy that situation.
I got my first Christmas card from a real person today. I hadn't heard from my friend Cherri for a long time! She never forgets me at Christmas though. Never! I got a Christmas card from a corporation last week but I don't count them. They aren't very personal. Day before yesterday I got a postcard from South Africa. I'm hoping to get a lot of postcards this coming year from all over the world! I'll be sending them far and near as well.
Alrighty! I'm done yakking at you all for the time being! I need some sleep. A nap is in order!
You all have a fantastic Thursday and keep smiling at all you meet today. Get you some hugs from those you love! I got mine for the day! :)
Peace
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