Farm Cliches: Part I

If you stop and think about it, many of our cliches are things we just have no clue to how they originated. For so many 100s of years we have lived as a farming society and it's just been of late that we've become so far removed from it. So, here is a brief synopsis of farm cliches... I now know how they originated, because we live them first hand!

Don't put all your eggs in one basket: as evidenced by Kellar bringing in the eggs and tripping over a rock, crushing all but one of the eggs therein.


Ruffled Feathers: Well, let's just say, after you see a rooster get a 'back ride' (thx Deb for the terminology to use!) from a hen, she will fluff up her feathers and shake them out, as if shaking off the indecent exposure she just endured!


P**P rolls downhill: our chickens all have clipped flying wings on one side, in order to keep them from being able to fly out of the barn yard and into the mouths of foxes... so, that being said, they have great difficulty flying up into the safe tiers of the coop. So, Don put a plank on an angle so they can reach the upper regions of the coop.... fast forward to morning... 15 chickens = a lot of droppings thru-out the night.... and amazingly enough, it's all rolled down the plank! So, yes, P**P does roll downhill!


Sitting Duck: So sad... it takes much effort for a duck to get lift off, especially off the ground. In times of urgency with a dog or a fox on their tail, some are lucky - others are just 'sitting ducks! Down 8, 5 more surviving!'


Cocky: Well, if you were the sole man of a harem of 14 chicks.... you'd be cocky, too!


Got your Goat: When goats are around horses, the horses remain calm. When a goat is removed, the horse becomes a nervous wreck. Maybe we need a goat (not!) See the Great Escape entry.


Mind your P's & Q's: This one is really not a farm cliche, per se. However, the story goes, when the Irishman went to the local pub and wanted to run a tab on his intake, he was to mind the chalkboard that showed how many "Pints & Quarts" he had been drinking in order to settle up at the end of the evening. However, if he wasn't minding his own "P's & Q's" the barmaid might add extra tally marks, causing his tab to run amuck!


Hen-Pecked: Like all mammals, we seem to establish a pecking order. However, with hens it's quite vicious to witness. A hen will peck at any imperfection another hen may have (real or perceived!), causing the rest of the flock to join in. Sound like anyone in your life you might know???

So - with each happening in life, it all becomes a teachable moment for the homeschooling family! Farm living is full of surprises and really teaches one to take each moment in stride! The best made plans are best not set in stone! Hummmm, now there's a cliche' to figure out!