Chickens by LaVonis Miracle
Those of us, growing up pre-1970's, will remember the dime store. We will also remember a certain kind of box, with side air-holes, that hinted about what was inside. Something sold, in my home town area, within dime stores and hardware stores only during a certain time of year. I may be giving away my age by saying I could relate to certain thoughts within the memory LaVonis put into words. Question is, though, can you relate?
My sister and I have always been animal lovers. Growing up we had to have some type of pet. Of all the pets we had I suppose the chickens were the most unusual. We lived in a small community with streets and sidewalks. Dogs, cats, parakeets, and fish were pretty common among the neighbors but farm animals just didn't seem to fit in.
It seems a little cruel now but years ago, around Easter, the dime store in town would fill up a huge glass case with baby chickens and ducks. Every year at that time my sister, Jeannie and I would go to that dime store and take our place with a slew of other children around the chicken and duck table. Sometimes a lucky child actually got to buy one. The store clerk would come with a small cardboard box with tiny holes poked in the lid then reach her hand down to grab one of the frightened clucking birds. Jeannie and I wanted to take home one of those birds every year, but we were only allowed to visit them at the store.
One particular spring when the dime store had just stocked the bird table my sister happened to be in town. She had been dropped off a little early in front of the music store for piano lessons. Noticing she had some extra time Jeannie decided to go into the dime store next door. Now my sister was always the good one. She minded, never talked back and was very dependable. But on this particular day something must have snapped. She went into the store, walked over to the bird table and bought two baby chicks. It was a very bold move on her part. This type of behavior would have been expected from me but not my sister.
She nervously walked out of the dime store and into the music store carrying her mysterious box. When it came time for her lesson, she joined her teacher on the piano stool and sat the box beside her. Soft, pecking noises kept coming from the box with a slight movement. The teacher kept peeking at it from the corner of her eye. Finally while Jeannie was playing a song the teacher placed her hands on top of Jeannie's and asked, “Is there something in that box I should know about?”
The secret was over. She carefully opened the lid to reveal two baby chicks. Her teacher shook her head with an, “Oh dear” attached to it.
When Mom picked her up that afternoon Jeannie broke the news of the pets which could not be returned—all sales final. I of course was overjoyed. I finally had a chicken. It was decided that they would stay in our bedroom. Daddy got the old ten gallon fish aquarium out. (This was from our pet fish stage.) We took a TV tray in our bedroom to place the tank on. Old newspapers were added to the bottom of the tank for easy cleanup. We named them Salt and Pepper because they came as a set. Salt and Pepper seemed perfectly satisfied. It was fun feeding them and watching them run back and forth to peck at the food. I would lie in bed at night and listen to their little feet shuffle on the newspaper. They were so soft and I loved holding them against my cheek.
But naturally the new wore off and eventually having chickens didn't seem so very different than any other pet. When Salt and Pepper started staring at us with their heads sticking over the top of the fish tank, Mom and Dad decided that it was time for a new home. They had simply outgrown the tank. Dad went to the hardware store and bought chicken wire. He fixed a little area out by the garage and the chickens seemed happy to be outside. They had turned out to be beautiful. They were solid white and very healthy looking.
Over time however their care became more time consuming than anyone wanted to fool with. We all agreed that they should join their own kind. Our cousins lived out in the mountains and they had other chickens. Jeannie and I agreed to give them Salt and Pepper as long as they promised us that they would die only of old age. The deal was set and the chickens went to the farm.
It really turned out to be for the best. It was only a few weeks later that the big 1977 flood hit our community. Our chickens would have surely drowned because the little chicken wire fence washed away.
Ever so often we would get Mom to call her cousin to see how Salt and Pepper were. The answer was always, “just fine.”
To this day they still say that Salt and Pepper truly died of old age. Jeannie and I like to take them at their word.
It seemed that Mom and Dad could make any situation turn out right. They could have gotten flustered over the chicken purchase but they didn't. They made the best of the situation. I have tried to develop that quality over the years. It has helped me to be able to get through what would have been otherwise troublesome times.
About This Story's Author:
LaVonis Miracle is an elementary school teacher. She enjoys sharing her family stories about growing up in the Mountains of Appalachia. You can contact her at dmiracle@barbourville.com
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