Crafty chickens and the tween scene

While looking for the hose today, I found 23 eggs in the damp, spidery crawl space between our house and the back stairs. How long have they been there? Not going to think about it. Going to use them. Every week or so the hens move their communal nest to a new location in the yard. People say chickens are stupid. I see no evidence of that.

Are quail dumb too?

99 cents

I bought quail eggs at the Chinese market and put some under our broody hen, Lily, a few days ago. So far the eggs are still there and so is Lily. I put the chances of a hatch at 5%.

And now for the human news. Middle school cooking class, chapter 2:

We made pot stickers. They were a big success. But food is so much less interesting that footwear.

One day they will cringe.

Five of the girls wore Ugg boots and two wore Converse sneakers. I commented on this, in a friendly way, as I have a daughter who attends the same school and alternates between Ugg boots and Converse sneakers.

One of the Ugg wearers, M., pointed to another (apparent) Ugg wearer, K., and said, "Those are Fuggs."

"Yeah," said K. sheepishly. "They're Fuggs."

"Fake Uggs," M. explained.

It wasn't a kind thing to say, but was it mean? When I was a kid, I perceived calculated malice everywhere among my peers. But as an adult watching children, I just see (mostly) casual and careless snottiness.

I wonder. I wonder if childhood perceptions are more acute or just more paranoid.

The Abercrombie hoodie. Another essential piece of the uniform.