Author Archives: polloplayer

About polloplayer

Empty nester searching for meaning of life through the occasional chicken epiphany.

Imported goods. And bads.

Posted on June 12, 2021 by polloplayer

I was at least twenty pages into The Flame Trees of Thika, Elspeth Huxley’s classic memoir of her childhood in Kenya when it occurred to me to look up, stare out the window, and wonder “what is a flame tree?” … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal/Vegetable/Mineral | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Potatoes, A PUPPY and a party.

Posted on June 5, 2021 by polloplayer

In the end, it was a very good thing that my potato seedlings failed. For if they hadn’t, I wouldn’t have asked my friend Tammy to come over to help me plant those homely-looking mail-order Adirondack Reds . My hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Gastronomy, Life | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

My kingdom for a potato.

Posted on May 29, 2021 by polloplayer

There are two great motivators in my life. One is fear and the other, regrettably but truthfully, is envy. When you’re young, invincible and all lies ahead, the only real kind of fear is the FOMO kind – fear of … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | 5 Comments

Family, Friends, Blessings.

Posted on May 22, 2021 by polloplayer

I’ve entered a state of perpetual amazement. Amazed, first, in retrospect at how strangely easy it was to adjust to a year of life lived in shadows, adopting as my mantra the Marcus Aurelius quote “Very little is needed to … Continue reading →

Posted in All Things Family, Big Fun, Life | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Family Album: Life, the Re-boot

Posted on May 15, 2021 by polloplayer

Turns out, I needed all those lockdowns to rest up for what came next: real life 2.0 It’s gotten busy! Wonderfully busy! Appointments, events, even a party or two – all up to speed and going faster faster faster every … Continue reading →

Posted in All Things Family, Life | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Here’s to all the mother hens!

Posted on May 8, 2021 by polloplayer

Willa is broody. Deeply broody. She is absolutely convinced that Mother’s Day is going to arrive for her. She refuses to leave the nest and has to be lofted out of the coop, pecking and shrieking, to coax her into … Continue reading →

Posted in All Things Poultry | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

We went to the prom!

Posted on May 1, 2021 by polloplayer

Well, more accurately, the prom came to us. All we had to do was step out the door! Youth pastor Scott Dupar had a vision and a mission: this past year has been really hard on kids, and he wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Fun, Life | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Chickens in paradise.

Posted on April 24, 2021 by polloplayer

An invitation to brunch! And chickens were on the menu! Well, not in the way you might be thinking… More like, hens on the hoof. Our friends Tammy and Tom, who do everything with charm and style, invited us over … Continue reading →

Posted in All Things Poultry, Life | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

We rolled the dice: Las Vegas!

Posted on April 17, 2021 by polloplayer

The latest COVID quandary: when is it safe to travel? After a year-plus of living like cave-dwellers, when is the right time to emerge, blinking and trepidatious, into what we used to call normal life? The answer is different depending … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Fun, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fact check: No, you can’t actually dig all the way to China

Posted on April 10, 2021 by polloplayer

It’s just when you’re gliding along, minding your own business that everything goes wrong. All those insomniac nights, wide awake, worrying about every little thing – that stuff never happens. It’s the moment when all seems placid, contentment within easy … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurdity, Annoyances of Life, Life | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments