Chickens in Delaware

Shortly after I retired to Delaware, I noticed one thing that was to become ubiquitous on my travels around the roads of Sussex County, the chicken trucks. What are the chicken trucks? These are open bed trucks loaded with cage upon cage of 8 week old boiler chickens headed for slaughter. Sussex County Delaware is the most southern county of Delaware’s three counties. Sussex County land is open and flat, perfect for the long rows of chicken houses. Delaware is ranked 7th in the country for poultry production. I live east of Route 1, which is the ocean side of the peninsula. The demographics of “East of 1” are almost all new Delaware residents. Like me, most of these new Delaware citizens are retirees who moved to Delaware to escape the high taxes of their home states. Others have second homes to take advantage of the resorts of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and other shore attractions. On the “other” side of Rt. 1, are the natives of Sussex County. These natives consist of the descendants of the original Dutch settlers, Nanticoke Indians (true natives) and the recent immigration of Hispanics, mostly Guatemalans. On occasion I have to travel on the other side of “One” to visit a friend or to shop at the local Walmarts (Georgetown and Milford). Almost invariably I will find my Subaru Forester behind one of these chicken trucks. My first reaction is profound sadness. These chickens do not know where there are going. I think of Nazi Germany sending trainloads of Jews to the death camps of Auschwitz and Treblinka. I want to holler “Run for your lives!” Some chickens do escape from their cages, only to be run down on the highway. Shortly after this picture included in this blog was taken, I saw the mangled form of one such chicken along the side of the highway. For all of these chickens, this first and last trip is the first time they have seen daylight in their short lives. They are raised in long, low slung chicken houses under artificial light. Their feet never touch the earth that have been warmed by sunlight. On this last day of their life they are roughly gathered by forearm scarred “chicken catchers” and shoved into wooden cages. These cages are stacked one atop another on the back of a tractor trailer flatbed truck. Thus they begin their Final Journey. They do not know that they will soon meet their end at one of the local chicken processing plants. They will be pulled out of their wooden cages. They will be hung upside down by their legs in a conveyor belt type contraption. The lucky ones will have the electric shock stun them to death before they are eviscerated. When I pass one of these chicken trucks I think of this. Quite frequently I’m on my way to lunch at the Ocean Point Grille II on Long Neck Road. They have a great Chicken Caesar Wrap. I wonder if I’m eating one of those chickens that only a week or so earlier were giving me a quizzical look from their Truck of Death.

Friends

Cloudy Sunday

I slept late this morning. Normally I get up around 6 AM. This morning I didn’t roll out of bed until around 9 o’clock. Perhaps it was because of the comforting sounds of the wind whipping around outside my bedroom windows that caused my slumber. Maybe it was because of relief from the stress of conflict with my partner yesterday over the placement of curtains in the sun room. Or maybe it was just because I took advantage of another benefit of retirement, to get up when I felt like it. There is nothing like the pure freedom of getting up when you want to get up. That precious freedom does not have a price tag. Each day like this is a little miracle. So many years are sacrificed just to get to this point, to get up when you want. If you want to turn over and sleep another hour, go ahead. Absolutely wonderful! Another benefit of the freedom of retirement is to decide today what I want to do today. My only “obligation” is to meet friends at the Purple Parrot in Rehoboth Beach tonight for our weekly get together. Of course I don’t have to go, but we do enjoy each other’s company. It is a time of gentle teasing between friends. To have a few laughs at each other’s expense. We will have a glass of wine, some of us will order the prime rib special. We will all enjoy that special camaraderie that only old friends can bring together. Such times are indeed good for the soul. On the home front, Bill is slowly overcoming his disappointment and anger about not being able cover up the sun room windows with smothering curtains. Life will go back to normal. We have been to this movie before. From my front door I can see that is a cloudy Sunday in our community. All is well. The sun will shine again.

Trouble In Paradise

The shore sounds of the seaside town of Lewes, Delaware greeted me as I rode to work early this morning at my front desk job at the Inn. As the sun was rising over the Lewes Canal, the early morning cacophony of birds and the gentle sounds of canal water splashing against the pier beckoned me to stop and take in the scene. I pulled my car off the road and onto the gravel path to the pier jutting out into the canal. There, looking out over the water, I saw the beginning of a new day in the first town of the first state, Lewes, Delaware. I could only stayed for a few minutes. I took a short video and a picture to include in this blog. Of course it was nothing like actually being there but I hope I am able to convey the simple and yet priceless pleasure of luxuriating in such a scene. My day was fine at work. It was when I got home that I encountered the first sour note of the day. My partner had taken upon himself to put in heavy curtains in our sun room. In our previous house he had curtains in every room, thus blocking out the enjoyment of observing nature outside. This house is different. It has an open floor plan with many windows. The whole wall of the western side of the house is covered in windows. That includes the sun room and the great room. I have compromised and accepted curtains in the great room. However, I do not want curtains covering up the windows in the sun room. To me that defeats the whole purpose of the sun room. We have blinds in place to cover the windows during the intense days of sunlight during the late afternoon. Bill (my significant other) asked me how I liked them. He could tell by the look on my face that I didn't like them. I told him they had to come down. The curtains were too heavy. They had the effect of blocking the view of the outside from the windows. He does not understand. He wants to replicate our house in Pennsylvania which had all the windows stuffed with curtains. I told him the curtains had to come down because they were depressing me. This is not what he wanted to hear. He got angry and said he would heretofore have nothing to do with curtains…..anywhere in the house. He said “I can’t do anything around here.” Not true. Most things go his way but when something does not go his way, this is his response. Now he is in a deep funk. We have been together 43 years. We know each other’s moods. We each know how this scene will be played out. It's "Whose Afraid Of Virginia Wolff" all over again. It’s all about laying a guilt trip on me. Eventually, he will see that this time the guilt trip won’t work. The freedom to enjoy the light and see outside unobstructed is one of the main reasons I moved to the Delaware seashore. I moved from a two story Dutch Gambrel roofed colonial house in the middle of 6.875 acres of woodland in Pennsylvania to a simple everything on one floor house on an open flat lot in Delaware. The house in Pennsylvania had many rooms, with many doors, and many windows with many curtains on those windows blocking the light and views. I felt like I was sealed in a tomb with all those doors and curtains. I sacrificed a lot to move to Delaware to an acre of land with only one tree, an non-fruit bearing pear tree on the front lawn. I moved down to Delaware for the Big Sky and sun drenched days. I’m not going to seal myself up again in my house with little rabbit warren rooms and windows covered in curtains. Bill will get over his anger and disappointment. When he does, then we can discuss what, if anything, we can do with our sun room. And tomorrow the sun will come up. The light will shine through those windows again.

Twilight Walk

Another day spent at the computer tweaking my new website. By late afternoon I had to tear myself away from my task because my ankles were beginning to swell up from lack of circulation. I think it has a lot to do with how I have my computer housed. It is in a cupboard type contraption rather than an open desk. My long legs would be more comfortable stretching out under an open desk. I suppose I should replace my PC cupboard with a more modern desk. I hate to buy more furniture though. At this point in my life I don’t need any more furniture. Besides, this cupboard holds a lot of my “stuff”. When I’m done for the day, I can close the doors and the room looks neat. Also, working in a semi-cubicle type area gives me that comfortable womb like feel. The hours kept ticking by and too soon it was almost 6 o’clock. I closed shop and went out to the garage to get the watering bucket. The bird baths needed refreshing. Oh it felt so good to feel the late afternoon 68 degree wind caressing my face. Returning to my garage with my watering can, my neighbor Barbara met me. She wanted to know if I was going to join in with two of the other neighbors to get my septic tank cleaned. Sure. It hasn’t been cleaned since I moved here almost two years ago. Two years already? Wow. She asked me if I could ask the neighbor to the other side of me in this development if she would join us in a joint septic tank cleanout. If we got at least three neighbors we can get a discount from the Honey Dew guys. Barb wanted to see my new curtains. I brought her inside and left her with my partner. He could entertain her. I had to take care of my swollen ankles by taking a walk around my development and the development behind me. Off I went. The strong breeze followed me. Chirping birds declaring their territory accompanied my twilight walk. I always take my camera along to be ready for any opportunity for that unique picture. There were no unique photo opportunities tonight. This is flat land, two miles from the Atlantic Ocean. A marshland separates me from the vastness of the bay. I encountered one neighbor who was also taking her evening walk. I walked in the opposite direction to give her privacy. During the rest of my walk I encountered no one. The peacefulness of this area is exactly the comfort I need at this time of my life. Tomorrow I go to work at my front desk job at the inn. Four forty five comes very early.

Computer Frustrations

Well folks, it's been about a week since I setup my new Tipton website. There have been a few late nights at the computer fine tuning this blog as well as another "Tipton Tales and Trails" blog posted under another server (to which a link is supplied on this website). One of my problems was that I posted my new website address to Roots.Web with the wrong URL. Actually, it was a simple mistake. The "http://" I typed as "http//:" Note that the two forward slashes come before the colon. A website address that begins that way won't work as some of you found out when you tried to go there. But, thanks to some astute Tipton researchers, they soon realized what the problem was and informed the others who were having trouble getting to this website. Phew! That is resolved. Now let's get to the next issue. I've been trying to add music to the home page of this website. One would think that would be an easy task. But, one would be wrong. First, the company which is hosting this website tells me the website doesn't work with MIDI files. Okay. That's odd but I'll accept their explanation. Then I'm told to try a MP3 or Wave file. Forget finding one of those files for free. So, I went to Amazon.com and shelled out .99 cents to buy a fully orchestrated version of "Happy Trails." Okay. I download "Happy Trails." I carefully put the HTML code in and embed the music. I save the draft and upload. Does it work? Nah! Of course it doesn’t. Why would it? That would be too easy. Now a phone call for support was in order. Thankfully the company that is hosting this website has real people answering the phone in a timely manner. The young lady checks my HTML. You guessed it. I had a TYPO. Again! I know I'm 66 years young but my eyesight really isn't failing me....yet. Maybe it's just because I'm so anxious and excited about this new Tipton website. The young lady fixes my HTML code. She tells me it works. I bring up the Tipton Tales and Trails website. A pop up message appears on my screen. Oh how I love pop ups! NOT! The message says "Click to run an Active X control on this web page." What is that? That is just lovely. So, I “click”. AH HA! The happy, sweet, innocent strains of "Happy Trails" emanates through my computer's twin speakers. Yes, "Happy Trails" is the perfect accompaniment to perusing through the "Tipton Tales and Trails" blog. Of course right now it is only on the first page. In my excitement I called my partner to my computer to show him my "accomplishment." I key in http://www.tiptontalesandtrails.com/ in my browser. The home page appears on my computer monitor. There is no music. NO MUSIC! I get on the horn again to my web host technical support line. "Mike" answers the phone this time. I explain my problem. I can get the sound when I go in through Internet Explorer to the website. But I get no sound if I go in through AOL, which is my preferred access to the Internet. Also, I get no sound if I go through the "Tipton Tales and Trails" link on my other blog. I'm told by "Mike" that I have a MP3 file. He tells me I should probably have a WAV file. Did you ever start out on a little project that seemed so simple but it turned into Frankenstein's monster? Well, this little foray of mine today is turning out that way. I hope those of you who were able to finally get into my new website were able to listen to "Happy Trails." For those of you who didn't, there is always tomorrow. My Computer Guy is coming over around 10 in the morning to have a look see and correct the problem. When "Happy Trails" plays from all angles of getting to my new website, I will be one Happy Camper!

Spring Is Coming!

Even though there is a chill in the air this morning, I know spring is coming. How do I know? My calendar indicated that spring officially arrived March 19th. But, as all of us who live in the northeastern part of the United States know, even though the calendar says spring is here we actually have many more days which are more like winter. At my previous home in Downingtown, Pennsylvania we didn’t put plants out until May 15th or the first Sunday after Mother’s Day. Downingtown is in a different temperate zone. Delaware is in the next warmest temperate zone. What a difference that makes. For years, prior to moving to Delaware, I used to visit my friend who lived in Sussex County, Delaware, which is the southern most located county in Delaware. In the early spring I usually left snow on the ground in Pennsylvania to be greeted by the yellow cheerful faces of newly bloomed daffodils bobbing in the brisk spring wind of Delaware. Now that I am living in lower Delaware I appreciate all the more the early arrival of spring. However, I am a bit anxious this year because the cold winds seem to be hanging around longer than usual. Sure, all the signs of spring are here. The winter snow geese have headed back north. English sparrows are busily making their nests in my birdhouses that border the open field of land behind my new house. The stunningly fresh yellow daffodils have indeed made their appearance along with winter pansies that have come out of their long hibernation. And yet, when I venture out, the cold wind caressing my neck reminds me that Father Winter hasn’t yet made his final departure. The sun may be out but the cold winds still blow. Come on spring. I can’t wait.