This week has been a sad week for me and my army. After a mysterious illness passed through the barracks, one soldier passed away in her sleep on Tuesday night. My only guess is it was food poisoning as the littlest soldier didn’t get sick at all (the others bullied her away from the snacks). I was certain I had cleaned their barracks thoroughly, however my troops like hiding their rewards and I haven’t found all their hiding places. As their commander, I nursed them as best as I could. Two made it. One did not. She didn’t make it to graduation, but I had a name already for her.

The name described her well. She had no fear of man nor beast. When my bodyguard, Buddy, would follow me to the barracks and get too close, Sassy would stand at attention and try to peck him through the wire.

Buddy was not amused.

Sassy would even peck me, her Commander-In-Chief, when I tried to shepherd her into the barracks so I could get them new ground to scourge…I mean forage in. Whenever there was fresh grass offered, Sassy was the first one there and she would buffalo her comrades to get to the dandelion leaves first. Whenever something new was offered as a reward…I mean, treat, Sassy was the first one to taste it.

Her adventurous spirit gave me many a “shake my head” moments. Two weeks after I drafted the troops…I mean, brought them home, Sassy was the first to jump on top of the mess hall…I mean, the feeder. She even taught the other trainees to do it. Any stick that wound up in the barracks, Sassy would use as a perch and taught the others how to hop on it. Of course the moment I tried to remove the “perch” I got a few pecks on my hands.

Despite her attitude towards myself and Buddy and her penchant to boss her fellow soldiers around, Sassy also had a soft side. When the illness started with the first soldier, Sassy kept the it company as they rested in the afternoon. When the sick soldier slept, Sassy would sit next to it, alert and on edge, ready to attack any who dared to ambush her sick friend. She did the same for the second soldier who came down with the illness. Even when she was starting to get sick, she would stand guard over her comrades and peck my hand as I nursed them to health. Her feistiness and adventurous spirit will be missed by us all.

There may not be a post next Saturday as that is the day the soldiers have their final training mission before graduation…I mean, the chickens will be moving into the Big Chicken coop and they’ll have their first taste of free-range.