I ran into a neighbor, a nice but slightly grumpy farmer down the road. He asked me if I wanted to buy first cut hay for the donkeys and I told him I gave them second cut hay and he almost dropped the cap he was holding. “Second cut for donkeys?, you must be from New York!”

Then we got into a bit of a disagreement about whether chickens were smart or not. I used to think that chickens were dumb, I said, but I was chastised for that and properly and watching the news from Congress that slips through when I am not thinking, I realized that there were many living things that were dumber than chickens. My farmer friend said he would never waste a bullet on a hen or rooster, they were not worth a bullet, an axe would do. He cracked up when I mentioned Congress, though, almost knocked my glasses off with a big whack on the back and was laughing so hard his belly was heaving in and out.

“Say,” he said, “you got me on that one. Congressmen are definitely dumber than any chicken I have ever had, and they are useless – you can’t even eat them and they don’t lay eggs.” Then he asked what the most useful thing I could mention that Congress has ever done, and I said that was easy: go on recess. And he loved that, and smacked me on the back again – and hard – and he said even though I knew nothing about hay, I had a good sense of humor. I think we are friends now, despite the second cut hay (it is richer in nutrients than first cut, a a bit more expensive).

I like making a new farmer friend, I have a bunch already. I known they think I am dumber than chickens, but perhaps not as dumb as members of Congress. And the more I think about members of Congress, the more I feel like apologizing to the chickens for ever calling them dumb. They are useful and quite intelligent I come to see.