Zinnia gets pills daily and a daily hosing down with special shampoo to eliminate her yeast infection, stinking up the farmhouse and our bedroom.

Zinnia, a very good girl, is easy with the hose but doesn’t like the shampoo. Still, she puts up with it graciously and without needing a leash.

Maria sings to her, which gets her tail wagging.

Every morning, one of us gives the hens a special gourmet snack. Today they got some old and slightly moldy granola cereal; later today, I’ll toss them some mealworms from Tennessee.

I’ve never spoiled hens before; I’m getting soft.

This afternoon, she started cleaning and sorting through some gorgeous linens from one of her customers and blog followers. It was a beautiful thing to watch.