Yesterday's sunrise was the best part of the day....

A glorious red sun rose above the horizon and painted the sky shades of pink.

And then it dawned on me...

that little saying I heard so much as a child:

Red sun at night, sailors' delight.

Red sun in the morning, sailors take warning.

That lovely red sun quickly disappeared behind some

ominous grey clouds, however.

Sadly, the saying held true and the rains came again.

Most everyone watched the day from the safety of their shelter,

only venturing out of doors at feeding time.

Rain always makes the fancy chickens look anything but fancy....

as is demonstrated by Rod and Phyllis.

Rod and Phyllis are having a rough time.

Besides being a bit damp, the happy couple are molting together.

Thank God, Rod is in love and doesn't notice how bad Phyllis is looking right now.

Phyllis from the back....

Phyllis from the front....

Somehow, Phyllis, I don't think this is what Rod meant

when he asked to see a little skin!

Poor Phyllis, this has been so stressful on her,

her mascara has run, and her nose is red and puffy from all the sobbing she's doing.

She's understandably upset.

What, with those two divas, Penelope and Calliope

strutting around the barnyard in their fancy-schmancy feathered outfits

with matching hats...

make-up perfect and not a feather out of place.

Hang in there, Phyllis, it won't be long until

you'll be shaking your tail feathers again.

Meanwhile, back in the French Quarter,

Henri is surrounded by his harem of Fifi's.

Is that a smile I see on his face?

He's growing quite a top hat,

while the girls are getting "big girl" feathers on their wings....

Ooooh, la la!

In two weeks time, the Cuckoo Marans have tripled in size.

They are all thriving nicely in the brooder house

and have started flying up to the roosting bar and the nesting boxes,

about 1 1/2 feet off the ground.

It won't be long now, until they start to look like gangly adolescents.

I must make sure they don't see Rod or Phyllis in this state,

or they may not want to grow up at all!