The Homeless Chicken

I know the theme lately seems to revolve around animals, but at least this story has a happy ending.
Friday evening, I was taking the children to visit their dad. As we were driving along, Tori said, "MOM! There's a chicken living under that bridge!" I have to say that I *did* see some kind of bird out of the corner of my eye on the side of the road. *But* I really didn't believe that it was a chicken--mostly because there weren't any houses near there.
Yesterday, Dimples and I had to make a run to Corsicana. Along the way, I did indeed see a chicken living under a bridge and yelled, "Oh my gosh! There really IS a chicken living under the bridge!! Let's stop and get it on the way back!" Dimples, I'm sure thinking that I'm STILL crazy, said yes.
Well, our trip took longer than planned, (I HATE grocery shopping in a crowd!) and we had to get home to pick up the kids. I called ahead and explained the plan. They were all for it.
We loaded up in the van with a dog kennel and *a* (Mom had said bring several) blanket and trekked northward once more.
Upon arrival we found the chicken roosting in the trusses. We whooped and hollered and threw empty soda cans until she flew down. Now, at this point *if* I had been smart, we would have caught the chicken as she ascended, but I wasn't smart. Nope. I stood there laughing as she made her way to the ground where upon she began to run, head still intact, but in somewhat the same manner. This is the part that might have been interesting video feed, but fortunately it was too dark. We ran around like headless chickens after the non-headless chicken in circles and around and around and around and around and....well, you get the picture.

Up in the trusses

Then suddenly she ran over the road that went over the bridge, down the hill on the other side and out onto Interstate Highway 45. I held my breath as she made it to the median. *WHEW* Fearless Leader waited for an opening and darted across. It was very dark by this point. I saw her outline running along the median by headlight and motioned to Fearless Leader. He ran up and down the median while we ran up and down the side of the road trying to yell back and forth over the noise of the vehicles. I was so afraid that she would go into the road and be killed. Then she disappeared. Fearless Leader couldn't find her anywhere; I figured she had hunkered down in the weeds. Finally, he flushed her out and the chase was on. Again.
She disappeared once more, but Fearless Leader saw where she was trying to hide, and he threw the blanket over her. Finally, he caught her and brought her back to the side of the road unharmed but scared. We put her in the kennel to inspect her.

In the kennel at last

On the way home we discussed how she might have gotten out there. Ideas flew around: She escaped from an 18 wheeler that was taking her to slaughter, she flew out of the back of a moving van/truck, she was chased away from home by coyotes, she got scared during a storm and ran then was lost... At any rate, she was safe now, and Peace Keeper claimed the right to name her.
Arianwen (are-ee-an-wen) is a beautiful young girl. Mr. Whiskers (our rooster) is already quite taken with her and is not happy that she's penned right now. In a few days, she'll be out free-ranging in a safe new home away from the dangers of the highway and with plenty of food and water.

Arianwen, in her temporary home with Mr. Whiskers standing guard

Mr. Whiskers, posing for the shot