What a difference in these two eggs! Each appeared during this flip-flop season we call “spring”.
Spring is such a time of turmoil in our area—flower and leaf buds popping out everywhere, new birth, chickens beginning the new laying season, tornadoes—I wonder how we survive it.
Spring’s natural beauty forces us to love her. The amazing fragrances and forms of blooming things, the pearlescence of eggshells and the fragility of baby chicks, the mew of kittens, the peeping of hidden frogs, all work on us, draw us to that perennial love affair with spring.
So we roll up our sleeves, kick off our shoes, and pull our hair up into ponytails to catch the sun on our skin. We pull weeds, freshen flags, mow too soon, plant too soon—anything to be outdoors, to come inside smelling like spring. We paint lawn furniture, divide potted plants, and attend herbal festivals, filling our lives with projects to prepare us for spring.
But no-yolk and double-yolk eggs most remind me of spring. My dad had a collection of odd eggshells that appeared on the same day as tornadoes. He always said the tornado scared the hens and caused them to lay odd eggs. I think he believed that. Maybe it is true. He labeled each shell with the date of its corresponding tornado and displayed them on egg cups, for which they were far too large or far too small. He always loved curiously humorous events.
He’s been gone, now, about 12 years. So much has changed. I doubt he ever guessed I’d be telling the whole world about his eggshell collection, one day. I doubt he ever guessed what an impact he had, in the daily humor of life.
But I do not doubt he lived life, squeezed everything he could out of it, love it, with one hand held palm-upward, trusting, waiting for some blessing to fall into it, be it only an odd eggshell.
And he was not disappointed.
Home's Cool! 
Brilliant egg pic. Never seen that before. Also interesting egg and tornado relationship. Must google that…
You liked the photo? Thanks! My camera told me I was too close, but I was where I wanted to be and I thought it looked okay.
I think the fact of odd eggs and tornadoes is a coincidence. But I’d rather think maybe my dad was right. 😉
Our chickens just started to lay and the little egg looks just like one of theirs 🙂
Your dad sounds like a wonderful fellow. I like the idea of an egg shell collection. Really, you never know what events are tied together until you look.
C.H. He sure was wonderful! No one appreciated him like they should have.
What variety of chickens do you have? We have Rhode Island Reds, right now, but used to have Leghorns. Next time, we hope to try Buff Orpingtons.
I have no idea, actually. I was told they are “fancy” chickens from a straight run (luckily, looks like we’ve got two girls now). I’m hoping to get some Americanas in the future. As a big Seuss fan, I’d love to feed the kids some green eggs and ham 😉
C.H. — Oh! The thinks you can think!
My husband’s family really loved the DR., too. One time, my mother-in-law actually gave her son, my husband, green eggs and ham for a joke gift. She just fried a couple eggs, bought a slice of ham, arranged them on a platter, and sprinkled green food color over all. What memories! And what fun marrying into a zany family!
I reckon that hens will have a sense of these things. They say that animals will head inland before a tsunami and things like that. In the same way that I can tell that its going to rain within 24 hrs. Oh yeah… I live in Scotland…. that’ll be all the time…
sanstorm — Oh, I do hope your weather forecasting abilities are not connected to any joint pain! It would be relentless!
I think the chickens normally lay odd eggs whenever they start back to laying, which happens during spring, which normally is tornado season, here. Still, I’d rather believe what my Dad said. It’s a better story.
I remember double yoked eggs from the chicken farmer, but my kids have never been on a farm or lived in the country! They get their eggs from Costco.
~Liz
Such is life, Liz! Thanks for stopping by!
I’m glad when I hear of people who aren’t afraid to eat eggs! 🙂