There’s a chicken coop with eight chickens in the back yard; you can see it from one of the kitchen windows.

A little while ago I was doing tai chi when I heard Sue say, “C’mon Shadow, let’s go see the chickens!” I thought, and said, “Uh oh, don’t know if that’s a good idea . . .”

Sure enough, puppy Shadow scared two of the eight chickens up up up from the path onto the snow field. One of them, an “Ameracauna,” flew at least 20 feet, and got stranded in more than two feet of snow.

Plucky Kiera agreed to don her snow pants and rescue them.

First the closer one, a “Jersey Giant” —

Then the one way out there —

Carefully folding its wings, Kiera placed her hands on the outside of them —

— and carried it safely back to the path.

After this briefly alarming five minute event, Shadow looks longingly through the glass door at the chickens . . .

And we’re about to pile in the van to go sledding. While the snow still lasts. Probably gone by week’s end.