Stupid Stuff I Learned Today

Bob is a documentary addict.  He has watched uncountable documentaries on virtually every subject imaginable.  Today it is raining.  So we sat down to join him in his interest.  On with Netflix and we settled into a documentary about - are you ready? - chickens!  (The Natural History of the Chicken, 2001.)

Among numerous bizarre stories (including a chicken that survived beheading - and went on tour!) were stories of people who loved chickens, raised chickens, babied chickens, bred chickens, and slaughtered chickens.  But of all the many stories of people and their chickens there was one singularly ridiculous inspiring story of a woman who had a number of chickens that she treated as pets.  They were free range chickens and she allowed them a good deal of "supervised" play each day.

One day she had them all out when a nor'easter hit.  She quickly gathered them all only to find that "Number 7" was missing.  Out they all went searching until they finally found good ol' Number 7 and found her frozen.  Like any good mother, the owner was not about to give her chicken up without a fight so she commenced mouth to beak resuscitation.

Number 7 survived.  It was, a stupid story  a miracle!

Oddly enough, back in the 90's when this happened, it got worldwide coverage (I don't remember the story myself but there was evidence enough in this documentary to validate the claim).  But the story does not end there.  No indeed, for the owner soon came across an "animal communicator" and it was decided that they would like to ask this now world-famous chick all about her amazing experience.  The chosen question:

"When you were frozen, near death, did you see a white light and were you traveling toward it?"

(Um, don't I have laundry to do?)

Number 7 answered (via the animal communicator) "Yes.  Yes there was a warm white light and I traveled toward it and got to it and then was told: You must go back.  Its not your time. And as I traveled back I realized that I still had work to do.  Not just to lay eggs but to let people know that there are miracles.

Because Number 7 had been such an extraordinary animal with a (super) extraordinary experience they decided that she needed a more significant name than Number 7.  So they named her Valerie and she answered to that name ever after.

Now here's the deal folks.  This woman was dead-on serious.  She believed this.  After all, it was her initial intercession that saved the bird in the first place.

Ahem.

Bob needs something new to do.