Automatic Chicken

In the days of go, go, go my husband thought it would be a great idea to get away for a long weekend. We headed to the heart of Texas, Utopia Texas, and surprised our three children, two of whom are teenagers, with a cabin stay on the Sabinal River.
We took a quick look around, the cabin was small, but easily slept six. The cabin was equipped with a kitchen and a fireplace. "Hey mom, where is the TV?" "Hey dad does your cell work? I don't have any reception." "Mom where is the microwave?" Welcome to Fox Fire Cabins a modern day Little House on the Prairie! Okay that is a little extreme, but we spent three days with no television, no cell phone, no text messaging, no warmed cans of soup and the kids had no contact with anyone other than each other. I must say it was quit nice.
We strolled through the paths of trees, wadded in the cool water and played
a few board games (not 'bored games" as my 10 year old pointed out). When a life of go, go, go isn't getting you anywhere, it is time to take a step back and stop.
I think our step back was just in time! When we arrived my 13 year old was so enthralled in her fast paced, electronic induced lifestyle, that when she spotted a chicken and it started to move she said "is that automatic?" It took her a few seconds to realize it was a live chicken and was free to roam the cabin site. She did not warm up to the chicken over the weekend, but she did survive a weekend without Myspace! My 15 year old son and 10 year old daughter bonded and he even taught her how to noodle (catch fish with your hands).
As Monday started another week of go, go , go, and we got back into the swing of things with work, school, and my second job as a unpaid chauffeur, I relished in my memories of my weekend with an automatic chicken.