Where are the Eggs?

     It took me a while to figure it out. Something was different this stay in Christianville. I had been here for two weeks in October and before that my previous visit was in July. Now it is mid November. C’ville has changed since this summer.

     I used to wake up at 6:00am to the sound of Ken riding past my bedroom window on his motorcycle to turn on the generator. Often I would hear some donkeys braying very loudly. I would always hear the egg laying chickens squawking in the chicken coop down by the fishponds. And depending on the wind, the smell of the chicken coops in the morning could be overwhelming. Breakfast (and all the meals) was in the old guesthouse and it was usually eggs. Now Ken is gone and the only generator that is still functioning is the 100 kV generator and when it is turned on at 6:00 am, it is very loud. The imposing drone of the generator dominates the soundscape all day long. I have no idea where the donkeys went. I have not seen any since the summer. The chickens are gone, too. Egg layers have a maximum productive life of about three years. The C’ville egg layers have aged. The old chickens are trying hard but egg production began dropping off in early summer. The “retired” chickens have not been replaced. I have no idea why. They know that they need new chickens. No chickens, no eggs. That explains why we have not had eggs for breakfast as often as before. I used to complain that we had eggs almost every day. Scrambled eggs or hard-boiled eggs for breakfast; egg salad sandwiches for lunch. Eggs, eggs, eggs. Breakfast this trip has been pancakes, corn flakes, or porridge. Over the last two trips, we have had eggs once or twice. I miss the eggs. But I don’t miss the smell of chicken poop in the morning.