A couple of weeks ago our rooster Ruby lost his voice. Then his breathing became very labored and he wheezed like a serious asthmatic.  It was kind of scary and also kind of nice and quiet! The guy at the farm store suggested a few things.  What we tried first did the trick–adding some Gatorade to the water source {and a good cleaning of their coop}.  Within a couple of days he was back in business, feisty and loud. Who’d have guessed some electrolites would bring a chicken back to glory?!

p.s. I recently went to the Wild & Scenic Film Festival hosted by Friends of Casco Bay. {The festival is making its way around the country, so check for dates near you.} 15 environmental films were selected from about 55 for viewing.  The films are short, between 4 and 18 minutes each.  Seeing people who are passionate about the world around us, who creatively deal with things like plastic litter, or lack of resources, and the respect they have for nature was very inspiring.  Here is one of my favorites:

Another film that will put a smile on your face can be found here. {It’s short & sweet and involves a genius solution for old plastic liter bottles as a source of lighting in villages without power!}