Every once in a while I pick up a book on a whim, because I just can’t resist it. Such was the case with Still Life with Chickens by Catherine Goldhammer. This slim little volume is bursting with a touching story of a woman and her daughter plus their six chickens trying to find a new life for themselves after a divorce.

 They go through all the chick and pullet stages that those of us with small flocks can remember. From chicks in the bathtub to building a coop to getting through their first winter, to losing the first hen.

At just 176 pages, I blew through the book in a single evening, only to pick it up and read it again the next day. If you’ve got city chickens, or are thinking of them, this is a fun, touching read.

 Worry. And then don’t. Look, a goose. If someone else has it, check it out because it might be goo. Or it could just be a stick. If she comes out of the house, she might have bread. Oh no. She doesn’t. When you lay an egg, make noise about it. If there’s someone in the nest, go in there anyway. The dog is eating grass on the other side of the fence? Go on. Stick your head out there. Peck the dog’s tongue. It might be a worm. Jesus Christ, it’s the lawn mower. Eat almost anything. When it gets dark, go inside. Huddle up. Everything is exciting. Fly when you can.