WELCOME

BY MARK FRAUENFELDER

Open, Sesame

In September 2008 I got a phone call from my post office in Los Angeles. They told me a package addressed to me was making high-pitched noises. They wanted me to come get it immediately. I was in Illinois on business, but I called my wife and she went in to pick up the package. Inside were six Plymouth Rock chicks, which we’d ordered online from My Pet Chicken (mypetchicken.com).

Before I left for Illinois, I’d prepared a large cardboard box by lining it with sawdust and adding a feeder, a waterer, and an infrared light for warmth. My wife and kids took good care of the chicks, and when I returned a few days later the birds had already grown compared to the photos my wife had emailed me.

In six weeks ...

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