JONATHAN

PLEASE, PLEASE do not give bunnies and chicks to children as Easter gifts unless you are prepared to take care of them. (CLICK HERE to see article)

My cousin would give bunnies and chicks as Easter gifts for his kids. After the animals were abused awhile by the brats--and the parents learned that the animals actually required care--the animals would be given to us as we lived in the country.

I would name all of them. I named one chick Jonathan because we wanted him to become big and I named him after the biggest boy in my class. Jonathan grew into a magnificent, white Leghorn rooster. Jonathan literally "ruled the roost" and he kept the hens in obedience and he also made our family obeisant.

As we had an outdoor toilet, Jonathan would try to flog anyone who dared go to the toilet. There would be Jonathan--with one wing down on the ground--racing after people to flog them! Nobody was safe--except for Les, my younger brother--who was three and four years old at the time. Les was the only one that Jonathan did not try to attack! There would be Les, wearing his little engineer boots, which brother Neil had brought to him, accompanying people to the toilet to protect them from Jonathan! Les would also accompany Mother to gather eggs. I remember Jonathan chasing my brother who was "fleet of foot" across the field and when my brother leapt onto a big wooden fence post, Jonathan kept flogging the post!

It was always a mystery why Jonathan would not attack Les; even though Les was only three and four years old at the time, he still vividly remembers Jonathan. I said, "Maybe it's because you and Jonathan were the same size!"

My brother Bode, his wife and baby daughter were visiting and my niece was about a year old and she was sitting outside in her stroller near the well frame, and suddenly, Jonathan flogged the stroller! My brother Bode ran out the back door with a shotgun and the door was still flung open; somehow Jonathan flew inside the house and everyone in the house was trying to escape Jonathan and get him back outside. Les had to lead him outside and Bode shot him.

Mother cooked Jonathan and he was, as she said, "tougher than whitleather".

As much as we all disliked--and feared--Jonathan, it was sad to see that majestic creature brought down. Oh, how I wish I had a picture of Jonathan; this generic picture of a Leghorn does not do him justice!