Martin boy detective

It's been brought to my attention that I have started to wander from the main path here on the blog. Well you know the saying a mind wanders. Now if any of you happen to find mine be sure to send it back. But from now on I promise to try to stay on topic, no guarantees.

Today a new dawn reared its gorgeous head, and none other than Martin was up and ready to meet it head on. He has for some amazing reason been able to wake up before all of us and do chores the past four mornings. As heartwarming as it is to see my little man latch on to responsibility it is also sad to see my darling first born so grown up.

However this morning he came and got me for a perplexing mystery has begun to unravel. Scoot the up and coming replacement for Rooster has disappeared. I would say without a trace but after further investigation a trace was found. But I'm getting to the cart before the horse here. As I was saying Martin came running in saying Scoot was no where to be seen.

At this point I wasn't to worried. You see Scoot got his name because no matter how short we clipped his wings he managed to get wherever he wanted to go. So I figured he was just wandering through the garden. I get up anyways (who can sleep with their kid bouncing around and talking right in their sleeping face) and hey it was all of a quarter after seven how could I sleep to such a late hour.

After a few moments of sleep walking I actually woke up, maybe it was the cold dew on my bare feet. Or maybe it was Diesel almost knocking me over for his good morning scratch, anyways you get the point. So we walk around and look for Scoot. No Scoot in the barn, or the camp circle, or in the chicken house. Now I'm wondering where exactly that little turkey (pardon the expression) has ran off to. Right about then I hear a thump and Bella crying from in the house. I take off and Martin follows asking what about Scoot. I look at him slightly distracted cause now I can hear Degan arguing with Madison as well. I turn back and say "It's a mystery bub, just a mystery."

Need I say this was the wrong thing to say? The wheels started turning in that little astute mind of his, and he followed me in and then disappeared into his room. Later when he came out he was carrying his big blue " briefcase" with a sign Martin Dtactiev on the side. He stopped to ask for some scotch tape and then he went out the back door.

Curious as to what he was really doing I walked to the window and peeked out. He had opened his case and pulled out a map of the yard with certain areas circled. I watched in amusement as he walked with determination towards the first circle. When he arrived he scoured it ,notebook in hand scribbling furiously. But apparently found nothing interesting as he crossed it off with a big "X" on his map. Apparently X does not mark the spot.

He continued on and I turned to tend to the rest of the brood. But about fifteen or so minutes later he reappeared quite excited. He showed me his notebook where he had taped some scratch (chicken feed) on one side and a couple of ruffled looking white feathers on another of a page of his homemade notebook. He said he had a hypothesis (seriously, that is what he said) and asked me to come with him.

So bemused as I was I followed my erstwhile detective out to the yard. He led me around showing me where he had no success in finding "clues". Finally he led me to "north of the crime scene" (no more Jacob Two-Two for this boy) and showed me where he had found his first clue-the Scratch. (Probably dropped by the kids while choring-but shhhhhh don't tell him that.) Then he led me to the "crime scene" right to the fence of the chicken and pig pen. Yep you guessed it Scout the mass chicken murder had struck again.

Oh well, at least Martin has a budding new career. Anyone got a quarter and a mystery to solve he's available.