Boneless Chicken Farm
Sumner, Washington
Quite by accident one cold, fall day I stumbled upon a fascinating little
farm. It was nestled in the fertile Puyallup river valley.
Sumner is approximately thirty miles South of Seattle and approximately
fifteen miles East of Tacoma. Incorporated
in about 1891 with the downtown area built around a railroad depot. Sumner had
its original “Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival” and it is still part of the
town’s history today. It is also the early home for many civil war veterans.
In 1855 the local Indians took over the settlement and local residents homes
were burned to the ground. They
were forced to go to Fort Steilacoom for their safety.
Some of the old names for the town were: Stuck Junction, Franklin, and
then Sumner, which was posted on the Railroad depot. The town of Sumner holds
onto it’s small town charm today & here is where it all started...It all
began one day when I was much younger. My
son and I went grocery shopping and all in all it was a typical trip until we
came across the meat section of the store.
There below us was a sticker on some fresh packaged chicken that read
“Boneless Chicken”. I quickly
glanced over to my son as I picked up the rather large package of boneless
chicken and said quite boldly: “Sonny, boneless chicken?”
“How did they get around?” He
glared back at me thinking I was kidding and said:
“Mom, please tell me you are joking!”
Well I figured it was a valid question on my part and decided to
investigate it at a later date when he wasn’t laughing hysterically at me in
disbelief. He laughed all the way
through the store and couldn’t even look at me without snickering.
I know all of you are thinking this part is just a fairy tale, but as
much as I hate to admit it, this really happened. In fact my son still tells this story today to all his
friends and of course they get a good laugh too.
Oh well, I figure at least I made their day and laughter as we all know
is good for you. So here is where
the fairy tale begins…Once upon a time in the quiet little town of Sumner on a
foggy, cold fall evening I was strolling along bundled in my warm winter clothes
down Valley Avenue. Just before I
crossed the bridge over the Puyallup River and into the main part of Sumner I
came across a fascinating Farm. I leaned carefully over the bridge to see the
Puyallup River rippling by with tall pine trees lining the banks.
It was like someone tapped me on the shoulder so I turned around but no
one was there. Before I ventured across the bridge I noticed a field full of
white and brown soft colors. I
walked a little closer and noticed it was full of feathers.
I wanted to get an even closer look so I crept ever so quietly over to
the old wooden gate and opened it ever so gently.
It creaked and moaned and smelled of old wet wood as I finally pushed it
open. There was a big sign that
hung over this farm above me but it was old and I couldn’t make out all the
letters. It read; B-n-l-ss Chi-k-n
Farm. Some of the letters were
missing and soon I figured out why. I
walked through the field of feathers and came across quite a sight. Chickens lying motionless everywhere! Yes, chickens! There
were to many to count and they seemed to be missing something. What was it? I
thought to myself. Then I realized
they were boneless chickens! Ha! I thought if only my son and his friends were
here. Finally I felt I had proof. Well
so I thought anyway. A farmer
approached me and asked me what I wanted. I
imagined him for a moment without bones too and it made me chuckle.
I looked at the chickens lying around me and by now they were clucking
and pecking feverously at the chicken feed the farmer threw out for them.
All of a sudden they were up and moving about and I had to pause a second
to figure out how they did that. The
farmer laughed at me when I told him what I had seen and said to me that I must
have been dreaming. I assured him I
was not or at least I didn’t think I was.
I told him there were brown and white feathers everywhere and all the
chickens were lying there motionless, boneless and not moving.
I told him I read his farm sign that said “Boneless Chicken Farm” but
that I couldn’t make out all the letters on his old sign.
He laughed hysterically again and it reminded me of my son’s laughter.
He said there are no fields of feathers, they are leaves from the trees
and the sign says: “Ben-n Less’s Chicken Farm”.
Well, when the farmer couldn’t even look me in the eyes without
laughing I decided it was best to keep my adventures there a secret.
Well that was until I made the mistake of continuing my walk into the
town of Sumner. I waved good-bye to
the farmer, closed his squeaky gate, picked up a chicken feather (leaf) and
proceeded over the bridge into town. I
crossed over the Sumner railroad tracks after the gates lifted and right through
the main part of town. Little did I
know but I was walking into a town full of laughter.
It was so loud it emanated down the street and laughter filled the cold
fall air. Suddenly I overheard a
pedestrian saying; “And can you believe she thought it was a boneless chicken
farm?” “Ha!” Ha!” Ha!” It
didn’t take a genius to see that it was me they were all laughing at so I
smiled back and said; “Yea, that girl, whoever she was is pretty silly to
imagine such a thing.” So I
laughed with them and decided to keep my boneless chicken story a secret that is
until now. So as a reminder, Laughter is good for you, keep smiling,
bring joy to those around you and most of all enjoy life. And if someone asks you about a boneless chicken, you’ll
have a story from the quiet little cozy town of Sumner to tell them.
Just don’t mention my name. :>)
Copyright 2001 by Author Patti Tricoli
