Don't Count Your Eggs, Part 1

Long long ago, chickens laid eggs in part of the farmer’s barn. Each morning, the farmer’s wife went to the hen part, and moved the birds from their nests in order to swipe their eggs. When she had harvested enough eggs, the family went to the nearest town to sell them to folks who didn’t have chickens.

The family returned home after selling all their eggs and put this nest egg in a holder designed to look like a pig. When this chicken feed filled the pig, the farmer hacked it to pieces and the family used the money to buy cows.

The cows were sent to the barn where the farmer’s wife could find them each morning after she stole the eggs. She milked the cows for all they were worth. The family took the milk to town and sold it along with the eggs. When they came home, they again pigged their coins until there was enough chicken feed to buy a real pig or two.


Part 2

Don't Count Your Eggs, Part 2

This continued for many years and the people were happy and well fed. Then the sages in the big white house, devised a plan whereby the farmer could make more money if he didn’t generate so many chickens, milk and pigs. Soon after that, the farmer signed a piece of paper that promised him more money than he had ever seen just for not producing these farming things.

For a long time, this way of life continued. People were happy and didn’t notice that a lot of people were starving.

And then, a strange thing came to pass. Childless people began to buy eggs removed right from the farmer’s wife who didn’t need them. The farmer didn’t know how many eggs his wife was selling so she quit putting all her chicken feed in the pig pot and began to set some aside from herelf.

In time, there were so many people hatched from uncounted eggs that the wise people who paid the farmer for not having eggs changed their mind and farming once again became a good thing.