Most of us are probably familiar with the idiom “take under your wing” but before I share today’s ‘QuotaBill’, here’s something you might not be aware of.
In an article by Karen Davis, President of United Poultry Concerns, quoting the Renaissance writer, Ulisse Aldrovandi, a mother hen, when spotting a predator, will immediately put their chicks “under the shadow of their wings, and with this covering they put up such a very fierce defense – striking fear into their opponent in the midst of a frightful clamor, using both wings and beak – they would rather die for their chicks than seek safety in flight.”
We find something similar in “Bluebell” as, early in the book, we learn about a ‘mother hen’, of sorts, in Willis Jefferson’s life.
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“Willis was not alone in his special feelings for Rowena Kramer; there were many others. They came and went in a seemingly endless parade, some staying only for a meal, some for a day, a week or longer. They were young, old, and in-between.
Mostly, they were men and boys, but occasionally a member of the fairer sex was taken under Miss Rowena’s wing. No matter the gender, problem or need, however, all shared a common bond: No one leaving her was ever less than better for the experience, nor was that separation ever complete.”
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