Little Huevo (Huevocito) Ranchero began his days on a wonderful family egg farm in a small town called Marion that was just east of San Antonio. He was laid at daybreak on a crisp winter morning when the sky was full of color--bright pink, orange, turquoise blue. Even though it was winter, the sun was bright and lemony yellow and it warmed the earth like a comfy electric blanket set at 5--just right.
The papa egg farmer carefully removed the little egg from the nest in the coop and was carrying it to an incubator when--oopsie-daisy, oh-oh, yikes, splat--the egg farmer tripped and dropped the little egg onto the counter where the family prepared their meals during breaks from working the farm. The shell cracked and all of its contents spilled onto the counter. The mother egg farmer said "Not to worry, we can use the egg to make huevos rancheros for breakfast!" And so she did--with sides of refried beans and fried potatoes, and of course, handmade flour tortillas--but hold the chile.
The little girl egg farmer, Gracie, scooped up the cracked shell and asked her mama if she could have it. "What will you do with a broken shell?" asked the mama egg farmer.
"I think I will paint it," she said.
Gracie went to her room and carefully selected the color of paint she would use to paint the little cracked eggshell. She looked to the morning sky and was inspired by the bright colors. She decided on the lemony yellow of the sun. Then Gracie painted a sweet and happy face on the shell. She added a beak, because after all, the little shell would have become a chicken if not for the unfortunate accident. Gracie opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out the bin of Martha Stewart crafting supplies she kept on hand for art projects. She found some crinkle-cut papers and glue--just perfect to create a little bit of hair for the little shell.
But the little egg seemed incomplete. It was so light--so hollow. "I know!" said Gracie. "I will fill your tummy with brightly-colored confetti in the colors of the morning sky." Gracie filled the little eggie's tummy with confetti and then pasted a little circle of tissue over the hole where she filled the shell's tummy.
"There, all done!" said Gracie.
But was she all done? What about a name for the little egg? The lightbulb that always hovered over Gracie's head suddenly started to blink brightly.
"I know, I will name you Huevo...Huevo Ranchero!" Oh I love you Huevocito (little Huevo)!
So now you you know how Huevocito came about. Follow this blog to read about his adventures and misadventures. This week Huevocito goes shopping for cowboy duds and attends the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo on opening day.
