Revealed

We made the decision to have our chickens live free range in our back yard. We love it. They love it. The cats love it. And even our dog loves it. Seriously, there's nothing quite as adorable as looking out your back door and seeing six chickens standing over a peacefully sleeping cat. 

But one interesting thing about having free range chickens in the back yard is that in the process of all the hunting, pecking, and scratching they do in what used to be our lawn, they have excavated years and years of buried kid toys. They've dug up matchbox cars, playset tools, parts of balls, and tons of scraps of unidentified material. They've even found toy soldiers (my kids never had those, so these must be from previous families' kids). They're digging up stuff that's been buried up to 25 years ago or more!

And what have I done with these treasures? Well, I've rather unceremoniously tossed them in our trash.

This painting is another in the style of Marie Laurencin that I've worked on as part of a class I'm taking. Such fun!

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A Following

It's the most delightful thing. Every day I go outside with our chickens, and every day they tag along right behind me. Now I know they're ever so hopeful that I'm about to spread yummies all about. A good guess as I do do that sometimes. But I still like to pretend that it's just that they love me so and want to be wherever I am. Love my feathered ladies!

And this painting is inspired by Joan Miró. I'm taking another online painting class, one that I'd registered for before I was incredibly lucky enough to have won that last online class. I'm super excited to keep learning and being challenged.

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I Only have Eyes for Worms

A shift has occurred in the chicken space continuum.

It used to be that I'd walk in our chicken yard and only Phyllis would come-a-runnin'. Well now Barry, Maury, and Ernie come-a-runnin', too.

"What happened?" you ask.

Well, I'll tell ya what happened.


I started lifting some of the pavers we have out in their yard and exposing the fabulous delicacy that earthworms are. I did this a few times over several days and now I'm officially the Worm Lady in their sweet little beady chicken eyes. I swear all they see is a big earthworm in tennies.


I'm good with that. I'm feeling' that chicken love.

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Long Strands

I learn something new from my chickens every day. For instance, I knew they liked greens...green bean tips, bits of lettuce, etc. But what I didn't know is how they eat what is now their favorite treat, long strands of grass that I toss into their yard.

So, imagine any kid (and some adults) eating a strand of spaghetti. They put the end in their mouth and suck it in till it disappears. Well, this is what chickens do with long strands of grass. They grab it with their beaks and suck, or whatever it is that chickens do, it all the way in until it disappears. Now, unlike kids (and hopefully all adults), chickens are also apt to steal the strand from a pal, pull it out of their beak, and then eat it themselves. This is odd in my book, but I've seen it so many times that it must just be a chickeny thing to do.

I don't think I'll ever look at grass and spaghetti the same way again.

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Fall Leaves

I spent quite a while out in the chicken yard this morning. I was raking all of the fall leaves. Yes, fall. As in those leaves have been there for several months. Anyway, all the leaves were making it so grass couldn't grow, and our chickens love grass, so they had to go.

And I tell you what, raking around chickens is pretty much a comedy show. I'd rake a beautiful pile and move on to another part of the yard where I'd rake another beautiful pile. The thing is, while I'd be raking the second pile, the chickens were quietly being quite busy turning my first pile into about eight small piles.

Adorable...I love my girls!

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Chickens say, "No Problem!"

We've had freezing temps lately, mid 20s freezing temps last night. So of course I worried about my chickens. I lump them in the "pet" category rather than the "wild critter" category, and so I assume that they need to be brought inside to stay warm so they'll be OK....in spite of the articles I've read and the chicken owning friends of mine stating that they're fine left outside. But I was still super nervous last night as I was about to fall asleep.


Me: "I hope the chickens will be OK."

Dave: "They birds. They'll be fine just like all the other birds sleeping outside tonight."

Me: "Alright."


And by golly they did survive. Relief washed over me when I heard their cooing when I let the dogs and cats out this morning.

"No problem!" said the chickens.

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Chicken Dance

The little guy had his karate holiday party today. It was all perfectly wonderful...until...it was time for the parents to try their hand at what the kids do.

Dave pulled the whole "I'm being the photographer, I can't." And so it was me.

The kid tried to teach me a few things and soon realized that I am, in fact, unteachable.

So when it was my turn to get in front of the students and their parents, I bowed, pointed at my kid and said, "He taught me everything I know," and then I did ten punches followed by the chicken dance and a loud, "BA-CAW!!!!"

I did the kid proud, I have no doubt.

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Chickens do What?!?!

I swear these feathered friends of our teach us something new every day. 

For instance...did you know that chickens can kill mice?  Turns out they most certainly can.

But in addition to that, did you know that chickens will eat the mice that they kill?  Again, that's a "can do" for a chicken.

And to top that all off, did you know that they eat their mice whole just as a snake would?  Well, yes, indeed.


And the cherry on top...did you know that my husband is officially a nature photographer now?  Yup, he took a delightful series of step-by-step, inch-by-inch photos of the entire eating process that he sent me via text while I was very much enjoying chicken and mouse free time with my brother's family in California.

Gotta love technology...and chickens!

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Squawkin'

I feel like a mother hen hovering over my brood...of chickens.  We never hear them from inside the house.  Never.  Well, except for that one hen we had that cock-a-doodle-doo'd and outed himself as a rooster.  But since then, never. 

But today I could totally hear Fuzzy from inside our house.  I had to go outside to look.  Twice! 

Now our hens haven't started laying yet, but we've been impatiently expecting that to start any time now.  And I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, Fuzzy feels somethin' a comin'.  Somethin' that without any explanation must feel quite terribly wrong indeed.

Yup, if I were Fuzzy I'd be making those same squawky sounds...without a doubt.


In fact, I'm pretty sure I did make those same squawky sounds about 15 and 19 years ago....

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Objects up Close are Bigger than he Thought they Were

So we've been letting our cats be outside with our chickens lately.  By "with" I just mean they're underneath the same big sky.


Now, our big cat, Pug...well, "It ain't worth the trouble of gettin' my big ol' self over that fence."

Our littler cat, Tommy...well he jumped right over the fence, got right in the middle of the chickens, and "OH, MY GOSH...THEY'RE FREAKIN' PTERODACTYLS!!!"


I think there will be peace amongst our creatures.

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Sweet Nothings

Last evening I was in our chicken yard getting our chickens into their coop for the night.  And like every night, it goes like this.

"Hey, lovely ladies!  It's time for bed, beautiful girls!"  And I walked around getting Red and Fuzzy to scurry into the coop.  "OK, Piper and Phyllis, you, too, ladies."   I picked them up (because these two like to be picked up).  "All right my precious girls, it's time for bed.  I love you!!!" 


And then I hear something to my left.  And Dave was standing there watching me.  He'd clearly been there for a while and had witnessed all of my carrying on with our chickens, telling them sweet nothings, and whatnot.  Gee...

Me:  "Hey, you know you talk to them when I'm not around, too."

Dave:  "Yeah, I do."


Sweet chicken love....


I saw these tiny canvases at an art store and I could not resist!!!  The canvas is 2x2.  I'll be selling it as a package with the easel.  So cute!!!  I will definitely be painting more of these sweet little miniatures!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Chicken Run

So it turns out that chickens are really, really fast.


Let me just pause here for a second to let you know that now that we have chickens...in addition to dogs and cats...I think you should all be prepared to hear a lot of chicken stories.

Anyway, we're new to chickens so this is all a crash course for us.  Dave and I were pulling out the food and water dispensers to refill them and out ran one little chicken.  And by run, I pretty much mean like greased lightning.

And I tell you what, that little chicken ran like a little maniac around our back yard, through the fence to the neighbors yard, back through the fence to our back yard, then out the fence to the front yard, then back in our back yard, and when Dave opened up the door to the coop that little chicken scurried right on in.

Whew!

And then we got the chicken wire out and put it all along the bottom of our chain link fence.  We're fast learners on this chicken crash course.

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