by Lucy on February 5, 2012
Well, ok. It is not really in Africa — it just over the Georgia line in South Carolina. And on this farm she has some chicks — eee eye eee eye oh! Meet one of them:
These feathers belong to Earl, who is a Yankee Chicken — Rhode Island Red. We were hoping that he would accidentally shed some of these tail plumes for a collection of ephemera; alas, it was not to be.
Next, we shall meet Star, whose full name is Star Light. She was busy eating dinner when this shot was snapped.
Some of my favorite little critters on the farm were the Bantee Chickers, the star attraction of whom was Russell Crow! His little “crow” is so cute and sounds like he’s only halfway into puberty (I hear him out in the chicken house now!). He seems to be doing this job, however — as the henhouse is full of eggs! Meet Russell and his friends:
And THIS is the egg that I found in Russell’s henhouse:
This does not look like a hen’s nest … and it isn’t. I put the egg in the stock tank — turned Iris garden (where the asparagus is planted) for safekeeping while we fed the horses. It is a tiny egg.
Of course, it’s important to meet the “farmer” — and here is Debra. She’s in the kitchen (not with Dinah) cooking up an Orange Pot Roast (more on that story later) while dabbling with her new watercolour paints.
This shot was snapped out at the little barn in the rosemary patch. Russell is just coming into view around the corner. We call this picture “Rosemary Chicken”, but it is so not edible!
It has been such a lovely visit at Debra’s farm, and I am sorry that it has come to an end. She has assured me that I will be invited back again. I am looking forward to being here in the spring to see some wildflowers blooming at the edge of her woods — and maybe there will be baby chickens!
And so for now, it’s The End! This is the other end of Paddy, one of my new horsie friends.
by Lucy on February 2, 2012
Today’s funniest pet photo … direct from my garage! You see — this is Fiona’s favorite chair from my office! It’s going to the designers to be slipcovered! Alas, I should have found a way to explain this to Fiona earlier, but did not. And so, she’s determined to sit in her chair — no matter where it’s going!
What a really smart doggie!?
Gotta love her!
by Lucy on January 31, 2012
It’s the name of a store, I know. But it’s also what I am calling this dark space of early-ness that I am enjoying with coffee and cats and quiet here on my forested hill.
This is the time of day when I enjoy reading my favorite blog(s), as opposed to sifting through the bad news of happenings reported around the world. My total favorite is ThePioneerWoman.com, as all of my friends have heard me say over and over. I have been following Ree Drummond’s blogs for several years, since way before she got to be totally famous!
This morning I salivated over her recipe for spicy stewed beef and creamy cheese grits, before I wandered over to a story of the broken donut case (which also extolled the ‘granite’ virtues of her beloved Marlboro Man). When I saw the picture of ‘Knock You Naked Brownies’ in the sidebar, I knew it was time to move on to the Confessions/Animals section for safety.
A look at the horse stories (one of their horses has a penchant for eating kids hair!) reminded me of old Nell and Brownie who carried all of us kids for miles and miles around the ranch in the old days. ”Watch for water moccasins hanging in the trees!” was the last thing we’d hear from Lily as we road past her house towards the San Antonio River bottom with a couple of fresh tamales and an orange Nehi or two for sustenance. Good things. (Must remember to order more tamales from Ventura’s in Victoria!)
I must be hungry, as I cannot move away from the topic of food! In fact, the spicy stewed beef that Ree wrote about immediately brought to mind the Wild Idea Buffalo patiently waiting in my freezer! Now there’s another blog that’s full of Good Things. Dan O’Brien can bring you to tears with his stories about their ranch on the Cheyenne River in South Dakota — and his little Gas House Gang that grew into a free-roaming herd. I have every book that Dan has written and am chomping at the bit for more.
So … it’s been a good start to the day. A window into the lives of others and some glimpses back in time for me. I am fortified. Let the phone now ring! Let the work begin!
Other favorite blogs:
The Daily Coyote
Honey Rock Dawn
