Happy Birthday Studio Chicks!

Studio chicks turned 4 months old today. To celebrate, I let them out to 'free range' in the back yard for the first time.

They were hesitant to start with - 

- initially, they stayed in a tight little group as they tentatively explored.

Gradually, they began to spread out a teeny bit -

 - never far from their coop or the back fence.

They enjoyed their little outing. Now if we can get Toby-the-terror to leave them in peace, they'll be able to stay out at some length throughout the winter - helping to keep my weed and bug population down. Good chickens!

Tuesday Garden Post -

Happy July! Here's a smattering of what's blooming now -

 The borage is tall and lush and breaking out all over in blue stars (the bees are very happy about this)

 The ornamental mullien is towering with spires of tiny blooms (which I must cut down before they go to seed - else there will be gazillions of babies everywhere).

 The beebalm looks like shaggy red star-bursts.

 The rue is fading, and the feverfew is coming on strong -

 - coming on strong, and blooming *everywhere!*

 The dainty fairy-rose is covered with pink clusters.

 The full-size roses are winding down (David Austen cabbage roses) -

 These are sterling-lavender - heavily-scented blooms.

 Some of the early veggies are bolting and blooming (some of which I allow - since their flowers are sweet and delicious. These are radish - which will turn into succulent, crunchy seedpods. Delicious in salads!)

 Calendula is opening everywhere.

 Volunteer foxglove comes up all over the yard.

 As do poppies. Hot pink or lavender or some cross of the two.

 We are picking fruit daily - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries... The figs and arguta kiwis are growing quickly - SO many clusters. It will be a good crop this fall.

For all its neglect, the garden is doing remarkably well. :-)

In other news, the studio chicks are also growing like weeds. I've had to move them into a larger box. We'll see how long I can bear to keep them indoors. (The larger they get, the safer they'll be from raccoons and other dangers when they get moved outdoors).

Happy summer - happy July!

WIP Wednesday - New Studio Chicks!

 It's time to update the chicken flock -

 - with a new batch of studio chicks!

 Just four this time around. It's the very end of chick-buying season, so I was kind of stuck with what they had left.

 A California White, a Red Sex Link - 

 - and a couple of Ameracaunas (so white, brown and blue/green egg-layers).

 (Ameracaunas are some of my favorite chicks - they start out looking a bit like chipmunks.)

Toby-the-terror doesn't quite know what to think about their tiny-chirpy-cuteness. I'm hoping he'll be more care-taking of these guys since he'll see them raised from babies. The last batch of poor older gals got chased a lot.

So, here's to Urban Chickens! 

Music Monday - plus evil chicken update

Loreena  McKennitt has been on my mind of late. This is possibly my very favorite piece of hers....

This depiction of connection to the earth makes me nearly teary...

In my own earth-fowl-connection, things remain very exciting... Possibly too exciting.

 The chicks are now out of their hutch full time, but the integration with the older evil hens is a bit fraught with peril and much squawking. When they are all in the coop together the big girls terrorize the babies (see them all huddling in the corner in the circle on the photo on the right? They spend a great deal of time trying to hide).(Jack the Wonderdog is very solicitous and concerned for the welfare).

So, when the babies' screeching wakes me up early in the morning, I go let the big girls out to range and lock them out of the coop so that the babies can have their day in relative peace.

The one disadvantage to the older hens being out all day is that they find some super-sekrit place to lay their eggs out in the yard. After looking for their hiding spot for a couple of days I decided to ask Jack where the eggs were. Amazing-Wonderdog that he is, he took me right to them (which happened to be tucked behind the bamboo teepee next to the rain barrel. Would never have found them on my own!)

Hopefully integration will happen soon and there will be a happy little flock, else there might be some stewing chickens for dinner....

The Week in Review -

It's been a busy-busy post-less week. For a brief overview, I give you a lovely little, belated, sorta-art-related Music Monday ditty (thanks to dinahmow)(I do love me some cut paper!) -

I spent the last week painting a new version of my steampunk Oz piece for an alumni show at BYU -

(I was never quite happy with the version I did last year. I think this one turned out better. So here's my WIP post from last week....)

It was also my baby's 18th birthday...

Cakes and celebrating has gone on all week! Next up - high school graduation...

And in other news, the studio-chicks have gotten much too big for their studio box!! (noisy, smelly things!)

So, happily! they are now out in the chicken coop, albeit in a rabbit hutch within the coop (so that the ornery big chickens don't take them out like the last batch of babies). Ornery big-chicken is still trying to peck at them from below, but they will remain safely above until they are large enough to fend for themselves...

In the interim, their heat lamp is like a night light so that I can see them out in the coop from the studio window. Which is nice for me, for although I am really happy to have them *outside* and have easy access to the scanner again :-), I do miss their darling peeping and chatter keeping me company.

Baby steps....

Music Monday - Dream On (Glee-style)

This week's Glee had pretty-darn fabulous musical numbers -one being this 'duel' featuring Matthew Morrison and a very fun guest appearance by Neil Patrick Harris -

-And here is a peek at my 2-week old Spangled Sussex studio chick... Her feathers are coming in beautifully...