Animals

for the life of the prairie

claudiaNovember 9, 2011Animals, Inspiration

I recently had the pleasure to attend the annual gala of the Prairie Dog Coalition during a trip to Boulder, where we met the incredible Lindsey Sterling Krank, who serves as the Coalition’s director.

This week a pair of sterling silver earrings, made with green amethyst and peridot, arrived in the mail from Lindsey. They’re from Cowboy’s Sweetheart in Boulder. I forgot we had bid on them during the gala’s silent auction (let’s just say there was some good Malbec flowing). But we happily paid up because this group does incredibly important work. A division of The Humane Society of the United States, the Prairie Dog Coalition is dedicated to the protection of imperiled prairie dogs and the restoration of their habitats–one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. If you’re like us (and most folks), you’ve probably never pondered the plight of the prairie dog. Please read more at their website and consider supporting this group’s tireless efforts in some small way. Here’s an easy way: Purchase Zack the Prairie Dog as a holiday gift for a special kid in your life. For each book sold through the book’s website (www.zacktheprairiedog.com), 25% of the proceeds go to the Coalition. Just write “Please support Prairie Dog Coalition” in the comment section of your order. Click here to find out more and read a letter from the author. Thanks!

Truth

jenny & jake

role models

a ‘good egg’

claudiaNovember 8, 2011Animals, Good Eats

For a trip last week I grabbed a magazine before boarding the flight and started flipping through during takeoff. What fun to come across “Chick Lit,” by Jennifer Reese, who shared how chickens (yes, chickens) helped get her through a difficult time after losing a job. Certain parts of the story made me “lol”–like when Reese’s teenage daughter almost brought her to tears with criticism over mom’s fondness for the birds (been there/suffered that), or when the hens ate up the garden (yep-they’re voracious, we can attest; ours preferred eggplant), or when the egg-laying production starting coming on like “zucchini in august.” Speaking of eggs, we ourselves are overrun with the big, beautiful brown gifts our two hens–Sam-n’-Ella–give us each morning. We make them every which way we can, but still find ourselves with a ‘frigerator full. So if you want fresh farm eggs, give us a shout. We’re serious. These gals are prolific.

To hear a reading of Ms. Reese’s Chick Lit article, click here…or learn more about her at Tipsy Baker or Marketplace.

“Having chickens is like having foxy teenage daughters. Trouble will find you.”

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter

Rise ‘n Shine

aww, first farm eggs

Pear-It Forward

Making Biscuits in the Black Belt

loafin’

claudiaNovember 4, 2011Animals, Country Life

loaf (lohf)

intr.v. loafed, loaf·ing, loafs

To pass time at leisure; idle.

Fields of Gold

‘Tis the Season

“9 rattles and a button”

a rescue love story

claudiaSeptember 30, 2011Animals, Friends

Meet Henry and Elsa, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks who came up through the kennel of hard knocks but managed to find their happy ending. Henry, who’s almost 8, was rescued by Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue. He was abandoned in Texas, spent four years in foster care, met up with a kind lady in Iowa who took him under her wing, then landed a permanent gig in a groovy Chicago neighborhood called Bucktown. We’re told his swagger and rugged good looks are the envy of bouncers everywhere and that ole Henry is equal opportunity cute: both men and women sigh and make googlie-eyes when they see him. Elsa, 7, was picked up by Ridgeback Rescue of the United States and, after being shipped around to lots of homes and foster families, she too landed in Bucktown, just this week. According to her owners, the girl has a quick eye (and nose) for all types of urban wildlife. She’s yet to take a road trip with her new family, but with her russet-red hair and sleek good looks (like a New York fashion model, only healthy!) everyone’s expecting she’ll earn dozens of admirers. And so begins the next chapter — better yet, a new beginning — in the lives of Henry and Elsa. Lisa and Bill, their faithful companions, promise to keep us posted.

awwww

farm lessons: birds gone wild

claudiaSeptember 19, 2011Animals

In the last two weeks our chickens, Sam-n-Ella, have decided to spread their wings, literally. Last weekend we found them out on the county road at dusk, and I looked quite the fool scrambling around in running shorts and clogs trying to catch them and bring them home. Then, we brought all the animals back to Atlanta and within 24 hours those #@*&^!* birds were hopping over fences, visiting neighbors, messing with the construction guys next door and wreaking havoc. So we decided to clip their wings — except that Mike and the kids were just “too busy” to help so I had to go it alone. Thank heavens for Janet of Green Urban Living in New Zealand. Found her video on YouTube, watched it twice, then headed outside with a pair of sharp scissors and an attitude. Of course, taking on this task in shorts and flip-flops was probably not the best choice of wardrobe, as those two gals put up quite a fight and I still have the scratches on one arm and leg to prove it. But we got the job done and now the hens are happily ensconced in the back yard, laying eggs, eating bugs, taunting the Danes and, most importantly, staying put!