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~ A space where I let the inspiration of Nature speak, sharing the beauty, magic, wisdom and wonder of our green planet, and her dreams and wishes of our magnificent future together ~ //

Last week was rough… I went from excitedly running around preparing for our new chick shipment, to staying up late working like a mad woman trying to bring some of the chicks back from death’s door. Last week reminded me how quickly things can change on the homestead… And how thin is the veil which […]

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Greetings everyone! I hope you're all doing well and feeling great! Damn, is that too cheery? Currently I am feeling a burning in my left nostril. It is the after affect of making my inaugural vinagre, which is a Puerto Rican homemade hot sauce (I think) or flavoring. I found the recipe at the blog of Daisy Martinez, here. Even though I used gloves to handle the chilis, somehow my nostril must have been contaminated. We'll see if I can utilize this condiment; my version made a lot more than the quart indicated in the recipe. The last few days have been interesting as I have been HOME ALONE! R traveled to Palm Springs, California for work on Thursday, and returns tonight. I was very mad that he got to go to Cali, especially while I'm otherwise free. But the plane ticket for me to join him was $1,000 or something stupid. In my research of Palm Springs, I discovered that the state bird of California is the California quail. This tied in nicely with the pheasants we saw over Christmas in Wisconsin. We were on our way to A and T-Dogg's house when I took a wrong turn on a country road. Thankfully it was a beautiful sunny day, and we spotted a group of pheasants spanning a farm side road. One of the pheasants had lost a race with another car, however! But the rest moved out of the way as we turned around and went in the right direction. So, today we will learn about pheasants and quail! The California quail, Callipepla california: Isn't he cute?! More familiar to you may be this species; the bobwhite quail native to the Upper Midwest, Colinus virginianus: (Obviously appearance in California is more important than in the Midwest!) Bobwhites, as bobwhite quail are otherwise known, are given that name because of their distinctive call. These birds range from Ontario to Central America. They are about six to seven inches tall and weigh around six ounces. Males are larger and more distinctively marked with black and white, like the photo above, while females are more drab in color. Quail especially like areas that are freshly burned for foraging. They need some type of brushy or forest cover. Along with seeds, nuts, fruits and plants, bobwhites eat a lot of insects. Quail usually travel in a covey of five to 30 birds, which disperse into pairs during the mating season in April. The quail pair off into a territory of their own and build a nest within dry plant matter, where 12 to 14 white eggs are laid. It seems more than one female may lay eggs in any particular nest. Males assist with the incubation, and the chicks leave the nest 24 hours after they are hatched. In fact, chicks are independent after two weeks. About half of quail chicks survive their first year. Maybe R and I should raise baby quail chicks in our apartment this spring? Unlike quail, which have New World (the two species above) and Old World species, pheasants are natives of Asia! Because they're adaptable and fun to hunt, pheasants were introduced all over the world, first reaching the United Kingdom in the 10th century. They died out there eventually but were reintroduced for hunting. The first pheasants arrived in the United States in 1857. They've also been carried to New Zealand, Hawaii and Chile, among other places. Bigger than quail, pheasants are around 20 to 30 inches long, with a tail measuring 12 inches or more. They weigh between one and six pounds. Along with plant matter, pheasants eat a lot of snakes, lizards, insects and small mammals. Pheasants live in loose groups and nest in a similar way to quail, although with pheasants there is more of a harem system with one rooster and several hens. A pheasant nest. It seems like pheasant chicks stay in a family group until they're about full grown at five weeks. Mama and babykins. At night or in inclement weather, pheasants roost in trees. They're short distance fliers, usually attaining an airspeed of 27 to 38 miles per hour. But as hunters know, a fleeing pheasant can fly up to 60 mph. Often dogs are trained to flush out the birds, which make a distinctive whirring sound as they fly up out of cover. This male pheasant looks ticked off! This pheasant chick looks adorable! Because of their status as game birds, both pheasants and quail are raised in farms. It seems most pheasants in England are propagated in captivity, and usually don't survive more than a year in the wild. Most pheasants in the U.S., however, are feral birds. With the decline of farmland, pheasants are becoming threatened in some areas. Most states only allow roosters to be shot. (Any hunters want to confirm this?) Natural enemies of pheasants and quail include hawks, owls, foxes, skunks, raccoons, snakes and opossum. Eggs and chicks are especially vulnerable to attack. I'm just picturing the covey of quail that we really should get this spring. They can roost in a basket hung on R's clothes rack, we can feed them toast crumbs and they can peck our floors clean, and then the chicks will follow us as we walk around the block! Do you have any quail or pheasant stories? Guard your nostrils from the chili peppers, Wendell!

Thought I would share with everyone several adorable images and a few laughs for a good start into the weekend. ENJOY! FACEBO...

There is nothing quite as cute as a box of baby chicks. But those chicks only stay that way for a hot minute. Before you invest find out the perks of owning chickens and why I love them too!

This walnut is perfect for showing the small size of this tiny wren. The unknown photographer was certainly in the right place at the right time. Photo found here. xo

Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla) Hard to believe tomorrow is the beginning of summer. I will be counting down the weeks for it to be over as I'm not a fan of heat or mosquitoes. Speaking of bugs, I was eaten alive by those pesky blood suckers at the refuge this morning while trying to take pics of the tiny tree frogs.

A couple of funny cats take an adventure in their own backyard. Does your cat have adventures in the back yard?

We scoured the web and compiled 79 of the funniest sex memes that have just the right amount of "dirty" and "sexy" to make them memorable.

There's a strange dichotomy of opinion when it comes to sheltering. We are told incessantly throughout the winter that our pets must be sheltered from the elements. We are warned on the verge of

Since having ducks onto the homestead we have come to enjoy them. Here are the top 10 reasons we will continue to keep ducks on the farm.

Black-capped Chickadee Baby

A couple of funny cats take an adventure in their own backyard. Does your cat have adventures in the back yard?

What is it that makes people so drawn to cute animals, even if they’re wild? It’s a natural emotional reaction, sometimes referred to as “Bambi Syndrome”,

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Sometimes domestic or wild rabbits are truly orphaned. This document is meant to help in that dire situation.

When April Britt, from Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S., heard a commotion in her backyard, she decided to investigate and was shocked by what she found.

You may think you are ready to raise backyard chickens. Books don't explain everything. Here are 10 things about raising chickens that may surprise you.

How I make $1,000 a month from just 15 chickens! It's possible to make money with chickens even if you only have a small flock. By choosing the right breeds for your area and marketing them correctly, you can make up to $250 a week from your flock.

WHITE AND BLACK PIPED CUSHIONS | BLACK AND WHITE STRIPE CUSHIONS Thank you for all of your kind words about the house refresh! We really couldn’t be more happy with what a little paint and fixture changing can do. I think I’ve saved the best transformation for last though with the back of the house. The paint made a huge difference in cleaning up the mixture of windows and our new decks from Lowe’s take the dated and tired space to a look that’s classic and timeless! You can see the beginning of the process here. It’s so wonderful to have a space we love to spend time in and are proud to invite others over to relax and have fun. One of the best decisions was to make the two lower decks one big deck. This not only looks better, but we actually use the space in between now. […]

PhD in some form of science. avid shipper. proud wife. complete nerd. co-founder of the Motherland: Fort Salem Research Institute, joined twitter b/c I have a death wish apparently @whythefrostnot

A couple of funny cats take an adventure in their own backyard. Does your cat have adventures in the back yard?

I get lots of questions about our flock. Here are a few highlights from my experience and why you need sheep on your homestead (in my humble opinion, natural).

Tetherball? I remember there was a Tetherball pole at my elementary school, Van Slyke, in Flint, Michigan and I would play it when the older kids where not hogging playing it. All I really remember…

If your chick has funky looking toes, it likely has a condition called curled toes. Curled toes in chickens are fairly easy to treat.

**The posts I write might contain affiliate links or be written in collaboration with businesses or brands. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.** It dawned on me as I looked in the mirror last Saturday that I had let myself slide…a lot. I have lots of excuses (none of them valid) about ... Read More about Fighting off Frumpy

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