Pumpkin doesn’t see very well, so I planted her a whole row of mustard greens, her favorite, so she can actually get some into her silly face.

Three of my six week old foster kittens doing some foot wrestling.

So funny I’d read your comment while this is happening to my feet.

Pumpkin is a Rhode Island Red hen who is quite farsighted. She likes to be carried around the yard so I’m holding her while I water my veggies.

“I don’t care what you’re doing, I need UP.” Pumpkin will peck the back of my knees if I don’t pick her up right away. #chickens

A speckled Sussex hen in a strawberry patch.

Isn’t she pretty? Specks is helping me weed the strawberry patch this morning. She RUNS anytime she hears me pick up a shovel. And she does this sweet running commentary that I have to assume is speculation about what kind and how many bugs we might find together. #chickens

Black and white bantam hen with a sleepy expression.

Black and white bantam hen with her eyes closed.

Wednesday is sooo cute when she’s sleepy. #bantams #chickens

Then there’s my special girl, Pumpkin. She likes to eat dirt. #chickens

Basically there are two types of picky #chickens the Renfields (bug eaters) and the fruitarians. Georgie here can be bought with a handful of gooseberries.

Chickens definitely have food preferences. Our speckled Sussex is here ignoring the breakfast of corn, blueberries, and kale I brought them in favor of a frozen worm. #chickens

Wednesday is the black and white bantam on the left, and Enid is the root beer colored beauty on the right.

True to character, Enid loves Wednesday and Wednesday is like, “Meh, you’re okay I guess.” #chickens

Bantam hens,one has buried her head in her sister’s feathers.

Red bantam hen cozied up to the tail of another hen.

Enid, she’s…not great with boundaries. #chickens

A fluffy white Great Pyrenees underneath a sky full of fluffy clouds.

My Pyr is a shapeshifter. Sometimes a sheep, sometimes a bear, sometimes a cloud who fell to earth.

One month old chick with black feathers, holding up her foot to look at it. She’s perched on my arm.

My girl Wednesday was about a month old when she discovered her feet. #chickens

I think I can speak for everyone here in west #Michigan when I say, don’t mind us; we are drunk on sunshine.

Red bantam rooster, bent forward to indicate he is ready for a challenge. His feet are very fluffy.

This is Darcy. He has dueled with many formidable ankles.

Black feathered copper maran hen in the garden bed.

Raven is the most enthusiastic garden helper. She understands the assignment, whether it’s weed control or pest control. If there’s no rooster around, this boss lady CROWS.

This is a copper maran hen, with black feathers and bright red waddles and comb. She’s looking straight into the camera. She also has a bit of straw on her beak that she would not let me remove.

Lady Raven does not appreciate when I take photos of other chickens. Like all my chickens, she experiences jealousy AND envy. #chickens are smarter and have deeper emotional lives than we’ve been led to believe.

This resonates so much! My tiny roosters LOVE the big girls 🥰😆

Six young bantam chicks, cuddled up in my lap.

One year ago today I got this ‘bantam assortment’ in the mail. Only a few days old, they already had big personalities. #chickens

Small hen poking her head out from my hair, where she likes to hide.

This is my girl Wednesday. I asked but she says no you can’t sit with us. #chickens

“Is that a cam-er-a?”

Three bantam hens enjoying my lap and the sunshine

These are my lap chickens. If I could sit forever the cuddle bug in the middle would never leave.

Pickle looks after 11 hens but he LOVES his girl Sunflower ❤️

A Crele game hen, a type of mini chicken with her feathers fluffed out from preening.

This banty hen might look like a Christmas ornament, but she has the soul of a pirate.

Here’s a small fact.

The Latin name for red coloring was ‘minium.'

The corresponding verb meaning "to color with minium" was ‘miniare.’

It was later broadened to mean “decorate a manuscript.”

'Miniatura,’ was used to refer to the adding of illustrations to a manuscript.

Wild birds making quite the racket before sunset last night. Mostly chickadees and cardinals.

Bantam hen cuddles

Sometimes it’s cold and you need to warm up your comb in mama’s flannel.

A Rhode Island Red in a fancy hat.

Nobody dresses up to fly anymore.