Feathered Friend Friday

Welcome to our series "Feathered Friend Friday." Every Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, videos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.     

To get you ready for Valentine's Day next week, I thought I'd dedicate today's FFF to one of the cutest couples on our homestead.

These are two of the guineas that we hatched last July (go here for more on that). After they were old enough to be let out to free range, we noticed these two were quite fond of one another. They were often away from the other guineas doing their own thing. Over time, they have become so loyal to each other and are always together, no matter if they are foraging for food in the woods or roosting in a tree for the night.

Guinea fowl tend to be monogamous, with the hen choosing her mate and sticking with him for life. How sweet is that? Maybe this is so sweet to me because that's basically what I did. I started dating David in high school when I was only 16 years old and he was my first and only boyfriend I've ever had. I can't believe I got it right on the first try! I feel so lucky and blessed that we found each other so young.

But back to the guineas! I snapped a shot of them looking like they were kissing, so I just had to do this -

Aren't they just the cutest? I love watching them together. I hope my little lovebirds help to get you in the Valentine's Day spirit :)

Do you have any special couples in your life or on your homestead?

~Tammy

Shared with Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, Weekly Top Shot, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Rurality Blog Hop, Down Home Blog Hop   

Thrift Store Finds

Over the weekend we went to a nearby town to run a few errands. There is a thrift store in town that I've seen before and always wanted to check out, but we usually just keep driving. This time, I decided we would stop and see what the store had to offer. I'm so glad we did, because we found some cool items and got some incredible deals!

There was a lot of junk at the store, but we managed to find some diamonds in the rough. The first thing to catch my eye was a pitchfork. We've been on the lookout for one for a while now to help mix things around in our compost bin, but all the new ones I've seen are $25 or more and I didn't want to spend that much. This pitchfork didn't have a price tag, so we asked the guy who was selling it and he said it was only $3! It's in good working condition, so we snagged it.

I continued on to the kitchen section (my favorite part) so I could look for things to use in my food photos. I saw a couple of neat items and couldn't believe the prices - a white enamelware platter for $2, and a cute porcelain bowl for $2. Such a steal! You can see the enamelware platter in a photo in my last post :)

A really cool old soda crate caught our attention the most out of all the items in the store. No price on it either, so we found the guy selling it and he said he'd take $8. I was floored! Then he brought out another crate he had in the back. He said we could have this one for $8 as well and he even threw in all the soda bottles in the crate for free.

All in all, we were only out $23 for this shopping spree. I'd say we got some bargains! Few things I love more than a good deal. You can bet that the next time we're in town, we'll stop at this thrift store again - no more drive-bys!

~Tammy

Shared with Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop 

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

Sometimes I get very specific cravings. Usually chocolate plays a major role, but Saturday night I was craving something quite different. I was in the mood to bake a cake, but I didn't want it to be too sweet. I remembered some olive oil muffins that I had made in the past and searched online to see if there was a cake version. I came across this recipe for a rosemary olive oil cake and I was intrigued. I still have some rosemary hanging on in the garden, so I thought this would be a great recipe to try.

Oh my goodness, the cake was so delicious. The olive oil gave it a rich, fruity taste and the rosemary added such an interesting depth of flavor. Definitely not a sweet cake, but sweet enough so you know you are actually eating cake after all.

David and I devoured a couple pieces fresh out of the oven that night, then had some again for breakfast the next morning. It paired really well with a strong cup of coffee and made the perfect breakfast. It's even better sprinkled with a little powdered sugar and slivered almonds. David prefers a bit of honey on the side.

If you're in the mood for an interesting cake, give it a try! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Go here for the full recipe.

~Tammy

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Feathered Friend Friday

If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time now, you know that I love to take photos of my chickens. Heck, I even started this series because of it! Most of the time I photograph them doing something I think is funny or particularly note-worthy, but every once in a while I like to take portraits of them.

Cam is usually always willing to pose. Whenever he sees me in his face with my camera, he freezes and just stares straight at the lens. He makes my job a lot easier!

The hens, on the other hand, don't like to stay still for very long. I usually have to compensate with a fast shutter speed and quick clicking; sometimes I get lucky and capture clear shots.

 

I love how Wikipedia describes portraits - "A portrait is an artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person." I think portraits definitely convey the mood and personality of the subject - be it human or animal. The intimacy and honesty in portraits can be so raw and touching.

What about you? Do you like to take portraits of your animals?

~Tammy

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