Friday, December 4, 2009

Pet Picture Day

I was thinking I really should make an effort to post again this week, and since every day is pretty much the same lately; computer, painting, laundry, cooking, driving to town and back again x2 or even 3, I decided that a pet update is always a good diversion from mind numbing sameness. Heh.

So a few months ago, I noticed that our little pumpkin was getting chewed up, and assumed it was some sort of critter that was getting at it at night. Then one day I noticed the chickens were crowded around it and well, duh! They had been pecking at it and we all had a good laugh about it after we realized that carving pumpkins would not be necessary this year:


They didn't bother with the big pumpkin until they had decimated the small one. Now I wish I had charted their progress on it, it has been pretty interesting to see how much pecking they can do in a day.


I am liking these big gaping holes that they have fashioned in our home grown pumpkin:

Nice form, don't you think?

The flock seems to be doing pretty well since our rooster died, and it seems that this scrawny old hen is the replacement 'rooster':
I see her rounding everyone up, clucking behind the stragglers and she is the last one to go into the coop every night. She is always very talkative with me and comes rushing up to me everytime I come outside. No attacking, just chit chat. Still miss the rooster's crow each morning though........

The weather here has been so mild that the dogs are still spending a lot of time outside each day and I got this shot of the dogs just as the sun was hitting the porch the afternoon:



Mr. Wilson is about 2 1/2 now, but it seems like he will forever be a puppy. Even though he only weighs about 4lbs, he is brave enough to pick a fight with any or all of the cats, who each weigh about 15lbs. Mr. Wilson pesters them, they smack him, he whimpers, then starts it all over again. Silly pup.

The cats are just cats. Fat, sleepy, hissy with each other and did I say lazy? I can't get them to do anything around here (although they are good at keeping track of all my shipping supplies):

They do like to find all the sunny spots:
warm places (this chair is next to the fireplace):
and guess who is coming to dinner?

So there you go, folks. Pet update, another post in the can, oh and a gratuitous image of a painting that I just finished for the upcoming show in Williamstown.
Turning At The Edge, 2009, Oil on Birch Panel, 18x24

And PS. Keep an eye out for my Happy Birthday To Me post this Sunday, k?

13 comments:

Charlie said...

Great shots. Love the cat draped over the sofa and what awesome dogs. PS - Diggin' the cool country kitchen table.

Cheryl McCarley said...

Hehe, love your pumpkin carvers!
My cat seems to find the same spots, funny...Love the new painting, very calming.

Ann K. said...

I love how cats take over households, even putting the dogs in their place. But that hen might even rival the cats!

No surprise, the painting is beautiful.

meno said...

Your cat looks remarkably like mine. Big brown tabby.

Or, as he reminds me often, he's NOT fat, he's big-boned!

Anonymous said...

Ah...Tracy, Tracy, Tracy, you're always fun to hear from.

Those gorgeous colours in the new painting are spectacular. And, those 'chicks' give a whole new meaning to 'hen pecked'. Sorry. Haha.

Love the pet pics. I have 2 dogs and 5 cats - all found - of my own. It's a big, full, house.

Jala Pfaff said...

Fun post and beautiful painting.

Cate Rose said...

Your cats are beautiful, Tracy!

erika allison said...

You know what they say about dogs n' cats - dogs have masters; cats have staff!

Tracy Helgeson said...

Thanks Charlie. We have mixed feeling about the table; love how it looks but it have huge cracks on the surface between the planks and I am certain that is where all the food goes;)

Cheryl, thanks and we a very proud of our chickens;) The cats, however, are not terribly original, are they? hehe.

I know Ann, our cats totally think they are in charge;)

Meno, hehe, and my cats also insist that they don't really eat that much;)

Thanks Anon, I am using some darker colors and really like the shift in palette. And you have no idea about that hen, she was one of a pair (the other one died) that we used to call the 'peckers'. They used to walk around and peck at everything, the other hens, the walls, the wire fence, everything.

Thanks Jala!

Thanks Connie. We actually have four, three of them are from the same litter and all look pretty much the same. The other one is totally camera shy, I don't think I have ever gotten a picture of her.

Erika, so true!

Anonymous said...

We had an extremely odd hen, a good egg layer, who thought she was a rooster (she would try to crow)!

Robin

Shanster said...

oh I love the animal post... they have a special place in me heat them animals do...

lunardancer said...

Your pictures and your words said it all. I find it uncanny that the chickens had pecked out two circular holes on either side like two eye sockets. It is like they are trying to make it into a jack-o-lantern head or something similar to that.

l'alia-du said...

maravillosa pintura, me encanta tu obra, un saludo