Silver Laced Polish

Seriously. Seriously.  I so wish i could have one of these adorable girls in my flock. I would get nothing done. I would just watch it walking around, bumping into things, being adorable…. I would live a blissful, stress-free life….ahhhh. However. I have some serious meanies in my flock, who would take great joy in plucking her bald. So, she’s not for me, but…. i can dream.

Buff Orpington

I currently have a Buff in my  teeny flock, and i would definitely consider getting another one. She’s a great layer, will patiently sit on my lap and let me hug her, and fat and pretty. The only thing I don’t like about Buffy, is that she’s wormed her way to the top of the pecking order and can be a bit of a bully to my favorite, Polly. 

Rhode Island Red

So lovely, so velvetty, such good egg layers… definitely a contender!

Black Copper Marans

I just love these! and check out the chocolately brown eggs! I think she would be a nice addition to our flock.

Speckled Sussex!

Here’s contender #2. She’s so lovely- I’d love to see her in my backyard!

choosing a new chicken!

We’ll be adding some new cuties to our micro flock next year. We’ll be choosing them based on:

• cold hardiness (we live in New England)

• egg laying

• disposition

While researching, I’ve totally fallen in love with some of these breeds- whether they’re appropriate for us or not. I’ll be illustrating my faves as i work through who will be joining us!

Here’s lady #1:

light + tunnel

I’ve been so lucky to have been kept incredibly busy over the last 7 months. Between illustrating a number of books for publishers that I’ve always wanted to work with, and   doing book store appearances and accompanying food drives for local food pantries, and attending book shows and DIY book and comic shows like MOCCA and TCAF— I haven’t really had time for much else. Happily, because we homeschool, our kids were able to go with us to all of our events, either selling their own books at shows, or just getting to know a new city. And I won’t complain- I swear, we had a blast. The last book store we visited was the way way cool Librarie Drawn and Quarterly in Montreal, and we had an awesome turn out. Here are some pics from the event.

But now we put our suitcases away and  things will get quiet. We’ll get reacquainted with friends, chickens and weed the already unruly garden.  And soon start working on some new books, inspired by all the beautiful work we’ve seen, people we’ve met and places we’ve seen!

and another chicken!

Because drawing these is making my brain really, really happy.

ahhhh, chickens

I needed to take a short break from the books that I’m  illustrating. And inspired by seeing some illustrations by of one of my favorite artists, Garth Williams, at the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum thought it would be fun to practice my penwork.  Until seeing his beautiful sketches and inks of Fern and Wilbur up close, I hadn’t realized what a big influence his work has been on mine. And I so loved seeing his different versions of the Charlotte’s Web cover art. I’d love to see a book of his collected work and sketches. I would eat it up.

Chickens in the Snow

The first snowflakes fell tonight in New England and I went out to hang with the girls in their coop. It’s starting to get pretty cold. I can’t help but worry about them, in my kind of lame, new-chicken-owner way. I worry they get too cold, even though i selected winter hardy breeds. I sat on their hay bale and one by one tucked them into my wool coat and warmed them up. Tatty fell asleep, Buffy looked comfy, Polly escaped and flew on top of my head. Luna wanted none of it and flew away. I came to terms with the fact that they’re not my farm animals- not only do i not have a farm, I only have four. I worry about them like I worry about any other creature I’m besotted with. They’re my outside pets. And if my neighbors looked out their window, they would’ve seen my sitting inside my lit chicken coop, with one girl on my head, another two sticking out of my coat and would’ve heard me singing to them.  So be it. I’m the crazy chicken lady.