Today is Twinkydink and Edwina’s birthday. They’re eight!

Today is also my blog’s birthday. I started writing about my hens in this space seven years ago and I haven’t stopped. I’ve added a few more characters along the way – the Beast, the goat boys, the dogs, and others. I’ve written about my garden and the flowers in the woodland. I’ve kept it all focused on this small world in my small backyard. Some days I’ve put up two posts, and yet there’s a backlog of tales for the telling. I thank you all joining me on my travels here in my backyard.

I also thank you for your support. This website started out as a way for me to promote my published books.The economic reality of traditional publishing is that I am far from able to make a living at it, and in fact it hasn’t even paid for the cost of running the cams. Meanwhile, my blog and answering your queries have become a full-time job. It’s one that I love and want to continue to do. That’s why I finally put GoogleAds up on my web pages and have asked you to buy me a cup of coffee. You’ve responded! I celebrated by going to a bakery in Chinatown and buying this… teapot cake? coffee pot cake? Whatever!

Many of you noticed Steve’s baseball cap in this post. You asked for your own HenCam hats.

I’m pleased to announce that you can now purchase a high-quality baseball cap with the HenCam happy hen logo from Zazzle! Sorry, no goats included. However, Zazzle is running a Mother’s Day special, so from now until May 1 the price is only $16.96. Click through the HenCam Store to get a HenCam hat of your own.

Will the chick be this:

Blue Andalusian hen

or this?

Blue Andalusian rooster

I recently did a Skype visit to a classroom in Wisconsin from the Big Barn. Those students know my chickens! Yesterday, I got a packet of letters from them. By far the most popular hen to draw was Siouxsie. Here are a few of the portraits:

I think that these artists have captured Siouxsie’s spirit perfectly. Don’t you?

This one gives me the hankering to dye Siouxsie’s top knot pink!

To answer the letter writer’s question: I have written a book about Pip and Caper. I’m trying to find a publisher!

Children have a natural affinity for chickens, and visa versa. This is nothing new, as seen in this hundred year-old photograph. This is one of my favorite images in my collection. It didn’t make it into my book, Vintage Chicken Photographs: 30 Postcards because of its proportions, so I’m sharing it here.