Polite Pig

Have you ever heard a guinea pig say "Thank you" when they've been handed a treat?  Pinniped has been making a quick little purr when I hand over certain green veggies or corn husks.  Usually it occurs just as she bites into it and hauls it away.  Realistically Pinni is probably saying "Hand the food over faster" or "Yay!  Food!" but it sounds like thanks to me.

She's not the first - I've had other guinea pigs do this.  Granted, I only get a thank you when I'm doling out the really good stuff.   Cannoli has yet to express any gratitude.

Summer Sacking

Summer is really here.  We've had several warm days over the last few weeks.  It has left me with a pair of very blobby pigs.  Indoors, outdoors, or on the floor, I often saw a pair of fuzzy puddles when I'd check in on them.

Cannoli has learned the art of sticking her feet out over the edge of the hammock in new and interesting ways.  (I think she may have outdone Pinni.)  Sadly, she leaps out of the hammock when I walk by.  The only photos I've gotten of her in the hammock or out in the open is if she's deeply asleep.  She was out cold when I snapped the photo of her under the hay rack.

The Guilty Party?

We came home from grocery shopping and found a broken hammock.  It was fine when we went out. 

I'd been anticipating this since Cannoli took an interest in the hammock cords and seams.  Upon close examination, it doesn't appear that the cord was cut; it looks like the seam gave way.  I guess it's possible after several years of use and washing, it just fell apart.


So - was it simply a matter of circumstance?  Or did one of these two pigs snip the seams?

And who do you think was the unfortunate pig that got dumped out of the hammock when the cord came loose?  I wish I had been home to witness that.

Sneak Peek

I've pulled out the Sculpey again.  Time to start working on this year's ornament.  I'm still figuring out the arrangement.  Here's a sneak peek at how it looks at this point.  (This way, if my sister does happen to read my blog, she'll still not know what the whole thing looks like.)  I love to show my progress, but you'll have to wait until Christmas to see the final result.

Any guesses as to what I have so far?

I'm linking up with Linky Tuesday.

A Bunch of Baking

Cheddar Onion Scones, Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Oatmeal Bread, GF Banana Bread

My friends and I had a Tea on Sunday.  Last Friday I had not yet decided on what I was making.  As I flipped through my recipe books I came across a number of Breakfast Club recipes.  Ah.  I haven't made many of these since our office closed.  I enjoyed baking for my coworkers.  I didn't realize how much I missed cooking for Breakfast Club.  So I dusted off a few favorites to make.

We had also polished off our last loaf of oatmeal bread and I had a few overripe bananas.  Altogether, that spells Baking Frenzy!

I baked some old favorites for the Tea:  cheddar onion scones and chocolate chip biscuits.  I also made some gluten/dairy free banana bread (since the scones and biscuits had loads of both).  The GF banana bread came out great.  I liked it better than the GF date bread I made earlier in the year.  This had good texture and everyone agreed it was delicious.  Alas, one of the mini loaves fell into a spot of flour on the counter when I removed it from the pan.  Oops.  I had to keep that one all to myself (you can see my big fat taste-test in the photo).

Knee Deep in Clover

We have several patches of clover in the yard.  This one is the girls' favorite.  Doesn't it look lovely?

Unfortunately they didn't get to enjoy it for long.  The mosquitoes had come out in force that evening.  Pinniped was willing to brave the annoying buzzing to get her share of clover.  Cannoli decided it was more than she was willing to endure and hid in the cozy.  Knowing that guinea pigs have such thick skin, we wondered if the mosquitoes could actually draw any blood.  However, in the time it took for me to take this shot, I decided it was time for all of us to go back inside.

We shall have to return another day!

Pigtails!

I had short hair as a kid.  Really short - it suited my tomboy attitude.  I didn't grow it out until I was in my 20s.  Now I'm a ponytail kind of girl; I can do a basic braid, but nothing fancy.  My friends rarely see me with my hair down, literally.

Yesterday was my semi-annual haircut to lop off three or four inches.  The hairdresser asked if I wanted it blow dried or braided.  Oh!  Braid it!  Then she gave me an unexpected choice:  one or two braids.  Two?  I could have two?  Yes, she told me.  Pigtails, just like a little kid.

And I felt like a little girl when she was done.  I even squeed when I got in the car.  Whee!  I've tried doing braids like this before, but they end up so wonky I pull them out.  These were cute.

Yeah, the little things in life make me happy.

Summer Husks

Dried husks and fresh husks

I know it's summer when the local grocery store puts out a bin for corn husks.  Oh, joy!  I get to look like a crazy person, diving into the bin for the husks.  Pinniped and Cannoli are so happy, and constantly wheek for more.  We love husks and silks!

Guinea pigs can eat the husks and the silks.  I feed them the inside husks, discarding the outer layers and the dark tips of the inside.  I don't know if these pieces have pesticide on them or not, so I cut them off.  If the corn is organic, I retain more of the husks.  Likewise, I cut off the dark portion of the silks.  Yes, guinea pigs can eat the silks!  Supposedly they're good for urinary health and my girls love them.  Hard to go wrong with that. 

From what I've read, dried husks are nutritionally similar to grass hay.  I dry whatever husks I can't stuff into my fridge.  Dried husks store quite well.  I've kept some for months (although it tends to get eaten rather rapidly).  I wrote about preparing corn husks about two years ago: Drying Corn Husks.

Ah, summer.  Lots of time outdoors on the grass and fresh corn husks for the taking.  What a great time of year for guinea pigs!