Every once in a while I like to run a post that helps new readers find their way around my site. And so here is a Chickens in the Road Sampler platter for your browsing pleasure. If you’re new here, please enjoy all the fun and nonsense–and stick around! If you’ve been here for awhile, maybe you’ll find something you missed. And you don’t want to miss a thing!
You might want to start your sampling with The Slanted Little House–the story of how we left the padded comfort of suburbia to live in the wild and wonderful boonies of West Virginia in a 100-year-old farmhouse. And don’t miss What Nobody Tells You about Living in a 100-Year-Old Farmhouse Before You Move In.
Then read The Farmhouse Year in Review 2008, highlighting all our nonsense, mishaps, and occasional accomplishments in our first year on our own farm in our new farmhouse. (Updated to add: New! Read The Farmhouse Year in Review 2009.)
Get a taste of my wacky farm animal stories with Bedtime Story. See me read a very special recipe from a cookbook to my chickens. Did they ever start laying eggs then!
Find the full archive of all my ridiculous animal stories here. Goats who don’t want to be milked, attacking hummingbirds, lazy cats, shy ducks, adorable sheep, and a Giant Puppy! (Be sure to Meet Annabelle! Baby sheep in diapers!)
Next sink into my weird compulsion to track down, photograph, and make up stories about abandoned outhouses in the country. Start with On the 8th Day the Lord Said, Let There Be Separate Outhouses.
Read more outhouse stories as well as stories about our farm, the old farmhouse, people, and places in the full archive of my country living section.
Learn all about Making a Grapevine Wreath after that. (I shouldn’t even be allowed to attempt to make crafts.)
Check out my archive of country style stories here.
I love to bake! I especially love old-fashioned cooking. Try my Burnt Sugar Cake!
And see all my recipes here. I am an avid bread baker! Fall in love with homemade bread with my heritage recipe, Grandmother Bread.
I love gardening, too, but mostly as a spectator sport. See what happens when Obstacle Gardening includes hoeing….. I can’t hoe! I’m not worthy of the hoe!
Read all my garden nonsense here.
There’s also a very active community on the Chickens in the Road forum, packed full with welcoming, warm, funny people. C’mon! We’d love to see you there!
And if you got this far and still want to know more about me, check out this page for all the dirt.
CindyP says:
Good Morning, Suzanne!! Did you change the schedule on the upload? I was worried about your floods and your ice!! But it uploaded the same time as yesterday!! My coffee is gone :hissyfit: 😆 😆
On January 29, 2009 at 7:01 am
Nita in South Carolina says:
I think you have an excellent mix of all those elements. I love visiting because I never, ever know what’s going to pop up on any day!! I must say, though, I am quite partial to chickens doing Shakespeare. And I adore Clover.
On January 29, 2009 at 7:04 am
DeeBee says:
Congratulations on being “Best Kept Secret Weblog” finalist. I saw that yesterday and was thrilled for you. I guess you know who I’ll be voting for.
As for what I like on your blog, EVERYTHING! Keep up the good work(if you can call it that).
On January 29, 2009 at 7:05 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Cindy, no, I haven’t changed the schedule, but the posts didn’t get auto-scheduled the past couple days and I had to set them manually in the morning after I got up. Usually I have them set before I go to bed to go up automatically in the morning. Sorry about that!
On January 29, 2009 at 7:08 am
DragonLady says:
Suzanne: There’s nothing that I don’t love about your website. Thanks for the enjoyment everyday.
On January 29, 2009 at 7:09 am
Beth says:
:sun: I love it all Suzanne….and I love knowing when i make my cup of tea each morning that there will always be a new post waiting for me.
Blessings on your day!
BethAnn in very snowy cold Michigan
On January 29, 2009 at 7:18 am
midwestmom says:
I like cute animals, recipes, farm stories, tales about your kids, all of the above!
On January 29, 2009 at 7:25 am
IowaDeb says:
Everything you mentioned above Suzanne is what I like best.A mix of your life with plenty of humor and photos!
On January 29, 2009 at 7:42 am
Becky says:
C’mon, Suzanne. You can’t possibly expect me to narrow it down to one thing I like best?! I love the whole site. But I guess if I must, the critters are my favorite. But your writing makes the whole site interesting.
Your site has a down home feel we can all relate to.
On January 29, 2009 at 7:55 am
CindyP says:
I was just worried!! CIR keeps me in the know, first thing I do every morning!!
On January 29, 2009 at 8:11 am
Traci Best says:
I can’t get past the title…sounds like a plate of various recipes to use for chicken road kill! NO! I love your chickens! **Shudder!**
Traci 😉
On January 29, 2009 at 8:25 am
Beth Brown says:
:moo: I like everything about your website but if I have to pick, it would be the ‘life on the farm’ and the recipes. Ever since I found your blog about the grandmother bread, that’s the only kind of bread I make now!
Beth in PA
On January 29, 2009 at 8:32 am
The Jillybean says:
All of the pictures are great! I want to have a decent camera. I want to be able to take decent pictures. Is there hope? Not likely
On January 29, 2009 at 8:42 am
Robin G. says:
Great and important posts, but seriously, you need to add a direct link to Grandmother Bread. New readers aren’t properly indoctrinated until they’ve read about Grandmother Bread.
On January 29, 2009 at 8:42 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Thank you, Robin! Good idea. I edited the post just now to add it!
On January 29, 2009 at 8:51 am
kacey says:
Nice review of the blog! Such fun to remember all your stories. The Slanted Little House post still gets to me!
On January 29, 2009 at 9:15 am
Abiga/karen says:
I can’t think of which subject to write more about since they are all so great. I try most of your recipes, still haven’t tried that burnt sugar cake though, looks so yummy. I love the photos and the craft ideas. And personal stories make the blog more personal so they are good too so you have that covered. Hmmm outhouse stories, well noone can live without them so they are important too. Just keep going the way you are doing. Bless you!
On January 29, 2009 at 9:23 am
Nancy in Atlanta says:
Yep – love it all, especially the animal stories. I even like to read your recipe posts even though I don’t bake, don’t like to cook. I can at least dream that you might hand-deliver something to me!! Just keep the stories coming, please!!! :sun:
On January 29, 2009 at 9:29 am
Christine says:
I love the mix of it all. And I love the surprise of not knowing for sure what I’ll find when I get here.
On January 29, 2009 at 9:45 am
Rhian says:
I’m a brand new reader and already have plans to bake your Burnt Sugar cake. I’ve been reading some of your old posts today and have enjoyed myself hugely. You have a really lovely blog. 🙂
On January 29, 2009 at 10:39 am
Jackie says:
How fantastic! I’m a new reader– just added you to my feeder yesterday, so what a perfect post to start off my reading experience. Such an inspiring story =]
On January 29, 2009 at 10:45 am
kd (small caps) says:
There is not one thing I would change about your website. It’s a wonderful mix of all that goes on: goats, Giant Puppy, kids (human & goat), crafts, food!, scenery…leave it all and happily go on your way! :snoopy:
kd
On January 29, 2009 at 11:50 am
Patty says:
Thanks for the tour. I am fairly new and spent several hours yesterday reading this wonderful blog. I love everything I read adn can’t wait to find the post I missed!
On January 29, 2009 at 11:59 am
catslady says:
Wonderful recap and I’m happy to say I hadn’t missed a one :happyfeet:
On January 29, 2009 at 12:33 pm
SuzieQ says:
Your site is perfect as it is..I like not knowing what today’s bit will be…sort of like the anticipation of Christmas eve waiting for the next morning to open the gifts. Don’t change a thing..just MORE of everything! :chicken: :chicken:
On January 29, 2009 at 12:41 pm
shirley says:
Suzanne,the first thing I think about in the morning is coffee and Chickens In The Road.Some mornings, my Comcast modem blinks at me mockingly, enjoying the fact that it’s ruining my day :hissyfit:
I’ve called Comcast so many times, they know me and I know them by their first names!
Missed you yesterday, but I’m catching up.
My granddaughter asked me what the wooly worms predicted back in the fall.I know you blogged on wooly worms a while back, but I can’t find it. Can someone help?
What do I like best about your blog? The fact that you share your life with us every day and make us feel as if we could come and visit you and sit on your porch and eat pie and be welcome.
On January 29, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Ruth C says:
Suzanne,
I enjoy all of the topics you cover.
This morning while I was in the laundry area, I washed out a bucket I got from the Food Co-op and thought of your blog. I plan to use the bucket to make home-made detergent if I can find the ingredients.
Then I was in the kitchen and thought “Why don’t I make my own pancake mix instead of buying it?”. I use the whole grain kind and looked in your recipes and–sure enough–you have quick mix, and it even mentions whole wheat! I am thinking of adding buttermilk powder and possibly wheat germ…
I finally got my act in gear and subscribed to Google Reader, which makes it so much easier to follow blogs. No more clicking on each link, scattered throughout my long list of web favorites, only to find out there is nothing posted. Sometimes for weeks! When I go to the reader, I always save yours for last because it’s the best and you’re the most faithful. Thanks again!
Ruth
On January 29, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Susan says:
Suzanne, I love everything on your blog! If I was forced to pick the one topic that keeps me coming back it would be the people that have entered your life. :wave:
On January 29, 2009 at 1:30 pm
shirley says:
:snowman: Never mind. I found it. Oct.7,2008
On January 29, 2009 at 2:04 pm
anne says:
Suzanne,
Love,love, love your blog.
First place I go each morning after I check my email.
I like the recipes the best.
Love making Grandmother bread !
Keep up the good blog work !!!!
Anne
On January 29, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Estella says:
I love it all, Suzanne!
On January 29, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Amy says:
Thanks for the recap! Good luck in the Bloggies!
On January 29, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Lisa in California says:
I want to see more pictures of Annabelle. Dang, she’s cute! Is she going to get a friend to keep her company or will she hang out with the goats?
On January 29, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Jen R (aaron-n-jen.com) says:
I like the recipes. 🙂
On January 29, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Ulrike says:
I love reading all your posts, but the thing that originally hooked me was reading about your adventures with Clover. I read them all and emailed the links to my friends and then added your blog to my RSS feed thingy, and now you have one of my favorite blogs. (Cake Wrecks is the other.)
On January 29, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Brandy says:
I’ve been here a long while now and I love everything! *G*
On January 29, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Shelley says:
Like everyone – I love it all! I’m partial to Clover and Nutmeg! I miss Spartacus! :chicken: I love your mouth watering recipes. And now I’m thinking about taking that scary step and telling everyone on my blog about you (I already have you on my links.) It’s like this great secret that I have (well I did tell my friend and my mom and we discuss your posts all the time.) But I think I need to dedicate a whole blog post explaining why I’m addicted to Chickens in the Road and it is my #1 favorite. And the scary part – Because as soon as they come to visit you – they may never come back to my log cabin blog. I don’t know why I go back to my blog!
On January 29, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Linda says:
Suzanne
I love everything about your blog. You are just so good about inviting us in and making us a part of your life and the forum is like icing on the cake. Just keep up what you have been doing.
On January 29, 2009 at 5:58 pm
annbb/TSannie says:
Been there, voted for you, got my confirmation email, expect to return there on 3/16 and see that you’ve won. You really are most deserving, Ms. McMinn! :yes:
On January 29, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Jan @ Greensboro Daily Photo says:
Suzanne:
Thank goodness for blogs, digital cameras and social networks during times of being snowed in! What did those mountaineers do before?
We’re just getting started in the daily blogging process. How do you keep up with so much? At any rate, thank you and hope you have as much time to share with us in 2009.
On January 29, 2009 at 9:37 pm
tillie says:
the fact that you make me smile and most often laugh daily is my favorite thing about your blog! i love that you give a voice to all the animals. you have a gift…thank you for sharing that gift! :heart:
On January 30, 2009 at 9:37 pm
aunt bear says:
….you and the grandmother bread recipe are the reason I purchased yeast for the first time.You make it sound so good and easy. Hope the kneading part does’nt knock me out> Good luck with the bloggies.
On January 31, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Karen Wood says:
I heard the interview yesterday while driving to work. I logged in to your website and loved the rooster pictures. I had my office mates view also. I haven’t stopped talking about the interview and website. You sounded so calm who would have guessed you had to repeat anything. Great site, photos and stories.
On April 1, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Clara Floyd says:
You must be my twin – we are living identical lives – except I don’t have sheep – just got my first goat for my birthday and Mother’s Day. I have always lived on a farm and enjoy gardening, canning and home cooking. Also I love chickens – I always believed that their is something about dirty hands that is good for the soul.
Thanks for your Website/
Clara Floyd
On May 30, 2009 at 5:30 pm