The Martha Blog » My Pets http://www.themarthablog.com It's a blog about Martha Stewart and her daily adventures. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:04:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 en hourly 1 My doggies have some Halloween fun - read their blog! http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/my-doggies-have-some-halloween-fun-read-their-blog.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/my-doggies-have-some-halloween-fun-read-their-blog.html#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:10:35 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=3062 Have a look at what my doggies F&S wrote about Halloween, I think it is hysterical! Pay them a visit on their very own blog - The Daily Wag and leave them a comment.

Well, it's Halloween time once again and you all know how much Martha likes this holiday. We, Frenchies, also enjoy the festivities, but we must admit that we do get spooked. Even one of the new cats, Empress Tang, experienced a little hair-raising. Come and take a look and happy, spooky Halloween to you!

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1 I put on this witch's hat and many spooky things started going on around the farm...

2 It started when we came back from a long walk and found these horrors at the gate! - spiders and a green skeleton!

3 Relax Sharkey, there's nothing to worry about here.

4 You see? This is just fun Halloween stuff.

5 I can't wait for this evening when that candelabra will be glowing!

6 Laura Acuna, did a great job with all of the decorations.

7 Empress Tang wanted to visit the canaries in the brown room but was distracted by this spooky table.

8 Her eyes were drawn to the colorful little pumpkins.

9 She started sliding them around on the plate like it it was some big game.

10 Then she saw the spooky black cat and the human skull!

11 And then she screamed! What a scaredy cat.

12 We decided to go to the brown room ourselves to see what made Empress Tang scream so loud, when we came upon this spiderweb carpet from FLOR. It made us shake.

13 Things DID look kind terrifying in the brown room. Sharkey, this skull is REALLY kind of scary looking.

14 Ooooh - I have goosebumps!

15 Sharkey!! There is a big black spider on your head!

16 But Franny! You have the hand of a skeleton on your head!

17 Sharkey, what's going on here?

18 I can see why Empress Tang was scared of that cat - it looks so mean!

19 Franny, this IS kind of spooky - let's get out of here before it's too late!!

]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/my-doggies-have-some-halloween-fun-read-their-blog.html/feed 25 A new relationship with Age Group Ltd. and Petsmart! http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/a-new-relationship-with-age-group-ltd-and-petsmart.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/a-new-relationship-with-age-group-ltd-and-petsmart.html#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:02:13 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=3034 You may have heard in the media that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has entered into a relationship with Age Group Ltd. to manufacture, market and sell pet-care products, which will be sold through PetSmart, Inc., the largest specialty retailer of services and solutions for pets. The line will include a wide range of pet accessories, including apparel, collars, leashes, bedding, grooming supplies, toys and more. You can expect to see the first of these products sometime next year.

I have always loved having a lot of pets – dogs, cats and birds, and consider them members of my family. It's very important to me that domestic animals be well fed, well groomed and well cared for, and I have always prided myself on the good health and happiness of my pets. I look forward to working with Age Group and PetSmart to provide other pet owners with the types of Martha Stewart-designed products that will keep pets happy, safe and healthy. Enjoy these photos of my appearance on CNBC's Power Lunch talking about this development. My dogs, Francesca and Sharkey, accompanied me to the show and have blogged about it today, as well. What Martha Stewart pet-care products would you like to see on the shelves at Petsmart?

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1 Francesca and Sharkey were bathed and dressed very fashionably for their appearance on CNBC's Power Lunch.

2 Sharkey and Franny were drawn to the very colorful peacock logo.

3 Here are the girls anxiously on their way into the television studio.

4 Upon entering the building the Frenchies were dazzled by the sapphire-blue flooring.

5 They're always so happy to see Mary Curran, my hair and makeup artist.

6 Franny making friends with Karima Greene - producer of the segment

7 Apparently, Francesca thought she needed attention to hair and makeup - of course, I had already beautified her that morning.

8 The Frenchies are always so inquisitive about electronics, and this state-of-the art control room was no exception.

9 The dogs were very well-received by all employees at CNBC.

10 Bill Griffeth - co-host of Power Lunch - coming over to meet Sharkey and Francesca.

11 As usual, the dogs were very well-behaved on set.

12 Charles Koppelman - our chairman and I, being interviewed by Michelle Caruso-Cabrera - Power Lunch co-anchor

13 It's true, I am mad about pets!

14 It's an exciting outlook - 81% of pet-owners will increase pet care spending!

15 We also talked about some of our products which are current hot-sellers, such as our popular Halloween decorations and my newest book, Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home.

16 Dennis Kneale - Power Lunch co-anchor - CNBC Media and Technology Editor - paying up on a bet, made with Charles, that Francesca and Sharkey would not sit still on their podium during air time.


]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/a-new-relationship-with-age-group-ltd-and-petsmart.html/feed 39 An update on my honeybees http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/an-update-on-my-honeybees.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/an-update-on-my-honeybees.html#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:01:54 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=3018 In preparation for the cold winter ahead, Guy Hodges, my beekeeper, came to supplement each of my hives with a special pollen patty.  A pollen patty is a mixture of bee pollen, enzymes, and proteins, which the bees feed upon during periods of pollen shortage.  It helps to fatten up the worker bees, in hopes of keeping the hive active and healthy.

As Guy will attest, it's been a particularly bad season for honeybees.  Here in the Northeast, the spring was cold and wet, continuing into the summer.  Pollen was scarce for the bees to collect and consequently, there is no surplus honey to harvest.  Any honey made in my hives will remain there for the bees.  Guy tells me that he will harvest honey from only 10% of his 80 beehives.  It's imperative that the bees have plenty of honey in the hive because it takes one cell of honey and one cell of pollen to form one bee, and a queen will lay 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day!

Another problem, and one of twenty-seven afflictions of honeybees is the Varroa mite.  These tiny parasites suck the blood from both the adults and the developing brood, weakening those attacked.  When Guy opened my hives the other day, he discovered some of these nasty creatures, brought in by drifting worker and drone bees.  He will wait until spring to work on this problem.  Please enjoy this latest blogisode of the very complex world of honeybees.

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Also see my previous blog about my honeybees

]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/an-update-on-my-honeybees.html/feed 38 Moving my canaries http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/moving-my-canaries.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/moving-my-canaries.html#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=2972 My canaries have been living for several years in an amazing cage in a room that I call the 'bird room.' I designed this cage after one that came from France, built around 1900, probably to house doves or quails. As you can see, it is quite spacious and my canaries have been very happy. Last year, I decided to have another cage built, but with some modifications. One big improvement is a trough surrounding the bottom of the cage, which catches seed hulls, keeping the floor beneath much neater. The front of the trough is hinged and drops down for easy cleanup. I decided to give the birds entirely new surroundings and set up the new cage in my large 'brown room.'

Most of my birds are red factor canaries and I got my first ones eleven years ago from our pet expert, Marc Morrone. We were taping a Christmas special and Marc provided all the birds for a segment called The Twelve Days of Christmas. He brought four red canaries to represent the four calling birds and even trained them to fly and land on a wreath. Those four canaries stayed with me. Marc also acquired red factor canaries for me from a breeder in Belgium. The canaries were imported and quarantined and joined my brood. I really enjoy these birds and their singing adds so much to my home.

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1 My canaries have been living in this grand cage for several years and I wanted to give them a new home in a different room.

2 Named after its beautiful plumage, the Red Factor Canary is one of the most popular canaries.

3 As you can see, the inside of the cage provides ample space for exercise.

4 Carlos reaching in to catch a canary

5 One ready for transport

6 Now it's Laura's turn.

7 So very delicate - the Red Factor Canary was developed in the early 1900s by crossing a male red siskin with yellow canary.

8 Oops! This one managed to get away, but was soon safely caught.

9 Carlos and Laura have successfully captured all the canaries for transport to another room.

10 They look so beautiful in this sun beam.

11 A view from above - I count only 12 canaries - they better get busy and lay some eggs!

12 This is their new home being assembled in, what I call, the brown room.

13 New branches were cut from my fruit trees.

14 Gyurme mounts the branches inside the cage for the canaries to use as perches.

15 The canaries love hopping from branch to branch.

16 Laura attaches the feeders and calcium rich cuttlebone.

17 Many feeders for many birds

18 I love the way the canaries sound and look in the brown room and they seem very happy here. Notice the seed catch trough around the bottom of the cage? A very good idea.

]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/moving-my-canaries.html/feed 48 Introducing my new beautiful kittens http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/my-new-beautiful-kittens.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/my-new-beautiful-kittens.html#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:01:47 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=2966 About a month ago, two new kittens came into my life. These adorable dominant calico Persians were born on May 11th and exactly four months later, their breeder, Pam Rutan Dillmuth of Top Shelf Persians, topshelfpersians@aol.com delivered them to my home. I became aware of this breeder when my friend, Grace Coddington, the Creative Director of Vogue, used some of Pam's cats in a photo shoot for the magazine. These three-color calicos are extraordinarily beautiful creatures and Top Shelf Persians is well known in the world of cats. Empress Tang and Princess Peony have acclimated nicely to their new home and are so joyful, as only kittens can be.

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1 Here are my new kittens Empress Tang and Princess Peony.

2 Look at Pam's denim jacket! This spells serious cat lover!

3 Pam introducing one little beauty

4 And her sister - another beauty

5 Of course, Francesca and Sharkey were very curious to know what was in the cat carrier.

6 Lots of sniffing going on!

7 Bartok is a bit wary of new cat smells in the house.

8 Up in the craft room, Verdi approaches the carrier with caution.

9 Vivaldi tries to act as though nothing is happening.

10 Pam is having a tearful goodbye.

11 Empress Tang is hiding behind a stack of books in the craft foom

12 Princess Peony is very shy and came out of hiding for a brief moment.

13 I just love her facial markings!

14 Empress Tang is the bolder one of the two kittens and likes wandering around the house.

15 She is a very playful cat and likes a lot of attention.

16 Princess Peony enjoys snuggling in my bed.

17 She is so fluffy and soft.

18 Purrrrrr

19 Sweet dreams, Princess

Photos By Martha Stewart and Eliad Laskin

]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/10/my-new-beautiful-kittens.html/feed 122 New Chicks! http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/09/new-chicks.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/09/new-chicks.html#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:01:47 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=2938 As most of you know, I raise chickens, which lay delicious farm-fresh eggs. But chickens, just like everything else, eventually grow old and become less productive. Therefore, it's important to keep regenerating the chicken population by ordering new baby chicks. Because I prefer rare breeds, I get my chicks from Murray McMurray, the world's largest rare breed hatchery.  And if you visit their Web site, you can get a virtual tour of the hatchery. It's quite interesting.

This time, I ordered 20 Araucanas, 10 Buff Orpingtons, 6 Silver Laced Wyandotte's, 6 Buff Minorca's, 10 Single Comb Brown Leghorns, 10 Pearl-white Leghorns, and 6 Black Star. The invoice says that they're all female - let's hope so. The chicks are just one day old when they are packaged and shipped. Because they are so young and fragile, it's important to be well-prepared for their arrival. The coop must be ready and waiting for the little peepers. Come and have a look.

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1 This is how the chicks arrive at the post office - in a well-ventilated cardboard box. Chhiring went early in the morning to pick up the peeping parcel. This postal worker took good care of the special delivery.

2 The chicken coop was prepared in advance. The floor was lined with newspapers, the feeders readied with chick starter, the waterers filled, and the heat lamps on. The temperature should be 90 to 95 degrees for the first week.

3 The heat lamps cast a very warm glow.

4 The box is opened and the chicks are placed beneath the lamps to get nice and toasty.

5 If you could only hear how much noise these little chirpers make!

6 They look just like little fluffy Easter decorations.

7 Such beautiful markings on these little creatures.

8 The chicks are very thirsty when they arrive and giving them a taste of water right away helps them to find more water soon. Most baby bird loss is caused because the bird doesn't start to eat or drink.

9 In essence, Chhiring is the mother hen, teaching the chicks how to drink.

10 Once he is satisfied that the chicks can drink, Chhiring places them near the food.

11 The chicks are lined up on the feeders.

12 One by one - slowly, but surely

13 Each and every chick is given water and shown the food.

14 Unfortunately, not every chick will survive the journey and the few that perish are replaced by Murray McMurray.

15 It's amazing how fast the chicks adapt to their home as they dart about so quickly.

16 One week later, the chicks are doing beautifully.

17 This is a replacement chick for one that perished.

18 Their plumage is getting thicker and their markings, more pronounced.

19 So adorable

20 And so tiny

21 One day, little one - you will be laying eggs!

]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/09/new-chicks.html/feed 33 Beach combing in Maine this past weekend http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/08/beach-combing-in-maine-this-past-weekend.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/08/beach-combing-in-maine-this-past-weekend.html#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:01:09 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=2763 This past weekend, a nice group joined me at Skylands, my home in Maine.  We were busy with business meetings and also a television shoot for my upcoming season.  We were watching the weather reports intently, as Hurricane Bill was looming out at sea.  Being outdoors is a major part of visiting Acadia National Forest and we managed to have some great walks before inclement weather arrived.  Beach combing is great in Maine.

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1 Before Hurricane Bill arrived, a group of us went beach combing at the Seal Harbor beach. Here I am holding up a large piece of triple growth kelp.

2 Sharkey and Francesca always love the beach - even when it's windy and cool.

3 Here is Francesca foraging in the seaweed-covered beach. With the churning surf, so much seaweed had been washed ashore.

4 A little boy played with his truck - he reminded me of my nephew, Charlie, when he was small.

5 Franny looks so small against the pink granite rocks on the beach.

6 Sharkey looking out to sea - as though sensing a bad storm was imminent

7 Holding up another monstrous growth of kelp

8 Something smells good to the dogs - perhaps a mussel?

9 So much to see and smell - crabs, mussels, kelp, and other seaweeds

10 The dogs must be wondering why no one is in the water. People have been warned of the approaching storm.

11 What do you suppose Sharkey is digging for now?

12 Whatever it is, Francesca is interested in it also.

13 Oh doggies, it's just a gull feather from a gull friend.

14 Sharkey loves smelling this empty muscle shell.

15 The rest of the gang from New York City had just spotted us on the beach. - Lisa Wagner and Charles Koppelman

16 Hannah brought her dog to Maine, as well. It's a havanese!

17 James, Hannah, Kim, Mary, Lisa, Charles, and me

18 James and Hannah

19 I loved my seaweed so much that I carried it for a long time. It was so leathery.

20 A child was playing with these little trucks - or are they shoes?

]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/08/beach-combing-in-maine-this-past-weekend.html/feed 42 Helping the SPCA in Maine http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/07/helping-the-spca-in-maine.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/07/helping-the-spca-in-maine.html#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:01:28 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=2688 Our final destination of our road trip was to spend a few days at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine. After we said goodbye to Jill, who went off to visit her daughter at camp, Hannah, Barbara, and I found many fun and interesting things to do. One afternoon, we attended a fundraising event for the SPCA of Hancock County. Their plan is to raise enough funding to build a new state-of-the-art shelter, adoption center, and community education facility to provide a comfortable and caring temporary home for lost, stray, abused or abandoned animals in the region.

Beneath a tent on a bright and sunny day, there were many booths set up offering products and services to support this cause. It was there that I became aware of the Mount Desert Island Pet Food Pantry, which helps those in need with feeding their pets. There is a growing problem with many people who can no longer afford the cost of pet food and I wanted to contribute something to the pantry. My company has a partnership with Purina and feeding shelter animals and helping financially challenged families with pets is a top priority for both Purina and MSLO. I arranged to send the pantry coupons for 200 free bags of dog or cat food to provide some support for the animals in that area.

And remember that you can help, too! Just pledge to help out at a local animal shelter or help create awareness of shelter pets at www.bemyhero.com. When you do, Purina ONE will make a donation of $5 up to $500,000 towards pets in need. Francesca, Sharkey, and I have already pledged!

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Picture 1 of 31: Here I am under the tent at the SPCA event. Francesca and Sharkey were so excited to be there.
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]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/07/helping-the-spca-in-maine.html/feed 34 Be My Hero, my pledge for a most worthy cause http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/07/be-my-hero-my-pledge-for-a-most-worthy-cause.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/07/be-my-hero-my-pledge-for-a-most-worthy-cause.html#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:01:58 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=2640 I’d like to tell you about a campaign that we’re launching today with Nestle Purina PetCare, the primary sponsor of our pets channel on marthastewart.com. The “Be My Hero” campaign encourages people to make a pledge to help homeless animals by volunteering in a local shelter or adopting a pet in need of a home. To support this campaign, I pledge to do everything I can to raise awareness about animal adoption through shelters. Did you know that -

- Approximately five to seven million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year and approximately three to four million are euthanized due to a lack of space or resources to adequately care for them.

- Twenty five percent of dogs that enter local shelters are purebred.

-It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the US; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.

- Many strays are lost pets that were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.
The average cost of basic food, supplies, and medical care and training for a dog or cat is $775 annually.
(Source: ASPCA)

Over the years, I have adopted many of my cherished pets from shelters, including my cats Chigi-Toto, New Kitty, China Cat and Chow Chow Empress Wu. They have all been wonderful companions and there are countless others like them in need of home, particularly in the current economic downturn when many families can no longer afford to feed and care for their furry friends.

Please join me in this effort by visiting www.bemyhero.com. When you complete the volunteer questionnaire, Purina ONE will make a donation of $5 up to $500,000 to participating One Hope Network Shelters. I hope you will also consider opening your home (and your heart) to a dog or cat in need.

Be sure to visit our pets site on marthastewart.com/pets to see how my pets are volunteering to support this cause!

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Picture 1 of 11: My very first cat was Chiggi, who was adopted from a shelter.
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]]> http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/07/be-my-hero-my-pledge-for-a-most-worthy-cause.html/feed 35 Fascinating barn swallows at my house http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/06/fascinating-barn-swallows-at-my-house.html http://www.themarthablog.com/2009/06/fascinating-barn-swallows-at-my-house.html#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:01:04 +0000 Martha Stewart http://www.themarthablog.com/?p=2590 Last spring, I blogged about a pair of barn swallows that nested outside my front door. Apparently, barn swallows are quite happy living at my farm because many more nests have appeared this season. These birds prefer living in small colonies, building nests in close proximity to one another. They work together in protecting those nests from predators and they also work in unison hunting for insects.

I'm fascinated by their nests, which are constructed from mud pellets and grass, carried bit by bit in their bills. This year, I chose to document one of the nests built in my carport. I watched for several days while the structure was painstakingly pieced together. I waited anxiously while the parents lovingly incubated the eggs. And I was delighted when I finally heard chirping. Mother and father were kept busy for several days feeding their hatchlings and today, all that remains is an empty nest.

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Picture 1 of 13: This is one of several barn swallow nests around my property. As you can see, nest building is a time consuming process for these birds. They sometimes have to travel several hundred yards to a stream bank or other source of mud.
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Photos By Martha Stewart and Eliad Laskin

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