My Blog's History

Dune jumping on vacation when I was 8.

Four years ago I decided to start a blog, after all my sister and mother had one. Why shouldn't I, a boy of eight? So I started, well my mother did and within a few days I had my first post. It was carefully typed, along with the 23 other posts I made before 2009, by the loving hands of my mother. She was my official typist before I learned how to type. For the first few weeks I posted daily, and then weekly, later monthly, finally never. “The Young Naturalist” dwindled into obscurity.

Me, with my kitten David, when I was 8...

My sister's blog had a slightly prolonged version of my blog's fate. So, three years later when she started a new blog, her old one was all but forgotten. Her new blog, “A Child's Privilege” was very nice. It encouraged me to re-try Blogger. I flew right onto the job. I called it many names starting with 'Fins Feathers and Fur,” and finally settling on “Heavenly Light Photography”.

About 2 months ago I decided to freshen-up “The Young Naturalist” as a blog about my life, and here you are reading it. I hope you find it interesting.

A Double Yolk Egg

The double yolk egg is in the front

 A few days ago my brown Araucana hen, Elsie, started laying eggs.  This morning when I went to the coop to let the chickens out, I found a giant light green egg.  This was the 6th egg she had laid.

The brown egg is a smal-sizedl Barred Rock Egg.  The middle egg is the normal sized Araucana egg.  The egg on the right is the double-size, double-yolk Araucaca egg.

 I brought it in to show my mother and sister.  They were amazed.  My sister commented that it might be a double yolked egg. 

Ready to crack.

Mother said I could open it and see what was inside. 

A double-yoke grin.

To my great surprise and delight, I found two yolks inside one shell.

The two yolks up close.

Later we opened the brown in the photo above to compare the yolk sizes.  The yolk of the brown egg was only slightly smaller the two yolks from the giant egg.

The Chickens

In this photo I am holding Magnificent, the Buff Brahman.  He was very hard to catch.  Photo by Araya

I'm a boy who lives on a one acre farm.  I love photography, chickens and gardening.  This blog is all about the person behind the person camera at Heavenly Light Photography.

Magnificent and Elsie pecking at some delicious sunflower seeds.

Chickens.

I have 7 hens and 4 roosters divided among five breeds.  I have 2 Barred Rocks, Henrietta, and Josephine; 2 Cuckoo Marans, John (the head Roo), and Lynae (the lowest ranking hen); 2 Buff Brahmans, Magnifficant (the largest Roo) and Cluck Cluck (my favorite hen); 2 Araucana, Elianna (with puffy white cheeks) and Elsie (named after the lady who gave them to me;) and 3 assorted breeds of Bantums, Tobin (a black, very cocky Roo), Sweet Song (hen) and Licorice (rooster) (they are only about 3 months old and are very tame.  I got them the day they hatched.)

John, the Cuckoo Maran (grey and white) and Magnificant (the Buff Brahman)

Sweet Song (orange and black) and Licorice (black and white)

Sweet Song

John, about to peck the ground before he tries to spur me.  That's what he always does.  He thinks he is in charge, but he's wrong.  I'm the head Roo.

Sweet Song and Licorice out exploring, looking for delicious grubs.

New Blog

Please visit my new blog, Fins Feathers, and Fur, at http://finsfeathersandfur.blogspot.com/.

Thanks!

Toad-A-Lee Bumputy

We went on a camping trip in Idaho, and I found a toad under a brick. I had to convince my mother that we should keep him and she finally agreed. We took him home and put him in a cage. I fed him a worm. I tried to feed him a fly, but toads can't climb like frogs, so he couldn't get a fly. The fly prefers the ceiling of the cage. He likes worms very well. They are very tasty things according to him. I named him Toad-A-Lee Bumputy, because he has bumps all over him.

My friend that was with us when we went camping, likes him. She likes all kinds of animals too. She took care of him when we went on a trip.

Toads are fun to play with. They are very funny creatures. This morning when I was trying to feed him, he didn't want to get off of my fingers. He has a very strong grip. He has claws that are somewhat sharp. He decided that he liked my hand much better then where I fed him. I finally made him get off. Then I fed him some mealy worms and put him back in the cage. You can buy mealy worms at the pet store. You can raise them yourself. They will turn into beetles, lay eggs, and then you will have more mealy worms. Toad-A-Lee Bumputy likes meal worms. Sometimes when he eats them he sticks out his tongue and tastes them first before eating them. I think he is afraid their stale. I would do the same thing if I were him.

CeCe Does Have Kittens!

I'm sorry I haven't written for a while. So I thought I should catch you up on what you missed.

Newborn David, my kitten

On April 30 CeCe had kittens. We were sitting and doing schoolwork when CeCe sat on Araya's lap. She started to cry. Mama thought that she might be in labor. We put a protective sheet and towel on the couch, and she had her kittens there.

CeCe to the Rescue of her starving kittens

As days went by they got bigger and bigger and bigger still yet. Then they got as big as their mother, and they kept growing. Now they are bigger then their mother. There were five kittens. One was called Samuel. We gave him to our friend Rachel. One was named Jonathon. We gave him to a boy named Mathew. But he got ran over. One was named Abigal. She was cute. She was Calico colored. We gave her to another family. One is named David. He's the longhaired tabby one. One is named Goliath, and he is the short haired tabby. We gave all the kittens away except David and Goliath. David is my kitten and Goliath is my sister's kitten.

CeCe havinig fun with her kittens

Recess time for the kittens

Even though their names are David and Goliath, I've never seen Davy pick up a stone and put it in a sling and try to hit Goliath. But they do like to play with each other. We named Goliath, Goliath, because he was the biggest kitten the batch. We David, David, because he was the smallest kitten in the batch. But now they are about the same size. Davy looks bigger though, because he is long haired. I don't know, maybe we should have named David, Goliath and Goliath, David. But I think their names fit.

The two giants Goliath and David

David, just after he slew the Philistine giant, Goliath, and the ladies sang, "Saul has slain his thousands and Davy his ten thousands."
And his fugitive life began.

I'm Going to Get a Betta Fish!

I'm going to get a betta fish! I town just put in a new Pet Co. We've been to it several times. I has the most lovely betta fish. I bet you've never seen a prettier fish.

Betta fish live in Thailand. They can live in rice patties and canals.

Betta Names

I'll just name a few bettas: half moon betta, crown tail betta or double tail betta. They all come in different colors. Each color has a name such iridescent half moon, and steel blue half moon. Half moons are my favorite betta. Crown tails are nice too. They use the same color names too, such as turquoise crown tail.

People farm bettas in Thailand and in other countries. Another name for betta is the Siamese Fighting Fish. In Siam, which is the old name for Thailand, they used to make them fight for people to watch. The males fight. If you put a mirror up to a bettas cage the male will flare up and possibly attack the mirror. If you have two males in a tank they will fight and one will die.

Fish that are ok to put with bettas

About the only fish that are ok to put with bettas are platies and mollies and slow moving tetras. Guppies aren't ok, and neither are goldfish. Goldfish are natural enemies of betta fish. They will fight to the death.

I can't wait to go to the pet store and get a betta. It will be so much fun.