Hamster Loaf, Zickefoose Underwear

These social networking sites, I dunno. You can get kinda wrapped up in 'em. Like last night, I posted a photo of my HamLoaf, which is a meatloaf shaped like a hamster. Before cooking, it has a distinctly fetal quality, which several of my Facebook friends pointed out. I can assure you that it is much more appetizing when nicely browned. My little family can demolish an entire HamLoaf in a sitting, with only a little fighting over the crispy feet and tail. 40 comments came in about HamLoaf, including requests for the recipe (there is none; I just throw stuff together). Yeah, Facebook can be fun.

Social networking aside, I ask you: Why not sculpt your meatloaf? It's right up there with stopping to smell the flowers or to notice the dropping on the trail, in my book. Everything is there, waiting to be sculpted, smelt, identified, and it's all good, all free for the taking.

Moving along that train of thought, we all wear underwear, so why not have amusing underwear? Even better, why not own amusing underwear sporting anatomically accurate Zickefoose art?

In my career as a freelance illustrator, I've painted band logos on drumheads, Jersey cows on milk cans, bird feeders on packaging. I've done dozens of wildlife t-shirt designs, horse portraits, dog portraits, cat portraits; I've even done art for two marble headstones. I've done several kickin' tattoos which are walking around on live human beings. Nothing is off limits when you're trying to feed your family and pay the mortgage with art. And, like the flowers and the meatloaf and the dropping, all those experiences were good for me, all grist for the mill. I've enjoyed every minute of it, although the headstone gig did get a little weird.

So when Bill of the Birds asked me to help make real his idea, which had aged for about 15 years, of designing bird boxers, I jumped on that like butter on a pancake. Behold:


Need help with the joke? I thought you might.

They're kind of subtle.


This is my husband's humor, what makes living with him special, each and every day. (Thanks to Anne Taussig for invaluable design and production guidance.)

Christmas is roaring up. These boxers would make the perfect surprise gift for your husband or boyfriend, who lurks on my blog but never comments. Lurky lurk lurk.

Or for you. Yes, you! (I know this is primarily a chickblog; I'm not kidding myself.)

I like to wear boxers while gardening on really hot days. They're like super-comfy short shorts. And it's easy to sprint for the side door when you hear the Fed-Ex truck rumbling up the driveway.

So. They come in M, L, XL and XXL. And you can order them HERE.

I know I cannot have the hamsters, but I fervently hope they will give me a piece of HamLoaf. I know the difference. I cannot eat hamsters, but I can eat HamLoaf. Right, Mether?

Right, Chet Baker. But not too much, because there are onions in it.