HAPPY WEDNESDAY, HAPPY SEASON and HAPPY TO BE IN ALTADENA!

HALLOOOOO!!!  Happy 12/12/12!  It is so chilly this morning that I had to go put on socks with my sandals! Ahhh -- joys of  winter in California!  Speaking of CA -- this morning I would like to say how THANKFUL that I am for living in Altadena!!  We have such a funky, vibrant, opinionated, and artistic community and it is a beautiful place to live!!  I have been thinking lately about how lucky I am to live here.   

On Dec 1, Webster's Fine Stationers had their Holiday Open House and what fun that was! In the morning Lori and Scott served delicious Danish, coffee, tea and hot cider.  Local Artist Karen Bagnard was there in the morning with a holiday card debut that benefits Christmas Tree Lane.   Jabberwocky Jerk was there featuring their yummy locally made sauces.  LA in Stitches (that's me) was there all day with my line of original handmade knitwear.  In the afternoon, Lori put out a crudites tray with dips, and a tray of candy and cookies.  The afternoon welcomed live spoken word with Aldonia Bailey, and a beautiful spontaneous song performed by Amin El.  The evening featured more food with a delicious fruit and cheese platter and a hilarious book reading and signing with Margaret Finnegan, author of The Goddess Lounge (the main character hailing from Altadena).

   

This past Saturday was the Christmas Tree Lane Festival and Tree Lighting Ceremony.  Did you know that the Christmas Tree Lane Association is a 100% VOLUNTEER group?  Every year the lights that are enjoyed by thousands are put up and taken down by local volunteers.

It is also THE OLDEST electrified Christmas light exhibit in the United States.  They always need volunteers......so check them out. It was a wonderful community event with a craft/art fair, live music, caroling, a lighting countdown, marching band, food and free coffee and hot chocolate.

Every Wednesday at Loma Alta Park on Palm Street, from 4 -7 pm is the Altadena Farmer's Market . 

  And what a "foodie" delight it is.  This ain't your run of the mill farmer's market!!  Want grass fed beef, organic eggs, locally grown produce, exquisite olive oil, excellent jams and coffee?  Organizer Joseph Schulinder is putting Altadena on the culinary map!!  Check it out!! 

Have you been to our crazy cool Altadena Library?  I LOVE our library!  Rumor has it that there are "modernization" plans in the works -- and I hope they don't change a thing!!  It has the original 1967 architecture, design and decor.

I absolutely dig the cool globe lights and library tables and sunken reading area.  The lighting and feeling of being surrounded by nature is wonderful.  

The "Friends of the Altadena Library Association" sponsored a FANTASTIC holiday performance by the Mark Twain Middle School Ringers last night.  These kids are a group of very talented and dedicated musicians and students.  They performed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  They came to Altadena from West Hollywood to perform at our library and it was enthralling........and FREE for anyone who wanted to attend!

This coming Friday night – “Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise” -- will be this season's last Food Truck Friday of the year.  It is held in the Webster's Parking Lot and features an ever changing list of Food Trucks with delicious offerings.  There are lots of tables and chairs set up, encouraging chatting with friends, family and neighbors. 

This week Danny's Farm will be there with their petting zoo.  Webster's Community Pharmacy and Webster's Liquors will be offering 20% off ALL PURCHASES!!  Have you seen the fun cards and gifts at Webster's Community Pharmacy?  Check them out.  I will be at Webster's Fine Stationers again with my knitwear and we will debut a new line of Guy Wear, designed by my son Daron Anderson.

The local lights seem to be particularly lovely this year.  The commercial strip on Mariposa is charming – including Altadena Hardware – newly picked BUSINESS OF THE YEAR.  The tree shines brightly atop the Webster’s building.  Of course a drive up Christmas Tree Lane is a MUST – and a visit to “The Balian House”.  If you are driving up from Pasadena, try driving up El Molino.  There are great lights on many of Pasadena’s grand old houses – and it leads you directly up to Christmas Tree Lane.

Oh -- and by the way -- come by and see me some time at LA General Store Design Studio at 149 W. Altadena Drive!  I have a sewing and design studio where I make my knitwear and can design anything from swim wear to wedding dresses.  My son Daron Anderson has just added his design skills and will be working on new lines of men's wear.  I also do repairs, alterations and remake old items into new.  We are open by appointment -- so give us a call at 626-529-3386 or email at lageneralstore@hotmail.com.

We are small – yet can be mighty if we all work hard and  TOGETHER.  There is a lot that will be happening in the next year here in Altadena.  For updates and news make sure to check in with our TWO local blogs:

Altadenablog    (http://www.altadenablog.com/)

Altadena Patch    (http://altadena.patch.com/)

Also -- these are some of the local groups that you can be involved with:

Altadena Chamber of Commerce

Altadena Historical Society

Altadena Town Council

ACONA - Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations

Christmas Tree Lane Association

It takes a village to make a town -- and we have a great one!!

The Hurricane That Determined a Presidential Election

Hurricane Sandy has been called "Frankenstorm", another "Perfect Storm", the "Storm of the Century", but the one thing I haven't heard mentioned is how it will determine the outcome of the Presidential election. I discussed this with my three kids last night. This is a serious conundrum. We certainly DO have TROUBLE in River City, and New York City and thousands of other cities along the Eastern seaboard to the Midwest. 

We have had a Katrina like event, that affects states from N. Carolina to Maine. It has closed airports, subways, businesses and schools, all the way inland to OHIO. Last night, over 50 homes burned in Queens.  The US stock exchange was closed yesterday and will be today. Millions of homes are without power. It will take MONTHS to do the clean up.  Many states and cities are declared disaster areas...........and we have the most pivotal presidential election in years IN SEVEN DAYS FROM TODAY! 

Many communities will be without services for much longer than a week. Is it even possible to have an election? How many polling places have been compromised or destroyed? When people lose their homes and their cities have been seriously damaged, how can they be expected to vote? Who wants a president who is campaigning for votes under this situation? He is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't!! Half of the country has been critical and disrespectful of him -- but boy do we need him to be calm, collected and presidential in this time of need. 

No matter what your affiliation, I think it is safe to say that in no way can there now be an accurate vote. All of the millions spent on this will amount to naught and we will never know what might have been because Mother Nature -- that environment we keep messing with -- has ROARED in and made the decision, not caring if your state is "Red or Blue". It doesn't matter one whit what extreme measures are taken, no vote at this point will be representative of what it would have been a week ago. 

This may be one of the most pivotal and history making political situations of my lifetime. Our country is in a state of emergency, making us at our most vulnerable. Is this a time to change our leadership? Who wants "a new guy" with NO on the job training for the position, taking over in a crisis? The world looks to the US to assess its bearings -- IT IS WATCHING WITH BAITED BREATH.
What a difference a day makes! Get a bowl of popcorn and watch the movie -- it is going to be a thriller!

BELONGING AND BELIEVING

When I was a kid, my Dad always told me, “If you want to keep friends, don't discuss your views on religion or politics.”

This I have held to, and tried to keep my beliefs to myself -- for the most part.  But today, I tentatively threw my hat into my local political arena -- so to speak.  And I was censored for my opinions!!  HA!  Since that happened - I think I shall go ahead and make a comment about religion. Might as well,  I’m all ready batting 0 for 0!

I was raised in a combination fundamental/ecumenical religion.  I realize that statement is an oxymoron.....but it is, in this case, true.  We observed all of the Old Testament Holy Days, like in Judaism.  And we kept many of the kosher eating laws, except the pareve part of the law.  We kept seventh day Sabbath like Adventists, but ate meat and danced. We believed in Christ and his return to the earth accompanied by war, end times, and tribulation. So add in some Jehovah's Witness and rapture tenets for good measure! We learned scripture, the Ten Commandments and that Christ came to forgive us of our sins, but we didn't celebrate Christmas or Easter.  There were so many changes in doctrines over the years that there is now a splinter group for every differing opinion, and the original church -- once HUGE on the Pasadena scene with The Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador college has all but disappeared into hundreds of sub sects.

So I have observed from the sidelines with my bowl of popcorn, “watching the movie of life”. 

I have strong beliefs in right and wrong, honesty, personal integrity, loyalty and trustworthy-ness. There have been times that I missed "belonging" to something.  My older kids went to a Methodist sponsored pre-school.  When they got older and went to grade school, they showed interest in a kids group sponsored by a Baptist church, and I supported them.  When both of my girls expressed interest in going to a version of the church I grew up in a couple of times, I let them go.  I wanted a magic bullet -- something to latch on to, but never found it.

We are social creatures.  We interact; there is wisdom in the group.  Without it "social media" wouldn't be so popular today.

My parents were shining examples of church members.  They participated and volunteered far above and beyond what they needed to do. Now however, I feel badly for them in their old age, without the support of a group.  They never left it, but their church kind of left them.  When they were young, they looked after the elderly in our church, making sure they were okay and driving them to church and checking in on them.  I liked that about my folks, the way that they went above and beyond.  I wish they had that now.  I wish they had the love of a congregation too.

Having lived in California….. I HAVE SEEN IT ALL.  And while I haven't found a congregation, I have dabbled.  For a while it was the church of being free to be me, then the church of the PTA, and then the church of The Girl Scouts of America, and there was even a dalliance into the congregation of the local bar.........where lots of other lonely souls go to worship regularly. 

I have a friend who is Buddhist and I have gone to meetings with her.  The chanting is soothing and calming and, yes, transcendent.

I have friends involved in The Course in Miracles and one who is Daoist.  I have friends who are ministers and who have written books on spirituality and the joy that their beliefs have brought them.   One of my friends said to me recently, "Leslie, I would really like to see you involved in some sort of practice, something that you believe in and can commit to.  I think it would bring you the peace to fill that empty spot in you that causes such anxiety."  I appreciated her kind and insightful observation. 

I kind of envy those people who boast about HOW AWESOME their God is.  I wish I could have summa that!  And yet, there is still the hesitation.  I know that I don’t want to be atheist because they seem so ANGRY all of the time!  And sarcastic!  And furious with anyone who could be SO DUMB!  I also am too curious and passionate to be agnostic.  Am I, like Woody Allen, destined to always be questioning the meaning of life?  Is that why he married his step daughter?

I know that I am not alone in this state of uncertainty and angst.  Then there are the scriptures that live in my head, branded forever in my gray matter:

“Trust in the Lord, wait patiently for him, and he shall give thee thy hearts desires.”

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of men, the things that God has prepared for them that love him.”

“Ask, and ye shall receive.”

“…..if God so clothes the grass of the field, shall he not much more clothe you, oh ye of little faith?”

These and others float around my head constantly – “I got a million of ‘em”

All of this has been MUCH on my mind of late.  The last four years have been the HARDEST, most relentlessly financially desperate years of my life.  Starving for your art AIN’T all it is cracked up to be!! I have this cartoon that lives in my head of me as an old woman among a pile of amazing designer knit wear that no one has ever seen!  There is so much advice and so many meme's:

“Take it to God, turn it over to him”

“Be positive and grateful and you will attract positive energy towards you.”

“Work smarter -- not harder.”

“Turn it over to the universe, chant about it, the universe wants you to succeed.”

“Keep Calm and Carry On”

The words swirl around like a tornado in my brain!

The other night I woke up in such a state of confusion.  I had left the ION channel on (one of the only 3 channels that I get without cable – the other being ION Life and Qubo – whatever that is).  When they aren’t playing murder-y/detective/police shows or featuring the CUTLERY shopping network, they have preachers on!! I woke up to a man shouting – "GOD DOES NOT WANT YOU TO BE IN DEBT!!"

Whoa – that got my attention.  He went on to say that God doesn’t want us to be without and live in run down conditions – he wants us to prosper and do well.  I was taken aback and admittedly a bit dazed.  For a minute, I kind of thought it was a message for me – so I listened more intently.  He said that God wants us to reflect his love and live in the kind of houses that strangers want to stop and take pictures of – and maybe be a little envious of.  Then he got me when he said...............

“BECAUSE, YOU KNOW.......... 

YOU’RE NOBODY ‘TIL SOMEBODY HATES YOU!”

AAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!  I wanted to throw the nearest rotten tomato at the TV.  If that was my message from that preacher -- I want no part of his idea of God.

So, here I am tonight, back in my chair with all my angst and questions, and my bowl of popcorn, watching the movie of life.  Feel free to chime in if you want. 

ITALIAN Daydreams

One thing that I learned this year is that I absolutely HAVE to travel to Italy! I have been fortunate enough to travel to some of Europe, but never to Italy.  To quench my desire to visit there, I have been having my own Italian Film Festival -- I started with, of course, Under the Tuscan Sun.  Italy is as big a co-star of that movie as anyone.  The country should have been nominated for a best supporting actor award as it gave the most seductive performance!

   

Then I found the movie "Pane e tulipani" - a movie in Italian with subtitles about a beleaguered Italian woman who restarts her life in Venice.

 

Next, for a change of pace I watched "Three Coins in the Fountain" -which is a charming 60's era movie/travel log for Italy, the Trevi Fountain and all things Italian. 

   

Tonight I had a knitting project to finish and was looking for a movie to play in the background and found "The Good Woman" filmed entirely in Amalfi, Italy.  That alone was enough to convince me to watch it!  I liked the movie, but I LOVED the setting and the villas were amazing.

    

Now I am watching a made for TV movie called "A Secret Affair".  It is a pretty cheese-y romance novel/movie, but it begins and ends in Venice and that is good enough for me!

   

I don't know that I'll ever get to go, but I'll keep my hopes high!  In the meantime, let's hear it for Netflix........and ITALY!

 

FALLING IN LOVE WITH A MOVIE

Have you ever fallen in love with a film?  I am thrilled when that happens.  I got a gift this morning via Netflix; I fell in love with a movie.  I wasn't looking to fall in love, I didn't expect it -- but it happened anyway.  I found a small, simple, underrated, under promoted movie that I am falling in love with.  I use the term falling because after watching it once I am infatuated with the story, the writing, the acting, the actors, the music, and the subject matter. I am smitten and know that I will watch it again. The movie is "The Answer Man".

This is one of the most charming movies that I have seen in a long time. It was released in 2009, and didn't make a blip on my movie radar. However, Jeff Daniels is at his best and so is Lauren Graham and the rest of the cast. The story, the way it is directed, the lighting, the cinematography, the music and the characters are wonderful -- not to mention the subject matter of spirituality and cynicism in our world.

Kudos to John Hindman for his direction. I can't help but think that Mr. Hindman has been a student of Woody Allen's films. There is a sense of humor to the film, and a sense of angst, and a sense of searching for the answers that nearly all of Allen's films contain.  

The last time I felt like this was when I saw the movie "The Holiday". It is another one of my favorite enchanting movies -- you know the type, a movie that seems like visiting with a friend when you watch it.  These movies make you feel safe and happy after seeing them.  Here is a list of my Top Five:

1.  The Holiday

2.Hannah and Her Sisters

3.  Alice

4.  Singing in The Rain

5. Sleepless in Seattle

I enjoy good cinema of most types, but when I want the reassuring comfort of a movie that wraps its arms around me and gives me a hug, these are some of my favorites.  And, if you have Netflix, check out The Answer Man -- my new favorite. I would enjoy hearing from you if you watch this movie -- let me know what you think, and let me know if you have any films that give you the "warm fuzzies".  

Flower of the Day

HAPPY MAY DAY -- May 1, 2012
I was going to do a flower of the day, because tomorrow is always a new day and I have a wonderful collection of pictures of flowers.  But somehow life, school plays, "The Prom" and work took priority to my blogging.  Today is the first day of May, and we had nice surprise rain here in sunny CA. Any time we get rain after March here, it is like a special little gift from Mother Nature.  I think since today is a special day, I will post pictures of two different flowers!
The first photo is of a foxglove:

Digitalis purpurea

Did you know that:  The term digitalis is also used for drug preparations that contain cardiac glycosides, particularly one called digoxin, that are extracted from various plants of this genus.

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia

I hope that you enjoyed these lovely photos.  Remember to click on the photos to get the best view.  Enjoy!

Barbra Streisand and Me

One reason that I want to a blog is because I have so many interests, from chickens, couture dressmaking, and cooking to one of my earliest loves.......music.  It provides the soundtrack to our lives.  Recently I had a friend post a song on Facebook -- "Love Can Make You Happy" by Mercy.  The song had been off my radar for years.  I hadn't thought of it or heard it until the post, but as soon as I did, I could remember every word.  The words were written in my memory. It was like time travelling to the era that the song was popular, a different time in my life.  Nostalgia swept over me like a wave, bringing old memories to the surface and I smiled and reminisced.  It was nice.


Last Tuesday was Barbra Striesand's 70th birthday!  WHAT?  Wait a minute, I'm not ready for that......because she is only 11 years older than I am......and that means I'm not 35 any more.  A local television station ran her movies back to back.  I was working on a sewing project for a client and had them on in the background.  They were good company and reminded me of a different time in my life and in history.  I also remember when she first made a crease in my gray matter, it was in 1963.  I was ten and she was 21 and co hosting The Mike Douglas Show.  From the first time that I heard and saw her, I was riveted.  She was funny, frantic, bold and had her very own style vocally and with her clothes and makeup.  She was quirky, young and modern, while being serious and traditional.

I was immediately intrigued by her energy and her confidence.  You could see the beginnings of a star even then.  I was a party of one in my house, however when it came to La Streisand.

I grew up in a very musical household. My family sang with gusto! My Grandfather on my Dad's side had a big booming bass voice and sang in the East Glenville Methodist Church in Cleveland, OH.  He also sang bass in a local Barbershop Quartet.  My Mom's Dad was once a professional fiddle player.  That's "fiddle" not violin.  He was a travelling musician that played in a small band that traveled around Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio playing at church dances, socials, barn dances and weddings.  That's how he met my Grandma.  His band was playing in Uniontown, PA, where my Grandma's family ran a small inn.  The band was staying at their inn and he had an eye for my Grandma (she was 16 and he was 21), who thought he was cute but too old.  He waited five years until she was 21 until he came back.  By then she had learned to "chord" on the piano and they made music together!  I loved hearing my Grandma play hymns.  It was normal for us to gather around the piano and sing.

My parents knew each other from Church and singing in the church choir. My Mom was in "Rainbow Girls" and my Dad in "DeMolay" too, they both had vocal groups and my folks sang in those groups too, plus my Dad sang in school plays.  They got to know each other through singing together.  My Mom, in the meantime, had also taught herself to play the piano.  Music was in my childhood and always in my home.  My Dad eventually became the choir director of our local church choir and my Mom was the church accompanist.  You know you are from a musical family when your parents are having an argument over the time signature of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and solve it by hauling out the old metronome!

When they were dating in the late 40's, it was to the music of The Big Band era.  They were great dancers and known for bursting into dance routines in the kitchen.  My Mom used to say, "We're really not that good, we just make our mistakes at the same times."  I felt honored when I was good enough to jitterbug with my Dad.  The panorama of music that played in my house was everything from sacred music, to opera, to swing and standards.  And to my Mom's lullabies.  She sang them every night to us before we fell asleep when we were little.  They included: Somewhere Over The Rainbow, True Love, Over in Kirlarney, Playmate, I Love You a Bushel and a Peck, The Umbrella Song and more.  I sang them to my kids and my two grand kids too. 

My musical tastes began to differ with Barbra Streisand.  I was smitten with all things Barbra and became a lifelong fan, no matter the occasional teasing or mocking for my devotion.  My ex used to love to tease me about Yentl -- and notice the use of EX!  I have seen every one of her movies, who can forget her and Hubble in "The Way We Were"?  I played the soundtrack to "A Star is Born" until I not only knew every lyric, but also every vocal nuance.  

So here we are today.  She just turned seventy and I will soon be fifty nine.  Her music, her voice, her acting, directing, writing, style and design are part of the fabric of my life.  I would like to say, "thank you very much Ms. Streisand, and Happy Birthday!"  

As an additional treat, I am posting these recordings of Ms Streisand that were made at the Bon Soir Night Club in 1962, when she was 20.  They are EXTRAORDINARY!  They feature her in all of her young exuberance, humor, quirkiness and amazing vocal skills.  Her diction, enunciation and phrasing is shocking for one so young. I am over joyed to have found them.  Take the time to listen and let her be a part of the fiber of your life.  And remember--these were recorded LIVE, fifty years ago in a night club on TAPE!

 

Part One of Five

Part Two of Five

Part Three of Five

Part Four of Five

Part Five of Five

Too BIG FOR THEIR BRITCHES!

This is the third in my series about all things chicken-y, especially roosters.  As I mentioned, I have owned four roosters.  Unlike the hens they didn't live out their days at my place, and they all went to that great hen house in the sky before their time. One of the reasons that roosters crow is to announce their presence, and to announce their dominion over their territory and their hens.

Something I've learned from the school of life, is that no matter what, DON'T mess with a man's ego or as the kids call it now, their "swagger" or "swag".  Most of us have it in one way or another, that ego, that sense of self confidence.  It seems to me that it is more important to men that they have a strong, healthy ego.  There is nothing more attractive than confidence in a man.  It is sexy, plain and simple.  Try to imagine John Wayne, Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, or Robert Pattinson without their swagger.  Imagine them brow beaten and emasculated -- like a certain reality show husband with a lot of kids was a few years ago.  It is a sad, sad thing.  You may wonder why I am talking about this!?  I bring it up because there is no other animal that I have dealt with that has as much SWAG and EGO as the rooster.  The way they strut, and fluff their feathers and are always hyper vigilant is certain, consistent, comical and kinda lovable too.  There is a reason the word COCKY is what it is.  If you look up the definition of the word, it is:  "excessively proud of oneself: overconfident, arrogant, brash, swaggering, conceited, egotistical, cocksure, swollen-headed, vain, full of ones self" Those are the perfect words to describe roosters.  You can easily add in ornery and sneaky too!

Let's face it though, if you looked this good, you might be more than a little proud of yourself!  And prideful they are. Our first rooster, Elvis was a big mixed breed.  He was very tall, his head came up to my knee.  We had raised him from a peep, but once he "got down" with his bad self......no more Mr. Nice Guy.  Every time I, or my eldest daughter went in to feed them or gather eggs he started squawkin' and stalkin'!  You have to take them seriously because they have spurs. 

And they know how to use them!  You can have them "removed" but then how could they defend the honor of their ladies?  With Elvis, we devised our first "rooster stick"  It was a a piece of lath about 4 feet long.  Of course we never hit him with it, or poked him with it -- even though sorely provoked to do so.  We used it to herd him away from us, or the hens towards him, or to herd him into the hen house at night, or when we wanted to spend some quality time with the girls and feed them meal worms -- which they LOVED.  I only took my eye off him once, and DAD-GUM it -- he got me.  It was the day before Thanksgiving and I was distracted and in a hurry.  I didn't get my rooster stick and he spurred me right in the knee!  He left a hole and it hurt!  So if you see a rooster that looks like this, take heed.

You may wonder about my roosters early demises.  Elvis was beautiful and he took care of the chicken yard and we developed an uneasy detente over the years.  As he got older, I noticed that he developed the habit of flying to the top of the fence around his yard in order to taunt my cocker spaniels.  It was insane!  There were four of them and one of him, but that didn't phase him.  He would glare at them and crow as loud as he could.  They would go bonkers and bark and it only made him prouder of himself.  I should have known that it was a suicide mission between Elvis the Kamikaze rooster and the dogs -- but I was a novice.  One day while I was washing eggs in the kitchen the dogs started barking and he started crowing.  I looked out the kitchen window and shushed them, even telling old Elvis to scat.  Then it happened as if in slow motion.  He flew into the patio to attack the dogs!! I ran to come to his aid, and he tried to get me again!!  I got the dogs off of him and dumped him into the chicken yard, but alas the damage was done.  He was alive, but his comb and wattle were injured.  We cleaned him up and put him in a large dog crate with straw, water and food.  The next morning I was awakened by the silence.  He was still alive, but had lost his ability to crow and strut.  He sat there like a rooster with no mojo, a mere shadow of the once majestic bird named Elvis.  He lived one more day, and then died. I don't know what was injured more -- his physical self or his ego, but he taught me a lot.  About nature, and roosters, ego and about myself.  Next time I write about chickens, I will write about eggs, feed and whether you should let your small children around a rooster.  And as a teaser to that, look at this picture and start to form your own opinion!

This Buff Orpington Rooster is about the size of our Elvis!

Until then......oodles of toodles!

  

   

Flower of the Day - A Rose After the Rain

I was caught off guard today by rain.  I knew there was a storm coming in later this week, but the worst predicted for today was a 10% chance of rain and "partly cloudy."  About 3am, I heard my 14 year old cat, Rocky, meowing to come in.  When I let him in he was damp-ish and I could hear the rain falling gently outside.  It has rained lightly and misted all day.  I love this weather......especially as it is a treat here in California. I thought of a picture in my flower collection that will work perfectly for today.  It is another rose, the Rosomane Janon.  It is quite a hoity toity rose and even has its own web page!  It was created by two gentlemen, one from France -- Dominique Massad and one from New Zealand --  Jocelen Janon.
Website:  http://www.rosarosam-event.info/ 
They developed this rose and this is how they describe it:
'Rosomane Janon' is a rose with an average height, not taller than 1 meter, with a green matt foliage and is very resistant to diseases.It bears perfumed flowers with a cupped form, reminiscent of some Bourbon roses, which repeats through the season.The colour is a light yellow infused with green 'Chartreuse', tinting itself with a pink colour which becomes darker as the flower opens.

Click on the photo for the best view.

Enjoy and until tomorrow, I will say "Bon soir."

A Flower A Day...........from me to you.

I have always said that a lifetime isn't long enough to travel to all the places that I would like to travel, own the many different breeds of dogs that I would like to own, or to grow as many beautiful flowers as I would enjoy growing.  With this amazing tool, the internet, we have the opportunity to SEE many amazing and beautiful things.


I have been collecting what I think are exceptionally beautiful pictures of flowers.  So what better thing than to share one a day with you!  We all could use a little blast of beauty in our lives.....so take a minute to stop, and at least LOOK at the roses, or whatever flower I feature every day.  ENJOY!

Passion Pink Rose

COCKA-DOODLE-DOOOOOOOO

That means "Good morning" in rooster.  I have owned four roosters in my lifetime, they were:  Elvis, Banty, Turkey Lurkey, and Big Red.  I never planned to own any of them. They were all in my chicken yard a result of mistaken chicken sexing. Meaning I bought, or ordered peeps that were "guaranteed" to be all females.  To be fair, it is a difficult,  tedious job and I am sure that there are a few that are misdiagnosed in that process.  And that is why, all four times it happened, I became the unwitting owner of a rooster. 

You may now say, "But I only want hens and don't want the aggravation of a noisy rooster."  And I will say, "Don't own chickens!"  Raising animals of any kind is not a convenience, it is a lot of work that takes dedication and Mick said it best in the line "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need."

I say this because owning a rooster teaches you a lot about relationships, and about yourself. You may wonder how you will know if you have unwittingly become the owner of a rooster.  It will happen when the "peeps" get to be between 3 1/2 and 5 months of age.  It is chicken puberty and when their voices really change from that cute little peep-peep, to more chicken-y vocalizations like clucking and crowing.  One day you may wake up to odd noises that sound a bit like a quiet, "a-hem" -- like a little chicken clearing its throat.  You might even hear it during the day.  The chicks will all be "feathered out" at this point and starting to look a little gawky.  If this sounds familiar, it should because it is the chicken equivalent of humans being 11 - 13, or the canine "puppy uglies" (to be discussed at a later date).  The chicks are beginning to "find themselves".  In the days to follow, the roosters will continue to make many strange sounds, that range from coughing to strangulation.  This is normal.  Think of them as rooster vocal exercises, because they are warming up for the performance of a lifetime -- that will last a lifetime.

By the time they are six months old, the young roosters will fully have their crow on!  Much to the chagrin of you and your neighbors if you/they aren't ready for it.  Once I realized that I owned a rooster, I went to my neighbors and asked if they minded. They all said no -- as long as they could eventually get some free eggs.  The neighbor closest to my chicken yard grew up in an area where chickens ran free in their yard.  He said he found their noises comforting.  Another was from an area of Hawaii where chickens are everywhere, so she was "down" with it too.  So I was on my way to learning about being not only a chicken owner, but a rooster owner too. Now for the more technical -- but still interesting information about rooster crowing and chicken communication:

Most birds sing in some form or another, and crowing is the 'singing' of the rooster. Roosters crow for many reasons including: reacting to a disturbance, reacting to almost any kind of sound (cars, people, other roosters, other animals, etc.), guarding their territory, feeling threatened, if a predator is 'trespassing' on their territory, or just communicating with other chickens.  Roosters and chickens are usually most active in the morning, that is when people notice more crowing. But they can and often do crow 24 hours a day. Roosters crow at daylight because the change from dark to light encourages crowing.  If roosters are kept in a coop that is dark and you turn on a light inside, they will crow when their environment is changed by the light coming on. Often nightlights, floodlights, or other artificial lighting will throw off the animals natural rhythm, and he will crow when it is not daylight/dawn yet (keep this in might if you have motion sensors on your lights).  Light also affects hens, they don't lay eggs at night.  Dawn and the crowing of the rooster activates that response.  Sadly a tactic used by commercial poultry farms is to brightly light the hen houses to get the hens to lay more eggs, it stresses them to produce more eggs.

Almost all animals have daily cycles of activity known as “circadian rhythms.” A rooster crows because he has an internal clock that helps him anticipate sunrise. That way he knows when to begin his daily hunt for food and defense of his territory.  If one rooster in the neighbor has an internal clock that’s set a little early, he can stimulate other roosters to crow early too. The rooster’s sunrise song is a way of establishing his territory. When a rooster crows, he’s sending a signal to other roosters that if they trespass, they’re asking for a fight. A rooster will often crow from a vantage point above his territory so he can make others more aware of his presence and so that his songs travel farther. That's why the rooster is so often portrayed in art and cartoons as being perched on the top of a barn a coop or a fence post.

This has been only an introduction to the vast amount of poultry trivia that exists in my brain.  So as not to overwhelm, I will stop now.  I hope you find this informative and educational.  Next time I will discuss Rooster Ego, being "too big for their britches" and egg laying. See you then!