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!

My Favorite GENIUS Ideas of This Week

Have you ever noticed how some people don't see things as trash but something to be re-purposed?  My Dad was that way, he would reuse discards and make the most clever things. I haven't come up with the dozens of ideas that he did, but I can definitely do it with clothing and jewelry.  Here are some ideas that I saw this week that are my favorites.

1. Now isn't this smart?  How many times have you needed a chip clip?  How many times have you tossed one of these hangers in the trash?  Here is the perfect solution!  Cut the clips off of the plastic pant or skirt hanger, and you have chip clips!

2.  This looks like your average four poster bed, doesn't it?  Oh no, it is a DINING TABLE turned upside down, put onto short wooden legs, with finials added to the bottoms of the table legs, and repainted.  Et voila --a four poster bed. This table was of a smallish size and fits a toddler or a large dog.  Find a larger table (maybe one with a leaf) and it could  be a larger bed.  If I were going to use the leaf idea, I think that I would first glue the leaf into place with wood glue.  Then I would purchase 2  1"x4" boards, at least 3" shorter on each end than the length of each side of the former table top. Then glue and screw the boards onto the length of the table.   This should stabilize the leaf section to the table, making a stronger bed base.   Then I would attach the new feet.  Can you imagine it painted white with a frilly canopy for a young girl?  My younger daughter would have been in heaven!  CLEVER!

3.Hose Holder!  It is a former tree branch nailed onto a fence and used as a hose holder!  SMARTY PANTS.

4.Punch holes into cupcake holders, insert straws and use to keep bugs out of drinks at a back yard picnic or BBQ.  I didn't think of it, but I know a good idea when I see it.  This would be especially good in those areas where there are yellow jackets and those other pesky flying varmints.

5.  Last, but definitely not least of this weeks favorite ideas.  Have you ever needed to fill a bucket, and only had a shallow sink?  Here is an excellent solution -- faucet, dustpan = bucket filled!

I will never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity of the human brain, and people's abilities to problem solve.  I will try to do this every Friday, maybe I'll call them Clever Friday Fixes. I would love to hear your comments and/or questions too, so leave them in the "comment" section and I will get back to you.

Glenbrook Farm's Herbs and Such

 Glenbrook Farm's Herbs and Such:

Today I learned about Glenbrook Farm's Herbs and Such, located in Campbellsville, Ky.

They are purveyors of spices, herbs, teas, salts, seeds and tinctures (I love that word).  If you go to their site, they have a section called "Herb Facts" where it states:

"Using herbs to promote health and well-being is not new. Every culture since time has used herbs and flowers for healing. For thousands of years plants have healed and continue to do so today.We have gathered together information on the medicinal properties and the various use of herbs. This encyclopedia is intended to inform and not suggested treatment.We will be adding more content every week, so please check back"  

 Our paprika with a 160 color rating , the highest you can get.

I noticed that they also sell the seeds from the Charentais Melon, the one that Cindy Crawford uses in her Ageless Beauty line.  Hmmm...maybe I will turn my front yard into a melon patch, grow the Charentais melons, eat them, and rub them all over my body to reverse the damage done!!!

I will order product today from them and keep you posted!!

'via Blog this'

Fun for the whole family!!

Look at this giant family flotation device!  It easily seats 7 people.  I was thinking that it would either be completely fun or completely NOT depending on the age/mood/sobriety of the people on it!  There certainly was a LOT of chatter about it on the internet and apparently the place to get it is at Costco.  One person posted that they have had some really good heart to heart family chats on it.  I guess there are some that have ice chests in them too.  Anyway.......pretty cool, don't you think?

'via Blog this'

Welcome to LESLIEpedia! Chickens 101

This is exciting!  I have a friend who calls me whenever she needs information about a variety of subjects from animals to cooking to gardening. I asked her one day why she didn't use the internet and she said, "Who needs it?  I have LesliePedia!"  So that is how the name of this blog came about.  You see, my brain is awash with thousands of bits of information.
  
I suppose that I have always been this way, interested and curious.  Not just in one or two subjects either. I find so many things fascinating. I can't imagine being bored, as there is always so much to do, or learn.  I am an idea person.  I was in business management and marketing for many years.  Now I have  a design studio, LA General Store Design Studio.  I get to let my creative brain roam free!  I love it when a customer comes in with a new challenge, whether it be for an elaborate costume or a wedding dress. My creative juices start flowing, and I never even wonder IF I will be able to create it.  I just start thinking about HOW I am going to do it. 


One day, after a customer placed a very intricate order at my studio, my assistant said, "How are you going to make that?"  I looked at him and smiled and said -- "I don't have the FAINTEST idea, and that is half of the fun right there!"  With the huge amount of information on the internet these days, you can find out nearly anything.  I will admit, however, that it can get overwhelming.  Trying to find out where information is can be quite daunting!


That is why I am starting this blog.  I find SO MANY things so very interesting that I have plenty to share with you in a manner that won't (hopefully) overwhelm you.   I will post a couple of things a day, or every couple of days, and sooner or later you will find a subject or two that might interest you too.  I also welcome questions.  What good is a Lesliepedia, if you can't ask questions?
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So today, let's talk about chickens!!  Have you ever owned a chicken?  I have owned many and LOVED it!  At one time I had a bit of a farm-let where I live in the unincorporated County of Los Angeles.  I was doing the whole "backyard chicken" thing long before it was trendy.  I only raised my hens for eggs, and couldn't have raised them for food!  They were my pets and I kept every one of 'em until they passed.  "Frenchie" was my favorite and the last to go at 12 years+. 

Hen Fact for Today: A hen lives an average of 5-7 years, but can live up to 20 years. She'll lay eggs her entire life, with production decreasing every year from year one. This hen is a Buff Orpington. Once my hens got to be 7 years old, they would only lay eggs in the spring....once they were over 10, they pretty much stopped......kinda like ME!! HA HA. My oldest was a Araucana, who lived to 14. I only raised them for eggs.....the idea of eating one of my lovely ladies -- horrors!

The chickens above are Rhode Island Reds. Did you know In their natural environment chickens are fastidiously clean and preen their feathers everyday?  These Reds are a solid size, beautiful with beautiful plumage. They don't compete with the Silky Chickens that are featured below however!  These chickens are showstoppers and bred more for their looks than anything else, but they are chickens and do lay eggs.  

I could go on and on about chickens and chicken trivia, but I hope not to overwhelm with too much information at one time.  Next time -- I'll blog about Roosters and the latest in modern chicken coops.  The day after that? Maybe gourmet cooking, or couture clothing design, or socializing puppies!!