Ya know it's a sad day when you're sitting around pondering the lineage of your rooster. But alas, here I am. Sitting around pondering the lineage of my rooster! Big Red is a big boy. I had thought he was a Rhode Island Red, but now I'm thinking maybe not. I'm trying to remember what chickens I bought last year and I'm coming up blank. I *think* we might have had some of those little Easter chicks... ya know... the cute colored ones that all grow up to be roosters. Big Red might have been one of those, in which case, he may not be the Rhode Island Red rooster mistake out of the batch of pullets I bought! Any guesses on what he might be? He's a real nice, mellow rooster. He's wearing out my hens backs though because of his size. poor girls!
5 comments:
Oh baby these chicks are soooo cute! I'm sure thay are not babies by now. Sorry to be so long in posting to your blog...which I think is wonderful! I'm sure you don't remember that we had a chicken pen when we lived up at the Lake house, I loved it...never ate them though. I received peacock babies in the mail, amazing how similar to chickens they look when they are babies. I love you sweetie! xoxoxo Mom
Oh poor baby!!! Is she afraid of the roosters now? As I said I never killed or ate any of my own birds but I remember when your Dad brought home a "road kill" free range wild turkey...talk about tough! Kinda gives a whole new meaning to free range. Hey but once they are in the pot a bird is a bird. I love all your critters baby. xoxoxo Mom
Hi Elizabeth,
I trust all is well with you, Kendal and the kids. I have really enjoyed your blog. Good job!
Question for you… have you seen any of the new kind of ant that’s taking Texas by storm (well, the estimate is a half-mile per year)? They bite but do not sting and apparently enjoy eating fire ants. Its nickname at this time is the “running ant” or sometimes the “Rasberry ant.” Officially, it is “paratrechina pubens.”
The little invaders are infesting Texas woodlands, yards and gardens. I found out about them by reading an article in today’s Toledo Blade. The Russians contacted the Johnson Space Center to see if everything was okay. Apparently the ants have nested in electrical rely boxes and caused shorting-out problems. The good old boys at Texas A&M are looking into fipronil and chlorfenapyr efficacy as control agents. Oh great… another dollop of the old “better living through chemistry” dogma.
Personally, I feel these ants must be an example of God’s wrath on Texas – the center of the known universe – for not preventing the California Supreme Court from overturning the voter-approved gay marriage ban. Honestly, have we nothing better to worry about then letting gays and lesbians marry?
Why can’t people see that same sex “domestic partnerships” do not and cannot threaten traditional man-woman marriages? I’m not saying you have to approve and bless the concept, but let them be. I look at the sincere, considerate and long term relationship my cousin Steve has with his man-partner, and realize most man-woman marriages would benefit from what those two share.
Hey, speaking of “better living through chemistry,” I’m reading my microbiology text in preparation for the upcoming semester and guess what I read? Recall if you will how you kids (mostly John and Thomas) would suffer minor episodes of your mother’s acne (mostly on your lower face, chin area). I would advise gently washing the area with soap to remove the oil (no scrubbing) and then a five minute soak in a clean sink with a mild solution of warm water and bleach. You guys thought I was nuts. Well, maybe I am nuts… but in this particular case – as indicated in my text -- scientists have confirmed that is the very best treatment for acne at this time.
Of course, the scientists continue to study propionibacterium acnes. They’ve sequenced the genome and discovered the acne bacterium is a single circular chromosome of 2.54 million base pairs with around 2,300 genes. Figure out how to disrupt any of that… and you’ve found a cure for acne. The teenagers of the world would love you (and pay big dollars) for just such a “cure.” Now that has got to be more important than a gay marriage ban! Ask your little chicks... they'll tell you!
Love,
Dad
Hi Elizabeth,
I heard today that the Texas Army National Guard will send four brigades to Iraq in the Spring, 2009. Back in 2005, when I was at An Nassiriyah, checking out one of our big ROWPU (Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit) units alongside the Euphrates River, Several HMMWVs (hummers) pulled up. I couldn’t believe my eyes!
The soldiers all had the 36th Brigade Texas “T” patch on their uniforms, and their vehicles all had Texas Lone Star flags flying proudly. I guess you just can’t keep Texans from partaking of the fun and games. Even though the brigade was no longer Airborne as it was when I was a 36th Airborne Pathfinder, It was good to see the old Texas “T” in the Dhi Qar neighborhood.
The Texans then and these soldiers going over in the Spring will be conducting base defense and route security. Such “babysitting” activities can be precarious, but they’re certainly different then what your little brother is doing. Thomas called last week and told me he had safely returned to FOB Loyalty and was linking up with his platoon. He was anxious to get back with his battle buddies and find out how things had been in Baghdad and in his platoon’s area of operations (Sadr City).
Elizabeth, your little brother is a brave soldier and a hero in every sense of the word. He is making sacrifices, enduring hardships and putting his life on the line for us. He is serving America in a mature, positive, constructive and decent way that belies his youthful 19 years. He has put away the playthings, idle pastimes and selfishness pursuits of his cohort in deference to service to country. In every way he honors us.
When he visited here (note: Photos are on the way!) during his all too short leave the end of April, we talked quite a bit about what he was doing in Iraq. He spends a lot of time patrolling dusty streets as an infantryman (a hummer gunner) at the tip of the spear. Unlike those in the military who will not serve in combat zones and even many of the troops in Iraq (i.e. The “fobbits”), he goes out each day – into combat -- and seeks the enemy. Although he didn’t complain, I knew from my own Iraqi experience that his tour of duty is intense. He is missing family and friends, but he is forging new friendships and familial ties with his battle buddies that will last the rest of his life. He telephones home frequently even if he doesn’t care much to write letters.
He’s five months into his 15 month deployment. His tour has tested him and will continue to do so in new and different ways. It is an inconsistent war. The coalition forces are ever evolving its campaign (U.S. forces are transitioning into the post-surge period at present, and tactics are changing). With General Petraeus rotating out, his replacement will certainly shake things up. Equipment and weapons are constantly being upgraded. Hummers are being replaced with MRAPs. Moqtada al Sadr’s insurgent criminals and thugs strategize as well, weaving and bobbing; working hard to stay ahead of the crush. The civilian population progresses along and tries to survive in the mix. Thomas is taking all this in… one day at a time. He continues to grow, mature and reflect upon the whole of it.
Sure, some soldiers went to Iraq with issues and some come back with problems, but Thomas is taking it all in. It won’t be a wasted 15-months mindlessly dodging IEDs and chasing bad guys through Baghdad slums. He is learning Arabic from his IA counterparts. He is expressing an interest in the Persian rugs he’s seeing everywhere. His eyes have been opened to a reality he never would have seen otherwise. Already, it is making him a better man.
Thomas cares about us and is sensitive to the impact his being in Iraq has on his family. I continue to reinforce in him that he deserves and will receive all of my love and all of my support. Both are unconditional. I will not question or doubt his decision to be there. Tears have their place and giving my son a manly hug is priceless to me. I held him when his head fit in the palm of my hand and his feet barely reached my elbow. He was so little and helpless. Now I feel little, helpless and insecure in my ability to continue my paternal desire to protect him. He knows how I feel and he knows that he will always be my little boy. I sent him off to war with advice Australian General Peter Costgrove gave me, “Tell your son to be courageous, but not silly. Tell him to take good care of his mates.” Good advice, advice he gave his own son, a young digger serving in Afghanistan.
Despite what some might say, the military is a worthwhile experience. Some days will be amazingly awesome and some will be horrible beyond belief… but all taken in context and rolled-up into a singular experience will be worthwhile. This is where the growing up, the maturity and the “new thinking” come from. He is learning to live with and make sense out of how decency and righteousness clash with senseless tragedy and malevolence. Thomas will see both extremes of the human condition. He’ll be a better man for it.
This brings us around to why the U.S. and Thomas are in Iraq. Some things are unknown and unknowable. Partial answers can be found on two levels. I am sure Thomas thinks about why he’s in Iraq each day on a personal level (WIIFM), and as a soldier with a duty to perform. We all look at anything we’re doing in the context of ourselves and within the framework of our obligations. What makes it tough to figure out is the aggression and mayhem involved. Thomas knows he’s one of the good guys. He knows his cause is noble. He clearly knows the “bad guys” are malevolent. With that personal perspective, the use of force, death and destruction become much more justifiable. The gains Thomas will help the Iraqis achieve are fragile, but he knows he’s on the right side.
HOOYAH!
Dad
Hi Elizabeth,
I would say your rooster is a Rhode Island Red. If his neck plumage picks up more golden brown, maybe he's a Golden Laced Wyandotte... but I doubt it. He's a Red!
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