Posts tagged ‘chicken emperor’
Yes Oui Cannes!
Truth be told, after our little expedition to Saint-Tropez, we were tempted to remain cocooned in Terre Blanche until the money ran out, which, believe me, would not have taken very long! Ever slaves to the itinerary, though, we enjoyed one last latte on our sunny balcony and strapped ourselves in for the ride.
Our lovely balcony at the Four Seasons Terre Blanche in Provence
What morning coffee should always look like...
Hit the road, Jack.
We decided that the civilized thing to do was to drop by Cannes for lunch. And let me tell you, I believe I have waited my entire life to be able to form this sentence:
“Dear, don’t you think it would be just lovely to tarry in Cannes for lunch today?”
“Why, yes dear, let me get my ascot knotted just so and I’ll be ready to go.”
(Ascot, my a**, of course, but still, one can dream.)
The travel gods were with us on this beautiful day – the roads were wide and straight, our turns were never wrong and we easily found a parking place along the Cannes beachfront’s Promenade de la Croisette.
First order of business was to browse the local Saturday morning flea market. Fish knives, anyone?
We walked along La Croisette, where boutique after high-end boutique beckoned. Too bad about that Euro vs. the dollar thing…
However, if one cannot shop, one can always dine, and we enjoyed a lovely lunch on the terrace of the beautiful Hotel Carlton.
The grand hotels along La Croisette are a reminder of the draw of the famed Cannes Film festival. The loveliest of them all is the Carlton.
The Hotel Carlton dining terrace in Cannes
A far cry from the usual US salad
Ah, sole!
After lunch we crossed the street to walk along the waterfront, keeping an eye out for celebrities. Unfortunately, this was the only one I saw:
The Chicken Emperor of the Carribbean! (Polloamiga, this one's for you!)
And then, back to the car to head to our next – and final – vacation destination. More to come…
View from the waterfront at Cannes
Guess who rules the roost today!
Happy Father’s Day to the best dad and husband this chick has ever seen!
1977: he's been doing this a long time!
He's always looked good in a swimsuit!
And on a horse! Ride 'em, cowboy!
He took his kids on adventures! (But he should have passed on the soup, right, girls?)
And they've always known he's a great dad!
He followed the lead of his own parents: family comes first
And he said, "Sure, bring it on, let's have some more!" Baby Taylor, 1987
Happy to welcome Daniel in 1990
He juggled teens and toddlers (that was especially fun!)
He got them all through high school and into college (tuition x 4: ca-ching ca-ching!)
And he knew how to drive a hard bargain when necessary: car keys for grades!
He played "Body!!!!"
And when they're all grown up, he helps them move
He never missed a family photo op
He taught them to swim (Daniel, 1990)
...and never missed a swim meet
...Or a graduation
...or a birthday party!
He's sophisticated!
And a great businessman!
He's kind to animals
He loves his girls
...and his boys
And he takes such good care of his wife!
He is, above all, the Chicken Emperor extraordinaire!
Happy, happy Fathers Day to the best man I know. xoxoxoxoxoxo
Coop de grace
The CE has a reputation as a tough negotiator. His skills were honed by years of CEO-ness, before he title-waived the O and was elevated to the royal position of Chicken Emperor de Pollo Grande. He has wrestled mortgage rates to the ground – back in the late ’70′s when the going rate was headed above 14%, he managed to lock in a 10% rate, leaving the bank rep blinking and wondering whoa, what just happened. Maitre d’s have even been known to crumble before his powers; early in our relationship he dazzled me by somehow bypassing a half-block long line outside a popular restaurant and snagging us a coveted window seat.
HRH, the CE
They say that long-marrieds tend to absorb one another’s traits. Perhaps that is how I managed to accomplish my very own recent feat of negotiation, because yes, PolloPlayer readers, a new day has dawned in the Kingdom of Chickens: there WILL be a second coop.
Chez Poulet was barely completed before I saw that there would be a need down the line for Poulet Plus. Three chickens (R.I.P. dear Lily) does not quite a flock make and, as many of you know, I have designs on adding a few ladies to the dance card. It didn’t work out for this season, but all the better to have an extra year’s cushion – since hens lay prolifically only for two or three years maximum, it will be better to have that bit of space between our three girls and next wave of the work force.
Can't you see that four is a crowd?
The challenge is in what is called “flock integration”. Despite the fact that there is plenty of space, food and treats to go around, existing flocks are not known to be welcoming of new members. In extreme instances, the young ‘uns can actually be pecked to death if the transition isn’t handled just right. Thus the need for an auxiliary coop where, ideally, new pullets can be stashed safely at night and given some face time with their elders during the day until they are gradually accepted as bona fide flock members.
I started mumbled something about “a-s-econdcoop” last summer, which the CE did not even choose to dignify with a response. When I uttered the words more distinctly in the fall I only got as far as “a…second… -” before I was cut off with an “ABSOLUTELY NOT NO WAY DON’T EVEN MENTION IT”.
They're like potato chips...you just have to have another, and another and another...
But just as winter turns to spring and spring to summer, ice and attitudes melt away, and the other day, when I pointed out a nifty little spot where a small auxiliary coop could be built, the CE glanced to to spot and spoke the words I’ve so long awaited: “Hmmm, yes, I think that could work.”
Yes, I realize I should have asked for diamonds or a round-the-world cruise when he’s in that frame of mind, but the truth is, what I really want is just a few more chickens. For the moment, that is…
Thank you, Dear
It Just Gets Better and Better…
This is what happens when people have too much time on their hands…
"Do they still allow involuntary commitment?"
It Was A Very Good Year.
It was in July of 1946 that the bikini was introduced. In August, the NBA was formed. Ayn Rand began writing Atlas Shrugged in September. In October, Nazi leaders were sentenced at Nuremberg, and, of course, WWII hostilities were officially declared ended by President Truman that December. Quite a year.
But the very best thing that happened in 1946 was the birth of a certain destined-to-become Chicken Emperor baby boy in St. Paul, Minnesota on November 10.
Happy birthday, Dear!
Looking good at 63 - the chickens keep him young!
True Love.
You know how the world is made up of two different kinds of people? There are those who like the windows open (the CE) ; those who run around closing them (that would be Moi); those who are always planning the next trip (ahem, me, me, me!) and those who are tried-and-true homebodies (again, the CE), and those who are up at the crack of dawn (the CE) and those of us who are pretty sure nothing important happens before noon – me, guilty as charged.
The early bird may get the worm, but hey, it's still a WORM!
The truly interesting thing about this is that so very often, this more or less 50/50 division among the population of the planet manages to manifest itself within the microcosm of a marriage. Cat lovers marry dog lovers. Clean freaks marry clutter freaks. Hoarders marry purgers. Are we all in subconscious search of marital misery?
The CE and I are now twenty-nine years-plus into total commitment – until about 8 pm each evening, when all-out-war generally ensues over the television remote. Or until an important piece of mail disappears and the inevitable accusations arise: did he thoughtlessly throw it out or did I inadvertently misplace it? The world may be divided into two types of folks, but in our marriage there is one thing we agree on: we are both pretty sure we’re always right.
It keeps things interesting. And it also gives us a more or less continual opportunity to prove our love for the other despite our differences. For instance, this photo may not mean much to you, but it has true love written all over it for me:
You see, up until this morning, this board was eight inches longer. It serves as a bridge passage for the chickens between two counter tops inside the coop. It became quickly apparent to me that the board could be shortened so it didn’t impinge so much on the chickens’ space and so it would be easier for me to manage. Because of back problems, I have to rely on the CE for this and so many other chores, and I’ve asked, reminded, even nagged a bit about this one.
Yet this morning, out of nowhere, the CE not only noted my request but acknowledged that I’d been waiting a long time for him to comply. He dropped all the important work of the day – you can only imagine how busy an Emperor can be – and set off in search of a saw. The chickens thank him and I thank him. It reminds me that love is everywhere; you just need to know where to look. (And, dear, if you’re reading, I promise – the remote is all yours tonight.)
But definitely Donald. And a few “Disney princesses”.
I know, I know, I said we were done with NYC. But I just have to add this one photo. The Chicken Emperor was in the lobby of our new building one morning while we were back there, and who should walk in but The Donald himself. Clearly, he recognized royalty when he saw it (an emperor, after all!) and stopped to have his photo taken.
The Donald and apprentice?
Yesterday, Bernadette hosted friends Jeannie, Katherine and myself for the most lovely ladies’ luncheon. So very civilized! Much fun, and we plotted amongst ourselves as to what kind of trouble we might be able to conjure up together in the future. I can see the movie script already! G-rated, of course. Hint: the working title could be “Princesses of the Caribbean”.
The ladies who lunch
Was my invitation lost in the mail?
Another reason to have chickens.
According to a recent government report, a middle-income family with a child born in 2008 will spend $221,000 raising that child through age 17. That presumes an annual income of $57,000 and $99,000. Those with higher incomes will spend roughly $367,000 per child. Regardless of what the Chicken Emperor tells you about the cost of our coop, I think it’s safe to say our chickens are a bargain by comparison. Not to mention no Ivy League college tuition, which is not to say my chickens aren’t smart. They just plan on staying closer to home.
Autumn, the "smart" one, at 10 weeks
Autumn, the EE, is emerging as the brightest of the four, at least in terms of doing what I want her to do. She’s the first one to hop up the ladder for treats, and the most willing of the four to be held. There’s a temptation to apply the “doing-what-I-want-you-to-do” intelligence measurement more broadly, say, perhaps, even to the CE himself. How does he fare? Well, thank you for asking. Just the other day he did a full-up, soup-to-nuts coop clean-out, and then, in a little burst of chicken affection, he decided to rake out the pen and re-supply it with a whole new bed of soil and leaves with all the attendant insect entertainment value. The girls are quite pleased. Clearly, my chickens will never have to cross the road for a single thing.
My hero
Speaking of entertainment value, the CE saved a Very Special Announcement from today’s newspaper. Hark! Please note that at 7 pm on August 25, our local library will feature a screening of “Mad City Chickens” the highly-touted feature-length documentary on efforts in Madison, Wisconsin, that overturned laws prohibiting the keeping of chickens in that city. More information about the film can be found at http://www.tarazod.com/filmsmadchicks.html. The Mad City Chickens web site is at: http://www.madcitychickens.com/
Less entertaining is the continuing blanket of fog that has kept the chickens huddled in the coop for the last several days – well, weeks, at this point. Given that we’re hosting a wedding here tomorrow afternoon, I was horrified by the zero visibility yesterday evening. Even worse than the picture in the last post!
Sunny Santa Barbara?
Fortunately, there is a glimmer of sunshine out there right now, which bodes well for the happy couple tomorrow. Unless, of course, we get a torrent of ash rained down upon us from the La Brea fire between now and then. Fire and fog. Fog and fire…
Coop de foudre
A siren statue - I think she looks like Hope
Thus, the coop design includes a number of features aimed at thwarting wily raccoons and other predators, all of which, to date, are no-shows in the chicken yard. We’ve seen no signs of attempted breaking and entering, although this may just be a grace period while the raccoons plot their coop d’etat.
Front of the coop, built onto an existing concrete pad and between the existing columns to keep it low profile from neighbors and street view
First line of defense is the existing dog run
We covered this gate with hardware cloth when we noticed the cats easily slipping through the bars
The chicken pen features hardware cloth 3' above ground and 1' below ground
The windows are screened to deter would-be intruders
Thursday is our designated coop clean-out day and we realized our system is working so well that there wasn’t much to do this morning. I do a daily clean-up of the coop countertops after the chickens go outside in the morning and refresh their countertop water and food, but their larger feeder and waterers only need to be refilled weekly. As long as the coop is kept clean and dry, the chickens should stay healthy. I spot-replenish pine shavings daily, and in another week or so, we’ll do a thorough sweep-out and put all new shavings inside the coop.
The CE designed this sweepout for easy cleaning
And this one.
Electricity in the coop is a luxury, but one I'm very happy to have
And, of course, the CE thought of everything in terms of organization
One of the neatest, and most-discussed, features of the coop is the egg door. The Chicken Emperor balked at the idea, both because of construction expense and concern that every opening presents a possible avenue for predators to enter the coop. In the end, the egg door won out, and the CE installed latches on the outside AND inside of the door for added security.
Egg door
We'll put the nesting boxes on this counter when the girls are a bit older.
Every morning we open the chicken door, and the four girls go through the “chunnel” to start their day. They’re getting better at coming back inside at days’ end – one afternoon I came outside and all four had put themselves to bed all by themselves!
The oft-mentioned "chunnel"
The chicken door. We leave it open during the day so they can go back and forth between the coop and pen.
The chickens seem to be amenable to conducting at least part of their lives in a “townhouse”. Since bending over aggravates my back problems, we arranged the coop so that the girls spend much of their time up at my level.
The CE made "chicken ladders" so they can reach their "second floor walk-up". Note the hanging feeder and waterer.
It’s fun to discover a part of our property we’ve rarely used in all the years we’ve lived here. The eastern exposure is ideal for the chickens. It catches early morning and a bit of dappled afternoon light through the oak branches, but never gets overly warm. We planted some vines on the fence at the property line to help screen the area for the neighbors’ driveway adjacent to our property. The chickens make very little noise, so I don’t know if the neighbors have even noticed them yet.
Thunbergia alata, "Black-Eyed Susan Vine", growing like a weed, thanks to chicken fertilizer
This tile of St. Brigid, patron saint of poutry farmers, watches over the flock
Next project is to build a bench around this tree or put some plants in pots next to it
All is well in chickenland and the girls are now 9 weeks old!
End of day roosting time
The end of Long Island.
Literally and figuratively. Last day here; we’ll be heading to the West coast tomorrow. As a fitting final outing, Bobby took the Chicken Emperor and Thomas out to Montauk at the very tip of Long Island to see the lighthouse there.
Map of Montauk.
Thomas and Bobby at Montauk
Montauk lighthouse
After the Montauk field trip, the guys came back for some R & R in the pool.
Bobby and Thomas
Last supper at The Meeting House
Later, we had dinner at our new favorite restaurant in Amagansett. It’s called The Meeting House. Great place for families.
James celebrates Thomas' "real" birthday with cake
We’ve seen a pair of deer in the neighborhood all week; as we returned from dinner tonight, the doe stopped by to bid us farewell. Hope we can return and see her again next summer.
