painting rack

me and our rooster “Edward Ferris” at 7AM

When people ask me where I get my inspiration for artwork or songs, I usually answer with something generic like “I get inspired from everything around me” or “by what I think about or go through”. While these statements are all true, they might sound hollowed out. That is, until the “stuff I go through” actually happens. And that “stuff” can be anything from strange or thoughtful to funny or absurd.

The events this weekend (Headlines first):
1. I built a painting rack
2. I held a giant rooster and put him in the bathroom. I heared 2 roosters crowing in the house

1 The other day I decided to build a painting rack, kind of like a CD-shelf for canvases. It’s as big as I can get away with in my room. and there’s plenty of space for more paintings.
“Stuff”-category: practical accomplishment

2 Meanwhile, we’ve had some adventures with our chickens: My mom got chickens in summer and with this breed (giant Brahma) it’s almost impossible to tell their gender until they mature. Well, we found out a few weeks ago that two of the chickens were in fact roosters, and on Christmas Eve they decided to be old enough to crow. The saying “before the rooster crows” is suddenly filled with meaning!
We didn’t want to bother the neighbors, so we’ve been holding the roosters until sunrise for the last few days. And this morning they started so early and persistently that my mom carried them into the house at 6AM! She sat with them for a half hour, then I got up to help her. Finally, the birds were getting too hot and restless, so we locked them into the bathroom until 8:30AM. They were crowing in the bathroom, but you couldn’t hear it from outside.
My dad is taking them back to the farmer who sold them to us. We will, with luck, be able to buy some hens to replace them, but the farmer needs to breed more chicks first. It’s a shame because they are such beautiful birds! Moral of the incident: you can’t stop a rooster from crowing, you can’t change their nature.
“Stuff”-category: crazy, bizzare, worthy of a story someday