Story Time

I had some good sleep last night...just enough to make me realize how tired I was. But the chiropractor fixed Jasmine (there was a "spot" in her neck, making it uncomfortable to turn her head to the right, and also to sleep) so she (and I) should start getting sleep again. Hallelujah! I'm so thankful that Josh suggested that maybe it was something a chiropractor could help with, since nothing else we tried seemed to help.

Because I dreamed about Turkish food last night, and it's so sunny and hot right now, I've been reminiscing more than normal. So I thought I'd share a story with you about my time there...hopefully non-travellers will still find it interesting.

Until my first visit to Turkey in 1997, I had never been around roosters. Seriously. When we stayed at a hotel in a small village, there was a farm next door with a rooster. I had no idea they crowed all day. I thought they crowed once or twice in the morning, and then went on with their day.
Everyone who grew up on a farm, or who spent time with chickens is probably laughing at my ignorance, but I had no idea!

Fast-forward about 3 1/2 years. I have a music class in Istanbul, a city of 15-18 million (depending on how much of the outskirts you count). Ortakoy, the area I lived in, was right in the middle (orta=middle) but the school was in a quieter area, and there were families trying to keep their rural roots strong, I guess. Outside one of the apartments directly outside of my window, there was a family keeping a rooster. Who crowed. All. Day. Long. Even though it was heading to late spring and I would have liked my windows open, I had to keep them closed, or he would really distract my music class.

I tried to have fun with it, finding as many songs with roosters in them as I could. But it was pretty distracting.

Finally, one day I saw people out there, catching him. I didn't watch anything, but the crowing stopped.

I was thrilled! I sent an email to all the teachers: "ding dong, the rooster's dead!"

I heard back from one of them (with her room on the other side of the building, I might add, so she didn't hear him all the time): how could I be so cruel and want him dead???

Everyone else understood my joy. It wasn't that I wanted him dead, I just wanted him gone. I would have been just as glad if he had gone to a farm somewhere (though it would have been harder to find an appropriate song to tell them about it!)

*sigh* I guess there will always be people who don't understand.

I now smile whenever I think of a rooster and how distracting they are. :)


And two layouts from today:




Both can be found on TheDigiChick :)