Agrarian colloquialisms (or “farm sayings”)... we've all heard them:
"You're such a chicken!"
"He's just henpecked."
"Don't disturb the pecking order."
"Make hay while the sun shines."
"Cocky as a rooster..."
“As snug as a bug in a rug.”
"You would've thought she was having a cow!"
Have you ever seen an animal have a cow? I have; in fact, I've pulled a few of those 50 lb creatures out of the back ends of my Jerseys when they got too tired to push. Sometimes, as they're birthing that gigantic mass, yeah, they let loose and "have a cow" over it.
Poor things!
Living in an agrarian environment, I frequently think about these near endless sayings. They were lost on me as a young person in the city, but here in the chicken yard it's a whole other world.
We've had roosters, at times, that were just plain "squirrely", (see, there goes another one). They would wait until your back was turned, strut up behind you and attack while you weren’t looking, then run off all helter-skelter before you could kick them across the yard. What most people don't know is that it's only a few obnoxious breeds that behave this way.
I tend to go with the quieter varieties. The hens are content and happy and the roosters are pure "gentlemen"!
Right now, my Resident Rooster is "Babe, a giant ball of smoke colored plumage known as a Blue Cochin. The feathers grow all the way down his legs to his toes and when he struts around, he looks like a big rolling ball of fluff. He is also SO Gentle and kind. He will never eat if the hens are around until they had their fill. He chases off anything that will bother the girls, always clucking around them as if to ask whether there was something more he could do to make their lives comfortable.
My most gentlemanly rooster of all time was a Light Brahma named "Leopold" (after the story of "Kate and Leopold"). He was awesome and amazing, going into the nests and tamping down the fresh hay to make it more comfortable for the hens. He would then cluck to them, encouraging them to come, try out their new beds. Once on the hay, he would coo to them some more, as if singing little songs and they would fluff up and cluck back. It was just cute!
Once they were comfortably settled, he would head off to see who else in the flock he could help. It was fun to just sit in the hen house and watch him work his way around, helping all the ladies to be comfortable. It reminded me of a story Kirk used to tell about his grandpa. He said that he used to always take the smallest piece of chicken and then pass the plate around to everyone else. Gentlemen!
I love those gentle roosters! They are perfect examples of chivalry. However, you never hear someone say: He was as chivalrous as a rooster! In fact, if you did, you might get punched for someone thinking you were flinging an insult their way.
Another one I really like is: “Make hay while the sun shines”.
I never understood this saying until buying a hay farm. I had no idea that the hay, once cut, shouldn't get rained on. Oh, it happens every now and then, mainly because the hay needs to be cut at practically the rainiest time of year… but it's only really fit for the cows if it does. If it gets a good rain after it's been cut and then baled, the summer sun begins to bake the bale and, soon, the mold grows inside. That mold can kill a horse, but the cows don't seem to mind it at all.
"Filthy rodents."
Have you ever wondered why rodents are called filthy? Have you ever watched them. They like to get into everything from an available bread drawer to a barrel of corn. Once inside, they "mark their territory" by peeing on the food. Deeesgusting! Yep, filthy!
How about "according to the pecking order"? In every hen house, she who has the sharpest beak wins. Of course, that usually also amounts to the largest beak… but not always. Occasionally, those "gentler breeds" I mentioned before are a bit faint hearted to boot and a younger, scrappier hen will push her around. Overall, they really are gentle animals though... loyal and sweet. They eat our bugs and as a thank you, they lay an egg for us each day. Who couldn’t love such an animal.
Then there are the "Dog Days of Summer". I saw this recently on a poster for an activity in May and had to laugh. The dog days of summer happen around August, when it's hot and muggy and even the dogs don't want to do anything except lie around in the shade, panting and looking forward to the fall.
It goes further than that though. It may be hot, but you can't swim in the lakes anymore because they've become stagnant in the late summer heat, developing dangerous bacteria and other disdainful scummies. All you can do is lie around and try to cool off some other way.
Of course, modern pools and air conditioning have replaced the good old lake for most... and even for some lucky dogs… which is probably where the saying “what a lucky dog!” comes from.
So, the next time you accuse someone of having a cow, think about it...
I guarantee, you wouldn't like to have one either. :o)
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