Who needs an alarm clock when you have a rooster sitting on the fence outside your window? Normal alarm clocks have a snooze feature that usually waits 9 minutes before sounding again. Well, this rooster really wants me up, because the time between his call is only 23 seconds. Why does he keep crowing!?
Since Sunday and for the next two weeks, Nate and I are "Substitute parents" for two girls whose parents are out of town working on a Bible Translation project. I will tell you those other stories later, but the main reason I say that is because our new neighbors have a rooster that seems like he is sitting right by my pillow! I don't think 4:40 is THAT early normally, since our alarm is often set for 5:15 on a school night. However, this is summer, and I went to bed after 11:30p.m. last night. I need my sleep as a new parent of two!
I looked up my question on google and wikipedia, and if you can trust those sources it seems that roosters crow to mark their territory similar to what dogs do in their own way. One site said that normally there is about one hour in between each crow, and sometimes people hear it more often than that. But don't you guys think that 23 seconds is a little too often? What is the deal? If anyone cares to comment or enlighten us on this early persistent alarm clock, please do so. Look at the bright side, if the rooster hadn't woken me up, I wouldn't be able to blog for you.
ENDNOTES: Cockfights are common in the Philippines.
It's common to see cows sitting on the road, little chickens wandering through the neighborhood and other "Farm animal activities" right in the city limits.
Most roosters I've heard call out "KOO KOO KOOOOOO KOOO" (4 & 1 2 [3 4]--rhythm for you musicians---mid mid high low).
The rooster outside our window calls out "KOO KOO KOO KOO KOO" (1 & 2 & 3 [4]--slide down at end--Sounds like the major arpeggio trumpet call usually followed by "CHARGE!")
You know the rooster crows too much when you have time to analyze the rhythms.
4 comments:
This reminds me of our mission trip to Mexico last year. We were sleeping on the ground in tents which seemed like in the middle of the desert. Unlike what people may think, it was absolutely freezing at night. My tent was right next to the man who sounded like a lawn mower when he snored. As though that weren't bad enough, the roosters started crowing mighty early and so it was impossible to get more than a couple of hours of sleep a night. I have to say though, we have never had an easier time getting the teenagers up in the morning. Everyone was ready to go by 6:00! Good luck on your parenting experience! :) Love, Jess
Oh yeah, grew up with roosters on the farm and suffered through them while in Africa. There's no way to shut them up apart from a hatchet and I've come pretty close to using one! I think they are like any bird that sings their heads off in the morning - the robins outside my window in C-port commence at 3:30 am! A nice, thick pillow is my best antidote. Or a good sleeping pill. Or a loud but steady fan. Or, if all else fails, a hatchet. :P
My neighbors here in France had a (*cough* illegal *cough*) rooster. (I realized recently that I haven't heard it in quite a while, so something must've happened... hatchet?) It crowed ALL MORNING LONG as frequently as every TEN seconds!! It would crow for a while, then stop for a while, and then recommence. Thankfully it didn't start early, though sometimes it'd continue on into the afternoon, which made me think its inner clock must be broken. :o) My poor host sister does her homeschooling in the room closest to the neighbors yard, which made it QUITE frustrating for her. I can’t deny that I’m glad it’s gone. It just didn’t belong in a neighborhood.
Oh, wow, I feel much better knowing that I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep! You ladies have truly identified with me! I LOVE the stories! Keep them coming! J
Post a Comment