This is Suzie. It's an old picture (Mr. Moon has the camera today) but except for being larger, she looks the same now as she did when this picture was taken. She's a gorgeous chicken with a collar of black and white pointed feathers that shake and gleam when she walks. And she's definitely the alpha chicken in our first flock.But she'd never shown any signs of being anything but Suzie the Hen until this morning.
When she crowed.
Mr. Moon was outside and I was on the porch and both of us heard something come from the chicken coop that was so distinctive we both immediately headed out there. You know how, as a mama, when one of your children makes a sound you're not familiar with and it scares you and so you run to the child?
Well, that was what happened this morning.
"What the hell was that?" I asked Mr. Moon.
"I have no idea," he said.
The sound repeated as we watched and it came from Suzie who reared up on her back legs (which are also her front legs), reached up into the sky and gave a damn good imitation of a teenager trying his new, testosterone-fuled voice out.
Yep. Suzie is not my alpha hen. She is a rooster.
I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this.
She crowed a few more times as if she was so excited to have found this new talent that she just had to do it over and over again, in wonder and awe of herself. Then she pecked Miss Dolly on the head.
"Are you sure she's a rooster?" Mr. Moon asked.
"Hens don't crow," I said.
And now I have to stop calling her "she" and give her the correct pronoun.
HE crowed. And I suppose he needs a new name.
But then, while we were still in awe and wonder (and giggling) at the sight of Suzie transforming into a rooster, another crow came from the chicken house.
It was Henry.
Oh boy.
Or, oh boyS.
How many roosters do I have?
I have no idea. Time will tell.
And today I'm off to the ultra sound lab and the midwife with Lily and Jason where I'll get to see my real boy. Or Lily's real boy. My grandboy.
What an exciting day in Lloyd!
And any suggestions for a new name for Suzie? Because Johnny Cash may have sung about a boy named Sue but Mr. Moon is having none of that. Not around his chicken coop. Send 'em in. Tell me what we should name this bird. This fine, fine rooster of a bird.
Love....Ms. Moon
Ralph Cramdon.
ReplyDeleteOh dear...what a shocking turn of events!
ReplyDeleteDid he answer to Suze? If so, I'd name him something that rhymes with Suze - maybe Booze.
Are you going to separate the roosters and hens, or are there going to be more chickens born that will have to be named?
Hmm. Looking up Susan, it leads me to:
ReplyDeleteSUSANNA
Gender: Feminine
From Σουσαννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshannah). This was derived from the Hebrew word שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian sšn "lotus".
Did we know that the same Hebrew word covers both of Lily's names?
As to your newfound rooster, how about Gallus? It was a Roman family name meaning rooster.
Is she...umm, he... a White Brahma? They grow to be very regal looking. Maybe Mr King Rooster Man. Quite a mouthful, but very... umm... manly.
ReplyDeleteHow about Rex Racecar? I've been wanting to use that for an animal for a while.
ReplyDeletedang. old Sue is a man? That doesn't surprise me. it would surprise me if Betty started crowing, but she's not...yet.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm in favor of keeping Sue as his name. It's a classic.
Sorry to differ with the good Mr. Moon, but in honor of transgendered people everywhere, I think you should keep Suzie. I sure as fuck would.
ReplyDeleteIf this still won't fly with Mr. Moon, how about Johnny in honor of Mr. Cash?
Bet your grandbaby is the best looking baby ever ultrasounded. There, I've created a new word.
Love,
SB
Jesus, DTG is smart. Holy shit. I'm in awe.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful ideas. I like Louie. Rhymes with Susie. But if Mr. Moon wasn't opposed, I would have stuck with Sue. And yet, DTG always has the greatest ideas!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are going to change Natasha to Nakita.
Funny how both Susie and Natasha were so slow in deciding to be roosters
love,
K
SB: I'm just good at looking things up.
ReplyDeleteMama: How about Shel? It's a pun on, you know, eggshells, plus Shel Silverstein wrote "A Boy Named Sue".
I don't know: it could be that Lloyd has its first trannie. Out here in Lala land, children learn about this stuff at the checkout counter at Target. I'm relieved to see it happening in more rural places.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that this ain't the first trans experience in Lloyd.
ReplyDeleteOh, but I love Suzie the rooster! Sure he can't get used to it?
ReplyDeleteIf not, I like Walter or Atilla. That's what our goldfish are called.
Have a great ultrasound!
I suppose, instead of Sue, you could just simply call him "boy", but I still like Ralph Cramdon.
ReplyDeleteHey DTG, I didn't know Shel wrote
"A boy named Sue" But then, there is lots I donno.
You have some great ideas, and I have none to add. I really like Ralph Cramden, but Shel is great, too.
ReplyDeletePF: Shel also wrote "On the Cover of the Rolling Stone" among tons of other non-kiddie things. In fact, look up The Devil & Billy Markham - it's an epic poem about sex and hell and so on.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is WAY better than a post about Cher; not even a non-sequiter, either, becuase this is an actual honest to god conversation. You could call him Sue, just spell it Sioux, like the regal Indians.
ReplyDeleteI say keep Sue as his name.
ReplyDeleteCharacter building.
Petit Fleur- Good one! To the moon, Dolly!
ReplyDeleteLucy- Maybe Boozie. And no, he doesn't actually come when I call him but he does when I'm holding grapes.
DTG- Well. Now we know. Gallus? How about bringing it closer to home with Gallo? And you cracked me up on the trans thing. Lloyd has seen a lot and that's for sure. And Rex Racecar? Doesn't that sound a bit, uh, porny or something?
Michelle- King Rooster May is VERY manly. I agree. But Henry might get pissed off.
HoneyLuna, Ms. Bastard, Kathleen, Xbox and Mwa - I agree. I like Sue.
Elizabeth- Well, Target's as good a place as any to learn the real facts of life. And yes, I agree with DTG. Lloyd has seen its share of the transgendered. We cherish our differences here.
Miss Ginger- Shel really is pretty cute.
Kori- I always forget how to spell Souix.
I never remember either-I just pull it out of my head (ass?) and spell away; wrong or right. : )
ReplyDeleteDTG-- Fascinating info about Shel. I always thought he looked a little edgy and figured there was more to him than kids books, but never actually knew.
ReplyDeleteThanks. You are fascinating too btw. You know a lot about a lot of stuff.
I vote for Shel, too. Oh yes, those of you who don't know about his songwriting, check out a list of them! "Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball" (Dr. Hook) to "One's on the Way" (Loretta Lynn). After he died, Nashville musicians had an evening of songs by some who wrote with him, knew him, performed with him, and performed his songs at the Radio Cafe. It was a wonderfully enjoyable evening. They sang and told stories. I'm glad I went.
ReplyDelete