My Funny Rooster Story

Ok, so first of all, I live in a small condo complex, with about 150 residents, that is landscaped quite nicely in a rural area. It's normally very quiet, since it's mostly family living. Well about two mornings ago, at 6am on the dot, I wake up to....... a rooster? I was half-asleep going "no it can't be a rooster... it must be someone's really loud alarm clock or something..." and tried to fall back asleep. Well this went on all morning. It still didn't occur to me that it could really be a rooster because of the location in where we live! And I was too tired to care.

I got up around 8am and took a shower, and while I was getting ready for work, I heard it again. My roommate Chrissie was down the hall, and she heard it too, and I go "What the hell is that?!?!" And she started laughing hysterically because she was just outside and said "It's a rooster!" So I guess I wasn't imagining things. So I run outside to take a look at it, and it indeed was.... a rooster, right in the middle of our condo complex in the lawn. A very handsome one at that.
We thought this is just so random and so funny, and head off to work thinking "oh it will be gone later this afternoon, from wherever it came from"... but no. It's still there the next evening, and the next morning, what do you know, we wake up to a 'COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!' at 6am again. This time, I don't think it's as funny. I'm pissed. I still had 2.5 hours to sleep, and there was NO WAY that was happening. I go to work, and lo and behold he's STILL THERE that evening. So I decide to do something about it, since no other residents will.

I take a walk down the street, knowing this flightless bird had to come from somewhere nearby... it couldn't have just up and flied into our complex. Our neighborhood outside our condo is... interesting. It's kind of the 'ghetto' of Provo, just in that all the poor people live in this area, with beaten-down houses and bad landscaping. I see a sign on the corner that reads "eggs for sale" and call the number on the sign in hope. A man answers, and he says it's not his rooster, but it could be the old couple's two houses down from his. Well I didn't know even where this man's house was I was talking to (and he was at the store on his cell so he couldn't come out), and I had no idea farm animals were even in our neighborhood, but he said it was tucked away behind some other houses. He said the couple was real nice so I trusted.

I find this little old beaten-down house, and knock on the door. In the window right beside the door I hear this "HELLO?" It's an old man and his wife sittin' in their chairs watching TV. The man has no shirt on, and the house smells of cats. I ask "are you missing a rooster?" and he says "Well, I don't know" and I describe what he looks like. Turns out he is his rooster, so I tell him where he is located, down the street, and toward the back of our complex. He says "Ok, I'll come right out". I figure he will at least put a shirt on (there are children in our complex, and nice families!), but he comes out with this big belly and the largest outie belly button I have ever seen in my life. Aliens could land on that thing. He has dirty old suspenders that hold up his very saggy pants that hang down his waist, and his dirty stained underwear comes up about 7 inches above his pants. He's probably about 70 years old, with wrinkly tanned arms, but bright white chest and belly. He kinda hobbles when he walks, and when he breaths his lips vibrate like he's playing a tuba. I think to myself "there's no way he's gonna catch this thing"... I ask him "do you have a thick jacket or something? or a net? or gloves?" and "Have you ever CAUGHT a rooster before?" and he says "no, he usually just follows me around".... so I have faith. But I talk him into at least getting a big fishing net or something. So he goes to his backyard, and comes out with a fishing net with very large holes... No way this is going to work. But I lead him to the rooster anyway.

It's a good 80-100 yards from his house to the spot where the rooster was, so it takes us some time to get there with this old hobbly man. The whole time I'm going "no way he's gonna catch this thing, he can barely MOVE! I was afraid he was going to have a heart-attack just on the way to the condos! And here I am, walking down the street with what looks like a farmer from the south, shirtless, and I'm in this hot-pink t-shirt, and nice jeans, and my hair's all 'did' so I look all girly with hot pink earrings.... We made quite the match...

Finally we reach the rooster, and while I'm trying to chase him over to the old man with the net, the rooster continues to run the opposite direction. The old man is constantly saying to the rooster "Here, cocky", "Here, cocky cocky", but the rooster won't have anything of it. It runs beneath bushes, behind things to where we can't get to him, and after a half hour of me running around and the old man standing there with his net I know this isn't going to work, so I say "I'll be right back! I'm going to get some things!" So I leave the old man and the rooster and run up to my place. I grab the thickest sweat shirt I can find, and some gardening gloves. When I get back outside, not even a minute later, they're both gone! Where could they have gone?! That man was far too slow to have caught the bird and make it out of the area already! So I'm looking all around the complex, and from around the corner of one of the buildings comes running this big dumb bird, running full speed like an ostrich, with an old haggard man walking behind him with a net. I laugh to myself, and go after the rooster.

I guide him up a flight of stairs where he will have no where to go at the top, and corner him. Then as he tries to get free between my legs, I snatch him up by the body, wings flapping everywhere, and flip him upside-down where I grab onto his huge legs and feet. This bird must weigh at least 15 pounds, and with all the flapping it was pretty hard to get him still, but finally I get my arms around his body and wings and hold him upside-down in a hypnotism state, so he has no where to go. Sadly, no one was around to see this victory, but I come down and approach the old man with the bird in my arms, and say "ok, where do ya want him" and he starts to put the net over him to carry him HIMSELF back to his house. No way I was going to let that happen. First of all, the net was no where near fit enough to carry this bird, and neither was the old man!! He was far too heavy for him to walk another 80 yards back to his place. I just said "no, no-- I'll put him in your backyard, ok? I'll meet ya there!" and carried this thing back to his place with cars driving by and everything. It was probably a pretty hilarious and random scene: this blond girl walking around with this huge rooster in her arms in a rural neighborhood, with an old man with dirty underwear and a huge outie belly button hobbling behind me.

I make it back to his house, and so does the rooster. I come to the big window I saw the old couple in in the first place, and said "Hello! I got him! Where do you want him?" And the old lady says "Oh, bless your heart!" and guides me to the back. There is no fencing for him, or coop, and so I put him down on the grass near..... some goats.... and she continues to say "bless your heart, bless your heart". I tell her she should invest in some WOMEN for this rooster so he has something to stay for, because she had no chickens! She said she thought that was a great idea, and yes, she should. She shows me her random supply of farm animals (remember we are in a rural area...) while the old man finally gets back to the house. Very very nice couple. They were very thankful. I laughed hysterically the whole way back to my condo.

I wish I had gotten a video or pictures of this whole ordeal, or at least that someone had seen this hilarious sight, but this story will have to do!

Grad School.... Science Teacher?

So yesterday I was at work, and it sort of dawned on me that maybe I should go to grad school for teaching science. It hit me when I was nerding out, reading up on how lightning forms and the science behind it all (we've been having tons of thunderstorms around here, watching lightning every 20 seconds for the past 3 days, and I had questions!), and while I was drawing it all out in front of me (since I'm a visual learner and it helps) I realized just how fun it would be to TEACH that sort of stuff. Earth Sciences in general. I'm thinking at a middle school/high school level would be good, but I don't know yet. I think I would be pretty good at it though, and I can use my past science experience. I'm going to start looking into schools around here, and prepare myself to take the GRE's! I'm just not getting anywhere with this Wildlife Science degree right now. I have had a lot of people tell me the past few years I would make a great teacher, and I always just scoffed at the idea, but now I think it would be a really good thing for me. It would be a lot of work, probably a lot of stress, but it's a job that would keep me on my toes and that's what I like. Not to mention I would have summers to vacation (cuz you know me and getting out and having adventures!) and holidays. If anyone has any information that would help me at all when it comes to going into grad school, or taking the tests involved in the whole process, any information helps! Don't know yet where I'm going to be looking at schools, but I'll keep you all posted on the journey as I go :).

Yuba Lake Adventures

This weekend was amazing. I am head of the activities committee in our church ward, and I planned this huge trip for us down to Yuba Lake, about 60 miles south of here. (For those of you unfamiliar with what a "ward" is, it's the group of people we meet with every Sunday for church, and I am in a "Singles' Ward", full of unmarried people around my age. Great way to meet new friends and unmarried boys!) We all left Friday, several different groups throughout the day, me being in the first group to help scope out a campsite and set up camp.

We arrived around 2pm, and found a big spot right on the sandy beach of the lake. It was about 93 degrees with no shade, so probably about 100 in the sun, so we immediately set up a big shelter tent for us to sit under. The water of the lake was 66 degrees in the "cool" places, and about 70 in the warmer places, maybe even more. SO nice to swim in. The 5 of us that arrived early went for a swim after setting up camp, and when we reached the buoy out a ways from shore, our bishop, (we call him Bishop Kokkola, or Bishop) comes whizzing by on his beautiful boat and swings by to pick us up! From about 2pm to 6pm we were on the boat, wake-surfing. It was the first time I had ever wake-surfed, and I had a really hard time getting up at first! Took me about 5 times before I could stand up! But it was fun anyway, and just watching other people do it and take pictures of them was a blast for me.
Getting up for the first time...

A little freaked out!

Cole

Ryanne

Matt

Shot of the day: Matt as King Triton!

Rhett

We all biffed it, but this was the biff-it shot of the day: Rhett

Back flip

When it was time to go back in to greet the other groups getting in, Brother Spencer we call him (the 1st councilor next to Bishop) had dinner all made for us. It was SO good, especially after a day in the water when you get most hungry! Potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, seasonings, chicken and brats all cooked in the dutch oven. Brother Spencer has the biggest heart than anyone I've ever met. He will do anything for us, including searing his arm hair from cooking over the hot stove all evening! He continued to cook for the people coming in throughout the evening, and eventually we started a fire. By this time about 32 people had arrived, and we also had a volleyball net set up and music so people could play.

Brother Spencer and Jake. I love them!

When it got dark we had a "Fireside" and Bishop gave a little talk, we had a prayer, and Bishop said at the end of the talk "Now isn't Holly doing a great job?" AH! Then everyone applauded for me for all the work I put in to the trip, and I mentioned all the people that helped me with it. SO nice. I just love all those people so much. Afterward I pulled out my guitar, and we sang some classical music, some Jack Johnson, some Norah Jones.... among others. Good times. We also played a game called "Mafia". Great game! Most of us were up talking and playing games till around 2am. I took some cool shots in the moonlight just playin' around.



Early the next morning (6:30am) I got up to the risin' sun and took some more pictures of the boat on the water when Bishop went back out with some people that didn't get to go the night before. We had pancakes for breakfast, and talked by the fire most of the morning. It was a nice day; lots of clouds in the sky so it didn't get too hot. I took a swim, and around 10am we packed up camp to head back to town since the boats were gone at 10, the most fun was done! Went home and slept for 2 hours :)



It was just such a great weekend. I love my ward, and the new adventures I get to have almost every weekend!

Silly Goose

Yesterday I get to work, and there is a Canada Goose right in the middle of the parking lot, in the way of where I wanted to park. The parking lot is located in between our building, and a huge pond next to a golf course, that a lot of birds use. After waiting for the goose to get out of the way, he never did, so I just parked in a spot a little further from the entrance of the building. I was getting my things gathered into my arms from my car seat, and by the time I opened my car door to get out, there was the goose! He just stood there looking at me. I didn't have any food with me, and even if I did I wouldn't have given him any! I was like "well hey, what's up?". He still just stood there while I got out of my car, and when I walked toward him he never walked away like he was scared, he just stood there! I started telling him he should go back to the pond, with his fam, and he didn't care. Then I walked toward the door to work and he just followed me... Little turd! I went inside assuming he would eventually give up on me and go back to the pond.

This was 8am. By 3pm it was time to go home, so when I get outside I notice some people hanging out by a car, and there was the goose! Just standing there on the sidewalk near the building. They were watching him and laughing, and I noticed the goose was sort of panting and drooling.....ummmm this did not look normal. I immediately knew he was dehydrated.... but why the heck did he not go to the pond only 15 yards away?? I brought out a cup of water to see how he would react to it, and started lightly pouring it on the ground next to him. He drank it mid-air really fast, and shook his head into it. He was definitely thirsty! (It was 92 degrees out, even hotter in the sun, and even hotter still, because it was on hot cement with no shade.) So then, in front of a few coworkers, I started chasing him. I chased him toward the lake (he didn't care at first but the more I pushed him the faster he walked--I even literally touched his back a couple of times!) and I'm sure it looked pretty hilarious. We got to the grass, and at this point he didn't know what to do, he didn't want to go in the water. (I didn't blame him, the water looks NASTY! The past week there has been a huge algal bloom, and the top of the water just looks like grass, not water; not to mention all the trash in the pond too) but I started tossing rocks in the pond to show him it was indeed water. He still wouldn't go in, so I again started pushing him with my foot until he finally flew, right over the water and into the middle of the pond.

I watched him dunk himself over and over, and fluffing his feathers and drinking heavily. He looked like he was in heaven! Hopefully he found his family, and I'm sure by natural selection he will die soon cuz he's so dumb... but at least he lived another day. So that, my friends, is the story of how I saved a silly goose.

Ok, really new job this time :)

I just got a job working at Park City Mountain Resort! This mountain town reminds me a lot of Mammoth Lakes, CA, my home-away-from-home. I will be working on the mountain helping the kids (and adults, but mainly kids) with the rock wall, zip-lining, and riding the lift up to where you can ride a toboggan type thing called the "alpine slide" down the mountain. Fun stuff. I'm going to be happy working outside, with kids, at least until mid-October when the season ends. I'll still be working part-time at the security company I'm at now, until mid-Augst when it's over.

Park City is about 30 miles from where I live, in the mountains, where the Sundance Film Festival occurs every spring. Pretty awesome place! I start next Tuesday.

UPDATE: I've been working there about 3 weeks now and it's such a blast! I'm outside all day, get to meet a lot of people, not to mention we get some pretty awesome thunder-and-lightning storms up on the mountain! One morning we had to close the alpine slide for about 3 hours because a MOOSE was standing near it. So great.

Climbing in the Uinta Mountains

This last weekend I was invited to go camping with some great people out in the High Uinta Mountains in Utah, about an hour and a half's drive from where I live. It is SO BEAUTIFUL up there; it reminds me a lot of the Sierra Nevadas, just a little more lush (but not Oregon lush). We camped at a lake called Ruth Lake, about a mile's hike from the road. First thing we did was hit the mountain to climb! I had only ever climbed outside once, and only made it 15 feet up before I decided "that's high enough", as I'm someone pretty dang afraid of heights (although things like rappelling and skydiving have helped a bit). This time I climbed 40 feet my first climb! It was a class 5. 9, which in rock climbing jargon means a moderately difficult climb.
By the time all of us climbed one wall the sun was setting so it was time to hit up camp. By now the storms started rolling in! We had a night full of thunder and lightning and rain and sleet. Nothing like sleeping in a tent with a pitter-patter over your head all night. Some people weren't so happy with this, like the guy that DIDN'T bring a tent, or the guy who brought a tent, but turned out it wasn't completely waterproof so he got a liiittle wet...

The next day was sunny so we hit up the mountain again for more climbs. This time I worked on 5. 6's, more of a beginner's level climb, and reached about 50 feet on these, one of which I was able to climb up over the edge and sit up on top and admire the view of the valley. So spectacular.
(Can you find me in these pics?)




That afternoon a few of us decided to jump in the lake, and I'm always someone who enjoys swimming in mountain lakes and potentially swimming all the way ACROSS them... but this time I didn't. Probably cuz the others got out after about a minute and I didn't want to be left out there, ha! Then we had some lunch, and I felt it was time to take some pictures of the area while the others went back up to climb or nap.



That night was another night full of thunderstorms! We awoke to rain the next morning, only to have about a 20-minute window to pack up camp and walk out before it started raining again! The trip was a blast, and I am so proud of myself that I was able to climb so well! I can't wait to get out and do it again. My whole body is sore, what a work-out! Good times with good people.

Me and Stewey

So since I cannot get a boyfriend out here in Utah, I picked up this handsome man the other day. We played in the park and had a grand old time. I didn't let him kiss me though... too soon for that.