Phone a Friend

My family, like most families I'm sure, has recognized every member of the family as the go-to question answerer for certain subjects, based on our areas of expertise. My sister the veterinarian probably gets the most phone calls from us seeking advice, because my brother and I both have animals (though in his case, that's a singular--one dog) and she's the animal lady. Probably sort of irritating for her occasionally, but she's a good sport about it. (A Good Sport in general, as I'm sure you recall.)

In the past, all questioning phone calls directed my way have had to do with either grammar or word definitions. Because in my former life, I was a copy editor. But a phone call from my brother on Saturday made me aware that I appear to be filling a new role in the family knowledge bank: chicken expert.

My brother was walking around with a friend of his (read: no Internet access to Google questions) who is thinking of getting chickens. They had a disagreement about the necessity of a rooster (not technically necessary for egg production, just so you know), and so my brother called me to settle the argument. Actually, my sister could also have answered this question, because she has, I'm sure, academic knowledge of chickens.

I may not have the academic credentials, but I have the chickens. And so I am now the person to call with all questions chicken. Yet another in a never-ending list of examples illustrating how my life has morphed into something I never would have imagined.