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Blogs Obituary for Robert E Rooster (AKA “Bob the Rooster”)
Mr. Robert E Rooster (AKA “Bob the Rooster”) passed away quietly at his home in Renssealerville, New York on Friday, May 7th in the afternoon. Born in rural Greene County and originally raised under the name of “Sponge Bob”, Bob lived with four other chickens at the home of Holly, David, and Sterling Rossell in Smith Corners near Medusa, New York until July 8th, 2007. He was then adopted by Singer-Songwriter/ flutist Margaret Bernstein and her son, Julian Jacobs, and brought to live at their five- acre farm in the Hilltowns of Southern Albany County. Three of the other Rossell chickens-Rooster Smokey and hens Gertrude (“Gertie”) and Rojo (“Saroja”) also accompanied him. However, without the presence of his dear hen, Sunny, Bob was one sad and lonely rooster. At this point in his life, Bob became an independent rooster. The other three chickens would wander off on promenades around the farm, while Bob (with the exception of one adventure in which he lead the whole pack down Stevens Road with Margaret and Julian chasing after them) preferred to stay aloof by himself. He would often perch himself in a tree and sing his high-pitched sad song. Soon, he started venturing off the farm and crossing County Route 85 to converse with some owls there. (It is true that Bob looked very similar in coloring to a Northeastern Screech-owl, so perhaps he had a temporary identity crisis). He would only venture over to the farm when he was hungry, which usually occurred during rush hour traffic. It is no wonder that Bob soon became injured. After one exasperating afternoon in which Margaret found herself in the middle of the road dodging cars in order to try to save a one-legged hopping rooster, she knew that she had to devise a plan. The next day, she put out a cat carrier with a bowl of chicken food in the entranceway. Bob, once captured, was rushed off to the vet (Parkside Vetinary Clinic in Albany, New York), where the chicken specialist prescribed medicine and taught Margaret how to massage and care for a pet chicken. Margaret, who at the time did not speak Chickenese, soon became quite fluent in the Chickenese language. For a short time, Bob happily lived in a large cat carrier in the horse barn so that he could converse with Reba (Margaret’s Morgan mare) when Margaret was not there. Soon, however, Bob was moved to Margaret and Julian’s front porch and it was not long before he was a regular member of the household. Bob’s daily routine consisted of several meals a day and also regular practice sessions in which he would sit perched on the chair behind Margaret’s piano and beak to the beat. He especially enjoyed Julian’s percussion practices and would often “beak” back whole rhythmic passages that Julian just played on his drums. He also practiced dancing with Margaret, almost daily, to the instrumental section of her song, “Cinderella Falling” in preparation for their big music video shoot. Being hand fed cranberries and homemade corn muffins was also a regular part of Bob’s itinerary. His day usually ended with Margaret holding him in the rocking chair while she lulled him to sleep singing lullabies. During the winter of 2008, Bob’s hen friends, Gertie and Saroja, passed away. Smokey was subsequently transferred to another farm, and Bob was moved out to his own “apartment” in Margaret and Julian’s back yard. The renovated coop had an inside room complete with shelves for perching, a stool, an old table and a radio. He also had an enclosed back yard to ensure that he would not venture out to discover any more answers to the old adage: “Why did the chicken cross the road”? On June 22nd, 2008, Bob was joined by two new girlfriends- two stunning hens by the names of Evelyn and Sophia. The three birds lived very happily in their coop together, taking mud baths in the yard, looking for worms, and perching together when the sun went down. August 7th, 2009 marked the day of Bob’s big film debut, Margaret’s “Cinderella Falling” music video, which was shot at the Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown, New York. Bob was accompanied by an entourage of people who took care of him during the shoot and drove him home while Margaret filmed other scenes. Bob was in his glory during his big day, eating all the fresh berries that he could eat when not on camera. Bob’s friend Evelyn sadly passed away the day after the “Cinderella Falling” music video shoot. Bob and Sophia cooped up together during the long, snowy winter. On April 14th, Sophia passed away leaving behind a seemingly healthy Bob. A little over three weeks later, without any warning, Bob followed. He may have been the only rooster to have had a leading role in a music video as well as having his own twitter account. Bob is survived by Margaret Bernstein and Julian Jacobs and many friends and fans who loved him. To see Bob in the “Cinderella Falling” music video, please Click Here. To see additional blogs about Bob, please Click Here. |
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