Nothing sheepish about it - Paris has some ewes-ful grass cutters

It was, most likely, one of those "Eureka!" moments when somebody came up with a novel way of saving costs related to cutting grass. Not to mention the publicity and public relations value.


The Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, an environmentally-friendly politician, is responsible for the bike-and-car-sharing program, the expansion of designated lanes for bikes and buses, in addition to a project to allow pedestrians to stroll along the banks of the Seine.


The Mayor isn't sheepish about his newest project, which ewes-es (little play on words there...very little) ovine power to keep grass short and sweet. He is using sheep, ewes to be specific, to graze the area around the Paris archives, replacing traditional lawnmowers. The sheep in question - all four of them who are on the small-ish side measuring 2 feet in height - will be make the trip by truck from their usual grazing place in Ouessant in Bretangne to Paris, for short periods in April and October. In order to ensure they perform their duties, they will be surrounded by a 3 foot high, yellow, electrified fence.


So I'm thinking here...while the addition of sheep to gnaw/nibble/whatever the grass is ewes-ful, and if they prove successful and a decision is made to expand the project in a big way, how will this go over with the city gardeners whose job is to cut grass? Taking it a step further and if the idea becomes popular with gardeners, the sheep could become a familiar fixture for your average home owner. Taking it still one step further than the last step (I'm a big step taker), owning a couple of sheep could become a status symbol.


"Did you see my luxury, very high end and expensive, new car?" one average home owner could comment to his neighbor in the way of a boast.


"Very nice but mowing the lawn is a thing of the past for us," the other average home owner would reply.


"You're hiring gardeners?" the new car owner would naturally and logically respond.


"Nothing so pedestrian. We're a two-sheep-family, now. No more lawn mowers. We let nature do it for us. We're eco-friendly other than the occasional goat bleat now and then. Did I mention that we also don't need fertilizer anymore?"


Meanwhile, here is a link to a photo of the sheep: http://news.yahoo.com/ewes-full-paris-hires-sheep-mow-city-lawns-125648769.html

Do you see sheep in your future?

Bah - humbug! French department store drops Christmas carols for rock'n'roll

It's November and many - make that lots - of stores are heavy into Christmas decorations in spite of just coming out of Halloween. Actually, statistically, Halloween is big business when it comes to decorations and related items. But I digress.

Some people enjoy the holiday season and welcome the numerous appearances of mall Santas, plastic Christmas trees ("oh Eleanor - you're so cynical!") of many colors and the playing of the Little Drummer Boy over and over... But I digress. Again.

Then there are others who want to update Christmas and modernize the selection of musical offerings. Such is the case of Galerie Lafayette, a department store located in Paris, France, who recently made the decision to eliminate your Christmas carols with - wait for it - rock and roll. As they have done in seasons past, the store is once again putting on shows leading up to the big day but is seeking a means in which to attract and presumably entice a younger generation to their offerings and merchandise.

To this end, they are using rock legend Iggy Pop to pose for photo fliers dressed in a red Santa hat (does Santa know, one wonders), matching shoes and a custumary, electric guitar. In addition, a window show will include performances by a variety of major-label rock and folk bands. A change from the past is the replacement of cute, furry creatures and puppets in favor of life-size mannequins dressed in black leather, and rag dolls dressed in fashionable duds. This leads one to ask what they will do with your usual Christmas icons like snowmen, most likely relegated to a box in a warehouse, somewhere, never to see the light of day along with older puppets... But I digress. Again.

The bottom line, as expected, is the reason for the change with French household spending dropping 1.3% in September with spending on clothing falling by 7.3%. It will be interesting to see the reaction of French shoppers to the change. As a rule, people like to retain Christmas traditions and somehow Iggy Pop, with all due respect, isn't Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" or "Petit Papa Noel" or "Mon Beau Sapin." Perhaps a combination of both the old and new?

Anyway, here's Iggy and his promo for the dept. store: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYHdX347BR4

Hmmmm - wonder how much he got paid...