Bird watching on Paradise Island

In the morning, we would start the day off by going for an early morning jog. I saw a sign posted in the lobby of the Comfort Suites that Lakeview Drive around the corner had a great area for bird watching. We decided to check it out.
I was amazed that this little off-the-beaten-track had such a superb bird watching spot. It was a wooded area with a fresh water pond filled with all kinds of birds.
I noted these birds in my log book: olivaceous cormorants, a green heron, white crowned pigeons, ruddy turnstones, smooth billed anis (looks like a crow but with a thick beak), an osprey, gray kingbird, common moorhen (a little duck with red beak covering), American redstart, laughing gulls, Eurasian collared dove (looks like a mourning dove), red legged thrush, snowy egret and a rare Bahama Woodstar( kind of looks like a hummingbird). The pond there was loaded with fresh water fish (they looked like Jack Dempsey cichlids). When I approach the water all these fish huddled together and stared up at me.
Apparently they get fed on a regular basis. The next day I brought some bread. The fish were jumping out of the water after the bread like piranhas. As I was feeding them I saw this parade of little wrinkled black heads swimming across the pond heading straight for us. It was a stampede of fresh water painted turtles. There was at least 15 turtles staring up at me waiting for a morsel of bread as well.
It was a wonderful way to start the day.
My "friend John" suggested to check out the Ardastra zoo in Nassau. We could've had a van from the zoo pick us up but we decided to take the ferry across from Paradise Island to Nassau instead so we could go shopping at the market area afterwards. The zoo was a good mile and half walk from the ferry port after we arrived in Nassau. It was a good thing we left early because it was starting to get ungodly hot.
The zoo turned out to be an absolute gem.
It was more of an exotic bird sanctuary. It was clean and well care for. We spent the entire day feeding the brightly colored lorikeets their favorite apples, watching the budgies happily carrying on their business, watching the pink flamingos strut their stuff on parade and by accident, a pair yellow fronted amazons engaging in an amorous affair. I thoroughly enjoyed this little zoo. We spent all of our energy here so it was a bit of a hike in the heat to get back to the ferry.
We were both hot, tired and hungry. Shopping in the straw markets at this time did not hold any appeal to us now.
I just wanted to get in a pool to cool off.
The ferry on the way back to Paradise Island was loaded chock-a-block with people. I know in the US there are regulations limiting how many people you can have on a vessel. Apparently this rule does not hold true in the Bahamas.
The self appointed Bahamian "tour guide" aboard the boat entertained those who wanted to listen to his stories ranging from celebrity sightings, historical facts (or not) about the island and the viagra-like effects conch salad had on men. Needless to say, he urged the male patrons to eat at the "fish hut" for the glorious effects of the native conch.
We ate veggie subs at Quiznos.
Nobody was swimming at the Comfort Suites pool so we had the pool to ourselves.
It was a great day in Paradise....

Atlantis

The Comfort Suites were we slept were clean, comfortable and quiet. Our room had a coffee maker and a little refrig which was a life saver since food in Paradise Island was obscenely expensive. At least this way we could take leftovers back to our refrig to eat later. Our "package deal" included a continental breakfast which consisted of cold cereals, bagels, donuts, coffee, fruit, hand boiled eggs and juice. Needless to say, I was a happy camper.
I was expecting the Atlantis waterpark to be really crowded, but it wasn't. It got a bit busy later in the day. Since we are both "early birds' we would arrive at the park when it opened at 10:00. This way, we got first dibs on all the popular water slides. Honestly, I felt like a little kid racing from one slide, pool, lagoon, aquarium to another in excitement. The slides were something else.
The slides and "water rides" ranged from:
Fun ( the "rapid ride" which you sit on a float and this wave machine splashes you around the park on a mile long journey on "rapids". This was a blast. Every once in awhile a wave would hit you as if you were body surfing in the ocean. We went on this a bunch of times).
Cool (a slide on the Mayan temple that takes you down a curvy slide shooting you into an enclosed tube into the shark tank. This ride I went on at least 20 times. It was awesome).
Pee-your-pants-scary (big slides on the Mayan temple. I went on this once. That was enough), Shit-your-pants-scary (OMG. I had no idea what I was in for at the "power tower" slide. It was a totally vertical drop .Once was clearly enough on this bad boy)
There must have been at least 10 pools with different aquatic themes that you could swim and splash around in with waterfalls, mini slides with various 'ruin" motifs.
They had a dolphin encounter park which we did not participate in but I just wanted to see the dolphins. Apparently from what I read that 5 of these dolphins were rescues from Katrina. Six dolphins escaped from the New Orleans aquarium during the hurricane floods. One had died due to injures and infection as a result. At least now these dolphins were safe and had a home. I must say I was amazed at how clean and efficient everything was in this enclosed 'city"
We did do a snorkel in their 'ruins' GOT. (They did not allow scuba diving there but they do allow supervised snorkling) That was actually pretty cool. The variety of fish in this underwater ruin city was amazing. All kinds of sharks, rays and fish. That was worth doing.
I'm not sure how many buildings Atlantis owned I am guessing seven. Each building was absolutely amazing. The detailing, the artwork and the aquariums were something you just have to see. I am not into gambling but the casino was a fascination in itself with it's exquisite aquatic decor.
They had a lot of tunnels connecting you to each building with aquariums surrounding you. I spent alot of time just watching the fish. I just had to eat lunch in the (super expensive) "cave" just to watch the fish. I also insisted on eating lunch at the outdoor "lagoon" with it's giant shell canopie decorated with all this fabulous artwork over looking the "shark pond".
There were all kinds of la de da restaurants but they didn't interest me nor did the night-clubs. I'm sure they were really nice but we opted for the Atlantis in-house movie theater with first run movies for evening relaxation. We were constainly doing stuff all day. It was pure sensory overload.You just crashed once your head hit the pillow.
(Next time I will write about activities outside of Atlantis)

the BALLS!

After seeing the cute animated movie "Up" I decided to fulfil another dream vacation quest so I booked a trip to Atlantis located on Paradise Island in Nassau Bahamas. This place was #2 on my "bucket list" of places to go.
"My friend John" and his lovely wife stayed at the Comfort Suites abutting Atlantis which have all the same Atlantis privileges without the noisy crowds, long waits at the elevators and huge price tag. He highly recommended it and he was right on.
We booked with Liberty travel. I wanted a direct nonstop flight so the agent found a deal with Jetblue. The tixs were $800.00pp but they had a deal that you buy one tix and get a companion tix free. That worked for me.
I tried not to have any expectations so I could be surprised when I got there.
When we got on the plane I thought there might be a major problem. Another passenger had the same seat assignment as I my husband. I thought to myself, "oh shit, they are going to kick us off the plane and stick us on a later flight with stop-overs." I already had planned in my head of what I was going to do if they did that. I would negotiate free ticket vouchers to be used sometime in the future. If I was going to be inconvenienced I would demand to be compensated.
Well, they put us in the front rows with the extra leg room on the same flight.
It was great.
Not only that they served us real dunkin donuts coffee! I was a happy camper. OK so far so good.
I had seen brochures of Atlantis but the pictures do not give this place justice.
It was one of the few times in my life that my jaw dropped.
The detail.
The art work.
The cleanliness.
This place made Disney World look like a ghetto.
OMG! Is this what heaven looks like?!?
The fish tanks...
OMG there are fish tanks everywhere similar to the GOT tank at the New England Aquarium but located everywhere you look. Outside in the park there are lagoons filled with sharks and rays. It was a fish lovers dream.
This place is THE BALLS!...
(more later...)

missing a bullet

I had a pretty easy schedule today so I decided I would take Mattie (the naughty little jack russell) on a nice long badly needed walk. As I was turning the corner of her street, I spotted a grey pit bull running down the street running straight at us with his chain dangling. He broke off his lead and was heading straight for us.
Oh my God....
SHIT!
Mattie started to panic and yelp.
I stood there frozen to the pavement. The pit bull immediately went after Mattie.
I was screaming. Of course, this was the day I left my cell phone on it's charger and I had lost my can of mace. In retrospect, I don't think it would've done me any good in this situation. The pit bull's owner ran down the street and grabbed the dog before he started to do any damage but the dog pulled away and again, went for Mattie. He finally got the dog under control. I checked Mattie for any wounds (thankfully she was OK)
The pit bull owner apologized but excused his dog 'for only being a puppy and wanted to play".
Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
I hear lame excuses like this over and over again regarding pit bulls how 'it's not really their fault".
I took Mattie over by the woods so she could sniff around and calm down. Both she and I were pretty shaken up. I honestly don't know why people get these kinds of dogs. Oh yeah, I've heard a million times "oh they are really sweet dogs".
Right.
Until they turn on you and rip your scrotum off.
When I got home I made myself a cup of tea and watched "Judge Judy. Ironically, the case was about a pit bull mauling a chihuahua. The pit bull ran out of the house and grabbed this little dog while out for a walk. Judge Judy ruled in favor of the mauled dog plaintiff. It was a pretty straight forward case.The pit bull owner had every excuse in the world of why "it's wasn't their dog's fault".
I missed a bullet today.

confessions of a treasure hunter

There is nothing I like better than to score a treasure.
I think it is something that innate that gives us this pleasure.
Whenever I walk my dogs I let them sniff and explore at the end of the walk as a 'treat". They are in their glory when ever they find a pile of fox scats or an owl bolus (regurgitated clump). It's not so much as actually finding a treasure but the process of seeking brings pleasure.
Whenever I hide a nutriberry under a crumpled newspaper the birds are delighted. They chew and tear at the newspaper for the sought after treat underneath. I've put a tiny thin cardboard box (the size of a ring box) with tiny perforations in it hiding a juicy piece of millet. The birds will work for hours trying to unveil the prize inside. This is mentally stimulating, rewarding and healthy for the birds to engage in. It is what psitticine (parrot) behaviorists call "enrichment stimulus".
I know exactly what this means.
Think about it when you are scuba diving and looking under rocks and in crevices. It is that seeking process that makes it fun . You are hoping to find i.e. an octopus or lobster, but even if you don't, it doesn't really matter.
It is fun.
I enjoy checking out antique stores, second hand stores, vintage shops, thrift shops and yard sales too. It is the" thrill of the hunt" that drives me. 95% of the time I am just exploring and browsing. I am not out to buy anything.
But every once in awhile, I score.
Here is an example of some of my "treasures":
a pair of Manola Blahnik leopard print shoes for $15.00 (thrift shop)
a pair of Bruno Magli shoes for $5.00 (consignment shop)
a Dooney & Bourke handbag for $3.00 (yard sale)
a solid maple cabinet dated from 1894 for $160.00 (vintage shop)
a Princess Beatrice Margaret parakeet teacup dated from 1938 for $13.00 (thrift shop)
My massive (and growing) collection of wishnik (troll) dolls I got from yard sales, ebay, thrift shops and church fairs. (don't ask)
I also like to search for religious artifacts as well.
Yes, I admit, I am a treasure hunter.

dog poop bags

*WARNING! Contents of this post may be gross and offensive to some readers!

There is nothing that aggravates me more than seeing a pile of dog crap on the street, sidewalks, on the beach, etc.. There is absolutely no excuse for this.
When ever I walk my dogs I wear (what I call my "batman utility belt") a fanny pack with a pocket full of plastic bags. I also installed a clip-on roller full of doggy waste bags as a backup just in case I run out of plastic bags. I also carry vinyl gloves in my pack since grocery bags tend to have holes in them. I found this out the hard way.
One day while I was jogging with Ruby and Jack on the Plum Island beach off season. Ruby did "her business" and I promptly picked it up in my Demoulas plastic grocery bag. We continued the jog and felt something "wet" on my leg. I looked down and almost threw up. The poop bag split and splashed all over my leg while we were jogging.
Another time when I picked up the dropping using the bag my hand went right through the bag thus grabbing the turd with my bare hand. Gross.
(I also keep wet wipes in my car as well!)
I don't really like to use grocery plastics bags because they are thin, have holes in them (so you have to double bag them) and as my cousin said to me, "they don't degrade. The turd becomes mummified the enclosed bag". At some point, the grocery stores will most likely stop using them to bag your groceries since the stores are encouraging you to use re-usable shopping bags.
To be honest, I use the plastic bags at least for now, for dog poop bags because they are "free".
My father "recycled" all this newspaper bags for me so I can use them for dog poop bags. They are study, waterproof and long. They only problem with them is that they are relatively narrow so they aren't so good for dogs that drop big bombs. My cousin, who is very "Al Gore" friendly, introduced me to some poop bags that she bought online that are "biodegradable earth friendly' made of a corn starch product. I can't remember the name of the product but I will most likely be converting to these type of bags soon.
There has been a lot of discussion about having an enclosed dog park in Newburyport that dogs can go unleashed. I think the concept is great. I know one of my dogs, Riley, would really benefit running leash-less since she is a ball of energy. I think for the most part dog owners are pretty good about following the rules but there are thoughs who feel rules are for suckers and rules don't apply to them (or their dogs) I've seen these @$holes who have unruly dogs that go after well behaved dogs. Of course, these @$holes blame everyone else for their misdeeds. I've heard this lame excuse time and time again, "oh "Brutus" just wants to play! It's not his fault!"They are the same ones who never pick up after their dogs either.
One day while I was on the beach feeding the pigeons. I had this pud yell at me for feeding the pigeons and "making a mess". He had the balls to say this to me while his dog was squatting and dropping a load. I said to him, 'hey buddy, your dog left a package.... pick it up!" He turned and scowled at me. I would generally report him to the towns' dog officier but he is as useless as tits on a bull. There are signs all over the beach regarding "no dogs on the beach" and a strict fine regarding dogs pooping on the beach. Dogs run wild even on the busiest crowded day on the beach. I've seen the dog officer multiple times with his fat arse parked on a stool in dunkin donuts while getting paid as pit bulls ran amok mid afternoon on a busy July day. (Sorry, but it is true)
I've had people stop me and scold me for not picking up when ever they spotted Ruby squatting. Like I say and stand firmly on, I always pick up after my dogs.
Ruby squats to pee. She's a girl and girl dogs squat to pee. I am polite with these good intentioned people and agree with them on the virtues of picking up after your dog. I also explain the differences between girl dogs and boy dogs as far as how they urinate.
So the moral to this story is "please pick up after your dog! It's good for the environment and good for the community"

committment

Everything I do I plan around my birds.
When ever I have a customer scheduled early morning, or plan to spend a day with a friend, or get geared up to go scuba diving for the day, or plan to go on a vacation the first thing I think about about is, "OK, if I get up at ......then I can get everyone ready or will I be late and do I need to schedule my pet sitter?". I have to schedule and plan my day around caring for my birds.
The mimimal amount of care I give my birds is a twice a day clean and feed. This takes about 30- 40 minutes each time. This a part of my normal everyday routine not unlike going for a morning run, bathing and brushing my teeth. It is just something I just do. I've been doing this for about 9 years now.
I know some people get annoyed with me whenever I say, "I gotta get home now and take care of the birds". They don't understand that my birds depend on me and wait for me to come home. This is the highlight of their day and they expect their daily regiment.Many times when I get home after a long day they will have debris in their water dish which has to be cleaned or else they get sick or they will have pooped in their food dish in which they will not eat from (would you?)
I never really give it much thought except for when I am sick. Just rinsing their dishes out and replacing the paper on the bottom of the cages can be a major project. Thankfully my husband is just as neurotic about keeping the birds clean and well fed as I . He will help out whenever I ask him.
Whenever I have potential bird boarder customer stop by to check out where their bird will be staying the customer will always remark at how clean my house is. It is not just a matter of having clean cages I have to constainly clean and upkeep my house. I wash the floor with bird safe environmentally pet friendly cleaners every week, I vacumn the floors at least twice a day because of seeds, poop, feathers, feather dust and pellets. I have to dust and wipe the walls down because of wayward poop and feather dust every week. Tablecloths and curtains have to be changed regularly. I even have to wash all the teacups up on top of the cabinets once a month because Eddie will fly up there and make a mess. I'll run their dishes and plastic toys through the dishwasher every week as well. Once a week, I give their cages, perches and toys a good soapy water cleaning.
The birds themselves have to be inspected and offered a bath in a little basin. I trim their nails every month. I groom their heads of itchy feather sheaths and pick any debris off their feathers in spots they can't reach everyday.
Like I said, I never really give it much thought it is just something I do. I consider it to be my job to care for them since they are dependent on me for everything. Plus it is something my customers would expect (and I would expect as well!) when leaving their beloved birds in my custodial care.
It is not that much different when you go to somebody's house and see a magnificent well kept flower garden. It's a lot of work but it is something that becomes a part of you in your daily life.
When I used to have a motorcycle it required a lot of work as well. Repairs, oil changes, oil and air filter changes, changing the plugs, washing and waxing the bike and lubing the chain. Yearly inspections and winterizing the bike were a necessity as well. Also with all of this you want to spend time actually riding the bike as well. My motorcycle took up a lot of my time but it was worth it.
Yes, having birds is big commitment but it is so worth it! :-)
And, I spoil them too!

stegosaurus in the city

Blackberry. Bluetooth. Blueray.Hi-Def. Digital. IPhone. Ipod. Ipad. Kindle. High speed.Fios. TVo.Texting. Sexting. Twitter.MP3 player. PS3. Xbox. Wii system. Gameboy.Facebook.Notebook. Call waiting.
99.9% of these things I have no idea of what they are or what they do but everyone else on the planet seem to be captivated and engrossed.
I just get overwhelmed just from names alone.
I must be technologically retarded.
There are days I feel like the main character in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World". Everyone is doped up and happy and, I am allergic to the wonderdrug "soma".
I wander around just not getting 'it'.
Last January, when I was flying down to Houston to a parrot conference. I looked around the plane and observed the general audience aboard. Most of the people on board had laptops working on projects. Some had laptops with DVD players. I saw a few kindle readers, gameboys, ipods and iphones with games.
It was amazing.
Am I missing out in something?
I had my book, magazine and writing stationary (yes, I still write letters to out of state friends) to keep me entertained and busy on the flight.
I am certainly not opposed to technology or else I would not be sitting here typing this blog on my computer. And I do find ebay a fun way to shop too.
I guess part of me is just one big dinosaur that just finds too many technological toys a bit suffocating.
It's going to be interesting the next time I need to buy a new car. All the cars have key less ignitions, automatic locks, ipod stations and a ton of other useless and confusing add ons.
I like things that are simple and comforting.
To be honest, I'd rather just stay home and play with my birds than to have all this expensive crap.

You are what you drink

You've heard the expression, "you are what you eat". Well, I think that says the same for what you drink too.
When ever my siblings and I visit my Mother's house she will offer us something to drink. It goes like this: my father gets black coffee, my brother gets an American brand beer, my sister gets white Australian wine and I get British tea.
I think my mother would just about have a heart attack if I asked for, say, a rum and coke. She would get all twitchy and nervous scurrying around looking for a dusty bottle of 30 year old rum confused and upset why I would drink something so....out of character.
There was a time that rum was my poison and indeed, it is a poison, at least for me. Today, if I so much as have a tiny piece of rum cake I get violently ill. The same goes with diet sodas. So I treat these so called beverages as I would with ant poisoning. Handle with care and wash your hands after wards.
There is nothing so soothing as a proper cup of tea. When I say a proper cup of tea I don't mean a stale cheap teabag sitting in a Styrofoam cup filled with lukewarm tap water. I get the shivers just thinking about that. Ewww!
I mean having a real cup of tea.
When my sister lived in London she would send me real tea. British tea leaves that you would brew with an infuser. One of the best teas I ever had was the brand Fortnum & Mason "Celebration Blend Tea". Of course, tea's flavor always taste enhanced served in a bone china tea cup with a splash of whole milk.
I spent a lot of time in London. People often asked what I thought of the pubs. I would remark on all the wonderful tea houses I visited instead. On the countryside, there were little cottage like tea house everywhere. I have to say my sister was rather patient with me because I always wanted to stop and have a cup of tea along with the famous clotted cream scone. One tea house I found in London remarkable not because the tea was good but it was just a cool place to have tea was the "London crypt".
It was an underground tea house that was set up in an ancient crypt. The burial stones are faded with names of the deceased dated back since the 1400's. It was kind of creepy but cool (if you like English history like I do!) If you are a history buff, the tower of London is a "must see" spot. Perhaps I was a subject of King Henry the VIII in my other life. I had such a burning pain in my neck touring the tower of London and shivered watching the humongous crows still perching on the scaffolds.
The town of Camden, England had more coffee shops rather than traditional tea houses with more of a goth/punk flare to it. By the way, Camden is the place to shop for funky clothes.
When I was in Bermuda, I found a wonderful tea house that you could get to by bus. It was at the Willow Bank hotel called Mrs. T's tea room. We went to this place twice. The decor had a British Royality flare to it along with linens and hundreds of various tea cups perched everywhere. Yes, you got a proper pot of tea with little cakes and bite-size sandwiches.
It was pure heaven.
As a kid, my sister and I used to visit the Tremont teahouse in downtown Boston for tea and to have our tea leaves read. As far as I know it is still there. The last time I was there was about 10 years ago. It was still the same with it's same scrotty pink walls and Formica tables.
Here in Massachusetts, I've been to the Crumpets teahouse in North Andover, the Wenham teahouse in Wenham and another one in Tyngsboro( that I can not remember the name of it) which I would stop there while I was on a motorcycle ride a couple of years ago.
I am a frequent customer of the Leah Mae's tea house in Haverhill. They have all kinds of exotic flavors but I prefer English tea with my requesite home-made scone. It is also an antique shop which is also fun to check out.
Nothing is better than sitting and relaxing with my birds when I have a break to enjoy a mid afternoon cup of tea. Eddie will run down my arm to check in my cup to see how much tea I have. It's funny, but they also seem enjoy this little afternoon routine of "tea time" too!

being a "Princess"

"Princess"is a pearl female cockatiel who is boarding with me this week. She has been a regular client at our 'birdy camp". I've noticed a big positive change in her behavior since she has been staying with us on a regular basis. Princess's owner has noticed how much more social Princess has become since she's been with us.
Princess's original owner in Florida had basically neglected her and relegated her to the laundry room when ever she made noises. Princess had became fearful and most likely depressed. Her current owner who was visiting this person at the time felt sorry for Princess and asked if she could adopt Princess. Princess then came home to Massachusetts to a much more loving environment.
Princess is a bit of a grouchy little thing. She requires at least 12 hours of sleep at night. She is much more receptive to 'stepping up" when she has had a good night sleep. I take her out to sit with me and socialize with the other birds during "TV time". They all line up on their favorite spots. One will sit on my sock, another on my lap, another on my shoulder etc..
She has learned to eat dandelion greens because she has watched the other birds eating it. It is a very healthy food for her."Button" taught her to climb up and down on a little bird ladder. She was terrified of it at first but then she saw Button climbing up and down on it she became very interested in this new activity. I can always tell when she is tired and has had enough for the day. She will have a full blown tantrum just like a little bratty 2 year old when something is not right with them. She just needs patience and understanding.
Yesterday, I noticed and it worried me that she was not stepping up on my hand like she had done in the past. I was trying to figure out what was amiss. Button was avoiding me as well. I know sometimes the birds get stand offish whenever I wear my "seaside pet minder" t-shirt with the giant embroidered parrot on it. It must scare the crap out of them so I take it off and wear something else when I tend to them.
I had just got my hair done and I had treated myself for a manicure and pedicure as well. The winter was not kind to my feet and hands since I am out trudging in the the worst of weather. My girlfriend and I had a "who has the scrottiest feet" contest and I won hands down. So I figured I needed a little cosmetic work. Most people have their nails colored either a red or a wine color. When I do my nails at home I always pick a pearl color but this time having it professionally done I decided on a bright blue color.
Within the first five minutes of leaving the shop and walking into my house. "Eddie" came over and bit my nail as if she was trying to pull it off. So much for my $20.00 flawless shiny nail job. "Button' who is usually super friendly flew away from me. "Princess" had a full blown tantrum and ran around the table like a nut.
They were afraid of my blue nails and let me know it!
Talk about creatures of habit and do not like change. I am trying to hide my nails so that they will "step up" but when they see a nail poking out they eye it warily. Unfortunately to keep peace in the house I will most likely have to remove the color off my nails.
Do these birds rule my life or what!?!?

The joy of having a fish tank

I have been a tropical fish hobbyist since 1980. I seemed to always have had fish for pets for years. I had a black tetra named "Marvin" that lived for 20 years. It's an interesting and dynamic hobby because it is constantly changing and evolving with new "designer" fish and all kinds of new and improved filters and other gadgets. Sometimes I just like to read the aquarium product catalogs just to see all the cool new stuff.
I've heard often enough from people that" keeping an aquarium is a lot of work". This totally cracks me up. These people must never leave the couch to do anything. By up keeping and maintaining an aquarium is the easiest "chore" in the world. All you need is 30 minutes every three weeks or so to do a partial water change, scrape the algae on the glass, prune a few dead plants and clean out the filter.
I hear how people completely empty the aquarium to clean it and then wonder why all their fish die a few days later (the fish die from shock). They empty the aquarium to clean it because they haven't kept up with a monthly maintenance program so it becomes a huge production.
I have a friend who lives up in Maine. We used to work together about 25 years ago. Way back then she kind of made fun of me because of my obsession with fish. What makes this funny is that for the past 10 years or so she has been totally consumed by the fish hobby. She has at least nine up and running fish tanks. She has all these beautiful exotic fish that I've never even heard of with the newest and best filtration systems in the market. I enjoy going up to her house seeing all her fish and chatting excitedly all about them. We will set up "dates' to go out and check out pet shops sizing up the shop's fish collection.
I feel a little embarrassed now looking at my single 20 gallon fish tank with it's ancient Hagen hang filter and three geriatric inhabitants in it. Every once in awhile I get the urge to refurbish and do some serious aquascaping to jazz up my aquarium but everything seems to be stable right now. The fish are still fine, the filter works and the algae growth is under control.
It seems that almost everyone has had an aquarium at one time or another.
I remember my cousin having a ten gallon fish tank in her bachelorette apartment years ago. It was quite memorable. The background covering was a playgirl centerfold. The aqua ornaments were light houses and other "suggestive" looking objects. It was hilarious and original!
Maybe someday I'll set up marine tank. I think this would be a fun challenge.

Pinkhead

Sadly, I had quite a few budgies that had passed away on me.
Dexter, Dixie, Wilson, Betty, and Pinkhead. I had "Dover' the racing pigeon and "Marie" the zebra finch that had also sadly died. Each little bird had their own story but Pinkhead has remained "famous" in our house.
We bought Pinkhead on a whim at a nice bird shop in Amherst, NH. He was the only one left in the budgie cage. He was remarkably pretty being a turquoise color. I thought Whook would enjoy another male budgie companion since he seemed to miss Wilson and Dexter.Dixie seemed lost without Wilson too.
Pinkhead, however, was a bit of a hellion. I ended up calling Whook, Dixie and Pinkhead "the Gangs of New York" because they loved to gang up and terrorize the cockatiels.
As mentioned in other posts, Pinkhead later became the father of Twillinger by mating with grouchy fat Betty and later, viciously turning on his former friend Dixie.
The thing that made Pinkhead stand out was how selfish he was . It was to a point that it was rather hilarious. In the summer, when we cooked corn on the cob I would leave two ears of corn on top of the cages for the birds to enjoy and share. Pinkhead decided that both ears of corn were his only. He would stand on the corn and not let any of the birds near it. When the birds went over to the second ear of corn Pinkhead would fly on top of that one too and peck any birds that went near it.
So when ever I felt my husband was being a hog or selfish (and vise versa) we would call each other "a pinkhead". If I was sitting on the couch not offering to share i.e. cookies with my husband he would say, "hey Pinkhead!"
So Pinkhead will live forever in infamy!
Oh by the way, the reason this budgie was named "Pinkhead" was because he used to have a bright pink head due from rubbing his head in a pink calcium cup . His photo (above) shows him with a "clean" head (no pink dust this time)

the adventures of Mattie

Mattie is a regular dog walking client of mine. If you saw her you would immediately say, "awwwww isn't she cute!"
But looks are deceiving . My cousin picked her up one day bringing her close to her face (big mistake). Mattie bit her on the nose.
She is a clever naughty little thing. She definitely has a mind of her own. For one thing, she hates to go outside when it is cold and rainy.
She would prefer to sit on the couch all day and eat treats (who doesn't?) When it is a crappy day she will run and hide under the couch because she doesn't want to go out. She will have pooped on the rug and look at me as if to say, "see? I'll already went so I don't have to go out!"
I find that I have to bribe her with treats to get her leash on so I can get her to go out. As a result of all the treat bribery, she is starting to look like a sausage. This is not good. My job is to get her out to exercise so she doesn't get fat.
I've tried stepping up her routine by jogging with her. I figured how hard is it to run with a little jack russell terrier? I know it is impossible to try to run with two dogs because each dog has their own ideas on where to go. The first part of the run with Mattie seemed to be fine. She seemed to enjoy running.
However...
She would stop abruptly right in front of you to sniff a squished something or other in the street and then decide to go in the complete opposite direction thus causing you to stumble arse-over-tea-kettle. This has happened six times in the short 35 minute time frame. Most of the time she just refuses to stay on course and lunge towards the neighbors yard to sniff that big pile of crap sitting temptingly right in the middle of the lawn. Or she would decide that she wasn't going to go up to the end of the street because the" big brown scary dog" was chained up in the yard.
So I figured jogging wasn't going to work so we would just walk at a good pace instead.
Yesterday she did just fine (or so I thought). We were going at a good pace and she wasn't pulling too badly. When we got up to the far end of the street I felt this slight tug, I looked down and there was her leash and collar dangling in my hand.
Oh shit..
Mattie looked at me and BOLTED down the street. She ran so fast that she tumbled over herself. She turned to look at me as if to say, "ha ha sucker!"
Oooh that little brat!
I sprinted after her. It was like a three stooges obstacle course in trying to get her. She ran through the neighbors yard slipping under fences briefly stopping to sniff any dead mice or garbage. She ran under porches all the time turning around to see if I was following. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest in the chase. At that point, I felt there was no way I could catch her so I did what I could to bribe her back to the house.
Treats!
I got the treat bag and shook it, yelling, "Mattie! treats!"
It worked.
She wandered back to the house as if nothing happened.
I don't know about her but I surely got a workout.

Edward Scizzor Poop

Today is Eddie's birthday (or rather her "hatch date"). She is 5 years old. I know you are not suppose to have a 'favorite' but I can't help it, she is my favorite. She is my angel with a dirty face.
She hatched from Linus and Lucille's second clutch in 2005. Four of the six eggs hatched. It was stressful having to hand feed "Fresh Baby' who was only one baby from the first clutch so I was panicking thinking ,"what if I have to hand feed four babies?".
Sure enough, Linus and Lucille started to pick on the babies which meant I would have to take the babies from them and hand feed them. They had not even feathered yet and Linus was already bullying them. I called my local bird shop and asked them if they would be interested in 2 week old baby cockatiels that needed to be hand fed. They said, "yes" which was an enormous relief to me.
A week later, I got a call from them saying that they were having problems feeding the babies and did not want the responsibility.
My heart sank.
I called my vet telling him I would be picking up baby tiels with problems and if he could figure out what I needed to do help them survive. It was snowing that day so I packed some hand heat packs to make sure the babies would be warm for the long ride.
One of the babies appeared to be deformed. The wing was not developing and the legs were splayed (abnormally spread out). "Eddie' was cold and was not eating the normal amount of food. The other two were fine. The vet suggested that the deformed baby should be put down. This was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. Could this poor little bird survive having disabilities or would his care hinder the care of the other birds? Eddie also had a 50/50 % chance of survival.
I had to make the decision and took Eddie home with me. I still feel sick over it but only one bird would've survived.
In order to get more food into Eddie that would mean more feedings. I would have to wait til his crop would empty before feeding him. The problem was his crop was emptying slowly because he was cold. A crop that emptied slowly was not good. It could mean impaction and yeast infections. I would heat his heating pad up but there was a problem of over heating the bird and dehydrating him. To solve the dehydration issue I warmed up some pedalyte solution to give to her as a snack. This would get the needed fluids in her and aid in digestion. I was feeding Eddie small amounts of food (baby bird formula warmed to the exact temp of 105F) round the clock plus her heated pedalyte solution. This meant feedings at 2:00am and at 4:30am as well as daily feedings. I was so afraid she would either overheat or freeze so she slept on my stomach at night. I did this for two weeks until she started to gain weight and feather up. She was bald and helpless.It was nerve wracking and I couldn't sleep in fear that I would squish her. I can not imagine what human mums must go through!
Eddie survived and grew.
I would add a drop of organic apple cider vinegar in her formula to prevent yeast infections once a week. The other two babies were eating and growing normally too. It was strange, once these birds started growing and were past the critical point of survival Linus decided to resume feeding them (!?)
I didn't really trust him too much but would feed them alternatively checking their crops to making sure they were fed. In a way, it was good that Linus was feeding them because the babies needed the "good bacteria" from the parents to boost their immune system.
I put the babies in an aquarium with a small perch and give them cheerios and millet as "starter food" after 5 weeks. It was cute watching them hop and try to fly. Of course, they surprised the heck out of me when "whoosh" they would fly around the room. I had to be careful to make sure I left the toilet seat down so they wouldn't land into the toilet. I would panic when I couldn't account for them all. I would eventually find one or two of them sitting on the ceiling fan or on the top of the stairs.
At 10 weeks, they were completely fledged and weaned. This meant they could fly and eat on their own. I sold two of them to the bird shop and kept Eddie. I could never give up Eddie despite the protests from my husband saying we had too many birds. Hah!
Eddie is now 5 years old. She sits on my shoulder anytime I am at home. She tries to "assist" me when I do the laundry. She will get under the newspapers poking her little head out squawking at any of the other birds if they get near me.
Do I spoil her?
Of course!

Watch what you say....

Four days in a row without a headache. I was hoping for a full week with a clear head but no such luck.
This morning I was upstairs getting ready to go out to meet my parents for breakfast and I heard this expressive, "F*CK!" I ran downstairs thinking my husband hurt himself or he had found a tick crawling on his leg.
My husband was in the laundry room tossing his sweaty clothes in the wash after working out when he heard a scream of, "F*CK!" He stopped what he was doing and ran up the stairs thinking I had dropped something or banged into the wall (which I do time to time when I am coming down with a migraine).
We almost collided into each other racing to check on each other.
Neither one of use uttered the expletive.
And we heard it again.
Along with a chuckling noise and a wolf whistle.
It was Louie.
There he was bobbing his head up and down with his eye pinning and mouth clacking.
"F*CK!"
He was quite delighted with himself with his "new word" and even more pleased at how much commotion it caused.
I guess you got to watch what you say in front of the birds. (:-O

Ageism

Lately I've been thinking about my Aunt Grace.
She passed away about 25 years ago or so in her 80's. When people would meet her they would remark at how "attractive" and "pretty" she was.
And she was.
She would always dress fashionable too in her pastel suits or fitted pedal pushers and ked sneakers.
She immigrated into this country when she was in her late teens from Scotland. She lived here in the states, on a house overlooking Quincy Bay, high on the rocks. She worked at the original Dunkin Donut's headquarters in the accounting department for years. She liked her evening shot of whiskey along with a good cup of tea.
She was a tough ol' bird. When we would come to to visit her we would have to do the requisite plunge into Quincy bay's water. Since there was no beach front, we would climb down on the rocks wearing our ked sneakers and then catch a wave leaping into the icy waters without testing it or slowly getting used to it.
Jesus, that water was so frigging cold.
Aunt Grace was always the first one in the water. I think about her every once in the while wishing I had spent more time with her because she was pretty cool. I guess when you are young you are rather self absorbed pursuing your own personal quests than spending time getting to know older relatives.
And now, she is gone.
The other day I was watching the cartoon "the Simpsons. I generally find this show funny and I know my nieces and nephews never miss an episode. This particular show I found a bit disturbing.
It focused on Homer's father.
They depict him as a senile, drooling, forgetful gross old guy. The whole show based their laughs from him falling asleep when having a conversation and doing other other things making fun of his advanced age. I know my nieces and nephews were probably laughing at this reinforcing the myth that" old people are gross and stupid".
When I was a teenager, I worked in a nursing home to pay for community college. I would bitch and moan when ever I was put on schedule to work holidays. However, I knew when I finally got home we would celebrate the holiday then because my father would be working the same time shift as well. What was disturbing was how many residents never had visitors on the holidays. What was even more sad is how many residents would dress in their best and wait for family that would never show up. I remember when I was 16 years old I made 33 felt Christmas wreath pins to give to each of the residents as gifts. Somehow I thought this might make the day a little brighter. I really don't think it did but I just felt bad that they were stuck there and I could go home after my shift.
I just read "Dear Abby" on the subject of pet adoptions focusing on considering adopting an older pet. Most people ignore older pets because some may require extra care. My Mother's 18 year old cocker spaniel was just like an old guy. He limped, he was bald and he farted nonstop but he was sweet loving companion.
I actually liked him more as he got older. There was something really cute and endearing about him as he aged.
Many of my birds are older adoptees. Lucille has problems with her sight. I have to careful with her because she flies into things.
African grey parrots can live to 80 years. If I was ever to adopt an african grey parrot I would not want a baby. I would adopt one closer to my age so that we could grow old together.
My parents are aging and I worry about them. Maybe it was a good thing I worked in the nursing home because I learned some sensitivity towards older folks.
The question is: will the next generation care?

fashion violations

April 7, 1992 we got clobbered with over a foot of snow.
April 7, 2010 the temps reached 90F degrees.
Of course, I had to go down to the beach yesterday. It was more like June 7th. The beach was packed with people in bathing suits. Kids were in the water splashing around. A few "Hampton beacher" types did the run, scream your head off and made the dive into the waves.
And of course, the warm weather brings out the "fashion show..or not" around town. People going about their business doing errands or out for a walk with chums.
OK OK it is only my opinion but I just can't help myself. I am only human, right?
There are just some people that should be arrested by the "fashion police" just for wearing hideous clothes and shoes.
Yes, I know, I basically wear an "uniform' when I am working. I wear carhartt pants and boots and a t-shirt with my company's logo on it when I am taking care of animals. No, I do not dress like Terri Hatcher in Versace jeans and a silk top when I am working. Matter-of-fact, every job I had I had to wear some sort of uniform. Even when I interned at the state house, the 2 piece suit was my uniform. And no, I'm not really a fashion snob. I have no problem with someone wearing a nicely fitted inexpensive brand of jeans (Rider jeans) so long as they fit right and are flattering.
I scour vintage shops and high end consignment shops for designer bargains but the key is the fit. You could spend $$$ on a pair of designer pants and still look like a pig.
It's the fit, the style and how it flatters your body type.
OK OK here we go...
Serious fashion violations that should be banned because no one looks good wearing them.

1. birkenstock shoes. OMG F*&^ing hideous! Especially with socks...GAG!
2. crocs. Oh gross. They should only be worn while gardening.
3. flip flops. Please only wear these at the beach. I was horrified when I saw a photo in the newspaper of a group of high school kids visiting the White House and 90% of them were wearing flip flops. WTF.
4. Sneakers with a suit. Ellen DeGeneres are you listening? GROSS!
5. Flood pants. No one looks good wearing these. They make you look fat and short.
6. Pajama bottoms. Criiiiinge.....eeeeew!
7. low rise pants exposing your (lower) stomach and waist. Only a small group of people can wear these.You have to be extremely slim and fit. Nothing is worse that having a panda stomach and pudge squishing over the sides thinking you actually look cool wearing these clothes.
8. thongs. If you can see the thong it is just wrong.
9. cowl neck sweaters. Ugly and soooo 80s. Yuck
10. pants hanging down so low you can see a guys boxers. I don't get it. Did'nt your mother ever dress you?
11.grubby t-shirts and jeans at formal and semi-formal occasions. Again, didn't your mother ever dress you or teach you respect?
12. plaid shirts. Nerd wear.
13. corduroy pants. Especially brown or dark green corduroy pants.
This goes along with corduroy suit jackets with the patches on the elbows. Gross.
If I have to explain....
14. knee high stockings while wearing a dress.

OK I had my bitchy fun for the day. ):-P

Carl

A few years ago I made a mistake by checking out the new Methuen ASPCA facillity. It is quite clean and beautiful. They rescue a lot of farm animals at this facility. I've seen horses, chickens and ducks. Inside, I saw the usual group of up-for-adoption pets such as dogs and cats plus a special section for bunnies and birds. Most of the dogs here were pit bulls or pit bull mixes. I am guessing these dogs are from the Lawrence/Lowell/Haverhill area. Most of these dogs were brought in from the police.
It was a mistake for me to visit this rescue because I had to check out the birds.
There were a few conures, a pionus, a cockatiel and lots of budgies. I asked one of volunteers where all these birds came from. She told me a month ago they were confiscated from a horrible hoarding situation but didn't give me details. I inquired about two large green budgies bickering in a cage and what their story was. She told me that these birds were from that same hoarder. She said they were about 10 years old and that they needed to be adopted together.
$45.00 later (adoption fee) I came home with "Betty" and "Carl".
I named them after an older couple I was friends with because they were always bickering.
"Betty" was extremely huge and actually quite aggressive. I don't know why these two budgies had to be adopted together. Carl was actually scared shitless of Betty. Betty would swing on her swing and at each passing next to Carl she would peck him on the head. He would shake and quiver in the corner. I figured the kind thing to do would be to grant each parakeet their own cage. Carl seemed instantly relieved.
As bitchy as Betty was she proved to be quite attractive to "Pinkhead". Pinkhead was a year old blue and white American budgie. A year later, after meeting Betty, Pinkhead and Betty became a mated pair. Pinkhead was half the size of Betty. It was an absolute riot watching Pinkhead trying to climb onto of Betty positioning himself to mate. He looked like a jockey on a giant stallion. Half the time, grouchy ol' Betty would turn around, peck Pinkhead in the head and try to knock him off. Pinkhead's valiant efforts did pay off.
At the ripe old age of (I'm guessing) 12 years old Betty laid 12 eggs. One of those eggs did hatch and thus, Twillinger was born.
Carl was relieved that he had his own bachelor pad without any other birds bossing him around. He was old and he missing a few toes. Since the Methuen rescue did not have an avian vet on hand I didn't have any medical history on either of these birds. I did bring them both to my vet for check ups and at the time, everything seemed normal.
Betty grew quite vicious. When I was away on vacation both Pinkhead and Betty ganged up on sweet little Dixie and killed her. When Twillinger was born, I had to keep a close eye on Betty. Once in awhile Betty would peck Twillinger on the head.
Whook didn't want anything to do with her. One day, Betty didn't look too good. I took her to vet and she died shortly due to fluid build up in her abdomen.
Carl was having problems too. He was regurgitating constantly. At first, I thought it was mating thing since I would find puke all over his mirror but it went on for a long time. I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with megabacteria. This was something he was probably carrying from day one but did not surface until later. He was prescribed with amphotericin-B which is a pretty powerful antibotic twice a day for 14 days at .2ml. (The usual dosage of meds prescribed to budgies is .05ml. Administering .2ml is like making a human drink a gallon of the same equivalent!) It was impossible to get this much meds in this bird without killing him.
Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Two years later, he was still throwing up so I took him to a different vet.
Yup, he still had the megabacteria. She recommended euthanizing Carl at this point. I asked if there was anything else we could do. Carl seemed fine other than the vomiting. He was eating and carrying on normally. She recommended keeping Carl separately from other birds and sterilizing his cage at every cleaning. She also recommended this med that was from Australia called "Megabac-S". It was a powdered form of Amphotericin-B that you put in their drinking water. He would probably have to be on indefinitely. I figured, "OK, no problem".
This tiny bottle cost $150.00 each.
I bought two bottles plus special bird safe disinfectant.
It's been three years since the initial diagnosis. Carl is still hanging in there but still vomiting on occasion. He wakes up all happy and chirping every morning.
Ahhhhhhh! These birds!!!!

Louie

When we moved to Salisbury I figured we had enough birds. It was not an easy task to move everyone. I can't remember exactly how many we had but it was somewhere around eight.
I still kept in touch with my vet's assistant even when I was moving out of the metro-west area. She was also in the process of moving and selling her home around the same time we were. She was trying to sell a HUGE home in a declining real estate market hoping to make a decent profit so she could retire to Florida.
When she finally sold her home she packed up quite a few birds in a van to take down to Florida. Some of them, she couldn't take with her so she called all her 'bird buddies" in hopes of re-homing some of them.
She called me to see if would take "Louie". Louie was a wild caught Princess of Wales parakeet that was bounced house to house. He was a "rescue bird". Louie had a leg band on him that read, "S3 16F 95 121". I'm not sure what these numbers meant except that his hatch date was around 1995. She was afraid Louie would not able to survive the long ride to Florida.
I had said, "no".
Another friend of ours needed to find a nice home for their bare eye cockatoo. I had said, "OK, but if "Kiwi" doesn't fit in with the flock I would have to give her back". They agreed with that deal.
Kiwi is a sweet loving bird but extremely demanding of your undivided attention. If you are not sitting right next to her or holding her she would scream bloody murder. She could be like a 3 year old having an hour long temper tantrum. At 5:00, when I was cooking supper, it was Kiwi's witching hour.
She would scream.
It didn't really bother me too much because I know that is what big parrots do but my poor cockatiels were a mess. They would crash into things because of the alarm calls. Sadly, I knew I could not keep Kiwi because of this. Reluctantly, I had to give Kiwi back to her owners.
When my vet's assistant asked me to take Louie I told her what happened with Kiwi and how my poor frightened cockatiels went nuts.. I did not want a repeat of that scene again. She again, begged me to take Louie because no one would take him and that he would not survive the long trip to Florida. My husband was also opposed to the idea as well.
Well, two days later I drove down to Marlboro and picked up Louie.
Louie was about the size and girth of a cockatiel but had long tail feathers. He too was from Australia like cockatiels were from originally. He kind of surprised me because he talked. He would say, "Louie Louie" "Whatcha doin"?" and he would wolf whistle and make video game noises.
I was mostly worried how Louie and the cockatiels would react towards each other.
Button immediately flew over to his cage and sat perched on his food dish. Louie's eyes would flash, his feather flushed an iridescent shade and cooed to her. They were instantly pals.
Button would sometimes sneak in his cage and eat Louie food. Louie would coo and jabber to her. She seemed A-OK with that. I was worried Louie would peck her but he never made any aggressive moves what so ever. If anything, he seemed to be crooning love songs to her.
Sometimes, even Lucille would sneak in his cage by pushing the food dish to the side and munch happily on Louie's nutriberries. Linus would go absolutely NUTS when she did this. It was as if he was screaming, "how dare you go in another man's cage!" She of course, would ignore his rants . Linus would then try to get in Louie's face squawking raucously expressing his displeasure.
Louie turned out to be a fine addition to the flock. He became a good friend to Button. The other birds kind of picked on Button and treated her like she was retarded so Louie helped re-socialize Button back in the flock.

The Wild Pigeons of Salisbury beach part 7

Easter day was like a summer day. I was still a bit under the weather due to a lingering virus and fighting off the migraine monsters who like to attack especially when my system is weakened. We made no plans for the day.
We ventured out to the beach first thing in the morning after week's absences to get some fresh air. All the pigeons were there front and center except for "Brownie". There actually seemed like there was more pigeons out on this fine morning than the usual small gang of characters. I noticed more pigeons were hunkered down up in broken rafters starting early in their nest making endeavors as well. "Brownie", perhaps, got lucky with one of the "ladies" thus explaining his morning absence.
My husband and I just hung around for the day. We took a ride up north to check on my parents in the morning. They had been both sick and I get nervous when I do not hear from them. They were both sound asleep in bed so I did not want to disturb them and left promptly.
We then took a ride up to Strawberry bank in Portsmouth. It is nice waterfront park. The UNH horticultural department does all the flowers there. Unfortunately, it was still too early in the season to view their handiwork.
We sat there on the bench in the shade. As we sat there like an old married couple watching families having picnics, young couples playing frisbee, and of course, watching the pigeons.
The pigeons in Portsmouth seemed smaller than the ones in Salisbury. It was funny to observe some of the males with their lack luster "busta move" moves on the females. Maybe that is what it is like in cities. Maybe the males don't have to try as hard to score a female since there are more of them. They were completely lame in their dance moves. I almost felt like getting up and twirling around bobbing my head and to say, "hey guys! this is how you are suppose to do it!"
There was an elderly gentleman there who was trying to feed the pigeons and sparrows but was getting mauled by the seagulls. I thought for sure one of the herring gulls was going to rip the bag right out of his hands. He ended up chucking the bag of bread to get away from the aggressive gulls. These gulls are pretty bold and obnoxious. No doubt they have learned how to get food from the tourists that dine on the outdoor veranda overlooking inlet.
Regardless, it was a relaxing way to spend the morning.

growing up catholic..

I had thought long and hard about this one not really knowing how to put my thoughts into words but here I go.
First of all, let me start by saying, "Happy Easter".
I won't be going to my brother's this year for Easter dinner because I am just getting over being sick. I don't want to pass any of my residual germs over to him and his family.
Even though there is a million little kids that come over to do their "annual Easter egg hunt" you would never know it. All the kids are corralled either outside or in the basement leaving the adults for a little grown up conversation. The kids have a blast being with their friends and cousins playing games and having fun.The Easter ritual of dressing up and going to Easter mass is over and done with in the morning. I think this is a good thing that as a family they all go to church.
I do not think I need to go into all that has been happening within the Catholic church in regards to all the nasty shenaningans regarding pervert priests. If there were ever a sin to be called a "black sin" this is the worst one. I also have a huge problem with the short sighted sexist patriarchal nonsense.
FYI Mary Magdalene was a woman of independent means. Her family was a wealthy merchant family. This blasphemous rumor of her being a prostitute was made up by Pope Gregory the great (or rather the misogynist) in the sixth century. He needed to defile her as a woman because during this time the valentinus christian sect were gaining strength. Valentinus Christians had women priests.
Another thing that aggravates me is this crap that women are told that they are not fit to be priests. The shortsighted reasoning of this is that women were not Jesus' apostles. This is untrue, Jesus had many female followers and disciples.
It was Mary Magdalene who found the resurrected Jesus. All the disciples were scared stiff and in hiding. She bravely told all the disciples of what she saw without fear and retribution from the soldiers. Doesn't that tell you something? hmmmm?
Oh yeah, another thing. Yes, I did read the "DaVinci Code". I thought it was brilliant work of fiction and because of that book I did my own research starting with the Gnostic gospels.

Regardless, this peice is NOT to "diss" the Catholic church. All organized religion has it's issues especially when men find themselves in power. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

If anything, I find myself embracing the Catholic church, but not for the reasons you might think.

The priests I have dealt with as a kid were wonderful caring priests. Alot of them did out reach programs for inner city kids to keep them on track. I met quite of few of them having to deal with grieving families and the priests having to do last rites when I worked in a nursing home as a teenager. They have to deal with alot of depressing crap at all hours.
Catholics have saints which other Christian groups do not recognize. Apart from religion this is more of a cultural thing. I remember going to Saint Anthony's and Saint Joseph's feast day in the north end. My father would look forward to all the wonderful pastries that the bakeries made especially for these events.
(Hey, I'm a saint too, remember!?) I keep my Saint Francis statue out to protect my pets. I wear my fisherman's cross with the shark just about everyday as a good luck charm.
I would joke and bond with my school chums about days in CCD classes wondering if the nuns were bald under their habits and if they were bald down there too. We would wonder and speculate of what hosts were really made of as well.
My ethnic background is a bit sketchy so I look at "being Catholic" as something concrete and tangible as far as a cultural bond thing for me. This includes: the good, the bad, the ugly and the funny shit too!

Linus and Lucille

"Linus" has been such a pain lately. It's spring, which means mating season, but for randy Linus everyday is mating season.
He is my sole male cockatiel. He was found in the Federal Building in Boston late 2003 by a dive buddy of mine. He had a leg band on him with the letters AAA4546. We both tried to search for this bird's owner including tracing his leg band with the American Federation of Aviculture. Sadly for Linus's previous owner, nothing turned up. We could not find Linus's previous owner. All we could find was that Linus was a "Petco" tiel shipped from California to anyone of their stores in the Boston area.
He was young bird. He was maybe 6 months old at the time. Since we could not find his owner he ended up with me. He made his introduction to the flock by checking out all the females. Button had her eye on him but he had other ideas. I guess he didn't fancy blonds. (Button is a yellow lutino cockatiel) He made a beeline to Lucille who is a normal grey. She was just recently adopted from a rescue situation.
I got a call earlier that week from my vet's assistant (she did bird rescues) if I was interested in a little grey 6 year old female cockatiel. I said,"OK" and drove down to her house in Marlboro.
Lucille's previous owner, obviously, no longer wanted to care for her. She was in a disgracefully dirty rusty cage. The "food dishes" were raunchy wet cardboard boxes. She was crying in her cage. I just could not refuse to take her home with me.
I took her out and she immediately bonded with me. Her name was "Beverly" but I re-named her "Lucille". She bit me in the nose but at least she sat on my finger cuddling up to my neck. I figured this was a good sign that she trusted me enough not to cry and that she approached me.
However, she was absolutely terrified of males.
The owner had a teenage boy who delighted in teasing her. My husband kept his distance from her and just sat with her quietly not to upset her. It took about a year for her to feel comfortable enough to climb on his finger.
When Linus arrived at my house later that week he was singing and squawking to her. She screamed at him as if to say ,"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!". He was persistent.
He would bend his neck in this coyish way as if to say, "aren't I handsome?" while singing his little repertoire. His persistence paid off. In 1995, they were a mated pair. They had two successful clutches of babies.
Yet, I really don't know what she sees in him.
He's kind of a cheap date. One of the mating rituals is for the male to grab the females beak and "feed her" (regurgitate food in her mouth). I've never actually seen any food enter her mouth from him(unlike Twillinger and Smitty). Matter of fact, when she is eating out of the food dish he will come over to her, nip her ankles and demand she pay attention to him.
Sometimes she gets back at him for all his pestering when they groom each other. He will demand that she does all the grooming while he will do a lackluster preening job for her. All of a sudden, I will hear a scream and Lucille with have a mouth full of head feathers in her mouth.
Once Linus "discovered" the pleasure of mating he made it his number one priority of activities.
He's kind of sneaky about it and will climb up on her back usually when she is eating and "do his thing". I've seen her turn around, peck him in the head and knock him off. He will shake off his embarrassment and try again later that day.
Lucille is older than Linus by about 6 years. (Does that make her a "cougar"?) Lucille will get tired a little more easily. When Linus becomes a really annoying pest I separate them in side by side cages. I can't separate them in cages that he can't see her or he goes absolutely nutty by yelling and crying. Lucille seems to appreciate the reprieve from him once in awhile but then again, don't all us of ladies need a breather from our significant others once in awhile? (wink wink)
I'll have to say, when they had babies he was pretty decent father taking turns feeding the babies and sitting on the nest. When he gets in "nest mode"(with no eggs or babies present) I will put in his cage two fake resin eggs for him to sit on and to protect, to keep him busy.
Right now, this is what I have to do to keep him busy rather than him pestering Lucille.
You got to keep those males busy busy busy or they will drive you crazy! HA!

the Wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 6

I haven't been to the beach all week due to the torrential flooding rains. As of a result of having to be out in the crappy weather to walk dogs I got sick. I haven't had a cold/virus like this since community college! Needless to say, I feel like crap and I am not a happy camper. Headache, sore throat, snotty nose, itchy eyes and body aches. Ugh...
The poor dogs hate having to go out in this weather too. Mattie hides under the bed. Bribing her with treats aren't working anymore.
At least my cellar isn't flooded to the first floor or the sewer hasn't backed up in my tub like so many people in our area. We've had record rainfall since 1955. In one town (I think Freetown) the sewer pipe exploded due to so much rain. The paved crumpled street looked like they had an earthquake.
There is a break in the sky right now so I am going to try to get out and walk the dogs early before the sky starts to piss down more rain.
I just got my "Cesar'sway" magazine and my new "Birdtalk" magazine in the mail so after I do what I need to do I am going to hunker down with my magazines and nice hot cup of tea. I need to get well.
I miss the pigeons. I hope they are able to survive the storm.
Hopefully, I will be able to see them and feed them on the weekend.