the pigeon went to church

Oct 3rd is St. Francis's day.
Most of the churches in my area of all denominations hold a'blessing of the Animals" service.
Last week the Orthodox Greek church held a service as well as two Episcopal churches.
This morning the Unitarian Universalist church held service.
 I had been sick for that last few days so I had no energy to do much of anything. However, my dear husband volunteered to take me to the service with the pigeon.
Yes, you read that right.
I went to church with the pigeon.
I called my cousin to see if she was interested in attending the service with her dogs as well.
It was kind of funny seeing all kinds of people attending service with their animals.
Most people there took their dogs. One kid brought his guinea pig. I have to say, the dogs and their people were well behaved and attentive.
A few people brought pictures of their departed pets for a blessing as well.
Craow Dum enjoyed the service. I think she really liked the hymns. After an hour or so being stuck in her carrier, she was getting a bit restless and was bustin'-a-move cooing and twirling.
The same was said for my cousin's dogs, "Jackie" (her elderly pom) and "Cuddles" (her deaf cocker spaniel). Cuddles took it one step further and starting rummaging through an unsuspecting seated church-goers  purse for potential treats (or even tissue paper to chew).
The benediction is as followed,"Gracious Creator,
                                                 Hear and bless
                                                 Thy beasts and singing birds
                                                 And guard with tenderness
                                                 Small things that have no words"
                                                 Amen
And so, yes, the pigeon went to church and was blessed by the minister.
                                           
                           

purgatory

Tim Burton has nailed it on the head in the movie "Beetlejuice"
The RMV is purgatory.
Purgatory is the RMV.
Hurry up and  f*&^ing wait.
And come back, again, you need.......this and this, and THIS!
The worse part about getting a new car is having to go to the RMV to register it.
Every single time.
 I mean every single friggin' time I never have all the "proper" information" needed" to complete the process.
I always have to come back at least one more time.
It is one big pain-in-the-ass-waste-of-time thing you have to do.
That is, if you do 'the right thing" and play by the rules.
But "they" do not make it easy for you.
It is no wonder I see so many people on the police blotter blog that are pulled over for being unregistered and uninsured. The system makes it horrible for those of us suckers who go by the rules and regulations.
When I  registered my father's truck, I was sent back close to four times for nonsense! One "lady" says you need this and when you go back again and see a different lady they tell you, "oh you don't need that".
It's pure torture.
Have you ever noticed that All the ladies at the registry either look like "Mimi' (from the Drew Carey show) or like Rosanne Barr (with the "personality" to match) screaming "NEEEEEEXT!".
Oh My God.
It is awful.
I picture purgatory as the waiting area in the RMV. You wait and wait, and WAIT. AND then when you are finally called, you have to go out and get something else to complete the process. It's never a one shot deal. Maybe in  my case, I would be issued a 'special purgatory ticket" that would require me to make amends with people I've dissed or maybe I would have to bring a nickle to the drug-store where I stole the bubble-gum when I was six years old.
 Who knows.
You don't know until you reach that counter window.
UGH...

bells and whistles

My car has been giving trouble on a routine basis.

 I had brought it back to shop numerous times for the same issue and still, it wasn't resolved. I was hoping to hold on to it til at least after the winter but I had this nagging feeling that on the worst snowy/slushy/freezing rain day that my car would stall out at a red light and I would be stuck. 

Everyday I would have a hard time starting the car and then when I got it going it always felt like it was going to stall. Regardless, I really hated the idea of parting with my PT cruiser.

.There were things I really liked about this car but after hitting 110,000miles it was becoming increasingly unreliable and predictably unpredictable.

 I felt like I was breaking up with a long time boy-friend.

Unfortunately, I had to do it.

There were certain things I look for in a vehicle.

1# It has to be made in the USA (sorry, no Japanese cars. The Japanese still hunt whales. My motivations are purely ethical  so don't waste your time telling how great Japanese cars are)

2# It has to be good in the snow. Winters suck big time in New England and I have to drive in this white shit.

3# It has to be big enough to carry multiple bird cages.

4# It has to have decent gas mileage

5# And like  a "new boyfriend", it has to be "cute".

So I ended up with a Jeep.

I had planned on buying a pre-owned vehicle in the hopes of vehicle that didn't have all these la de da features and gadgets. I am the most technologically challenged person in the world.

My PT cruiser was probably the last car made that still had roll down windows and used an ordinary key.They just do not make car stripped down like that anymore with just the basics.

This "new" car has all kinds of bells and whistles.

I still don't know what half the stuff is used  for.

One feature worth noting is an "automatic starter remote".

I have this starter remote hidden away and locked up.

I made the mistake of leaving it on the counter.

As you readers might remember how my pigeon has an affinity for the TV remote.

I'll let you guess what happened.(!)

The Wild Pigeons of Salisbury beach part 82

It appears the bone/sinus infection on poor Craow Dum's face is not slowing down despite my best efforts of keeping him clean and through multiple vet visits hoping to curtail the spread.
However, he behaves like nothing is wrong. He is busy pecking on the floor. He will peck at the remote control in living room at 4:00 for "Judge Judy" and settle down. He will hide under the computer table. He has a good appetite.
I, just feel, like I am just waiting for a bomb to explode as I look at his sinus/eye area.
On a last ditch effort I emailed Dr Walker, a racing pigeon vet, in Australia.
 I have his book "The Flying vet". I sent him a photo and briefed him on Craow Dum's medical history. I also sent an email to my vet as well. I am now just waiting to hear from the both of them with any ideas, suggestions, or whatever.
According to "The Flying Vet", the book shows (successful before and after photos) of a pigeon who have had nodules removed from their sinus's. I do not know if this was a lucky one time success or if this case is even similar to Craow Dum's situation but, regardless, this (photo in the book of the successful surgery) is what prompted me to email Dr Walker for his thoughts on this case.
I know many people would just roll their eyes and say, "oh it's just a damn pigeon, fer God's sake".
I have not found a creature more loyal, smart and as funny as this pigeon.
He still jumps up on the couch, hip checks me to move over, looks up at me with his homely little face as if he is smiling.
He has never called me fat or stupid. He doesn't care who I vote for.He doesn't hold a grudge.He doesn't ramble on about stupid boring shit. He likes everything I put in his plate without a fuss.
 He is just a nice simple sweet bird.
Maybe the vets will contact me back or maybe they won't. Maybe they will offer suggestions or maybe this is all that can be done.
 This is my last life-line for this bird.

dive #876 & 877 September 16 2012

Dive #876 Sept 16 2012
The SE wind had shifted from thursday's heat wave to today's brisk NW wind.
 I was glad I packed my dry suit for today's trip.We ventured out to Loblolly cove hoping for some protection from the wind.
We had Fred, Chris and Pete in charge with Lareint helping out with just about everything. We had Lynda,Myanna, IL and Stu as customers. As we were heading out past the Eastern point Lareint spotted a mola mola (ocean sunfish) with it's fin flopping back and forth on the surface. "He' was a crusty ol' soul covered with barnacles (the mola mola, not Larient) .September is usually the time of year you see mola molas, if you see them at all. This was a treat!
The viz was so so at about 7-10 feet max. Water temp was 57F at 20 feet. It was nauseatingly surgy. As I am typing this, I can still feel the effects .I figured I was done for the day after that dive
Dive #877
For the second dive site, we anchored at Brace's cove.The waves were viciously crashing down by the rocks which made me a bit nervous.Chris was getting her exercise rowing close to where any divers drifted away from the inner part of the cove just to keep an eye out. One diver was heading further out in the ocean drifting a bit too close to the area where the waves were crashing on the rocks. Since he did not surface to check his whereabouts I opted to don my dry suit and steer him back to the boat, for safety sake.
He was swimming at a pretty good clip. I finally caught with him before he reached those rocks. I was dead tired after that swim. Lareint plucked me up out of the water with one hand like I was a suitcase.
Amazing.
All I can say is that we  will all sleep well tonight.
Never a dull moment though. As the boat was making it's way back through the slosh, another diver fell over board. I was glad I still had my suit on as I making my way to the stern of the boat  just in case I  needed to jump in. Thank God she was not hurt, just wet. Even her cookies got wet looking like a mushy pile of bird poop on the platform.
Yeah, never a dull moment.

The Wild Pigeons of Salisbury beach part 81

In 2006, Disney films produced an animated film called "Valiant". It's a cute film about the brave messenger pigeons used in WWII. I've seen the movie twice.It's funny and pro-pigeon!
As I type this page,  Craow Dum is sitting on my lap. He is dying to jump up on the key-pad to 'help' me type. Pigeons are very eager to be of service.
Yesterday at the beach boardwalk, my cousin wanted to photograph me holding a local state political front-runners cute little dog to use on their political web-site.The dog was definitely more photogenic than I was. He had a great big smile as if he was used to getting his picture taken. He kind of reminded me of Kelly Ripa with his practiced posed expression.
As we were sitting on the bench, my cousin noticed the pigeons walking over to me and asked in a joking matter, "do you know these guys?" "I said, "matter-of-fact, I know two of them. Those two (white speckled) ones are the Snowflake twins!" I pointed over to above the Christie's pizza sign to where they were born. I told her to listen carefully, that you can hear 'squeakers" (new hatchlings up and behind the protection of the signs) I think she was amazed that I was so observant of the pigeons. She appreciates nature and animals of all kinds as well
The pigeons just had their 'fall season' babies. It's a tough time of year because there aren't as many tourists out dropping french fries and pizza now. When I bring the jar of seed for them in the morning they are like teen-age girls grasping for Justin Beiber concert tickets! I've had pigeons land on my head! They are now feeding for two (or three!) so they are especially hungry.
A lady who owns a cockatoo in Seabrook told me she also feeds the pigeons on her street. She had noticed a "homer" coming around her feeders. I would love to see that homer. I wonder if it was the same one that was visiting the beach in the summer.
You just never know (if it is the same homer) and you just never know who you run into who also admires the pigeons as well! :-)

potty mouth birds

I couldn't help but comment on this case of the "potty mouth cockatoo".
A woman in Warwick Rhode Island has been cited with a noise violation over her swearing cockatoo.
 From what I gather from the pending case, is that this woman lives next to her ex-husband with his girl-friend. One way of getting back at them is having the bird squawk "fu*&ing wh*re" repeatedly.
I got to tell you from experience, birds love saying the word "Fu*&;" It's easy to say and fun because they get a 'reaction" from it.
I do think these two people involved in this case are both  class A jerks.
Either party should move away from each other in order to halt this aggravation
The owner of the bird "Lynn" should keep her bird inside and retrain him to say 'fire truck' instead.
I do not have a good feeling about this case and think it will end badly for the cockatoo, not for the two idiots involved.
Yes, my budgie swears too but he mostly says,"very good indeed" and "I looove being a biscuit!"
 I didn't 'train' him to swear. He just picked it up in passing because it is "expressive" .He will also laugh after he does it too. If I ignore the "fresh words" he will no longer say it because there's no benefit in it for him . If he says, "I love you!" I talk back to him, saying, "I love you too!" (this is positive re-enforcement to encouraging him to say it again) He usually will say it back again.
I think in this case, this "Lynn' has re-enforced the cockatoo to swear by saying "good bird!" afterwards, laughed (they love that) or perhaps gave him a treat after he said it.
Hopefully, both parties will "grow up', stop the nonsense and the bird will be spared any backlash.

two for one

After reading foxindetox's blog on products she tried that worked for her  I. had to go out and try the Revlon Grow Luscious mascara she recommended. For the price of "drugstore" make-up she was right on spot with this one. Another mascara I like, but I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, is the Revlon Colorstay lash tint.
The Grow Luscious mascara is a fab 'dress up' mascara giving you big lush eye-lashes. The Colorstay mascara (you can only get it online) is good for athletes and scuba divers. It doesn't make your eyelash big and fluffy but gives you color. The main reason I like it (and other ladies may not) is that you can not remove it-even with make-up remover. One coat lasts an entire week. It's perfect for a scuba diving vacation.
Yup, once in awhile you can find an inexpensive product that works well for you.
However, buyer beware. There are some products you think you are getting a bargain but they turn out to be shit.
 In my opinion from experience, here are some hits & misses for those of you out looking  for a bargain.

Dollar stores
Hit:
1)Gift wrapping paper. They have a good selection and the best prices. Buying gift wrap in a gift shop is a rip-off.
2) Kitchen gadgets. Wisks, Wooden spoons. Bottle openers, stuff like that.
Miss:
1)Batteries. Do not bother. They are shit duds.
2)Raisins. Don't. Just don't. I  made the mistake of opening a box and dumping them in my mouth without looking in the box. Every bite was a crunch. Don't ask.

Ocean State Job lot
Hit:
1)I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but I can usually find favorite food items that were discontinued in general supermarkets. I'll buy by the case (Indian spice rice)
2)Fleece and merino wool socks. I paid $3.98 for merino wool socks here.( I had paid close to ten at LL Bean for pretty much the same kind of socks)
Miss:
1)Coffee. I figured all "french vanilla" coffee taste the same, right? Gee, $3.98 for a pound of coffee is a good deal right? OMG! I bought some obscure brand and almost puked when I opened it.
 It smelled like really bad breath. I left the package opened to air it out hoping it would be OK but it wasn't. It still smelled gross and rancid. It ended up becoming compost. There was no way was I going to brew it.
I'll stick to DD, thank you very much.
2)Nuts. Market Basket sells them for less.
3)Outdoor bird food. The birds won't eat it. You will only attract squirrels.

Kmart
Hit:
1)Sofia Vergara's clothing line. I can't say enough. Her clothes are gorgeous, made well and classy sexy.
They look and fit like stuff I've bought in high end boutiques.I'm not joking!(you can only buy it online)
2)Small appliances like dust busters and rice cookers.They generally have the best prices for these kind of items.
3)Sneakers. I go through sneakers every 3 months no matter how much I spend on them.Their $15.00 store brand atheletec is as comfortable as a pair of  $59.98 pair of Nikes
Miss:
1)Joe Boxer underwear. They are a joke.Don't waste your money.
2)Sheets. Again, not made well.
3)Outdoor bird food.I think it is from the same company that supplies Ocean State.Squirrels like it, not birds.

Bath & Bodyworks
Hit:
1)Lavender lotion and body wash. Hands down, they make the best lavender products. I wished they sold lavender shampoo and powder as well.
Do not buy the cheap crap in Walmart or those cheezy drug-store gift sets. It doesn't smell anything like lavender.
2)Peppermint foot cream. put this stuff on your feet after a long hike when you are starting to get a blister. It will heal within 24 hours.
Miss:
1)All the other 'scents". They only attract bees.

That is all for today. I'll give my review on other things later.

Scrotalia McBoogerballs

My cousin is very active in her town's affairs.One activity in particular that she was instrumental in is the town's pilot program of their dog "off leash' program. As a result of her active participation, many dog owners know her as well as the animal control officers.
She has three dogs, two of them are quite elderly with 'special needs".
 She will also on occasion 'babysit" other people's dogs as well. She loves dogs and has a "soft spot" for them. (If I was to be re-incarnated as a dog I would one lucky hound to be under her care!.)
She just recently got a call from the neighboring town's animal control officer asking her if she would temporarily 'foster' a dog she picked up wandering around on the beach. Without a second thought she said,'yes', without clearly knowing what she would be getting into. My cousin did know that the dog was old and was kind of scrotty looking but when the dog officer finally brought the dog to her home (after failing to show up a few times as scheduled -which I thought was extremely rude and thoughtless) she was shocked to see what she saw. The dog's tongue was hanging out of her mouth, her back legs were malformed due to a former injury that was never attended to, bald spots all over the rump due to a skin ailment, cloudy eyes, dirty ears, stinking like urine and had badly over grown toe nails. This poor creature was seriously neglected.
(I was disgusted with the animal control officer once again to the fact she dropped this dog off at my cousin's house in such filthy conditions without a bath nor a vet visit .I'm sure  I would be given some  (lame) excuse but I just thought this was kind of obnoxious.*It's just my opinion, that's all.)
When my cousin was telling me the sad story about the condition of this dog , as a defense mechanism to deal with sad situations, I made a few jokes.
 This story particularly reminds of the joke about the dog missing an eye and has three legs that responds to the name "Lucky".
 I started calling this dog Scrottie McBoogerballs after the (sophomoric) cartoon "South Park' episode. Since the dog was a female we called her "Scrotalia" instead.
My cousin ended up taking this dog  to the vet because she was in pain. The vet gave her a 'look/see" and prescribed pain meds and eye drops for the time being. Since the dog is considered the town of Salisbury's property  this was all my cousin could do for the time being to at least keep the dog comfortable under the town's jurisdiction.
I had to go over to see this dog .
My God, what a poor wretched creature!
Regardless, she is a sweet little thing with a nice disposition. She ate good and pooped outside without any issues.
We both did a 'search' on the internet to see if anyone was missing a dog but we both think she was just 'let go" to fend for herself. She might have been some elderly person's pet who was in no condition to care for it and then it was chucked outside by the family afterwards.
Who knows.
She is such a sweet little dog who needs some veterinary maintenance care for her skin ailment, pain management and just some TLC to be able live out the rest of her life. Or perhaps the injury to her leg is too far gone and she will have to be humanely put down.
The fate of the dog is under the dog officer's issuance by the end of a 10 day stay.
My cousin and I kind of joke with each other on how do we end up with these poor creatures?. She has two elderly dogs already that are blind and deaf. I have a beakless pigeon, a two budgies with tumors, a feather picking cockatiel and a mentally retarded cockatiel.
We are both big "softies".
I am a bit anxious and worried to what will happen to the dog at the end of the 10 day period.
Will the former owners come forward? Is the dog healthy enough to be adopted? or is the dog too far gone to be saved?
Either way, I hope in the end it will be a humane choice.

Dive # 874 & 875 September 2 2012

* Here is photo of a comb jellyfish I found on the internet.
 I saw a bunch of them floating around as Pete dropped anchor.


Dive # 874 September 2 2012
It's funny how everything seems to shift gear once the calendar marks "September first".
 It's dark at 5:30am now. The light feels like it has shifted at a different angle. Some of leaves are already changing color. The sunflowers are wilting. It is getting windier and the water is getting choppier.
Sigh...
And the drone of foot-ball games is now on the TV.
Gag.
So now I feel that I am grasping for the last remains of summer
I woke up with a pounding migraine. I was ready to cancel my day but I was hoping (and praying) the zomig would kick in fast so I could perhaps dive today.
We had a full boat today. The beaches and river was loaded with boats and vacationers getting that "last day of holiday" in.
We had Fred, Chris and Pete manning the boat. Jackie K, Sandy, Diane K, Richard B, George and his son  as customers. After fueling up at the fuel station we headed to "Naked man" beach.
 I went in with Diane K. She wanted to stay right under the boat which was fine by me. We swam around looking under rocks for critters. I found a pair of crabs holding tight to each other. I am guessing they were mating.
The viz was (fairly)clear in some part and murky in others.The water temp fluctuated as well. I got a temp of 57F. It also was a bit windy top-side.
Dive#875 September 2 2012
Despite being cold after the first dive I opted to go in for a second dive.The cold water felt great on my head. It helps clear the fog of the zomig after-effects.We ended up at the left side of Folly cove for the second dive which was fine by me.
I was surprised to see so much bright green algae on the rocks. There were lots of cunners and pollock mulling around. The water felt a little warmer in the cove.
It was a pretty busy day today.
I got to say I'm pretty much in a bucket tonight.

shoe addict alert part 2

OK Here you have it ladies are some of my latest shoes. :-)
As I was leaving to walk dogs I was looking around for the pigeon to safely put back in his/her hutch. I searched high and low in the house to where he/she usually likes to hide. I was ready to panic since I couldn't find Craow Dum.
Until...
My shoe closet was slightly ajar.
I opened the door cautiously and there sat that silly pigeon sound asleep on my Manolo Blahniks.
Hey, at least he/she has great taste in shoes!