!mas nieve! AYE!

It's still snowing and more on the way.
Yesterday I "babysat" my cousin's two dogs. It had stopped snowing (at least during the afternoon)and I wanted to take "Carlos" and "Ruby" for a walk. However, the snow banks were huge and wide. I was afraid of going around a corner and getting nailed from incoming traffic or tripping over the snow chunks on the side of the road. I could foresee an accident was in order.
 So for safety sake, I opt to just let the dogs run around outside in their yard for some needed fresh air and a 'poop' break. I do miss walking dogs. I like the exercise and I enjoy their company. With that being said, I was glad I didn't have to go out in the middle of the blizzard!
As you can see (in the above photo) Carlos wasn't too keen having his paws cold!
I haven't been able to get out for my daily run so I try to get my exercise on the trampoline.(*Although I get plenty of exercise shovelling this god-dam snow!)
The pigeon must know I need to "run" and she acts like my "coach". She will stand on the trampoline, stare at me and "bust-a-move". It's like she is saying, 'get off your fat ass and start jogging!"
It is funny what people will stock up on when they know they will be house bound for a few days (and it is not usually bread and milk)
My Mother grabbed a few cans of soup and bread.
I grabbed a big bag of broccoli, spinach and....(OK I know this bad) chocolate cake from Hannafords.(Hannafords has the best chocolate cake)
My cousin grabbed a bottle of maple flavoured whiskey (hmmmm..)
And my girl-friend said she stocked up on liquor and condoms (I think she was joking but  I"don't ask.... don't tell")

sharkizzard

This is the morning of Jan 28.
The storm finally stopped.
We got over 3 feet of snow and the drifts were well over my head.

But wait!
What could be worst than a blizzard?!?! A SHARKIZZARD!!!!!
Like a sharknado, sharks were falling out of the sky along with massive amounts of snow.
As you can see from the photos (above) I have proof that this phenomenon is real
It was a problem shoveling because the sharks were everywhere.!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZoUT5IFqU

*see this youtube

LOL!!!!!

Blizzard Jan 27 2015

 * This is the funniest picture!


As I type, we are getting bonked with massive loads of snow and pounded with hurricane force wind. Last night,the beach residents have all been evacuated. Lucky for me, I live next to the storm shelter centre and so far, we still have electricity.
It is still too windy to go out a do snow removal.
I am hoping the snow blower works. Last November, the auger blade of the snow blower broke when he got hit with our first snowstorm and then it needed a 'special" tool to remove the auger. In typical "Mac & Myer" fashion  we completed the job after back and forth awaiting these "parts".  After the last snow storm, last weekend, we realized the snow blower was still not working  due to the gear belt not placed properly. Ugh... So we shall see...
I am sooooooo glad I don't have to pet sit anyone today outside the home. In the past, it seemed that the worst possible days EVER I got the calls last minute to feed kitties, pick up litter, walk dogs etc...it was awful! And really scary driving.
 I am thinking about health care workers and wondering how the hell they can get to work (or to get home). I went to visit my father yesterday just as the flakes were starting to fall.

So long as the electricity stays on I do not mind hunkering down studying my Spanish, cuddling with the pigeon and working on art projects.
I just finished adding trim and sewing this parrot needlework onto this jacket.
I am going to work on some new paintings as well.
It will be interesting how much snow we will end up with. We may get up to three feet. So far the snow drifts are about 4 feet (or more)

*update:
As of 3:00pm the snow was over 2 feet deep and was still snowing! In the back yard the drifts were chest deep. I had to get to the back deck to clear it off so it doesn't get too heavy with snow and collapse. Also I needed to get back there to fill the bird feeders! WOW there is a LOT of snow!

Christmas 2014

I was just thinking about the past Christmas and through the passing years how things change.
I am a "half full' person so I don't mean this in a negative way.
 Times are a changin'.
 I still send out about sixty Christmas cards but the list have changed over the years. New people come into my life and others seem to disappear. I receive less and less cards each year. I guess some people feel snail mail correspondence is out of date or perhaps, too expensive.That part kind of bums me out.
I'm old fashioned like that and I like cards. I'll save the ones that stand out.
My weekends before Christmas used to be packed with going to parties but now it is down to just one party.
Since things change I try to start up 'new' holiday traditions. I host dinner and my cousins come over for holiday cheer.
 I still like going out for "black Friday" shopping -even though I really don't have many people to shop for any more. I just like the hustle and bustle of the event. I also like to look at all the decorations and displays.
This year we went down to the La Salette shrine in Attleboro to see the Christmas lights.
 I must say it was impressive.
 If I was a little kid I would've thought it was "magical".
 It was a good thing I bundled up because it was wicked cold and it is a place you have to walk around. Not only were there a massive display of lights but inside the shrine they had a display of thousands of different types of nativity scenes from all over the world. They even had funny ones that featured cowboys, dogs, owls, cats and ones that little kids created.
It was refreshing to see something relating to Christmas that was what Christmas is really all about -without any apologies.
No silly snowmen, elves or any of that crap.There were lots of exquisite religious art pieces.
The biggest thing that changed this year is my father is now in a nursing home. He is completely bed ridden and dementia has taken a full hold so therefore we spent the day with him at the facility. I know my mother felt sad about not spending Christmas day at her home with my father but I reminded her that at least we were all together. (see above picture)
I stayed with him just for a few hours. He gets tired and agitated when there is a lot of stimulation.
At least the staff at the nursing home really tried to make things cheery and festive. My father seemed to respond positively to the cards and gifts he had received from us and from some of the kind nursing staff.
The Christmas season is also an extremely  busy time for me as far as my pet sitting business is concerned. I had quite a few bird boarders and in addition, I had to go to customer's homes to care for their kitties.
Yup, times have changed.

fui del hospital

The migraines finally took their toll.
 I ended up in the hospital's emergency ward yesterday due to chest pain/squeeze and dizziness. Maybe the zomig took it's course or maybe it's unrelated. I still can't remember much. I had a bunch of tests done (blood tests, chest x-ray and an EKG) but nothing conclusive other than doctor's orders to take a baby aspirin daily.
It was an all day affair. I was hungry and thirsty. The emergency ward was clogged with people.
 I was refered to a cardialogist for a stress test. This is done by running on a treadmill. I had heals on and the technicians questioned me if I could indeed walk on them. I said I could and I could jog with them if I had to. (As you know, I am used to wearing heals. Wearing flats would have been the problem)
There were some irregulaties noted from this test but nothing dramatic. This was all so similar to what happened to me a few years ago while I was in Texas. It still remains a mystery.
I hated being there and all I could think of was getting home to my birds. I worry about them more than myself. As soon as I got home I got a call from a lady looking to rehome her african grey parrots. I can't imagine giving up these birds but from what she was saying it was health related issue  on her part and wanted to find a good home for them. I was not in a coherent state of mind at the time to make any kind of decision nor was my mind working enough to offer any kind of help. So I just took down her information for the time being.
Never a dull moment, really.

migraine season

January is migraine month.
Every morning at 3:00am I wake up with a nausating pain shooting from my head down my neck to middle of my spine. I have to take a zomig to catch it before it escalates. Yesterday, I felt the pain and thought ,maybe, it will go away by itself
Right.
By 5:30am it was too late for the zomig to take affect.
Every neuron was on fire. The pain was blinding and visceral.
 I spent the morning puking my guts out.
The light is like razors to my eyes , sounds are like drills to my ears and every smell is a like a non stop dump truck passing by. I was freezing despite two layers of fleece and woollen socks.
I tried taking a bath to regulate my body temp and to rid myself of my own stink but as I looked down to see the water slooshing in the tub I got instantly 'seasick".Oh God it was gross.
 I still feel shitty today but at least I am upright. And I feel a little bit demented and confused.
My sister sent me this comic today because the first thing she asks me if "I worked out that day" knowing my obsession about morning jogs.
Needless to say I found this comic hilarious.
The only 'exercise' I did that day was to stumble to the toilet and then crawl back to bed and back to the toilet again and  back to bed.
ugh

Jasmine & Princess

This week I have Jasmine & Princess staying with me. They are from separate clients.
Jasmine is a green cheek conure and Princess is cockatiel. Both are grouchy little ol' ladies. They are both "ladies of a certain age".
Jasmine is a bit of a biter. I've gotten used to Jasmine's idiosyncrasies and jasmine has gotten used to me, and the daily routine here.  Her beak is overgrown due to her age (I think she is 25 years old) and maybe because of some liver issues. She sees the vet regularly for check ups and beak trims. If her beak overgrows too much it will inhibit her ability to groom herself and to eat so the vet needs to trim it with a filing drill every 6 weeks.
I let "Jazzy" out of her cage a few times a day for exercise. Since she is an older bird she runs around on the table with supervision. She looks more like a soldier doing a ground crawl rather than a bird that runs..
She is happy being out and now since we both feel more comfortable around each other she is allowed a lot more outside the cage. She also gets hand fed with yummy fruit too which helps with trust issues. On occasion she will "test me" with her over grown beak. Yup, that means she will bite, but it is not a vicious/fear/mad bite. It is more like "ha ha' I bit you! Phuuuuh!" I ignore it and gently put her back in her cage when it is time to go back in.
Princess will do the same. She has tantrums once in a while but as usual when it is her turn to go back in her cage  I have to speak gently to her and to ignore the tantrum bites.
Princess likes her visits here. When she sees her travel cage at her  home she jumps right in. She knows she is going to 'birdy camp".She gets to spend a lot of time outside her cage,  sit with all the other birds to watch movies and enjoys all their 'birdy' company.
Jasmine has a love affair with my husband and will lean her head next to his hand for a head scratch.
Funny little birds.

mis "ojos grandes"

Here is my rendition of a 'Big Eyes". As I mentioned before, painting this was similar as to painting an icon painting.
Both are very stylized with an almost cartoon-like emphasis with the eyes.
This, however, was the first time I ever painted a child.
 My husband was my "muse".
And he was happy with the painting.
I did incorporate a mix of mediums. I used silk fabric on the clothes, a gold leaf emblem by the collar and some real pigeon feathers on the Big Eyed pigeons.
I'm sure if I entered this in one of the local art shows I would be turned away.
Who cares.
I like it.

Maybe I'll tackle another "Americana kitsch" painting like the famous "dogs playing poker" done by CW Coolidge in 1903 used to advertise cigars.

Instead of dogs I would have birds.

el pajaro esta muy travieso

The prednisone injections do help with head, neck and shoulder pain enough that I can sit here and type. Christmas/New year  is migraine season for me for some reason. I am guessing because it is dark, cold and dry.
Who really knows.
At the same time it is a busy time of year for me with customers who go on vacation and/ or visit family.
"Ray' a black headed caique who stayed with us for most of the month of December. Ray is a parrot in the true sense of the word. He is funny, engaging, loves human interaction and can talk. At the same time, he does other parrot  things like screams, bites and chews whatever is in sight.
He is a lot of bird in a small package. Thank God my husband adores and understands all my visiting birds. That makes life happy for me, and my boarders.
For all those considering owning parrot. Do your home-work. Life will no longer revolve around you. Your life will now revolve around your demanding 3 year old with wings!
Ray did his share of attention seeking screaming and biting. I had to observe to see what were the triggers in this behavior. The owners were worried because these negative behaviors were increasing and I wanted to help them before it got out of hand. All parrots do this to a point-even my birds do this.
This is normal but if it escalates to the point of it being intolerable then it is a problem. Sadly many parrots end up in rescues because of this.
Parrots do respond well to a reward system. When Ray was quiet  I gave him a blueberry and praised him in a quiet tone. He was rewarded for being a quiet boy.
Also I made him lots of destructo toys to keep him busy. A busy bird is a happy bird. He loved to tear fabric so I made his knotted toys made out of old t-shirts. He likes to chew paper so I made him toys out of shredded newspaper. I put a cardboard box with peep holes in it so he see a treat inside. This kept him busy chewing the cardboad to get at the treat. He would only squawk in the morning and at dinnertime which is normal. All  birds do that. They are merely announcing.
As far as biting, I would observe signs of what would make him bite. I would watch his eyes. If they were "pinning" then watch out. Usually when he was eatting and growling you need to leave him alone. Sometimes he would mouth my hand but he is just being tactile. That is not the same as biting.
I would say during the month of December with me working with Ray he was A-OK and his behaviors were managable.
Ray is a delightful parrot. He loves to sit with you and get his head scratched. He will lay on his back like a baby with his feet up in the air and laugh. As like all creatures including humans he loves attention (but given in a positive way)
As I relayed my suggestions and observations to the owner praising what a good bird he was. Ray then unceremoniously leaned over, grabbed and tore my brand new sweater! All I could think of is when I was a little kid my mother praised what a good kid I was to the neighbor and then I clocked her on the head with a rock (It was an accident, I swear!)
Maybe that is why I get along and understand parrots. I'm no different!

the Wild Pigeons of Salisbury beach part 109

It's been cold.
Really cold.
Living by the sea you have to really pay attention to the weather and especially to the winds.
The other day my thermometer read -6F.
Regardless, in my sleepy state, not really thinking of what I was doing  I automatically headed down to the beach for my morning run. When I opened the car door with my pigeon food to feed the beach pigeons a gust of wind ripping from the NWW and hit me like a thousand paper cuts across my face.
ARGHHHH!!!!
 The wind chill had to be -20.
I didn't run that morning.
The next day, I went back down the beach for my usual run.
 It was Frikk'ing cold even though I was wearing three layers of clothing. It wasn't as bad as the day before which was liquid nitrogen cold..
The cold, however, took its casualities.
Since last year many of the lofts where pigeons perched were removed. The south facing roofs had been covered with netting and spikes so the pigeons couldn't roost there either.
I found at least 5 pigeons frozen to death on the ground near the south facing wall.
It was horrible.
My little pigeon was warm and happy sitting on my slippers on the dryer. She would get quite perturbed if I disturbed her. The only time she would leave her "slipper' bed when she heard her food bowl rattle and ..at "Judge Judy" time.
She's a smart bird.

art is art

Happy New Year!
Anyways, I just saw the movie, "Big Eyes". It is story of the artist, Margaret Keane, who's obnoxious husband claimed credit for her oddly popular big eyed children paintings that were so popular in the 1960s.
 I looked her up on the internet and she is alive and well, although as you might guess,  quite elderly. She still paints and has a studio in San Francisco. Her art work has evolved from the 60s to a more vivid, sharper and more stylized version. Her focus is still on kids and cute animals. She has done portraits for various celebrities including (the late) actress Joan Crawford and protraits for Tim Burton (who incidentally produced the movie ,"Big Eyes").
I remember my Aunt Carol had a few of the Keane prints hanging down in her playroom. I thought they were funny but mesmerizing. My mother thought they were "gross" and "tacky".
 Regardless, whether you like them or not they are art -and you remember them. It is kind of like those "dogs playing poker" paintings. You may think they are gross and tacky or maybe you secretly have one of those prints hanging on your wall, either way  you remember them.
Art is art.
I decided to do my own 'big eye' painting. As I was studying the format I realized they were not any different than icon paintings. Both are a formulation of repetitive layer brush strokes, the eyes are exaggerated as the focal point and the subject is highly stylized.
Alot of people dismiss my 'art' as being weird, amaturish and cartoonish.
(And your point being?!?!?)
I don't care.
I'll never make money off of my work, and I'll never be famous. Most art shows won't exhibit my work  but I really don't give a crap.
I enjoy my paintings and they make me happy.
One funny story I thought I would share. The other day I was checking out a thrift shop looking for inexpensive frames for my art work.I came across a bunch of framed art one of them being a pastel of a yellow lab dog. As I am looking at it I am thinking this isn't a bad drawing, at least it is a hand made original. I was guessing the previous owner of the painting had a yellow lab and had commissioned some artist  to have her dog painted and then the dog had recently passed away.
And then I saw the signature.
I had done that painting....!!!!
I went through my files and I had done the painting for a lady in Byfield in 2008.
I do hope somebody buys that painting from the thrift shop who has a yellow lab dog (or not). It would be nice to know somebody might appreciate it.
As of right now,  I am working on  my 'big eye" painting. Once I am finished with it I will post it.
Stay tuned....