Yes, I am the crazy bird-lady! part 2

We are seriously thinking of buying a (used) RV so we can take our birds on vacation with us. I pine every time I see (especially a lady) drive by on a motorcycle but my husband isn't interested in riding a motorcycle with me plus it means more time away from the birds.
The same goes with getting a sailboat. So traveling about in a RV makes perfect sense to us. Another plus to having a RV is that it is a traveling bed and toilet. I am predictably unpredictably sick all the time so I think this is a good thing to have if I want to do some vacationing when I have to deal with this problem.
As I sit here and type I have Dover the cockatiel on my shoulder and Craow Dum the pigeon by my feet.
I know many people probably roll their eyes at me and wonder what is the point of having these birds-especially since they require so much care. Well, it is like the ol' Harley moto; "if you have to explain you'll never understand".
As a result of being  a 'bird person" you come across different people. I remember "my friend John" sent me an article about a wild life bird rehabber from Gloucester. We sort of linked up through a pigeon-talk chat group.
Please check this out    www.CAwildbirdrescue.org
"Jodi" is selling jewelry to raise money for her rescue. This time of the year is a chock-a-block time of caring for injured and orphaned animals

As I mentioned on my last post, I received a couple of calls regarding wildbirds.As you all know, I have Craow Dum the pigeon as a full time resident at my house.(JFYI pigeons are not  listed under "wildlife"protection. They are actually "feral" domestic. Sadly, they have no protection because they are considered a "nuisance" animal)
* Here is photo I took with my camera phone of a nest I found lying on the road while I was walking Mattie the Jack Russell. I suspect a crow or a cat knocked the nest out of the tree. I am always on the lookout for critters in need.

Yes, I am the crazy bird-lady!

I bet these aren't the typical conversation you have in the morning start of the day.

"Do you have to clean the pigeon's nose while I am eating breakfast?"
"Didn't you just change the table-cloth?!? So why is there poop on it?"
"Save the newspaper. I need it for Patches cage"
"Yeah, the birds are eating your scone. It's OK. It's a healthy home-made one"
"Eddie is sitting in your oatmeal. Why did you leave it there?"
"OK we have to meet so and so at 8:00am so that gives us enough time to get the birds ready before we leave"
"Did Whook just say, "very good indeed?"
"I'll vacuum the floor if you take care of Louie"
"oh shit! Button came out just to poop on my nice clean shirt!"
"OK, I can go to your BBQ so long as I am home by 5:00" (so I can be home for the birds)

Ah yes, life with birds.

And the word is out.
Yesterday, I got two calls from people telling me they found baby birds that fell out of their nest. No I am not a wildlife rehabber. I never claim to be one either . I am just a pet sitter.
Unfortunately these people who had called me were desperate. They were turned away from vet office (that are not wildlife certified) and animal control (who do not have the time or interest in dealing with wild birds) Most wildlife rehabbers are now getting over loaded with injured and orphaned critters.
So, just from experience, I try to walk these people through in offering (hopeful) advice.
And from my last post, I get calls from people who want or need to re-home their domestic pet birds.
I have a new budgie now.

And yes, my life does revolve around my birds.
As I sit here and type. Dover, who is a visitor, is sitting on my shoulder. I was suppose to travel out west this week to a graduation. It just so happen that many of my "bird customers" also had graduations to attend to as well.
So I decided to stay home and care for the birds instead.
* above photo is from a client who goes shopping (at Home Depot) with their owner.

So, there.I am NOT the only one who does everything with their birds!

new addition

I had a dentist appointment today to have my six month teeth cleaning.
The dental hygienist there told me she was glad to see me.
She was looking  to find a new home for her mother's budgie. She had thought of me since I boarded and owned birds. Perhaps I might know someone that would be interested in caring for this bird. 
Her mum was a bit overwhelmed with caring for six dogs, cats and a new grand-child.
I thought of this poor little budgie all by himself not getting any attention.
They did the right thing to do by trying to find a loving home that would be happy to have him.
So yes, this little blue budgie ended up in my home.
He appeared to be healthy and alert. His cage, however, badly needed to be disassembled and scrubbed down
I placed him in one of my clean parakeet cages with a soft perch and mirror toys.
He was very skittish and nervous. He was never" finger trained". (He never learned to hop up on your finger which is a sure sign of being tame) So today,  I just let him just get used to his new surroundings. The other two budgies "Whook" and "Twillinger" flew over right away  to him to investigate.
This was a good sign.
 He started to squawk at Twillinger and share a piece of millet I had inserted between the bars of his cage.
He is wearing a leg band which means he was most likely "purchased" at a Petco or chain pet store.The leg band had a  "08"  number which means he was hatched in 2008 making him four years old-even though he looks very small. He is a cute little guy.
His cere (top fleshy part of his beak) is blue so he is a boy.
I haven't decided on a name yet but it might be "Eric" after the dentist who I used work for.
I think naming him after a dentist is appropriate.

owl tale

I was sadden and yet, not surprised to read a heading on a newspaper article stating, "Harry Potter fans abandon pet owls after series ended"
Siiiiiiiiiigh..............
Seriously, what retard parent would actually "buy" an owl for their obnoxious brat in the first place?
Yes, no doubt owls are beautiful and cool birds.They give the illusion that they are cute and cuddly but they are not, they are birds of prey like a hawk.
Do you see that beak? That is only the tip of the beak the rest of it is hidden under the feathers and spreads wide across his face.Their talons are razor sharp and strong. If a owl struck you in the face you could actually die or at least get pretty messed up. Birds of prey go for the eyes, by the way.
They eat whole mice as their primary diet.
They upchuck mice bolus's. (undigested bits) where ever.
I can not imagine what they must be like if they are in mating mode. I know how obnoxious, down right aggressive and persistent "Patches" , my randy dominant male cockatiel, can be.
How did these people obtain a permit to 'get" an owl? It's not like there is a pet shop that breeds and sells owls for pets, is there?
The book "Wesley the owl" by Stacey OBrien give you an excellent view of life with an owl.
I am forever amazed by people's short sighted "interest" in a TV or movie animal to be kept as a pet.
Shelters in California are over run by "cute" chihuahua dogs due to movies like "Legally Blond" "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and as a fashion accessory like Paris Hilton had carrying around in a large fancy purse. The same situation happened for the movie "101 Dalmatians".
It's a disposable society.
Sigh.

corn syrup wars

Cool whip (or the generic "whipped topping") is something I put on fruit.
The stuff taste good but it is made of total shit and it is addicting.
It is addicting because, the second ingredient listed in it is :corn syrup.
Corn syrup is in everything.
There are 20 calories per 2 TBSP.
My long time friend told me, "WTF! Don't eat that shit! It's poison! Buy real whipped cream instead!
As I checked the ingredients in some of the "real" whipped cream containers I found that 99% of the brands still had corn syrup listed in it as well.
So much for "real" whipped cream.
Of all the real whipped creams I checked I found that the brand Reddiwhip did not did not have corn syrup listed.. The first ingredient listed is milk, the second ingredient is cream. No corn syrup. The best part is that it is 5 calories per 2 TBSP. I'm sold.
I have this surrealist imagination. On a previous past posting I suggested that the government is trying to secretly fatten us up like pigs because pigs eat corn. They will then feed us to alien invaders as a bargaining chip.
I found that not only corn syrup is infused in everything but also some kind of shit called "modified corn starch". I picked up a bag of baked potato chips and read the label to check for calories. Guess what was listed in a simple bag of POTATO chips? Yup, corn oil and corn starch.
Corn corn and more CORN! What is with all this corn?!?!.
My poor little feather picking cockatiel "Button" can't eat corn. She picks more than ever when she eats bird food with corn products. There must be some kind of enzyme in corn products is inflammatory to her already itchy feather shafts.I have to buy her a specialty pelleted food just made of rice.
Is she the proverbial "canary in the mine shaft" as far as what corn is doing to us?
I watched a silly TV show called "Supernatural" last friday night. I had to laugh because the theme on this particular episode involved some secret corporation/government plot infusing every product with corn syrup. The corporate big wigs were in fact some sort of demon lamprey-like creatures with nasty fangs with the sole intent of fattening up and numbing the general population for their food supply
It was kind of funny (in a sick sort of way) seeing some stupefied bloppy guy sitting there with vacant eyes sipping away on a sugary "Big Gulp" soft drink unaware that he will be some monster's meal..
I thought to myself,"oh my God! Are these "Supernatural" writers sick bastards or are they on to something that I have been surmising about all along?"
Hmmmm....
Step away from the corn.

running with scizzors part 2

Last weekend was Mother's day.
I take my family out to the 99 restaurant because there is only one step to get in the restaurant and there is a table close to the entrance making it easier to take my father. I would have preferred to take my mother to some place a " little more upscale" since it is suppose to be "her day". However, if we take my father anywhere we need to accommodate him.
Sadly, he didn't make it to the restaurant on Sunday. He had fallen and hurt himself, again.
My mother went out for an hour to do an errand. As soon as she left the house he decided he "had to do something" outside. He fell backward banging his head. When she found him he got belligerent when she said he needed to see a doctor. And then, he started in about "driving" again. He said he was going to "get an out-of-state driver license" (since his license in his state was revoked, finally). He keeps talking about getting behind the wheel of his truck justifying it by saying,  "(he) will only go to the park".
Before he legitimately lost his license he said he was only going to the dump but he would end up about 200 miles away from home..He's nicked off his side mirror countless times.
It's been a nonstop persistent battle with him. The bottom line is  that he can never get behind the wheel of a car, ever.
It would be like giving a three year old a loaded gun to play with.
It's dangerous and scary.
 I have his truck in my possession, thank God.
Thankfully he (still) has no license or keys. However, he makes my mother miserable and fights with her all the time about crazy stuff he imagines or decides at the time to obsess about.
It is sad to see someone who has lost their Independence due to their physical and mental disabilities.
I feel bad for him, but worse, for my mother to have to deal with him.
I feel like a referee in this game of life. I am trying to retain my father's dignity and at the same time, figuring out how to be clever and assertive with him so that he doesn't do something that will either harm himself or anyone around him. Unfortunately, 99% of the burden ends up falling on my Mother's shoulders.
I really do not know what to do.

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 73

I've been out of commission all week.The migraines have been nasty .I missed a town meeting and a chamber dinner this week.
I still manage to get out to the beach to, at least, walk to get oxygen circulating to my brain.
"Kim" (the new white pigeon with kohl rimmed eyes) still stands out making a striking appearance among the grey pigeons."The Rock" is there too strutting around proudly. No sign of "Brownie" or even "JLo". It's been very windy in the morning  with winds blowing out from the NW. I've found pigeon egg shells blowing around on the side walk as well a the blue robin's egg shells.
This morning I found a small bird just sitting on the sidewalk. I almost stepped on it. I picked it up and it appeared to be a young immature goldfinch! He just sat in my hand. I wasn't sure what to do because I wasn't sure that he was OK. I checked him over to see if there were any injuries. To my surprise, he appeared to be injury-free. Then, all of a sudden, he just took off.
I was glad for that.
He either did his first test flight and got knocked around from the wind or he got biffed by a passing car and landed on the side-walk.He was probably a bit shell shocked. Thankfully a cat or a seagull didn't find him.
The birds have been definitely busy this time of year. I saw a rose breasted grosbeak as well as a Baltimore Oriole this morning. My back deck is a goldfinch convention hall. I counted at least twenty five of them all hanging off the feeders.
"Craow Dum" the pigeon  took his weekly bath today and sat by the french doors to sun himself. He enjoys watching the "other" birds. I do have to watch out for "Patches", my randy male cockatiel. He has been obnoxiously aggressive. The pigeon is at least three times his size and Patches still chases him around.
"Princess" is visiting now so hopefully that will keep Patches busy.

That's campin' kids!

Lately, I've been more and more paranoid about leaving my house. It seems like every time I go on vacation, even for a short trip, either one or more of my birds needs to go to the vet or I get violently ill.
 It's just  not pleasant for me to travel anymore. It always sounds like a good idea at the time when I make vacation plans/reservations but when the time gets closer, I end up in panic mode.
My husband had suggested that perhaps we rent a small RV and take the birds with us. We are then in a mobile "house" with a bed , toilet and all of our birds. I thought that this might be a good idea.
When I did some research I found that it is very very expensive to rent a RV. The rental fee for a small RV  cost close to $2000.00 per week and that does not include gas or camp ground fees.
I couldn't help but reminisce when I use to go camping with my cousins in my uncle's home-made converted old milk truck "camper". He managed to rig up a small shower in it as well a "bucket' toilet. My cousin and I slept outside of it since there was just enough room for my Aunt and Uncle and their infant son.
We loved these camping trips.
I think because my cousin and I were like two unleashed dogs.
We could go playing in the woods for hours, catching frogs, looking for bugs under rocks, getting dirty and peeing where ever we felt like going.
No adults bossing us around or nagging us about shit.
 It was great.
Total freedom.
If we complained about finding earwigs in our sleeping bags or finding aphids in your sandwich, my uncle would just shrug and say, "that's campin' kids!"
That expression "that's campin' kids!" has been the "tough shit!" mantra for my cousin and I in a whimsical funny sort of way.
I do miss those laid back camping days though.
Who knows maybe I'll find one of those old vintage campers so can take my birds with me on trips.
That might be doable.

Happy birthday Whook

"Whook", our blue male budgie is almost twelve years old. He is our first bird.
He's been through alot over the years. He has reliably entertained us with his antics and the things he says.
As small in statue that he is, he is still the "mayor" of our Bird-Town.
He has been slowing down quite a bit. Sadly, I've noticed he has been favoring one leg.
 This is not a good sign.
Whenever I see a budgie limping or favoring one leg I know what this means.
I try to make excuses to myself thinking, "oh so and  so bit him on the foot' or "maybe he strained a muscle jumping". I've seen this scene repeatedly with Dexter, Pinkhead, Carl, Wilson, and Smitty .
It's a tumor.
The vet says that budgies are "little tumor factories".
I know what is to come so I am making him comfortable and giving him his favorite treats.
Animals are funny in a way. They know what is going on but they carry on til the very end as long as they can.They don't feel sorry for themselves or say, "why me?" They just go by one single day at a time.
I can't help but think of the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom.
Morrie knew it was only a matter of time before he was to depart this world. He wasn't sad but actually grateful because he knew so he could plan stuff and tie up the loose ends of his life.
Whook has been chatting a storm. He's been talking more than ever but then he fizzles and falls asleep.
His pal, "Twillinger" (female budgie) can be a bully and a pest so I let her visit him but then, I'll kick her out of his cage when she gets too much.
I'm not sure how long he will live. Maybe another month. The longest I think he will live to is til September depending on how fast the tumor grows.
So I am spending extra time with him talking to him and enjoying his unwavering loyal company.
I am focusing on one day at a time.

the power of boobs

Two men walking abreast.

Both dive buddy "Pete' and my father are amused (and never seem to tire) of this joke.

My ex-husband would unceremoniously  announce every time he saw a well endowed woman walk by: "Chobe city! Population two!" (Chobes were his word for boobs) He was so gross and lame. He could amuse himself for hours with his cracks about boobs.

Comedian Joan Rivers co-wrote a book titled,"Men are stupid and they love big boobs".

So what is this fascination with boobs?

They seem to have a hypnotic effect on men.

A female family member of mine (who will remain nameless) will purposely wear a low cut breast enhancing top whenever she is flying because, as she claims, has helped her get  "upgrades" to a business class seating from coach.She had this "special" top hanging in her closet known as her "upgrade shirt".

Underwear shopping is always an ordeal for me. I hate cheezy cheap nylon anything. Yuck!...

Would you put crappy nylon seat covers in your corvette? 

Of course not.

Not only do corvettes deserve high test fuel but, even if no one ever sees it, a corvette deserves classy high quality fitted seat covers.

And yes, if I were a car, I'd be a corvette classic.

Sometimes my long time girl-friend and I would go to downtown Boston to go "under garment shopping".

And of course, we couldn't help but torture each other in the process. Since she was rather buxom I would make some smart ass remarks to her by saying shit like, " Hey! You need to go to the sporting goods section to buy a "tent". Without batting an eye she would sniff," go to the pharmacy and buy yourself some bandaids"

And so it would go.

I just bought a new Sophia Vergara brassiere online.

Like a corvette where you can go zero to sixty in one minute, this bra had the same effect.

The cup size tripled in size in one second flat.

I instantly turned into "BOOBZILLA".

So I tried an experiment..

I asked my husband if he "noticed anything different".

He said "no" but his eye-balls were pressed against his glasses .He was frozen to one spot and mesmerized.

He almost seemed paralyzed.

OK

So we went out to a restaurant. Our waiter, who was a middle aged gentleman, kept filling my coffee cup even when I just took a single sip.

Ah, the power of boobs.

Oh, by the way, the birds liked to perch on 'them".

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 72

Lately a "new" pigeon has showed up among the 'regulars'.
 This one is particularly very striking looking. "She" is pure white except she has dark rings around the eyes as if  heavy kohl eye make up was applied .I call this one "Kim Kardashan"  after the pretty "reality TV"  girl.
At first, I thought this pigeon must have been someone's escaped pet so I checked for an ankle ring (tag). However, I saw no tag. This one is a new visitor to the area. It will be interesting to see if she sticks around. Most of them come and go .I haven't seen "Brownie" in a very long time.
I stopped in a pet shop to pick up some seeds for the birds. They had all these "pet" strollers on display.
It is basically a baby carriage with a zip up box-like mesh cover. People will put small dogs (as well elderly or disabled dogs) in enclosures like this so they can take their dogs out for  fresh air and a change of scenery. I've seen cats being strolled around town in them as well.
It briefly crossed my mind that Croaw Dum would enjoy being outdoors like this.
I could picture myself at the annual local pet parade with him in it wearing a little hat with glittery streamers hanging off the sides of the carriage.
OK
I'm officially going nuts.
I will confess I did walk my iguanas on leashes.
OK
I  AM NUTS!

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 71

I've been laying low and hiding in darken rooms of my house.
 I've been fighting a two week long migraine.
 I feel shitty and kind of depressed running only on  one cylinder.
 Light has been particularly painful lately. I am grateful that it has been rainy and overcast most of the week. With that being said, Craow Dum has been following me upstairs-even into my bedroom looking for me.
I will hear this purring" brr brrr "sound and there he will be. He's climbed up onto my bed and snuggled next to me.
( My other birds-especially Eddie-will snuggle with me too but she gets bored after awhile. Both Eddie and Button will start biting at my mouth or neck  to"groom me".It's annoying because it pinches.I have to make sure I have a blanket covering my neck and mouth to deter their "helpful" grooming endeavors).

(*here is a photo of Craow Dum sitting on my computer key-board waiting for me!)

I am starting to think "he" may be actually a "she". Sure, he/she will "bust-a-move" spinning around protesting something. However, I found if you pet "her" she will arch her tail.
This is not a good thing.
My female cockatiels will do this too. This shows you that they want to mate!
 I've also found Craow Dum in a pile of laundry cooing as if it was a nest. "She" also has kind of a big bum which is common in (all) females. (wink!)
. Males will in contrast, stand upright, spin around and fan out their tail in display.I could've sworn my pigeon is a male but lately, with this nesting behavior, I am thinking "he" is actually a "she". If I find an egg in a corner somewhere then that will confirm my speculations.