spring?

Apparently spring is really here.
I was walking Mattie, the naughty Jack Russell terrier. She was sniffing around at something near a cluster of pine trees. Out slithered an 18 inch garter snake. (*see photo I took with my camera phone)
Mattie acts like little miss tough guy at first barking like mad. She then runs behind me when she realizes that "it" is now moving towards her.
My cousin reported to me she found a couple of ticks on her clothes, as well as on her dogs and even on her shower curtain.The ticks are out in full force now.
I just knocked down the beginning makings of two hornets nests on the south side of my house. Those little bastards built those nests really fast. At 7:00am there were no nests but by 10:00am two nests were forming into  honeycombed paper hives.
My husband has been sneezing like mad. He suffers from seasonal allergies.The rubbish bin is filling up with used tissues.
My birds have been fighting like mad. They also have been tearing up paper trying to make nests. I caught "Patches" in the lutinos (yellow cockatiels) cages. He was making a racket screaming and ripping up newspaper. I reached in to get him out .He bit me really hard and lunged for my face.He meant serious business. The odd part is that none of the females are interested in his advances. I got him out of there because he was attacking all the other birds in order to claim territory in that cage.
The day-light is changing as well. I find myself cringing from mid-line light triggering "summer" migraines.(Winter and summer migraines are a little different)
Don't get me wrong. I prefer summer over winter anytime. I feel like a flower emerging from the soil reaching upwards welcoming the sun. But like the flower, I have to be careful to make sure I get enough water, shade and to make sure insect pests don't take over.

song bird

I'm not much of what you would say a "music lover" per say.This is most due to constant and chronic headaches. However, once in awhile, when my head is clear of pain, I do enjoy certain tunes.

Sometimes when I am in a store, I will stop and listen to some really amazing song. Unfortunately, the mood of the song will break when it is subsequently followed by some really shitty song. It's kind of like enjoying a really delicious ice-cream cone only to find after you've eaten all the banana ice-cream to find a dead fly squished on the cone.It's awful when you you are listening to something cool by say, the artist: Maxi Priest and then, some crap song like "Muskrat love" follows it (or anything by Micheal Jackson for that matter)

In my opinion, here are some fab songs:

"If this was your last day" by Nickleback.

At first I thought this was done by Daughtry because they sound similar in vocals.It's nice to hear a song that actually has lyrics that are thought provoking.

"Under the milky way" by Sia.

The original version done by the group The Church is excellent too.For some reason this song takes me back to when I was a kid at Christmas time driving in my father's big ass "caddy". I can just feel the biting cold, but, it is oddly comforting.

"He called me baby" by Candi Staton.

Bluesy with a torch-light feel.

"Are you lookin' at me?" by Colin Hay

A 40 something year old Scottish guy doing rap. He pulls it off bloody brilliantly. Well done my friend.

"Rumor has it" & "Rolling in the deep" by Adele.

Where did this girl with the amazing voice come from? ENGLAND! Where else?

"Somebody that I used to know" by Gotye

We have all been there, eh?

"I'm in love with a criminal" by Britney Spears

You are probably all screaming now but the beginning instrumental hooks of this song is almost renaissance-like.Seriously of all the song listed above my birds like this one the best.

the Wild Pigeons of Salisbury beach part 70

I took Craow Dum for his third and final doxycycline injection. Despite using the antibiotic drugs of choice (doxycycline, baytril and clindamycin ) and  optimal methods (nebulizer)(oral applications) and (injections) he is still is a booger machine.
Yesterday, I think, bone fragments came out of his nares. His choana (throat hole) was inflamed as well. It is puzzling and frustrating.
The vet suggested oral and nasal flushes but due to his deformed nasal cavity and sinus blockage  he could aspirate (drown). It is very risky and still, it may not do anything.
Also a different but similar antibiotic was suggested but again, it would have to be administered orally and there was no guarantee that it would work.
So for now, we can only do palliative treatment by giving  him a couple of drops of metacam (anti-inflammatory) daily and keep his nose clean.
He remains a good,even a little chubby, weight of 329 grams and poops perfectly. I wish I could do more but as of right now, unless the vet has any other options, I think we will just carry on by just maintaining the status quo with him.
sigh....

The Vicar of Salisbury

One of my favorite TV shows was "The Vicar of Dibley".The show ran for about ten years. It was a comedy about a female Vicar (Anglican priest) stationed in the country side of England. The cast of characters on the show were colorful and very likable. I was sad when the show ran it's course and ended.
Occasionally in the morning I take different routes when I do my daily jogs. I sometimes pass by an old 1920's style clap-board church with it's tilted steeple.On the open window pane of the steeple I see a very large pigeon sitting there standing guard. He/she has a grizzled fierce, but gentle face.
I call him/her the Vicar of Salisbury.
If my husband runs with me we will look up to the steeple to see if  The Vicar is standing watch. If I don't see him the first time I pass the church I will see him on my way back. I've seen other pigeons up there as well but the Vicar will "bust-a-move" at them showing that it is HIS parish and that He runs it.
I've seen ospreys in the nearby marsh area. Regardless of their presence, I think the Vicar has held his own.
I seriously don't think anyone has ever noticed him there before lording over the parish.
But I did.

anger management

I am reading the book "Making rounds with Oscar" by Dr David Dosa.
 It is a true story about a resident cat at the Steere house in Rhode Island (a nursing home) who has an uncanny ability to predict when a patient is ready to leave this life onto the next.
My friend from Maine recommended this book to me not because it was just an "animal story' but more that it is about the people in the home stricken with dementia.
As a part of Parkingson's disease my father is slipping in and out of dementia.What makes dementia so horrible is that it is unpredictable and treacherous. Not only that, is the stigma and cruel stereotype one pictures when you say someone has dementia. In order to preserve my father's dignity I will just say I could feel the people's pain described in this book.I could also feel the anger and frustration dealing with someone who one minute is cognitive of their actions and within a flip of a neuron switch they completely irrational and downright dangerous.
My mother needed sometime to herself so I took my dad out for the day.
He was having a 'good day" today.
Both my husband and I needed to help him up one step into the restaurant. I always ask for the 'first seat" closest to the door so we do not have to go far.He seemed upbeat and cheerful Most of the conversation in the beginning was comprehensible.However, out of nowhere he told me he was getting  his "Massachusetts driving license".
I froze.
I've learned not to argue with him.
I changed the subject.
After lunch he said he wanted to go for a ride.
He wanted to go to a used car dealer to buy a car.
I told him in the calmest voice that I could manage that this was not a good idea because (he) can't get a MA license and explained to him why without making him feel bad.
He seemed OK with that.
After going for a coastal ride, I could tell he was getting tired.
 I was tired too and I had a wicked ear-ache from clenching my teeth. I was getting aggravated at some of the "off" things he was saying but I kept quiet and calm.
Again,when  we got home he exclaimed "a friend would pull some strings in getting him a license".
My throat tightened.
I have his truck, thank God.
I told my mother later about our day. I also cautioned her to just hide her keys 'just in case".
I couldn't help but think of that elderly man that plowed his car into a bunch of school kids waiting on the side walk.The elderly driver only stopped because he had crashed into a wall or a post. The police had to pry his fingers off the steering wheel as he kicked and screamed. He was aggressively determined for what ever irrational reasoning clicked in his brain to step on the accelerator.
His family was so horrified and distraught .I can only guess for years they tried to get him away from his car. I do not know the full story in this particular case but the unpredictability of my father's actions make me nervous I think the key thing to keep in mind that we can't ignore what is going on and stay alert of the 'what ifs" .
I never thought in a million years I would have  to worry about my father's safety.
It's a balancing act of taking care of him, protecting him from danger( and safeguarding others around you ) and at the same time, preserving his well earned dignity.

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 69

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/12/no-joke-pigeons-ace-a-simple-math.html

Check out this article. Pigeons are super smart!

Meanwhile there are a whole new group of pigeons on the beach. I am sure many of them are old regulars but a few stand out with distinct colorings and patterns. I see "the Rock" out there trying to score a lady friend. "Galok" is back along with "Raunchy". There are some smaller odd ones which might have flown from Seabrook or Newburyport.

Craow Dum doesn't seem to mind his nebulizer tank. I finally figured it out . He does have to be in it for at least 30 minutes at a time for the medicine to infuse. I've looked up videos on youtube.com to see how exotics (birds and reptiles) are nebulized. I think I am doing it correctly. By 30 minutes he is "bustin'-a-move' and wants to get out to poop. (He will not poop in the tank. He is actually quite fussy where he poops)

Unfortunately, he still has a snotty nose. During the day he looks pretty good but by morning he is a boogery mess. Maybe he will always have a snotty nose. The main thing if the klebsiella bacteria is killed off so it isn't eating the bone.

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 68

What I discovered after giving Craow Dum his treatment for 10 minutes that there was still solution left in the nebulizing cup. This worried me because I thought he needed the entire 10 ml absorbed at each treatment. Only half of the cup was used. According to my vet books this is the best choice of treatment to attack respiratory illnesses. I am cautiously optimistic.

So this morning, I left him in the tank for 30 minutes. He didn't seem to mind it. I kept checking on him to make sure he was OK. His nose looked clear which was a good sign. I emailed the vet my concerns, just in case. She seems concerned with his welfare. She told me she had pulled over on the side of the road to rescue a pigeon with two broken legs. Most people would just ignore a pigeon in need.

*He looks kind of funny sitting in this container with a pipe emitting a vapor.

I use the downstairs bathroom as his hospital room. I don't really want the vapors to get to the other birds.

Meanwhile, I just picked up Billy Bob the love-bird to stay with me for a week. I got a bit nervous seeing his mushy poop in his cage. I was also worried because his water bowl was kind of slimy too. This is not a good thing. I threw his dishes in the dishwasher, washed out his cage and sleepy towel, and added some apple cider vinegar to his water bowl to clean out any nasty poopy germs in his stomach. He seems to be perky and active. Hopefully, I fought off any potential problems.

AAAAAH! There is never a dull moment in birdy-world.!