SNOW SNOW GO AWAY- OUR CRITTERS!!!

SNOW:

Well the snow has arrived here in Ohio! Yuck! The snow is starting to stick now and accumulate. Sorry to harp on the weather, but it is a good day to curl up with a book, and hibernate! Today I bought a new book by Nora Roberts, for this weekend, just for that purpose since we couldn't visit our parents! That should keep me occupied for the weekend along with finishing the craft and sewing room. I plan to finish separating all my crafts and putting them in see through plastic boxes so I can store them in the garage.

INTRODUCING OUR CRITTERS:

First of all, we have an 8yr old Dalmation named, Dutchess. She is my little girl, and the last of 4 Dalmations we have had. Depending how she does in the 5er she will most likely be going with us when we travel most of the time! She is extremely afraid of thunder and lightening, so when that happens, she becomes a 60 pound lap dog, right in my lap! It doesn't take too long for my legs to go to sleep!

Next is my Son's dog, a 1 year old, half Yellow Lab, and half Golden Retriever. She is very friendly and affectionate and also scared of her own bark! Lol! I don't think she would be much of a watch dog if someone broke into the house, she would probably lick them to death, or else show them where all the good stuff is! Haha! She is at least 70 pounds of solid muscle, and the only thing dainty about her is her name! When she slams into you, while running, you know you've been hit! Her name is Hannah and Dutchess thinks she is her baby! In fact, Dutchess house broke her by taking her out with her. Now when she wants to go out she grabs Dutchess by the collar, and pulls her out the door! Hannah is always ready to play and she often cons Dutchess into playing tug of war with their throw rope. Dutchess believe it or not can pull Hannah across the floor even though Hannah, the horse, out weighs her!

NOW FOR OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS: The Parrots

First of all there is Jake, he is a Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot. Most yellow napes have a little or alot of yellow feathers on their neck, Jake has none. Yellow Napes are excellent talkers and can imitate sounds, almost as well as the African Gray parrot. Jake has about a 200 word vocabulary, and sometimes talks in sentences and can ask questions too! He once climbed down from his cage, and walked into the kitchen where I was doing dishes. The whole time he was walking to the kitchen, he was saying, "What cha doing, huh?" After I told him he said, "Okay" and, then climbed up my jeans to investigate. He knows the other 4 birds names, and both dogs names. He calls them and yells our Son's and Grandaughter's names too! Every time the phone rings he will say "Hello" and, also when he hears the tones on the phone when you dial. He sometimes has imaginary telephone conversations. One time he was using his phone voice and I said to him," Jake I told you no more long distance phone calls!" He said, " Okay, goodbye" We rolled on the floor laughing about that! I have witnesses who have heard all this, I know it sounds too weird to be true, but it is! Jake is very social, but no one can hold him but me, he is definitely a one person bird, and most Amazons are like that! Sometimes he even bites me and if you own one of these birds that is one of the things you can plan on is getting bitten a few times!

THE MACAW:
Sunny is a 12 year old Harlequin Macaw. He is a cross between a Green Wing Macaw, and a Blue and Gold Macaw. He seems to have almost every color of the rainbow on him! He is about 18 inches tall, and for a bird of his size, he weighs a whopping 3 pounds! Must be all those hollow feathers. He has learned many words from Jake and they often talk back and forth to each other. He also had a few words of his own when he came to us. Among his favorite are: "Hi Big Boy, Step Up, Out, and Come Here!" He came to us by way of the non-profit bird sanctuary in Dayton, Ohio where I volunteer . It is called Wings Over America. Any bird can have a home there, that is no longer wanted, or has turned mean. He came to the sanctuary by way of Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo. He will go back for visits when we go full time and will always have a home.

THE TOO'S:
Cockatoo that is. A Mollucan Cockatoo is one of the largest of the Too's. They are white with some peach feathers on their top crest. Cockatoo's have a white, and
powdery substance in between their feathers and down which is a natural feather
lubricant. It gets all over your hands and clothes when you pet them. Too's have a loud screech that is deafening when you're close, and they let loose with it! We have 2 of these birds! Paco is a sweetheart of a bird who seems to need great amounts of love and feather preening. Hence their nickname, velcro birds. They are very protective of their humans, and are mostly one person birds. Paco is quite a character, who loves to jump, dance,and cuddle.

Cooper is the 2nd Mollucan Cockatoo we have. Cooper is a bird, that I rescued from a bad environment home. He was often screamed at, and had things thrown at his cage, and told to shut up and his owners would often swear at him. He is a sweet bird, who just needs attention and lots of love. He will always have a home with us and the bird sanctuary, he can never be adopted or leave the bird sanctuary or our home. He learned to swear from his previous owners swearing at him. Believe me it is not as funny as most people think when a bird learns to swear. They cannot be taken to schools, or nursing homes or bird shows. It has taken me 3 years to get him to say, " Cooper is a good boy", he used to say all the time,"Cooper is a bad, bad boy!" These birds should never be bought by people who can't take noise. Lots of them are abandoned and abused, because they are not understood. They have the intellegence of a seven year old child and I have seen many self mutalate themselves, and pluck their feathers, because of abuse. They get depressed just like people. Luckly, I got Cooper before that happened, but he did scream alot. He has calmed down alot since being here at our house. Parrots are not throw away pets! They can live a long time, and often outlive their owners, and many are willed to family members. My Amazon Parrot can live for 4o years, and our Macaw can live to be 60 years old! The Too's are about the same as a Macaw as far as how long they may live with good care and healthy food. Parrots need responsible and loving humans, or should be left in the wild. They are a lifelong commitment! Sorry I'll now step down from my soapbox and say ta ta for now!