Hi Thursday!!!

[Sue]

Hi Everyone,

A nice day here, oops turned cloudy as I speak:( The forecast is red hot but we've learned not to believe it.

I took my Dad to the airport yesterday and the place was CRAWLING with police (not a normal site in our country villages) they were on every road leading in and even on the roof of the terminal building:eek:
There isa G8 meeting in Sheffield (nearby city) and we assumed the delegates were flying into this airport. Must say I was a bit worried in case they'd had a terrorist threat. My Dad got to Spain safely, thankfully.

I forgot to mention my squash match on Tues, I lost by 2 POINTS!!! Instead of playing games, we played 15 mins continuous 1 min break then another 15 mins. I played out of my skin and was leading most of the way, this guy was really going for it hitting the ball really hard. 1st half score 26 all, 2nd half 23/25 He scored 51 points I scored 49 soo close but it was a great game , we both enjoyed it:agree: I could hardly walk the next day I ran so much:roflmao2:
Have a nice day all:)

[Islandzoo]

HI Sue
Grey and drizzly and windy again here :(
yes, true about the weather, will see when the weekend arrives!
Glad your Dad got to Spain ok

I want to learn squash trevor was going to teach me but we never have the time, with Dan's bowling.

[Shirley]

Good morning! We are back! I am still pretty tired from all the sitting in the van, reading in the van, trying to sleep in the van... Steve is a driving hog and only let Troy drive once on the way down and once back, me none....

Sue - I'd love to watch you play squash some day!

The birds get A++ for their trip and no more french fries for at least a month!! :D Yesterday we didn't do a picnic, but a Wendy's drive through... and, well, fatigue took over our better judgment and FF were passed around rather liberally, much to their delight!

MICHELLE has come out of her shyness 500% on this trip!! Both the travel part and being at Ginny's... she now steps up while inside her cage... for anyone, not just Steve, she isn't timid, she is reserved, though, and she's much more playful, loves to roll around on the bottom of her cage and play with toys down there. What a change in her!! (African Red-belly that we got in April at age 10 mos who didn't know much about playing, socialization, etc)

Skyler and Play-Doh became friends of sorts by kissing through their cage bars in the van a LOT on the trip home... not "beaking" but actually kissing and seeming to like each other. We'll see how that goes at home. (Rose-breasted 'too and Senegal, both 2-yr-old males)

Holly is the same sweet lady she has always been... aloof to the other birds, but loved to climb all over my face and head while Steve drove... I took a million (well, maybe 200) pics of her doing that, holding the camera at arm's length, and many came out quite cool and comical and sweet... I'll post a Website of them soon and link it for those interested in a zillion "Holly kisses Shirley and climbes all over her" photo shoot. That killed off about 3 hrs travel time.

Troy's Corn Snakes, Sam and Ella: They stayed here, of course, and Ella laid THIRTEEN EGGS three days ago!! Trevor set them all up in the incubator with humidity. They look pretty good, some better than others; I hope they all hatch. It takes 70 day +/-. Some are a bit indented so they got a little dried out... they should be firm like grapes. Some are. No mold, which is a good thing!

Trevor did not clean any cages :eek: at all while we were gone... just fed and washed water dishes and watered... and all finches, the 'tiel, all the Bourke's, Kilroy and her baby, the parrotlets, ALL her fine and happy and doing just perfectly fine! He gave the finches their bird bath dish (large) each a.m. and took it out each p.m. (filthy, he said) and he washed their water dishes each day. He said he was AMAZED at how much food a bird will eat in a day, and that he was also AMAZED at how HAPPY birds get when you feed them. Now, Trevor is our nearly 20-yr-old who is NOT a bird person... "wild birds are neat". And that's the extent of it. He likes the intelligence of a Grey, but Holly clearly has no use for him.

Also, I asked him to feed them the sprouts I FORGOT to bring with me to Ginny's. I was going to keep it real simple for him: just seed and water, no sprouts of veggies. Well, I forgot the sprouts I had all just about sprouted sitting in their sprouter on the counter when we left. I called him, told him where they were (right next to the stove, 12 inches from the sink) and he said he'd give a tbsp to the parrotlets, Bourke's, and a trayfull to the finches each day til gone, and put them in the fridge THAT DAY or they'd go bad.

Last night... I found the sprouts in the SAME SPOT. The lid was on (with the holes in the top) as I'd left it. Green shoots were coming out the top... :foot-tap: TREVOR!!!! Trevor comes. Then I remove the lid - HUGE growths of mold.... OMG!!! :eek: I proceed to dig out the contents into the sink, and the FOULEST SMELL eeks forth!!! OMG x 2!!!!! :eek: :mad:

Trevor says he never could find those sprouts "in the fridge". Hmmm... guess he never saw them next to the stove and sink, either... and we talked daily... no big deal, but old sprouts SURE CAN STINK!!!!

I cleaned the bottoms of the cages last night... I couldn't stand it... today Steve is going to do a major cage scrubbing and perch scrubbing (you should see Tucker's ('tiel and Bourke's cage) ladder! They are so caked and filthy! So... 10 days no cleaning... not a pretty picture... but the birds weren't complaining and they sure don't look "dirty"!! :rolleyes: :D

Trevor said, "Hey, they were fed and watered. Clean food, clean water. Every day." He's right... he's ROTC army... sometimes that's more than our men and women get... clean food, clean water. :thumbup:

Pics coming as soon as I can get them resized and up.... but not immediately... Can't wait to show you some of the cooler group bird pics with Gary and Becki's birds (Chloe and their three Poicephalus) ...

...and then also just north of Atlanta we visited JennM, a member here, and took awesome pics of her with her two Blue Crown Conures (BCC) and four 'tiels at her Imagine Ocean Reef shop!
What beautiful pics we got of all the birds together there! And Skyler loved flying around the shop! We were there after it had closed, and she met us there to visit 'til 1:00 a.m. She has a 1000 gallon show tank and huge comfy sofas to sit on surrounding the tank! She and three of her friends/reef business associates were there, and Holly was very taken and friendly with all three! So were the others, but it was cool to see Holly so eager to step up to new people.

After leaving Jenn and friends, we went to a motel for the night, then drove the rest of the way home yesterday (about 10 hrs).

~ Shirley :dance:

[Islandzoo]

Wow sounds like you had a cool time Shirley
Your son Trevor sounds like my OH Trevor!! he too has an aversion to cleaning - especially where poop is involved...
I can imagine the stink of those sprouts... Euuergh!

Quite exciting about the snake eggs - what will he do wtih them all if they hatch?

[Bill]

Good Morning! I did not get to sleep as long as I wanted last night so I am tired this morning! It is supposed to be warm today but cool back down for the rest of the week.

Shirley...sure does sound like you had loads of fun! I can't wait to see the pics! Glad you made it home safe and sound!

[vmtwriter]

Happy Thursday, all. :wavey:

Sue, so glad you're dad got on his flight okay. Congrats on playing such a great game of Squash. :highfive:

Good morning, Kristie. :)

Welcome back, Shirley. It's hard to believe you were just here and now you're there. Looking forward to seeing all your pictures.:emot-danc 13 eggs? Isn't that a lot? Yikes. I don't even like one snake, let alone 13 of them. :eek: Brrrrr.... Gives me the chills just thinking about it.

On Saturday, we're going to the bird show. Will be our first one. Anyone have any tips or hints about what to look for or how to bargain? :agree:

[Islandzoo]

Vicki
I don't know what bird shows are like over there, but if it's anything like over here and there are birds for sale, beware of split ring or no ring birds which are cheap - they are wild ones imported. if you fall in love and decided to purchase a bird, make sure it is 'quarantined' and not kept near bailey in case of disease. Apart from that, enjoy!!

[Shirley]

Bargaining: Here, the good deals are gone within an hour or two at ticketed prices... and the bargaining doesn't work 'til the last 45 minutes of time left... so if you're cage shopping and they only have one or two in stock.... :shrug: Sometimes, the vendors only bring a small number of each size. Sometimes they tell you that's all they have, when in fact their large truck is parked outside and they replenish as they sell.... or they sell boxed up cages and not the "floor models" 'til the end of the day, which are the same price, btw.

I have found bargains work best on the birds, not the supplies or cages.

The main bargain is that everything is a bargain compared to pet shop prices.

And have a wonderful time; you'll spend two hours longer there than you plan.

I carry a large satchel (sort of like a beach bag? with long shoulder straps) to carry all the fliers, hand-outs, small items I buy, etc. It also holds anything I need rather than carrying a purse.

Snake eggs: 10-18 is par.... and the parents are really pretty and very tame. A variety of oranges/browns/pinks/white/gold patterns. The mother is 36" long and the father is about 44" long. They eggs will be the grandchildren of the boys' first snake, Pitre.

~ Shirley

[Sue]

Wow Shirley sound's like you had a great trip, can't wait for pic's

:emot-danc :emot-danc :emot-danc

Kristie , I know what you mean about the bird shows the last one I went to was Stafford and although there were some beautiful, obviously well cared for birds there, there was an M2 in a tiny cage that was obviously quite old, sleepy and had it's foot taped up with black tape. I couldn't find out why but I just wanted to bring it home, that vision has never left me.

Vicki, I hope you have a great time, they are good places to find out new suppliers of toys cages etc.

[amazing greys]

Hiya everyone :wavey:


Well so glad to see ya back, Shirley!! I love the way you tell your adventure, roflol! I'm eagerly waiting to see your pics, so hope you can get them up soon :p

Sue, sounds like adventure in your neck of the woods, lol. From excitement at the airport to a squash game :funny: Glad to see your dad was safely off w/out problems.

Hi Kristie, hope you are doing good today.

Bill, maybe tonight will make up for your lost sleep today, hehehe :p Glad to see some hint of warmer weather coming your way, I couldn't live there being so cold for a long time, hehehe (Fl. girl remember) :cool:

Oh Vicki, you lucky girl ;) I do hope you have a pleasant time at the bird show. I personally have never been to one, since it usually is a long drive to where they are. ah well......someday

Jeff, where u at? lol

Jean, what, sleeping in?? roflol Guess we'll see ya soon :p

Got another soft ball game tonight, against the team we just played where they tied after they called the game due to storms. Off to do some cage cleaning before we go. Ya'll have a good one!

[Jean]

Good Morning! I wish I could say it was nice weather. I can not believe this June! Today it is 50 degrees with 28 -38mile an hour winds. The weather is terrible today!! :( We may even get some thinder showers later.

Shirley, I lve hearing about you fids on the trip. Sorry Trevor wasn't the best bird cage cleaner. He must of had better things to do. I'll bet ,those sprouts did stink!!! :rolleyes: :thumbup: Next vacation Annie may be a great help!!

Sue, I can imagine you were sore after your game. I wish my health permitted me to play softball and socker again. I believe, socker is similar to your game of squash. It's good to hear your dad got to his destination safe and sound.

Bill, I would imagine, this nasty weather is headed your way. I can't believe it is like this in June! :rolleyes:

Vicki, Have a ball at the bird show today!!! Wish I were able to go with you. I have not been to one yet. Once I read about one in it's 150 to 300 miles away and falls on the wrong dates. The last few shows we had to go to the Dr. "Someday" I will make it to one!

Barb, you beat me today. I slept in till 9:00AM , I got to sleep in, enjoying he benefits of having 1 bird! Got up had coffee, got Elvie up, gave him lovies, cleaned his cage, fed him, cleaned house, here I am. :clap:

Wishing everyone a lovely day!

[Bill]

Hi Barb! The weather here is really not as cold as it can be like in Montana or North Dakota. Today it is a little humid than usual. I think it has to do with the storm Jean is talking about.

Jean,
The weather reports for Friday and Saturday involve a big cool down! Odd weather for here!

[Jean]

This is our third spring here and it's the coldest we've had.

[Shirley]

Shirley, I lve hearing about you fids on the trip. Sorry Trevor wasn't the best bird cage cleaner. He must of had better things to do. I'll bet ,those sprouts did stink!!! :rolleyes: :thumbup: Next vacation Annie may be a great help!!

Annie and her mom asked many times... and I kept saying, Trevor can take care of everything... :funny: :confused: :rolleyes:

Well, besides his Air Force Academy buddy coming into town for his one month leave, his new shotgun, 40+ hrs a week wk schedule, ...

He told me, in his comedy routine manner..."I'd go to work at 6:00 a.m., get home at 2:00, go to the shooting range, then take a nap, feed the birds, go to work for the 10pm to 6 am shift, come home, sleep, get up, etc etc "

I told him, "Trevor, don't get married anytime soon... it only gets worse!"

"Mom, I don't plan to. If I needed a wife, the Army would issue me one."

:roflmao2:

[Sue]

Sue, I can imagine you were sore after your game. I wish my health permitted me to play softball and socker again. I believe, socker is similar to your game of squash.





Jean our squash is similar to your raquetball but with a smaller and less bouncy ball hence the name squash. Our soccer is football but not the same as American football:scratchch

[amazing greys]

smaller ball, Sue?? I thought the raquetball sz balls were small already!!


guess ya need some good eyes and quick coordination :eek: :p lol


Bill, I can't go any farther north then where I am, roflol, I would turn into a Barbcycle :roflmao2: Wonder how I survived those days as a youngin near Chicago??lol Boy do I remember those really cooooold days, where you almost feel like your inside of your nose will freeze........brrrrrrrrrr then to have to wait a looong time for it to warm up for summer............naaaaah LOL :p

Jean, didn't you say you were moving to AR where it's warmer?? hugh hugh?? :funny:

[Jean]

Thanks, for the education Sue!! I needed it ! LOL

Shirley, at least you know where to find Annie next time when Trevor is very busy!!! I'm sure she could be counted on. She is an outstanding 9 yr old!!!

[Jean]

"Mom, I don't plan to. If I needed a wife, the Army would issue me one."

:roflmao2: :beerchug:

[Majj]

Shirley your trips sounded wonderful will look forward to seeing the piccy`s...

Kristy I got your post card yesterday ...

Its now Friday !pm here time for lunch , was busy yesterday and didn`t get to check in ..
Hope you are all well and happy will check out the rest of the new posts before I sign off.

Have a nice evening all on the otherside of the world ....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/Maj/Gifs%20and%20siggys/ByefromOzMajjKangaroos.jpg

[Bill]

Shirley...

I read what you told Trevor and had to climb off the floor from laughing! I am going to go to bed curled up with a good book!

[Junkzoo]

Evening all!
Better late than never i suppose,,,still working day shift, two more to do, got home and hit the ground running, picked up the wife,got back in the truck , and headed to the hardware store chains north of us. The maple bi-fold closet doors came in, picked them up , and went to another store and found some trim for the bedroom there, also picked up needed supplies to work on the aformentioned wood items, now i can stain/finish this stuff in my workshop,,,
cleared out the garage /.workshop best i could,to give me plenty of room to work. The wife is gonig to Indy tomorrow,and that will give me time to get some stuff done around here on the bedroom,,,

Other than that same ol stuff happening, six more hrs til i have to head back to work, and i'm not done with a few more things i need to do,,,
Hope everyone had a great day, hope to check in at a decent hr tomorrow,,,
:wavey:

[Jean]

Hi Jeff, It sounds like you are going to make your bedroom look beautiful! I can't wait to see some pics when you get it fixed. How's the your select comfort bed and your back getting along?

[Bill]

Jeff,

Take care of yourself buddy! Good luck on the bedroom!

[Jean]

Hi Majj, It is good to hear from you. Have a nice afternoon and evening in with your family.

[Junkzoo]

How's the your select comfort bed and your back getting along?
Jean, The bed is doing just fine,,,,still in it's boxes in the garage:doh: ,,,waiting til i get the redo of the bedroom started/completed. got everything needed for the job in, except the new carpet(will be last thing to install b4 the bed,,so no biggie on it not being here yet) Plan on starting the work on the room tomorrow,work on the windows, and start staining the closet doors and baseboard/door/window casing trim in the workshop,,,When my wife comes back from Indy inna few days she/we will remove everything off the walls, and get the two dressers out,leaving prob only the current bed in the room,(can work around it for a bit)

The new bed is not helping my back in any way,(by being in the garage LOL), but i started going to my therapy guy again, he helped my back soooo much last time, i felt i needed a "tune-up" to get me fixed up better,only have been to him once so far this time, but he as worked wonders in one visit, got a lot of stuff done around the house after i got back from him,stuff i did not do here while my back was bothering the last three weeks or so,,,so thats a good thing, and counting tonite's work i did, i feel better (back-wise) ,and mind-set wise,,i was getting "wound up" over not being able to do things around the house, and the last two evenings after work , have done wonders for me on many levels,,,,
hopefully it will continue, and i get back to my "normal" pace around here,,,

[Jean]

JEFF, it's nice to hear your back is feeling better. Once you get your new bed set up let us know how you like it.