My new "babies", Alex and Lexus

This is Alex and Lexus! They will be joining my happy little family on Friday, Feb. 2.
They are Quaker Parrots. They are not really large for parrots. Just a little bigger that a cockatiel.
They do have the ability to speak and can learn tricks. Alex already has an extensive vocabulary from what I have been told.
If you read my previous complaint about adoptions, you need to know, I am adopting, Alex and Lexus from a rescue group in Oklahoma.
I can't wait to get them home!!!

What a night!!

It's midnight and Krysta and Cotton just picked up my two beautiful grandchildren from their visit and took them home.
We had so much fun, tonight. We made "Star" mobiles, we looked at a star through the new telescope. Jacob was soooo excited about the telescope. He kept going out the front door to see if the stars were out yet. It finally got dark enough and he went out to check and came back in the house practically screaming,"the stars are out!!! the stars are out!!!" So we bundled up and went outside in the cold to look at them through the "telescoke". We were freezing and Jerry was having a difficult time finding a good place to see the sky, we have too many houses, trees and streetlights, but, Jacob was not going back in until he got to look at a star. Finally, we found a very bright "star" at the end of the street (on top of a pole) and Jerry got it into focus. After Jacob and Lucy looked at it, we were able to get them to go back in the house and get warm again. Okay, maybe it was a streetlight, but it looked like a star through the "telescoke".
And, it made Jacob happy.
We played with Digory, and he talked his little guinea pig secret language (that only Jacob seems to understand).
We had lots of snacks, including cereal for dinner (that's what Lucy and Jacob wanted, and they always get what they want at Grandma's and Papoo's house)
We watched the "Ant Bully" and "Cars". We played, "Where's Arnold?" with Lucy. I still don't know exactly who Arnold is, we never did find him, probably a good thing since Lucy said he is a monster. Lucy practiced putting her hands on her hips and bossing Papoo around. She is definately a "drama queen" in training. She would throw her arms out wide, when she asked a question. She crawled up on Papoo's chair and said something funny, then she would throw her head back, hold her belly and laugh for all she was worth. We also played,"Hide and Seek" Lucy's way. That is where she covers you up with a blanket and pretends she can't see you.
Jacob is so smart, he likes to analize everything and forgets NOTHING! Several times he informed me that he wanted to "talk" to me. He climbed up in my lap and in his most serious voice informed me that he has fun when he comes to my house, I told him, I have fun, too. He said he has fun when I come to his house, too. I said,"That's fun for me too." Then he said,"You don't go to Grandma's house to be bad, you have to be good." I said, "You're always a good boy." Then, he got down.
Later, I rocked Miss Lucy to sleep and laid her down in Aunt G's bed. When I came back into the living room, Jacob was ready to be rocked, too. I think, I love that part the most. To have those little angels climb up on my lap and lay their precious heads on my shoulder while I hold them close and rock them to sleep.
I love being a Grandma, and Jerry loves being a Papoo. Ther are just no words to describe the feeling of absolute and unconditional love that you get from grandchildren.
I hope we get to do this again, real soon.

Patriotic to the Bone

Here it is! The new tattoo. My son thought this would be a good way to show his patriatism and his dedication to the Army. He also felt that the tattoo would honor his Dad, because Dad loves eagles. It is on his right side because that is the side they wear their American Flag. It's not on his arm, because he didn't want to have to worry about what he was wearing and if it would show. Personally, we are not really big on tattoos, but if you're going to do it; this one is very nice.

Just Yesterday:

Aaron was 9 years old and playing football for the first time.
Tish was 7 years old and living out every little girls dream of being a cheerleader.
Today, Aaron in a soldier in the Army and Tish is a preschool teacher. They are still quite dedicated to each other and still beautiful to me.
To every one of you who have little ones, cherish your time with them. All too soon, you will be remembering yesterday, and missing the way things used to be.
I am so proud of all 4 of my children, but I miss being the Football, Cheerleader, Marching band, Academic Decathelon, Kool-aid House, "Taxi" driving Mom.
Those memories are precious to me!

"Candy and Digory"

Does this picture really need a description?

It is pretty obvious that "Candy" would like to become better aquainted with "Sir Digory".

It is a really good thing that Jerry made a wire mesh cover for his cage.

I don't think he would enjoy being cuddled by "Candy" as much as he enjoys being cuddled by Jacob.

my, how he has grown!

On the left, is a picture of "Spike" at approximately 7 weeks old. As you can see, he was a scrawny looking little thing when we first brought him home.
On the right, is a picture of "Spike" today, at approximately 7 months old. He has grown into quite a handsome guy.
However, some things you just don't grow out of. He is ALWAYS mouthing about something.

Looking for a new love!

I have been searching for a new love. No, not a new lover. I have a wonderful husband who has been the love of my life for the last 30 years and he doesn't need replacing. I am actually looking for a parrot.
I had several birds a while back, all of whom I was tremendously fond of. But, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was forced to find more suitable living arrangments for them. I found good, loving homes for them with people I trusted to care for them and sadly said my "good-byes"
Now, I am in a position to give a comfortable, loving home to another parrot and I can't find one. I would prefer to adopt an unwanted or mistreated parrot, so I have been searching the internet diligently for an organization in the area that might be able to help me find one. The problem is there aren't any.
I am finding that the ones who do exist require a life history, and a pint of blood in exchange for the adoption of their rescued birds. It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that it will be easier to find the right parrot at a pet store than to try and adopt one.
The whole purpose of adopting , in the first place is to give a second chance to a bird that has been abandoned. Also, most of the shelters tell you that you should adopt rather than give more profits to unscrupulous breeders and irresponsible pet stores, but they make the process of aquiring a parrot so difficult that the only option available is to purchase one outright.
I understand a certian amount of screening to make sure that the potential owner is familiar with the very special needs of parrots. I definately understand that so many people get them because the are beautiful and affectionate, not to mention extremely intellegient, then when they discover the amout of time and patience it requires to keep them safe, happy and sweet. These well-meaning but ignorant people quickly become tired of them and push them into a back room or never get them out and give them the attention they need. Then, when their beautiful and usually expensive pet begins to exhibit bad behaviors they want to get rid of them. Some people will turn them loose, not realizing that a hand raised parrot has no skills to survive in the great outdoors and will often die of starvation or from exposure to the elements.
I am knowlegeable about what I am getting myself into. I know that birds require daily interaction and a firm but gentle person to care for them. I know that parrots can be extremely demanding at times and excrutiatingly noisy, at times. I am prepared to deal with all the trouble to have another love like my "Jada".
Why do we beg people to adopt rather than buy and then make the process so difficult that it is easier to buy?
When my little "Hershey" died, I started looking for another small dog. I tried to adopt a female terrier from a rescue organization. They did a home inspection. I wasn't concerned. My house was clean, I had a fenced yard, "Sami" was running around being his charming self. The first thing I was told is the little female could not eat the food that I was giving "Sami". It was very high quality dog food. Then, the woman picked the food bowls up off the floor and gave me a "look". They walked around the house, with the female I was trying to adopt and another large dog, that I hadn't expected to come with them and whispered to each other. When I showed them the fenced back yard (freshly mowed and perfectly clean) they announced that the fence was too high from the ground. there was a 4-inch gap at the bottom and I would have to get the fence properly repaired before I would be allowed to take possession of the dog.
I was extremely angry at the attitude, I showed them the $100.00 check that Jerry had written for the adoption fee, I tore it up and politely invited them to leave my house. A few days later, Jerry saw an ad in the paper for yorky-poos. And we bought "Snickers". He is now 3 years old, loves me endlessly and is spoiled rotten. I related this story just to say, I will never set myself up like that again. I will not invite someone into my home to criticize. If I cannot find a parrot who needs a home and has halfway intellegient people doing the interviewing, I will wait and buy one. Yes, even from the despised pet store that promotes the indescriminate breeding of birds. Why? Because I miss having a parrot and I will get another one, one way or another.
Thanks for listening!

A RELAXING EVENING

Well, here I am after a hard day at work, coming home and cooking dinner, then relaxing on the couch. As you can see, every one is happy to have me home. "Digory" is sitting on my shoulder, "Spike" is perched on my hip, "Sami" picked out his spot on my left leg and "Snickers" (not wanting to crowd me) picked a cozy little nook , beside me on the couch. I am so glad my kids are all grown, where would they sit.
Oh! "Digory" is the newest addition to my happy little family, he was an "after Christmas" gift from my sweet husband. Lucy and Jacob really love him. He is very sweet and small. He also is very young, I expect he will grow quite a bit.