Not so Alarming

The last few weeks have been a blur of hyper vigilance alternating with crazed inertia.  Truly, I'd forgotten the enormity of mental exhaustion that accompanies the presence of a young puppy in the home.  (It has been seven years since the last puppy!)

Henry is now about 14 weeks old.  He's getting the hang of things.  He knows his name.  He sits on command.  He has a good grasp on where the bathroom is, except now and then when he forgets.

Henry sleeps crated in the bedroom with us.  The other dogs sleep at large on various blankets that blanket the bedroom floor.  This arrangement makes it convenient to zip Henry outside during the night to relieve himself.  Yes.  Convenient.  Well, as convenient as can be expected as you stand in your nightgown on the lawn shining a flashlight beam on a squatting puppy, proclaiming in sleepy enthusiasm, "good boy!".


When the alarm goes off at 5:30am, lately, it feels earlier. 


Over the years, I've experimented with different sounds for the alarm clock.  Buzzers, bells, music.  Buzzers startle me.  Bells annoy me.  Music has the unfortunate tendency to stay in my head all day, a couple of bars repeating maddeningly.  I've finally found what works: the radio set on a talk station - but it must be in a language I don't understand.  This, curiously, is the most neutral way for me to wake.


How do you like to be awakened? 

Sven Swoons

Not much singing going on these days, following a huge spike in Canary music.  Why?  Spring hormones and whatnot.

The boys sang.  The girl tweeted (tweet, as in a bird's vocalization, not some electronic gadget's recording of someone's every fleeting notion).

Schubert

The hen decides which male she wants for a mate. 

Kimber

Kimber seemed to prefer Sven.  When Sven was placed in the cage with her.  He fainted.

Sven

In spite of this, Kimber layed an egg and sat on it for nearly two weeks.  She and Sven shared the cage with the egg.  A couple of times, briefly, Sven was seen spreading his wings in a manly display.  Kimber hissed at him.

The egg was found broken at the bottom of the cage.  Sven was relocated to his own cage.  He grew light headed upon arrival but did not faint.

 

New Resident, Bad Dog Ranch

How about them Cowboys?

 

 

 

What do Lois and Mabel think of this new creature?

 

 

 

 

Interloper.  Irritant.

 

 

 

 

He is called Henry.

Pop Culture Frenzy, Round 26

Welcome once again to Pop Culture Frenzy.  On to our question.

A Maine teenager was walking in a Florida park and decided to take a picture.  His first inclination was, naturally, to take a selfie.  Then he noticed a squirrel sitting on a nearby rail.  The teenager shoved his face up to the squirrel and snapped his selfie. 

What happened next?
Fluffy?

The squirrel demanded payment for use of his image?

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Cyndi?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The picture has gone viral, raising awareness of the

need for conservation of the

squirrel's habitat?

 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Molly?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The squirrel yelled for help. 

A bunch of his friends came and

wrestled the teenager to the ground.

They took his wallet and ran up

a tree.  Then they

chattered and taunted the kid by

tossing each item from the wallet on

his head?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Bryan?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A hawk swooped down and snatched the

 cell phone from the kid's hand.

  The hawk flew to a nearby swamp

and dropped the phone

into the water.  An

alligator then swallowed

the phone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Nobody wins this round.

 

 

 

Here's what happened.

After the teenager snapped

 the picture, the squirrel leaped

on him and crawled

under his shirt.  The teenager

threw himself on the ground,

drop and roll style.  All the

while, the teenager's mother

 took video.  Finally, the

squirrel escaped

and fled. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbirds are found throughout the United States and much of Canada.  They are roughly the same size as a Robin.  RwB have black plumage with a red patch bordered in yellow on each shoulder.  The plumage of the female RwB is brown with lighter streaks and a hint of red on each shoulder.

In early spring, the males fly to their breeding grounds to stake out a territory.  A couple weeks later, the females arrive.  Typically, one male attracts three females to his territory.

Favored habitats of the Red-winged Blackbird are ponds, open fields, marches, shorelines.  The female builds a nest in thick vegetation, in shrubs or among reeds and grasses.  She weaves grasses to make the nest, located about 3-8 feet off the ground.

The female does all the incubation and most of the nestling feeding.  Once the youngsters are fledged the male helps out with feeding.  RwB eat bugs, seeds and plants, especially aquatic plants.

Both parents guard the nest and surrounding area.  They can be quite aggressive about it too, as anyone who has ever wandered remotely near a RwB nest can attest.  Their main predators are Crows.  Sometimes males will join forces to chase away a Crow.



Some Red-wing Blackbird Facts

-  broods per year (females):  1

-  eggs per brood:  3-5

-  incubation:  11 days

-  nestling: 11 days

-  fledgling:  7-10 days

-  length:  7-9.5 inches

-  wingspan:  12-15.5 inches




Around September the birds molt.  Around October large flocks gather, usually segregated by sex,  sometimes along with Grackles and Cowbirds, fly south to their winter territory.

A Red-winged Blackbird dive bombing your head is worth two in a bush.

 

 

Seeing Pearl

Pearl's patterns have changed in recent weeks.  She spends more time on the floor of the cage than she used to.  She has not been seen swinging on the swing in quite a while.  She rarely uses the perches.

Leonard and Pearl

What can it mean?  She doesn't seem ill.  She is eating and drinking and bathing.  No puffed up feathers or lethargy.  When there is a bit of fresh food clothes-pinned to the wall of the cage, Pearl finds it, eats it.  She and Leonard still groom each other, they continue to spend nights nestled in their grit cup. 

Wait a minute!  Her eyes look different.  There is a cast.  That glow of light present in the eye of a bird does not move as Pearl moves.  There is instead, a small dull circle on each of her eyes.  Great balls of illumination!  Could it be that Pearl is blind?!

Now, didn't I read somewhere that light pigmented Society (aka Bengalese) Finches are prone to blindness?  Let's see now, according to Northwest Bengalese Finches it is a misconception that albinos have eye problems.  They do however, have trouble with bright light due to lack of pigment in the eye- albinos have pink eyes.  Very interesting, but Pearl has black eyes.  She is not albino. 

Again, according to this Bengalese breeder, it IS true that white birds, particularly white pieds with fawn ancestry, tend to have eye problems as they get older.  They tend to get cataracts.  Pearl is a white bird, is she a pied of fawn ancestry?  The only way to find out would be to breed her and look at her offspring.  We won't be doing that.  Pearl is an old gal with cataracts.

It's OK.  Pearl will be just fine. Leonard is there for her.

Pop Culture Frenzy, Round 25

Welcome once again to Pop Culture Frenzy.  Let's get on with our question.

Most of you commoners are no doubt unaware of a major breakthrough in luxury toothpaste.  A company called Theodent has presented a fabulous new flavor of toothpaste that can best be described as a sweet dream come true. 

What flavor is this incredible toothpaste?
Molly?

Bacon?

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect. 

You are thinking with your dog palate.  I gave you a hint.  Sweet.  Try again.

 

 

 

 

 

OK.  Let's see, sweet. 

Honey?

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.  But nice try.

Cyndi?

 

 

 

 

 

Strawberry?

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  incorrect.

Fluffy?

 

 

 

 

Chocolate?!

 

 

 

 

Hostmaster:  correct.

 

 

 

 

That can't be good for your teeth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ya think? 

 

 

 

 

 

It's not chocolate like a candy bar.

  The flavor comes from a substance found in the cacao plant

which is where chocolate is derived.

Theodent mixed this substance with some mineral

that will presumably strengthen tooth enamel.  The actual

ingredients are patented and therefore secret.

You are expected to take on faith that this cacao mix

is a better way to brush.  It's great for the whole

family!  It's OK to swallow! 

No dangerous fluoride side effects!

 

 

 

 

 

Available at Whole Foods for

 just $99.99 per tube!

 

 

 

 

Trust us!

  After all, POTUS buys

his arugula at Whole Foods.

 

 

 

 

 

Be sweet to your teeth!
Buy a tube today! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember,

 if it sounds too good to be true

it's worth the hefty price tag!

 

 

 

 

 

Sigh.  So ends this round.

  I've got a hankering for chocolate.

  Who's up for Mozart Black shots? 

 

 

 

 

 

Round 24

Fluffy/Molly    13

Bryan/Cyndi   10 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes we have no available Puppies

The death of a dog is never easy.  There is an emptiness that begs to be filled.  No dog is replaceable, of course.  But life goes on, as they say.  Puppies are cute.  They are also annoying and time consuming.  While you are grieving, the demands of a puppy can prove wonderfully distracting and fulfilling.

Thus, The Handsome One and I visited a local rescue group and submitted an application.  We alerted our veterinarian's office, giving our permission for them to talk behind our backs to a representative from the rescue group.

The rescue group committee approved our application and invited us to make an appointment to pick out a puppy.  We did.
 

This rescue group has a storefront where they display the adoptable animals.  Cats and kittens occupy the front area.  Through a double door into another room, you find dogs and puppies.  We'd seen some pictures of the "available" puppies on the rescue group's website.  I recognized some of those puppies there, waiting behind bars, including puppy x.

With a volunteer hovering over us, we met some of the puppies.  Eight week old puppies are not accustomed to being on a leash but we had to attempt to get to know each youngster while he was more focused on the strange thing around his neck then on us.

A placard accompanied every enclosure offering a name and description of the occupant.  There was an Akita/Boxer puppy in the first cage.

There were two runts in the second cage (one of them puppy x), three other pups in another cage, all from the same pit bull mix litter.  Our esteemed volunteer had been fostering this litter.  She told us a little about the personalities of the individual pups and advised that these puppies were accustomed  to being in a home with dogs and kids and whatnot.  Yes, yes.  Early socialization.  Very good.

I asked how it is that they know so specifically what is in the mix of these rescued puppies.  Reluctantly admitting she knew nothing about the Akita/Boxer, our volunteer raised her nose to reveal a virtue clearly greater than ours, saying that the pit bull mother was chained to a basement wall left on her own.  Then the owners got tired of caring for the puppies and gave them to the rescue. 

Um.  Huh?

We met about four puppies.  Just as we were declaring that we liked puppy x the best, a large woman with a meritorious demeanor entered the room.  She and our volunteer huddled out of earshot.  Then our volunteer returned to tell us that puppy x was not available after all.  Oops.  Sorry.  She usually knows everything that is going on with HER fosters.  But we can pick another! 

 

Is this why pet shops still sell puppies?