Determination

Samantha

"If plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters ~ 204, if you're in Japan."

(and 9 lives if you're a cat!)

quote by Claire Cook, author

♥

A Most Appropriate Gift

So the other day I checked my mail

the postman brings it rain or hail

and in there was a gift for me

so I opened it up just to see!

This is what was in the wrap

and it was from that rhyming sap.

He thought it was perfect for me

and wrapped it up with glee.

Now why do you suppose 

he thinks I'm crazy from my head to my toes?

I really have no idea why

he thinks I like cats, you guys!

But looking at the photos here

I'm thinking he could be right, I fear.

And as they gather around my feet

while I cut them up some meat

I guess I must admit that maybe

I really am the crazy cat lady.

♥

Today's Awards

The Funnest Thing ~ giving Cement Bunny a bath.

The Most Beautiful Thing ~ Blue Jay in my Crab Apple tree.

The Cutest Thing ~ Cement Bunny decked out for

 Thanksgiving, wearing a glass beaded wreath.

The Newest Thing ~ A Nuthatch!

The Most Colorful Thing ~ crab apples against a blue sky.

The Most Photogenic Thing ~ Oreo napping in the living room chair.

The Sweetest Thing ~ Alex in a rare moment without

his headset, giving me a big smile.

The Snuggliest Thing ~ Oreo and Marmalade.

Oreo really has the diva look down, doesn't she?

The Yummiest Thing ~ warm potato and green bean salad

with bacon, onion and a vinaigrette dressing.

The Most Musical Thing ~ Mrs. Parakeet, who sang all

day long.  Must have been the sunshine! 

What did you notice around you today?

♥

The New Parakeets

Last month our little albino Mrs. Bird died. :(

She was the fourth mate for Mr. Bird!

I brought home a new mate for him but he only

lived a couple more weeks himself!  One morning last week he was laying  

dead on the bottom of the cage when I went to

feed them!  Apparently his old age finally

caught up to him!  He was a whopping 12 years old!

Unheard of for a parakeet!

Our pet cemetery in the back yard is growing!

Have I told you that The Mister swears he's burying me out there, too?

Hopefully he'll wait until I'm dead.  lol....

The new Mrs. Bird is on the left.  She's a pretty turquoise color.  She seems to like the new Mr. Bird, too. 

 Can you guess why I picked him?  I mean..it's obvious, isn't it?

Just look at those feathers...they look just like a blue sky with clouds! :)

The both sing such sweet songs to each other.

It's really quite sweet they way they kiss, feed each other and coo!  

What I Did Wednesday #26

1. Was put on hold this morning while on the phone and as I sat at my desk I thought my little window sill tree needed a bird.  So I drew a tiny one, colored it and glued a stray parakeet feather to it's tail. lol!  How cute!  Now, is that multi-tasking, recycling...or both? (or maybe it's just crazy?)  :)
2. Walked around in the backyard, and saw the strawberries are coming along!
3. Had a few little garden helpers with me. Five to be exact! ha.  This one is Oreo.
4. Cleaned out the utensil drawer in the kitchen.  Ran everything through the dishwasher, wiped out the drawer and reorganized it.  Better!
5. Did the same for the silverware drawer.  How do all those crumbs get in the bottom?  It's like someone ate a piece of toast over the open drawer!  Vacuumed out the empty drawer, sharpened the knives and reorganized.  MUCH better. ha.
6. Noted how beautiful the sun was shining on a bowl of strawberries in the kitchen sink.
7. The yellow iris is looking very beautiful!
8. I had rescued some vintage tea cups from the auction trash last week.  They didn't have saucers, so I washed them up and decided to use them as scoops in my canisters.  They measure about 1 cup, so that works very well!
9. Had to laugh at this....an unusual feeding time inside.  Almost all the cats nibbled on some deli ham.  And don't worry...I mopped the floor when they were done. lol.
10. Found Nugget napping in a quiet corner.  Brushed him (he's shedding something awful!) and watched him enjoy some pansies and dandelions from the yard.
11. Made a chicken and veggie pie for supper.  Scratch crust, sauce made with cream.  Yum.  Perfect comfort food.  And the best part...it's big enough for leftovers tomorrow! :)  It must have been really good because I caught Alex licking his plate. hahaha.

Did you have a good day?

What did you do?

♥

Smart Bird!

Did you see this story?

Pet parakeet returned to Japanese owner after telling police his address

SAGAMIHARA, Japan -- A pet parakeet was returned to its Japanese owner Wednesday after the brainy bird told police its home address near Tokyo. The male bird, called Piko-chan, escaped early Sunday morning from his home in the city of Sagamihara and remained at large before being coaxed into perching on the shoulder of a guest at a nearby hotel.

He was handed over to local police, but Piko-chan did not speak until Tuesday evening, when he blurted out the names of the city and district where his owner's home is located, a police spokesman said. The stunned cops then listened as the parakeet produced the home's block and street number.

His owner, a 64-year-old woman, once lost another parakeet after it flew away and was determined not to make the same mistake. "So the owner decided to teach the address to this parakeet after she bought it at a pet store two years ago," a police spokesman said. "The bird's name was found to be Piko-chan as it said, 'You're pretty, Piko-chan."



And here he meets the press in Japan. 

They really do mimic the human voice...he sounds just like his owner! ha.

So how come my parakeets only sing?  ha.  Actually, I read somewhere that if you want them to learn to talk and be more affectionate with you, you should only buy one.  If they have another parakeet to bond with they most likely will not bond so closely with you. 

I told Mr. Bird about Piko-Chan. :)

I think he prefers a companion.  In fact, this albino sweetie is his third wife!

Maybe a little love is the secret to his longevity?

He's an old man now at 12 years old!

♥

D is for Dandelion

We have a lawn service that rids our yard of weeds but they still are free to

 pop up in the flower beds and in the vegetable garden.  But I don't mind!   I have someone who really loves to munch on them...blooms, leaves and all.  I think he's especially happy when spring comes and he gets fresh blossoms added to his dinner. 

Nugget

I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!

Come back tomorrow for the letter E!

♥

Tiger and Nugget

Or would that be the Lion and the Lamb?

♥

Dear Betsy

Dear Sweet Betsy,

It's only appropriate that you looked like Tweety Bird as a baby.

You'll grow up to be an avid bird watcher and lover!

You will cry when your younger sibling is born another sister, but don't worry. Some day you will be in a houseful of men. Hard to believe but it's true! Don't fret about moving from town to town and state to state during your grade school years. It will be hard always being the new girl but you will grow up to forge your own way. You will be independent and common sensicle. People will always say that you are private and quiet, preferring to listen rather than talk. Believe me, it's always wiser to listen than to run your mouth. And friends appreciate a good listener every time. In high school you'll be known for your long hair. And even though you will go through a dozen hairstyles throughout your adult years, you will grow it long again only to cut it off and give it to a child with cancer. And don't worry about being so shy. You will do things in life that will stretch and mold you. Every experience will give you strength to care for some really special boys. They will need someone to go above and beyond normal parenting and love them sacrificially. Don't be too sad that your parents never let you have a pet. You will more than make up for this in your own home. You will have a zoo-ful of fish, birds, cats, and a rabbit. You will care for orphaned baby birds, hurt bunnies and an occasional praying mantis.

Your parents and sisters.

This dysfunctional family will permanently split ways and you'll be left alone.

You will try to be a peacemaker but it will not work out.

Don't blame yourself. You did everything you could do. Stay honest and true to yourself.

And Betsy,..... you will be OK!

Enjoy the ride!

♥

I got this post idea from the lovely Susie Harris. Go check out her post HERE. Thanks, Susie. We all need to be reminded to be kind to ourselves. And gee, wouldn't it be nice to start out life with a letter like this? ha. Oh, but then why would we need any faith?

♥

Today

1. I had hidden a large box of Tootsie Pops from the boys under my desk. This morning, Nugget found it! He chewed it open and was enjoying unwrapping a few suckers. He chose green ones to unwrap. I thought that was odd until I remembered that he is vegetarian, after all. :)
2. I shopped all day for my gift basket making. The dining room is now an assembly line and workshop. Mrs. DoLittle has turned into Mrs. Claus for the week. :)
3. It's been pouring rain for days now. There's a new pond outside in the yard!
4. The last of the Thanksgiving leftovers turned into turkey and rice soup.
5. The last of the rolls turned into chocolate bread pudding! Google Paula Deen's recipe if you're interested.

What did you do today?

♥

Friends and Enemies

I let Tiger come inside for a few minutes to let he and Nugget

continue to become friends. They just looked at each other like "Oh, hi."

Maybe it's the size. Nugget is actually bigger! I guess he doesn't feel like he might become dinner.

No, it was actually the parakeets that Tiger was most interested in.

In fact, he started chirping like a bird himself and eventually had to be

pulled off the cage. :) His mom did raise him on bird, after all!

click on photos to enlarge

♥

What I Did Wednesday #9

1. Noticed Alex took all of his vitamins this morning but left one of his prescription pills behind. Stopped at school to let him take it. The whole school should be happy I did that. lol. Had a nice chat with one of the aides and his teacher while I was there. And yes, I parked in the staff parking. I always was a rebel. ha ha.
2. Watered and talked to my green shamrock. I think I may need to name him Monster Shamrock. lol. He must be related to Monster Fern! (who btw is of mammoth size out in our courtyard and sadly is too big to move inside. I'll be sad to loose him!) The shamrock must love this spot...diffused afternoon light and no breezes from ceiling fans. Or maybe he just likes to be by the kitchen sink where I keep him good company every day! ha. I've learned the hard way on location...the purple one isn't doing as well!
3. Looked down this side street while sitting at a stop light on the way to the grocery. How lovely is that?
4. Rows of corn drying. Don't worry, my eyes never left the road. Good thing, too, or I would have been dizzy! :)
5. Honey Crisp apples. If you're local, they were 79 cents per pound at Aldis.
6. Talked to Mr and Mrs Bird. Mr Bird sang a song for me!
7. Of course it rained while I ran errands. It's a weekly tradition!
8. Fed four little fur balls waiting for me at the back door.
9. Let the downspout fill the watering can.
10. Noted how my birthday bouquet is opening up!
11. Made myself some lunch. Scrambled egg and bacon sandwich with an apple.
12. Ironed some shirts.

Just beautifully ordinary things.

I hope you're having a wonderful day, too!

♥

Happy

The most wasted day of all is one in which we have not laughed!

Sebastien-Roch Nicholas Chamfort

*****

A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength

Proverbs 17:22

♥

What I Did Wednesday #3

1. Made the beds.
2. Refilled the soap dispenser.
3. Trimmed my bangs, or 'fringe' as Jo calls them.
4. Found a robin's egg shell.
5. Chatted with Taylor. Told him that I have to stand on my tip toes to see the top of the refrigerator. Also noted muscles and sun tan. ha.
6. Met a friend for lunch. A little local place that roasts their own coffee beans.
7. Picked zucchini, trying to catch them before they are as big as boats!
8. Cleaned out my purse. Alex was happy to handle all of the trash for me.
9. Sewed a button back on.
10. Cheered Alex on to completely unloading the dishwasher alone! He knew where everything went, too! The Mister can't even do that! lol!
11. Trimmed 60 nails. Thankfully Taylor and The Mister do their own! ha.
12. Watched Tiger as he tried to figure out how to get to the birds on the roof.
13. Enjoyed a postcard to Harry and a seed packet to myself from Amy. Thanks, dear!
14. Cleaned out the parakeets' cage.
15. Grilled burgers for dinner.
16. Emptied all of the trash cans.

There really is beauty in the ordinary.

I hope you've had a beautiful day!

♥

Can't Turn My Back For A Second!

Meet Mr and Mrs Bird. Original names, I know.

Taylor named them when he was much younger. :) They are just part of my zoo here.

But this story is really about Spencer.

I give my parakeets a probiotic supplement. It's good for

them, just like it's good for us! Anyway, I was mixing some into

some water to put into their cage and turned to the sink

to wash my hands. When I turned back the glass was empty!

It took me a second, but I subconsciously remembered Spencer

walking through the kitchen while I washed up.

Yes, he glugged down that water and went on his merry way

before I could even take notice!

Good grief!

Thankfully, it's only healthy things like acidophilus

and lactobacillus. Still, some days I just shake my head!

♥

Manners

When eating a pile of greens and flowers, you can

eat one nibble at a time....

or you can just stick your face in the pile and go to it! Yum!

♥

Kale

Who knew rabbit food could be so beautiful?!

♥♥♥♥♥

Kitchen hint~ I trim the ends of the kale and sit it in

a bowl with a few inches of water in it...just like you

would do with fresh flowers. Any wilty bits spring

back to life and become crispy again. I do this

with asparagus, or any lettuces...and fresh

herbs. If I have room, I put the whole bowl

into the refrigerator.

Fury Helper

It's nice to have someone to come

home to...especially when they like to

help unload the groceries!