I have always been a dog man myself. Cats … well, they can be cute and cuddly, but whereas dogs seem to belong with us, I have always found cats to be alien if not a little unnerving. Those cold, deadpan eyes seem to send the message that if I
Continue readingTag: birds
350 or bust: Saturday At The Movies
Hummingbirds are amazing – baby ones even more so!
Continue readingknitnut.net: Two new birds!
Well, they’re not NEW, exactly. The original lovebirds – Oboe’s parents, Billie and Lester – have moved from GC’s house to mine. It’s really nice to have them here, and they’re adapting very well. At first they squawked like crazy, and their arrival happened to coincide with the arrival of
Continue readingknitnut.net: Duncan meets his match
We have a bird perch in the shower – Simon showers with me, Kazoo showers with GC, and Oboe is versatile. Anyway, yesterday, after Simon and I finished our shower, we saw that Duncan was crouched in the doorway looking profoundly disturbed. A few weeks ago, a hinge for one
Continue readingknitnut.net: Diagnosis: Too much freedom
We took Simon to see the avian vet yesterday, to consult about his behaviour problems. She thinks he’s got too much freedom and he’s taking advantage of it. He has overthrown the rulers and seized power! I need to rein him back in, start some daily training and convince him – gently – that I’m […]
Continue readingknitnut.net: First week of work, and a psychotic parrot episode
So far at my new job I’ve been immersing myself in reports and files and getting up to speed on the subject matter and my projects. The subject matter is fascinating but the projects are a little intimidating because there are so many, and some of them require skills I’m not sure I have, like […]
Continue readingknitnut.net: Simon says hi
Simon has a new word. It’s a little word, and it’s not the most exciting thing a parrot has ever said. But there’s just something about the way he says it… The word is “Hi.” He says it in the sweetest, friendliest, most enticing voice I’ve ever heard. You can’t
Continue readingknitnut.net: Ask Me Anything #8: Why Zoom? Why Birds?
MiKa Art asks: “Why is your blog name “zoom”? What does it mean to you? When and how did you find out you loved living with birds?” As I recall, I was creating an online account somewhere, and I tried the name Sooze but it was taken. I kept adding
Continue readingknitnut.net: The Terrible Twos
My son never went through the Terrible Twos. He breezed through two just as sweetly as he breezed through one. He was friendly and agreeable, and we got along happily almost all the time. (He was a very good negotiator though. His second sentence, for example, was “Not yet, soon.”)
Continue readingknitnut.net: Only Pets
I still watch the Birds for Sale category on Kijiji, just in case. (In case of what, I’m not really sure. The last thing I need is another bird.) Last night we went to Critter Jungle for dog food, and of course I stopped by the bird section to say
Continue readingknitnut.net: Tender Ears and Evil Eyes
Simon has discovered I have ears. I mean, he’s always known I have ears, but he used to think I only had them after a shower, when my hair was wet. Now he has figured out that I always have ears. So 30 or 40 times a day, he flies
Continue readingknitnut.net: First, borrow a kitchen
This is a messy job. I recommend using your boyfriend’s kitchen, especially if he has a Cuisinart and a tendency to clean up after you. You start with this: About halfway through, the kitchen will look like this: And the great big pot will look like this: When your great
Continue readingknitnut.net: We know how to have fun
Here are some of the things we did this weekend: Spent a day out at Chandler’s, painting and glazing the rest of our pottery pieces. Went to the International Puppet Festival in Almonte, which features the shortest and best parade ever. Went to the Garlic Festival in Carp, which proves
Continue readingknitnut.net: Redneck Rib Fest, XUP, and Pottery Camp
We took a whirlwind trip this weekend to Orangeville to meet my newest great-niece, Sienna, and visit with my sister’s family. Is that a cute baby or what? She’s happy and good-natured, too, probably because she’s always surrounded by people who are head-over-heels in love with her. All babies should
Continue readingknitnut.net: Happy Second Bird-Day Oboe
I’ve known Oboe since he was a freshly laid egg. He was the third of four eggs in Billie and Lester’s first clutch. We had a webcam on the nest, so everything was broadcast over the internet, from the laying of his egg to its hatching, all the way up
Continue readingknitnut.net: Simon’s first real conversation
“Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “You’re talking!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “You’re amazing!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “I love you!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon. “Wow!” I say. “Wow!” says Simon.
Continue readingknitnut.net: Simon says!
They say you should never get an African Grey parrot because of their famous speaking abilities. It’s not fair to the parrot, and besides, there’s no guarantee that the African Grey you get will actually talk, unless of course you adopt an already-speaking adult, which is a very good idea.
Continue readingknitnut.net: Next thing I knew, the duck was mine
Yesterday afternoon I walked right into an unfolding crisis on Fisher Avenue. The scene, as I approached, involved a man stopping rush-hour traffic while he retrieved an injured duck from the middle of the road. She and her mate had been paddling in a puddle, when a woman passing by
Continue readingknitnut.net: The right place at the right time
First off, I’m happy to report that Cindy Lou was found and captured on Friday afternoon as she was running down the Queensway! It’s a miracle she wasn’t killed. Two police officers were trying to catch her when someone from Genesis Dog Rescue came along and managed to snag her
Continue readingThings Are Good: Windfarms do not Kill Birds
There have been allegations that wind turbines kill birds and thus are a negative power system overall. Science to the rescue! Ornithologists have completed a study about migratory birds and how well they fare around wind farms. The answer? Birds are fine. The study, which is published in the Journal
Continue reading