KT

>
>
>The goldfinches have started to arrive. Some stayed all winter but now
>we have a lot and the pine siskins are here too.
>

Our goldfinches came, emptied the feeder every couple of days for about
3 weeks, and now they're gone again. I haven't seen any indigo
buntings, which I'm disappointed about. Last year, we were the first to
report them at the Wild Birds store.

We have doves galore this year, and my little Jack Russell has taken to
barking at them non-stop. They just ignore her, which makes her bark
more. Oy.

Speaking of birds....Camp Fire USA has a Save the Bluebirds program to
help bring bluebirds back. I don't believe I've ever seen a bluebird.
Are they more common in other parts of the country? (I'm in Memphis.)
My husband the bird watcher wants the kids to do this project next
year, but it's hard to see the point if we don't have any here. There's
a bluebird society website, but it wasn't homey enough for me. Please,
someone, tell me about bluebirds.

Tuck

KT

>
>
>We have 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 rat, 1 leopard gecko, 1 kingsnake, 1 parakeet, 2
>fish, and up until last night, 1 mouse (now resting in peace with 3 ex-rats
>in a consecrated corner of the yard). Oh, and I work with horses 3 days a
>week but none of them live with us.
>

We went in to a ranger station at a county park yesterday. Sent around
the corner to the office of the ranger, to ask about whether we could
have a fire. I noticed a toy snake on the desk, and said, "Look Will, a
snake," and poked it with my finger and then went on to ask my question.

Will waited politely until the conversation was over, and then he just
started cracking up laughing! He said, "MOM! That snake is REAL! And
you TOUCHED IT!!!!!" I didn't believe him and he poked it and it sho'
nuff, it moved!

::::shiver::::

He'd been watching it move very slowly the whole time we were talking.
He knows I don't care for snakes, and don't like to touch them. It was
a Tennessee corn snake, her pet, and it was "sunning" itself wrapped
around her rolodex and her paper tray. She kept saying "He's so
spoiled." lol.

I'll never understand you snake people.

Tuck

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/4/02 7:39:34 AM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

<< . I'll be one of
those eccentric 90-year-old ladies who keeps pet snakes. >>


Me too!! Everytime I bring up snakes my dh looks at me funny, I get the
feeling it's him or the snakes....LOL.

Shyrley, Cornsnakes are a good starter snake. Their gentle, eat small things
and don't take up much space.

Welcome Laurel. We're just looking into getting a rat right now, my favorite
type of small pet!! Not 33 though, wow.
Do you breed them?
I would like one of those "blue" rats...that actually look silver/grey
colored.
We also have very limited space, 1250 s.f. to be exact. But dh is finishing
the basement so he has an "escape hatch" and we can be more relaxed about
messes and get some pets.
We've been referring to it as his "fenced in area". Did any of you see that
on Sat. Night Live?
Ren

Pam Hartley

We did!!! That was hilarious. Although my favorite skits on SNL remain the
Weekend Updates. <g>

Pam

----------
From: starsuncloud@...
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [AlwaysLearning] Digest Number 301
Date: Thu, Apr 4, 2002, 6:38 AM


We've been referring to it as his "fenced in area". Did any of you see that
on Sat. Night Live?



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nancy Wooton

on 4/4/02 6:04 AM, KT at Tuck@... wrote:

> Speaking of birds....Camp Fire USA has a Save the Bluebirds program to
> help bring bluebirds back. I don't believe I've ever seen a bluebird.
> Are they more common in other parts of the country? (I'm in Memphis.)
> My husband the bird watcher wants the kids to do this project next
> year, but it's hard to see the point if we don't have any here. There's
> a bluebird society website, but it wasn't homey enough for me. Please,
> someone, tell me about bluebirds.

I've never seen a bluebird, either. It was at Tuck's house I saw my first
cardinal, though :-))) Growing up in Southern California, my bird
experience included regular sightings of roadrunners, meadowlarks, hawks of
all description, and brown pelicans, but no bluebirds. I had to go to
London to see my first magpie!

Nancy (get me talking about animals...you'll never shut me up!)

Nancy Wooton

on 4/4/02 6:38 AM, starsuncloud@... at starsuncloud@... wrote:

> In a message dated 4/4/02 7:39:34 AM Central Standard Time,
> [email protected] writes:
>
> << . I'll be one of
> those eccentric 90-year-old ladies who keeps pet snakes. >>
>
>
> Me too!! Everytime I bring up snakes my dh looks at me funny, I get the
> feeling it's him or the snakes....LOL.

The snake is my son's. I held several different breeds of hatchling when we
were choosing; Alex was most interested in a patterned or black Mexican king
snake at first, but when we went back for a second look, they were sold out.
The store had a number of very small black and white California king snakes,
plus a larger one, about 8 months old. He'd been returned; his owner bought
him for her 4-year old son, and then realized it wasn't really a good pet
for a child that young. The snake had been handled quite a lot, so he was
already calm -- the little hatchlings startle you! Anyway, I enjoyed
holding the snake in the store, so Alex decided that was the one he'd get.
Smart boy -- buy the snake your mom likes <g>

>
> Shyrley, Cornsnakes are a good starter snake. Their gentle, eat small things
> and don't take up much space.
>
Same for the king snakes; they aren't constrictors, they don't get *too* big
(5 ft. long -- Salazar Slytherin is about 2 feet now), and we're feeding him
dead mice, not live. The theory is, the snake will stay calmer and never
nip at things if it doesn't have to strike and kill its dinner. I have 4
dead mice in my freezer -- do I do these things just to shock my mother, I
wonder? LOL

> Welcome Laurel. We're just looking into getting a rat right now, my favorite
> type of small pet!! Not 33 though, wow.
> Do you breed them?
> I would like one of those "blue" rats...that actually look silver/grey
> colored.

We have a cinnamon blue now. We've had hooded norweigens, but they've all
gotten subcutaneous tumors. We bought a blue rex along with the cinnamon
blue, but she's gone to Ratty Heaven; she was cute -- had curly fur and
crinkled whiskers.

> We also have very limited space, 1250 s.f. to be exact. But dh is finishing
> the basement so he has an "escape hatch" and we can be more relaxed about
> messes and get some pets.
> We've been referring to it as his "fenced in area". Did any of you see that
> on Sat. Night Live?
> Ren

No, but it sounds funny!

Nancy

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/4/2002 9:09:46 AM Pacific Standard Time,
ikonstitcher@... writes:


> I've never seen a bluebird, either. It was at Tuck's house I saw my first
> cardinal, though :-))) Growing up in Southern California, my bird
> experience included regular sightings of roadrunners, meadowlarks, hawks of
> all description, and brown pelicans, but no bluebirds. I had to go to
> London to see my first magpie!
>

I've seen bluebirds and bluejays both. Bluejays are not as pretty a blue
(darker) and the birds are pointier a couple of ways. Bluebirds are
round-headed.
I haven't seen one for a long time, but I don't really look, either.

Most of you prob'ly know that what we call robins here aren't what robins are
in England. Maybe same with magpies. We have what we call magpies in New
Mexico, but they're crows with blue and white on the fronts of their wings.
But in England, magpies might be different.

Sandra


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]