birdhouse

Thank you guys. My friends understand to the extent that they're all animal lovers who have experienced their own losses. They know my attachment to my critters. They know about Phenix' odyssey. Some were his fans. If admittedly from a distance which was best for all concerned. None of them have had any birds though. I think to them it's kind of like I've had a long term relationship with a bad tempered albeit fascinating interstellar alien. The long-term thing is very hard now though. Too many rituals & reminders accrued. So the sting of this won't be going away for that much longer. In the meanwhile it helps to think of him playing with his dogs. He really did love them. He called for Wolf in particular for a surprisingly long time after he was gone. I have a picture of them all together now & no holds barred. I wished this on myself because I was afraid of what would happen if Phenix went to another home. He would have had to find a safe place to land -and- be sufficiently adjusted to keep from slipping back into the abyss. There was no way to control such a big ask. So I'd preferred to have spared him if I couldn't protect him.

In 2008 I finally joined this site where I'd been a lurker for a long, long time. I really didn't think I belonged since my guy was wild caught. It was also something I'd never done before (or since). But I'd decided it was worth a try if it got even one good insight into Phenix. We got so much more. Every Grey may be unique, but they're also uniquely Grey. Something that only someone who falls for them can really understand. I buried Phenix today. There's a gaping hole in the world & I'm... idk... lost. Which is how I found my way back here. Where so many of his antics got chronicled for so long. Where I can see that my memories aren't exaggerated by sentimentality. He really was a force of nature that for better or worse I served as faithfully as I was able for 36 years. Now it somehow feels right to leave his epitaph here at the end of his journey. He came so far. From the Congo to the US. He came so far from the sick, scared , vicious, nameless bird to Phenix(!); a parrot who could pass for a normal (-ly neurotic) Grey all day long. From my heart wrenching mission, to my companion of 3 decades. He was my first big parrot. He will remain my only ever Grey. No one & nothing could possibly have prepared me for the challenge, the highs & the lows or the truly amazing privilege. Nor the vast empty place he has left behind.

There are some things that are too special to be forgotten. Like the truly unique wit & wisdom of the equally unique Dave007. And of course, his huge investment of time & effort towards making Grey Forums greyt. Wishing everyone a very special Thanksgiving & holiday season. But especially to Dave's friends & family ...hope you'll reminisce w/a little charity & a lot of joy.

I too believe we should forgive & forget whenever possible. As long as it doesn't translate into repeating the same mistakes over & over. You may feel Jay & Maggie deserve the opportunity to start w/a clean slate & that's fine. But what do the members who were on the receiving end of *all* their disruption & abuse deserve because letting them walk back in like nothing ever happened is a slap in the face to many good people here. Saying the membership is not owed an apology & at least token assurances of their good intentions going forward doesn't bode well for anything but a repeat of the last time. ************* ************* ************* ************* btw if you haven't had tech working on the site, then maybe someone should check if JayD still has invisibility permissions. That would mean that profile still has elevated privledges ...after everything that happened. ************* ************* ************* *************

On second thought, I may have misspoke. The battle between Black Jack Randall and Jamie was a disappointment for me, too. As much as I respected the way it was done, & I did, don't get me wrong. But I would have liked them to have wallowed just a bit more after everything. Spiteful, I know, but... }:->

As the owner of a wild caught Grey for the past 30 yrs, I've had a lot of opportunity to think about this. I've come to believe there is no good answer. Just bad & worse ones. First of all I think that it may soon be an academic question. Between human "progress" & climate change, many of the habitats that these species came from will cease to be able to support them. Many w/in our lifetime. If it weren't for our selfish fascination w/certain species, they would join the long list of those now extinct. So all the individuals who suffered & died will have at least perpetuated their species, at least for the time being. Those individuals, however, were as near as I can see on the receiving end of a prayer the devil answered. The huge percentage who have suffered & died is pretty serious indication that they don't "enjoy" captivity. That a very few are of just the right combination of adaptability to transition. Luck would likely have played a hand as well. I also know that whether bred or caught very few birds' existence qualifies as any decent quality of life. Most of the world treats them like canaries, sticks them in undersized cages & uses them for display. Those who some think of as lucky may manage to exist in isolation for a decade or more. But many will be gone w/in the same life time as their wild cousins. But they'll never again see another of their kind, let alone find their life's mate. Won't ever soar far above the earth. Will never have the freedom to explore acre after acre, after acre of rain forest for miles on end. Because it was decided that someone wanted to "keep" them, instead. While the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 was coming into effect, some factions were pushing hard to ban the keeping of all caged birds. I read many, many of those articles. I did a lot of soul searching. At the time I believed in my heart of hearts that they were right. Most parrots live cruelly, w/sub standard housing, food & existence ...for double digit years. If it had been put to a vote, I honestly would have been willing to lose out on all the great things my fids bring to my life to save all the decades of suffering for all those millions of birds. But it was never mine to vote on. And now, the world has changed. Now I feel like we're responsible to perpetuate these amazing creatures who will soon likely die out in the wild. ...just in a much, much more informed & conscientious way than we have in the past.

My personal scale for how good a show is, is how fast it goes by. That episode came to an abrupt halt aft about 20 min according to my sensibilities. Fantasy usually requires a certain element of suspended disbelief to work well. Not Outlander. I am always blown away by how intensely real it is. The depth of emotion & dimension to the characters are fascinating to me all by themselves, aside from the actual story. The opening of that episode was to me like the 1700's (?) version of the beginning of Saving Private Ryan & it was all created w/insane cinematography & acting, & w/the minimal possible dialogue compared to the scope of what was going on. Nope, it did not disappoint in any way other than length. jmho The sad thing is because I've like the series so well, I've put off reading the books. Often the original books ruin the screen version for me & I don't want that to happen here. I'm beginning to think they're going to stay tucked away in my Kindle library until the series is over & I'm left pining for more.

Think I think I found the B&G I was worried about at the Delco Center in East Austin (slide #20). I originally saw a few seconds of a man w/a B&G being loaded into a boat. Then a few day later a totally different evacuation piece had a split second of wings spreading, far behind a reporter's head that I just felt like was them. Sounds a little obsessive I guess, but I've been thinking about them ever since. Wish they'd found a more comfortable place to land. But real glad they're apparently safe & sound. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/harvey-wild-animals_us_59a7102ee4b0a8d14572bd50?slideshow=true#gallery/59a7446ae4b010ca289a197a/0

Dozens wait in line at animal shelters to adopt a 'Harvey pet' http://www.wral.com/dozens-wait-in-line-at-animal-shelters-to-adopt-a-harvey-pet-/16924842/ Palm Beach County evacuees fleeing Hurricane Irma left dogs tied up http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/fl-pn-lost-animals-20170909-story.html I believe the karma for this, in both directions, is huge. jmho When I get some time, I'd like to compile an extensive "disaster" list for a sticky. Meanwhile, here are some of the organizations referenced in the Florida article. Please consider sending them your admiration & support. Maybe even adopt one or two for the long term. https://bestfriends.org/ http://www.floridadisaster.org/petplan.htm https://www.ready.gov/animals https://www.cdc.gov/features/petsanddisasters/index.html https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/disaster-preparedness

You may find a dusting of cinnamon will go a long way towards your absolution. No promises, mind. But if your fids are like many of ours, they're cinnamon junkies. That's a Greyt thing know & take advantage of.

So, was it good to be back...? No spoilers, please! I haven't had a chance to watch it yet.

And it's not the only one. I feel so badly for all those poor people but those who will be getting run over twice in a matter of days no less...! This is a nightmare.

How can they turn someone away just because they don't meet carrier reg's? It's easy to think that's pretty heartless. But it's not necessarily & it's something everyone should plan for in advance. Especially those of us w/fids. Pets owners may face rules in public, in transit & in housing that can make travel & especially evacuation displacement a further nightmare. For everyone's sake, a travelling pet should have a secure mobile space even under normal circumstances. That will very often be their carrier. Something that will protect them from the very scary things they may encounter & to protect the humans who may be scared whenever they encounter them. Too easy for things to horribly wrong otherwise. Owners who don't make safe, secure & comfortable containment a priority before they leave home may well end up risking themselves & their babies. http://people.com/pets/hurricane-irma-dog-denied-on-flight/

This is like the nightmare where you're trying to stop someone from being hit by a train but your feet won't move & no sound will come. So far it's been brutal & it's only going to get worse.

Macaw & Cockatoo Rescue of NM Anna 505-994-0505 We live along the south coast of New England. Although they aren't as mean or as frequent as further south, hurricanes are a fact of our lives, too. The last one made landfall 10 miles from here. Meaning we were comparably lucky since we were on the dirty side but close enough to the eye to get the least damaged. So when I say how badly I feel for what this weekend could bring, I mean it. I don't even know how you run away from this monster. But I hope everyone can find a way to stay safe.