OCTOBER  JOURNAL

First off we have to tell you a funny story about one of those sky blue linnies in his little apartment the other day.  Jo was in the Nursery and she is just going to leave when she sees one of those little fellows laying flat on his back with both feet in the air, as he very contently is cleaning his little toes.  Well Jo has to stop and watch this procedure as she figured for sure there was something wrong with him at first.  But oh no, all the rest of the fellows come running to the door, of course figuring they were getting out to play or better still some grub, but this fellow just stays right where he is, as unconcerned as can be, preening his little toes.  Finally, Jo can't take it anymore, she has to check on him, so she opens the door, out they all come running, the little fellow jumps up when he sees the door open and comes running fast as he can!!  Well did Jo ever laugh and of course wished she had had her camera handy.  Then ya see that violet whiteface picture next door here, well he's been reserved and is going to Prince Albert, Sask, but the other day Jo's feeding all the babies and this little fellow was getting pretty impatient.  So what does he do, but muckle onto Jo's little finger as she is feeding another little guy.  So here he is muckled onto Jo's finger, his little legs just swinging in the air as he hangs on for dear life, trying to find something, anything to grab to haul himself up there to get that food FIRST!  Me, I'm the light green fella on Jo's shoulder, I have also been reserved and am going to live with a family in Moncton next week.  Then on Jo's other shoulder is Mrs. Attitude as Jo calls her.  There is always one in every crowd that has a mind of their own, and that's the one.  Won't step onto Jo's finger, no way, no how, but will she jump onto her arm?  Sure, no problem! 

Mango and Candy, they gots themselves four babies so far, and Pig Pen and Jesse .. Jo is still at them.  They peeled two eggs on her, so Jo said enough of this, gave all the eggs to Mango and Candy to sit on.  Now as they get hatched out, Jo divides them up and Pig Pen and Jesse feed them.  They are the bestest parents in the world feeding wise, heck they are even feeding one of Mattie and Matt's baby linnies right now as well, but they sure like to peel them eggs!    Then Jo pretty much has the Breeding Hut cleaned out of nesting Mom and Dads.  Sometime in the near future she is going to paint it, disinfect whole thing down and start over.   For now, says she is going to give us all a nice rest, ha, we know better, she just wants a rest herself.  Really she says she needs to get caught up.  Needs to get caught up on recording all our data into her computer, has orders for Happy Huts galore, still hasn't got our Links Page done, (but Lou has sure been busy putting our pictures in) and then we hear Christmas is round the corner.  Wonder what we are going to get???  But she still has lots of us babies here.  Those two next door here now are pretty cute huh?  Little cobalt violet pied whiteface and a lutino.  Then we hear there is another cinnamon  whiteface upstairs like Willow next door here in the picture.  Jo tried her darnest to get a good picture of that baby yesterday as she has a beautiful violet rump, but no way she was staying still long enough.  Maybe later today.    Remember folks those guys faces only gets white, white, white, when  they do their first molt.  Then I think I see a picture up top here of Sidney and Slick's American cinnamons.  Now they have to be one of Jo's all time  favorites.  Usually fast as Sidney and Slick have those babies, they are gone.  A nice lady came the other day and reserved two of them.   Then Jo has got a little cobalt upstairs that is just too smart for his own britches she says.  He can get up under the back of her glasses and push them right off her face!  They all get their play time out to fly around every day and play and they just love it.  Us big linnies are all downstairs with her now as for some reason that's where she likes us.  Says we are good boys and girls, not like those lovebirds who like to be off and about all the time.  We are just quite content sittin on her shoulders (most of the time ..... there's the times we all get down and go under her coaches and then she has to get under and get us and boys oh boys do we have our fun then.  The game of chase is on!!  we runs from one end of under that coach to the other with her right on our tails.  Sometimes we will come right away to her, but usually we feel that the games have began when we're under that coach. 

Now as Jo sits here and thinks she has to go thru her pictures and put some more on here.  She took some the other day of Peanut hiding behind her favorite speaker that we've told you bout before.  Trying to keep her in lately, ha, she's out more than she's in.  We don't think anymore told you yet that Jo also got herself a normal green masked last week, a blue masked and two more slate (mauves) last week.  Now she has enough masked to make three pairs.  They are still in another area of the house, we have not seen them yet.  Jo has to get the testing done on them, before we are allowed to see them.  But she says they can eat.  Jo made the mistake of giving all her parents some Roudybush pellets as a treat, well treat it was, as that's all EVERYONE wants to eat now. They all just love it.  Course we're not allowed to have any and that's not very fair!  Guess she does not want us eating what a lot of people would not be able to get like she can.  But all her birds just love that stuff, that's for sure.  Pig Pen and Jesse, fast as she fills those bowls, it's gone!! Jo usually gives a little bit of seeds each day to the new Moms and Dads, but no need now.  All Jess wants to eat is the Roudybush. 

Jo's still waitin on a friend for poor Miss Betsy.  She was out yesterday most of the afternoon flying round and teasing all the other guys.  Jo lets her out more as she has no friend to be with... yet.  Jo still has friends trying to find a hubbie for Betsy. 

Oh and we have to tell yous all a good one.  Remember Jo is always talkin bout her good friend Charlotte.  Well dear Charlotte is gonna be a Grandma, her two (the only two!) lovebirds that are paired together are expecting.  Jo's sits at her computer every night now and laughs and laughs at Charlotte's daily progress reports (and questions).  Jo figures Charlotte and Ray having their first child was probably easier on Charlotte than this is!!!  Reading these progress reports nightly in the last week, have been the highlights of Jo's day.  

Baby feeding and picture taking time again folks.  Back later

October 10, 2002  So what do you's all think of my picture.  I am Jessica and Lucas's oldest baby and just the most adorable thing Jo has ever seen.  I have a sibling almost like me and then there's two others of them that are just plain old double violets. 

Course then ya got Miss Betsy next door here who all of a sudden took a real liken to Jo.  She's out all the time, usually sneaks her way out, but now when she's out she just wants to come to Jo and sit on her shoulder and just chats up a storm.  She is a real clown and chats away just like your supposed to know what she's tellin you.  Jo swears she was posing for these pictures!  Tis her most favorite spot, next to Jo's shoulder that is.  Means Jo still has not found her a friend, she usually lets her out daily now that she  got some manners and goes back home when she's supposed to. 

Then Jo's posted some more pictures here of the baby fischers and then some tinny ones of those baby linnies.  Some kinda cute huh?  Who else she got posted here this day?  Oh ya, some of those American cinnamon babies that are growin up some fast.  Down to two feedings a day they are now. 

Then see the picture of the linnies all lined up.  That's them havin their breakfast.  Big bowls of veggies and they just dive right in like it was their last meal.  No doubt in Jo's mind, they love their veggies.  Course it takes forever to get them to eat their pellets.  Jo wishes daily it was easier to get Roudybush pellets in the Maritimes as if she could give them to the babies, they would wean in no time.  They love those pellets.    Usually Jo will give the adults a little dish of seeds when they are feeding babies.  Not this time for Pig Pen and Jesse. All Jess wanted to eat was that Roudybush, was nothing for him to eat THREE bowls a day. 

Let's see what else am I supposed to tell you.  Jo still has a lots of us lovebird babies and it seems like at play time, (course they don't ALL get out at once) anyways they all have a certain spot or corner that they just love to get into trouble in.  Theres two little slates and a cobalt here that love to get into Jo's dish of bands and slips and they will pick them all up, one by one, a couple will fight over who's gonna get it for a minute, then usually the little slate wins, calmly walks over to the end of the shelf and drops them.  Bingo, on the floor!!  Then calmly walks back and gets some more to drop on the floor!!  Then you got three of the American cinnamons who just love getting behind the plastic containers of foods on the shelf and play hide and seek.   They are all over Jo, nibbling, playing, chatting with her, until of course it's time to go back home.  Don't you think they know when that time comes, as there ain't no way they are coming to her then!! 

Jo spent last night makin us babies some new toys and boys do we like them.  Funny how the simplest things can be the bestest toys in the world for us!  Us lovebirds just want to know why the linnies always get Happy Huts and not all of us do.  Guess Jo has her reasons, just wish she'd share them with us!!  Me and my brothers and sisters don't really care right now, as we still have our teddy bears to snuggle under!   

It's molting time of year in this house now as well and you want to see feathers flying.  The old vacuum goes twice a day now round here.  Jo's pumpin the CeDe to them all.  Wood stoves on now, it's darker earlier at night, it's cooler in the Resting Room  they tell me, I think that thing they call Winter time may be coming on. 

Did Jo tell you what she did to Queen Betty?  FOURTH clutch right in a row, that lady just will not take a break.  Jo talked to her vet and short of taking away all her female parts, there's not much they can do I guess.  Jo turns the light down at 6, does all the necessary things your supposed to do to stop their hormones, but not Queen Betty.  Jo even gave her three new apartments in one week to try and give her mind a change.   So what does Jo do this time, makes her lay them right on the floor of her cage, lets her lay one, then gives her 5 dudes.  Course that didn't stop her, she still laid another couple, but we'll see if they hatch.  That lady HAS to take a break.   Everyone else out there is co-operating with Jo... so far anyways.

Well I gotta run for now, as today is popcorn day and Jo still has to tidy up those spoiled linnie baby brats new fancy smancy home.  All ours got done before we came to do the Journal.  They make such a mess with their veggies, she usually waits till later in the afternoon to do theirs.

See ya soon.

We are back for another day, what's today, oh ya, October 17, 2002  Today I get to talk, and who am I you ask, well I am a green baby linnie of Matt and Mattie's who is the only guy left here out of their clutch.   I heard thru the grapevine that Jo is just waiting for the other Jo to show up, then they are going to take a piece off one of my toenails.  Guess they want to know if I am a boy or girl and if I am a boy (only I know for sure right now) I get to stay here and they have a nice olive female all lined up for me.  YeHa. 

So what's new around here you ask.  Well member last Journal entry when Jo left to make popcorn.  HA  Our popcorn make broke down.  Then our shredder broke down same same day.  Gots a new shredder here, but still no new popcorn maker made it's way in the house yet.  Hope it gets here soon, we love our popcorn. 

Jo has lots and lots of whiteface babies, lacewings, cobalts, pieds and all sorts of fellows weaning up in the Babies Room now.  Even has some of those cute fischer fellows.  See their picture again is posted next door here.  Jo has 6 American cinnamons up there now, two of them are sold and one of those guys sold is just the worst little instigator Jo has ever seen.  She is just a plain old trouble maker.  Good example is when all the babies in that apartment are all snuggled in having a little nap and what does that girl do, but go and burrow her way, head first, right in the middle of them all.  Then they get all mad at her, their  nap is interrupted and the rucas is on.  Jo spends so much time going in and scolding her, it's unreal.  She keeps threatening her that she's gonna get a time out and put  her a small apartment all by herself.  Course she won't do it, as that would be cruel. putting her all by herself. 

See the silver and the little violet whiteface next door here, well they are leaving pretty soon I hear to go all the way to Prince Albert, Sask.  later this month.  Then of course Jo had to plaster another picture here of her little beauty.  He's the little whiteface pied sitting down there with the lacewing. 

We also still have a bunch of baby linnies here, (I hear some of them are getting their toes clipped today too, HAHA on them).  Most of them are sold, but us fellows are the worst to wean, so they are still here.    If only Jo would break down and give us seeds, it would make her job a lot easier.  Now she is getting  that Tropimix and feeding to us mixed with pellets and just a scrap of seeds.  What's Tropimix you ask, well it's supposed to be a wholesome blend of  hulled grains, legumes, fruits, nuts and vegetables.  Really it's not that bad,  I'm sorta O.K. with it I guess. 

We got those pretty faced masked out in the Resting Room now.  Guess their tests came back O.K.    We gots a normal green, 2 slates and a blue.  So what does that make, well it makes three more pairs for Jo, two pairs of a slate and a violet and one pair of a normal green and a blue guy.  Wonder when they will make some babies.  Jo really like the normal green girl, says she is so pretty. 

Miss Betsy is worse than ever now.  She is  out all the time and will go to most anyone.  Course she tried to nibble Jesse's finger the other ay and he did not like that very much. 

Winter's coming on now and Jo put our brand new big humidifier in our Resting Room yesterday.   

So let's see what other stories am I supposed to tell you.  You see the fischer and the slate next door fighting over the cheerio.  At that age, they love their cereals.  The little slate there is a sibling of Jesse and Pig Pen's.  They also have three pieds, but they are still in the brooder.  Now they are gonna be some nice little fellows.  Next week, when they feather in a bit more, I'll tell Jo to put some pictures of them here.  She also has green linnies in the brooder and rumor has it, that one is reserved for Jesse.  Jo says if he learns everything he has to learn about caring for us guys so he can help his Mom and Dad out, then he'll be getting one at his birthday or at Christmas.  Jesse is one of those Christmas Week babies.   

Queen Betty is still sittin out there on all those eggs, happy as can be.  If only she knew!!  Then I hear Intrique and Moombeams divorce is this weekend.  Hubbie is taking a plane ride to Regina.  Now they have to find a mature male and that's not going to be an easy chore, nor is getting her to accept a new man.  Jo's hoping they will get lucky and she will accept a new man right away, but she's not holding her breath on this one.  Course like I say, they have to find that man first.  They do have some mature whiteface males still single, but they are not sure if they want to go that route. 

O.K. folks I gotta run for now, I hear Jo walking in the door and you know what that means!

October 27, 2002 and I bet you thought we'd never be back!  Jo's been pretty busy that much we know.  She told us as she was adding up her records yesterday she has sold 42 birds so far this month, now that's a lot of care, feeding, cleaning, socializing on top of all the other chores she does for us.  Intrique is safely in Regina with his new family.  Guess we are getting a little ahead of ourselves here, should make the decision of who's telling the story this week.  Let's let Snippy do the talking.  

O.K. Snippy here folks, and my name may be subject to change yet, as it's not a guarantee that I get to live here yet.  Jo snipped my toes last week and if I am a little boy I get to stay and reside with Pickle an olive green female and if I'm a girl, I get to go live in Fredericton with Sky, a cobalt girl Jo sold to a lady up there last year.  Guess Sky is looking for a companion.  

But back to Intrique, poor Moombeam is still sitting out there by herself, they have to get her another friend.  Jo was worried she'd stop eating, but I guess she's not too broke up as she's eating and drinking just fine.  A little lonely maybe.  

But folks,  may as well give you the sad, sad news first and get it over with.  Poor Jo was heartbroken one more time.  Says she will never get seasoned to this hurtin thing.  She went out a week ago Friday to do her rounds and make sure everyone was O.K. before getting all our breakfasts.  She gets to Pig Pen and Jesse's home and she can't find Jesse.  Most all our homes have little trap doors, Jo calls them, and sometimes we gets them open and escape.  Right away, that is what JO is hoping for.  Not the case.  The trap door is closed.   She finds Jesse under the newspaper, directly below where he usually sits at night.  He had died.  Jo was beside herself.  She checks him all over and not a mark on him, with the exception of a little bit of  white feces caked on the feathers down below his vent.  Jo calls her vet immediately, puts Jesse in a bag in the fridge and tell Marlene that she is bringing  him in.  Marlene does the post mortem only to find out poor Jesse had enlarged kidneys and they were all enflamed.  Not a gosh darn thing Jo could have done to save him.  You see this was Jo's very first baby ever, named after her grandson, and now he's gone.  He was hand tame, an excellent eater - Jo could not keep his dishes full, a great Dad, just a super super fellow.

Well, being a breeder, Jo knows life has to go on and she was afraid for Pig Pen, same as she was for Moombeam, that she would stop eating, etc.  So what does Jo do, she pairs her up with a mature male slate whiteface that's about her age.  She was saving him to pair with a female whiteface but guess she figured Pig Pen was more important at this point in time.  Well the next chain of events to happen just threw JO for a loop.  Petey as we named this slate whiteface, was not in with Pig Pen (course Jo moved Pig Pen and gave them a complete new home) for two minutes, I kid you not I watched, when Pig Pen was doing her dance, extending her wings, I'm sure you's all know the moves.  Lou was at the office, Jo calls him right up to tell him, she just could not believe it.  So much for the Grieving Widow she says!  Course Petey there, he has never had a female friend before and did not know what to make of all this.  He stayed his distance.  His shyness did not deter Pig Pen.  She tried all evening long to get him to hop on, to no avail.  Next morning, same thing, she's trying all over again.  Well by noon, she gave up.  Petey was gonna take his time and go thru the courting stage first I guess.  Now they sit out there opposite sides of the house, facing each other, and Pig Pen is at him.   Jo's not sure if Pig Pen will give him another chance or if they will bond at all now.  They don't fight, but they sure don't cuddle either.  

Jo has those new masked all set up now and they even got their names.  We have Mork and Mindy of course, a male violet and female slate masked, then we have Binge and Alley a male slate and female violet masked, finally we have Sunset and Buster, a normal green female and blue male masked.  They are all peachy with their new pairings and heard Jo say Sunset and Buster were going to get to go to the Breeding Hut in about three weeks.  It's going to be painted this week.  Once Jo gets it all done, we'll get her to take some fresh pictures and post for you.   Sometimes this week, now that they have all their whiteface guys in and the rest of the disease testing will be back this week, they are setting up all the new whiteface girls and guys and that's it they say.  Importings over and no new fellows coming unless of course, they ever find a partner for Miss Betsy.  Then Lou will have to do some major overhauling on our Lineage Page.  Due to all these new guys being allowed to live here and all these new pairs of whiteface being set up, Jo had to make some HARD, HARD decisions, as some of the pairs here had to go.  Now I have to tell you that is hard, as they all become like family here.  Jo knows all their moves, likes and dislikes, favorite toys and the list goes on.  Well after a month of stewing her and Lou made the decision that Peanut and Kibbles, Toby and Emient and Lacy and Webster were going to be the three pairs going.  Peanut and Kibbles were the hardest decision she has had to make by far, Peanut being the spoiled brat she was.    The only thing that makes Jo feel so much better about all this is that she sold them yesterday to a lady in Saint John that she knows and that will take extremely good care of them.  She would not sell them to a stranger.    She even sent Peanuts favorite toy with her.  It was only a small toy, but that Peanut would play with it for hours and hours.  Jo still never got used to going out and not seeing Jesse and now Peanut's gone too.  Jo told Lou that was it, no more of her "special" friends were leaving.  Course Queen Betty heard that and says YEHA, I'm safe!!  Betty's out there happily nursing one baby that Jo let her hatch.  

Now Jo has another problem.  Boy's are we full of problems this Journal Huh!  She has determined that she has a pair of linnies that are trying their darnest to keep up with Queen Betty.  Jo has been watching Matt and Mattie for a week now as Mattie keeps going under the newspaper.  Now remember, they have just had two clutches almost right in a row.  Sure enough Jo determines yesterday after a careful examination of Mattie that she is going to be a Mom again any time soon.  Jo's not impressed.  Nest boxes went up this morning.  Nana and Nigel also got a nest box this morning as she has been watching them regurgitate back and forth.  This pair has not had babies yet and Jo's been waiting for them to be ready to breed.    I heard Flo and Foxy also have one of them nest boxes.  

Did we tell you yet we got a big rearrange in our Resting Room last week as well.  Jo had to make room for our winter equipment, humidifiers, heaters, etc.etc. and moved us all around.  We kind of like it.  She always waits to do stuff like this when Lou is not home as she says she keeps more of the hair on her head that way!!  Guess that is why Lou built all our homes on wheels!!  She just rolls us all around.  

While a lot of our babies have left this month, there are still lots left.  We still gots whiteface pieds, violets, cinnamons up there.  Then there's also some pieds, slates, cobalts, American cinnamons (only one of those girls left), some fischers.  Some of the baby linnies left this week and the rest Jo is waiting for the sexing to come back on.  There is a fellow in Edmundton that wants four of our babies, two pairs, so if they all pair up, they will be leaving this week.  They didn't mind having their toes snipped at all.  So far 3 of them are already talking, saying Hello.  

Jo's also been making us some new perches out of thick cotton rope that she braids.  Especially the linnies love them.  She braids toys right into them.  Then yesterday Jo learnt how to macramé and is making more highways for them out of hemp and wood toys.  She just wants to caution you folks that you have to keep a sharp eye on any ropes you put in your birds home and if they become frayed in any way, get rid of them.  Especially linnies who's toe nails tend to grow much faster than lovebirds.    Jo is home all day and able to keep a good eye.  She is always taking them out to wash anyways.  Even the lovebirds love them. 

Has Jo given you an update lately on our two babies from Intrique and Moombeam that have don't have the good neck movement?  They are just fine and just the cutest little fellows.  One is a little worse off than the other, but both of them eat, get around, play and are 100% normal in all other ways.  They just sort of look at you with their little heads tilted to one side as opposed to looking at you straight on.  Also Jo does not allow them to fly and they are clipped short as they fly like a boomerang, they come right back at you!  Jo does not want them getting hurt.  Intrique's youngest baby, Lou thinks is a lacewing, and is just the most beautiful soft  yellow baby with a nice blue rump that Jo has had in awhile.  Now that baby may be moving just a short distance away, 10 whole kms as rumor has it now.  

Last week Jo was finally able to track down some GSE (grapefruit seed extract) that she has also been looking for, for quite some time now.  She wants it for sprouting seeds for us, so she's gonna start that again this week.  She had stopped for awhile as she was not comfortable or happy with the sprouter she was using.  Oh and the best part, Lou went out last week and gots us a brand spanking new Popcorn maker.  Jo still opens the microwave and says she can still smell the burnt popcorn from a month ago.

Oh, someones here to pick up her baby sky blue linnie, gotta run for now. Back later as Jo still has more to write she says