glorious hair, pet sappage

[oiran]

Nothing fannish here. Hair. Animals. It's almost domestic.

I have natural chunks of blonde which we just made bigger, but they look brassy here...so the color is off a bit. It's very pretty in RL. And I'm prettier, too, I swear. Raise your hand if you think my nose is big ;)




I mentioned yesterday that today I'd be going and picking up a pair of parakeets that needed a home, and which my vet flattered me and Mr. Glove into agreeing to take. This made me realize that I have never done the massive posting of pet photos that is so prevalent, at least among those who have cats. The bird contingent has been under-represented, so I'm fixing that now.

Get it all over with at once: jed's pets, complete with photos and gushing from "oldest" to "youngest"
Huevo. Lovebird, age 6. Birthday gift from Mr. Glove. Actually, my gift was supposed to be a pair of parakeets. I was having massive yearnings to have a pet again, following a long, petless spell after having to put my 17-year-old cat to sleep, and the Mr. thought birds would be "ornamental" and thus would not tax his emotional stores. Mr. Glove was wrong. Huevo had already had one family when we got her. At only 3 months of age, she had already been returned to the bird shop due to uncontrollable feistiness. She been named Wazo (stupid person's idea of how to spell oiseau), and had had her leg band removed. She was a not-particularly-attractive dirty white color, but she had a REALLY!!! BIG!!! PERSONALITY!!!, and they didn't have any parakeets that were ready to go home with anyone, so... voila! We became family to a lovebird. Lovebirds are very aggressive. Whatever they do, they do with gusto. This means kissing, biting, eating, flapping, squawking and humping at 110%. If Huevo had opposable thumbs and could reach the gas pedals, she'd rule the world. As she has gotten older, her colors have bloomed. She has gorgeous mottled shades of green over her wings, and the orange eye streaks get more pronounced all the time. "Huevo" is Spanish for egg, of course.
Garuda. Meyers parrot, age 6. When we got Huevo, Garuda was also at the bird store, waiting for someone to take him home. Meyers parrots are smallish, don't have flashy plumage, and don't make all that much noise (for a parrot), so they tend to be overlooked by people who think they want birds as pets. I would visit this bird every time I went into the bird store for supplies for Huevo, and I became very attached to him, as he was affectionate and sweet. I'd pet him through the bars of his cage and he'd hold my finger tight with his foot and not want to let go. We went on a long driving/camping trip and boarded Huevo at the pet store. I missed her so much that I made Mr. Glove miserable and we came home a week early. I'd been trying to convince him for months that we needed to have this Meyers parrot, and he was totally resisting. When we got back to Seattle, we went to pick up Huevo right away. After I was reassured she was still alive and well, I went to visit the Meyers. There was some stupid woman from Connecticut and her friend looking at him, and the woman said, "Don't you think he'd look nice in my office? I wonder if they ship birds?" I pushed her out the way and said, "You can't have this bird. I came back from my vacation a week early to get this bird," and stood in front of the cage. Mr. Glove saw what was going on and just went over to the sales counter to start the bird-buying process. If I ever seriously complain about Mr. Glove, shoot me in the head. "Garuda" is Vishnu's battle eagle. Shut up. He looked kind of eagley for a minute there.
Obadiah. SKOW hound, age approx. 4-5. (SKOW stands for "some kind of whippet," which comes from the question, "What kind of dog is that? Some kind of whippet?" as asked by an old guy on the dog-walking trail). Part sight hound, part Rottweiler, part Lab, and...lots of other stuff, most likely. He is a sweet, nervous creature who is terrified of birds and guinea pigs, but whose bark is fierce and intimidating. He was about a year and a half old when we brought him home. He does not know how to play with people--is afraid of most people, actually--but loves to be around other dogs. He is omega dog to any other dog, which actually works out pretty well. We need a second dog to teach Obadiah how to enjoy life in a doggish way. The vet agrees with me. Mr. Glove is going to kick the vet's ass. "Obadiah" was the name of the naughty puppy in a book I loved as a very small child. There were Rags, Tags, Wags and Obadiah. This is actually the second Obadiah I've had--the first was a black female lab puppy that was given to me when I was about 5. My parents lost patience with her after about a month and sent her to the pound. My parents suck.
Kazoo. Canary, unknown hybrid. At least 2, possibly older. When I moved back to Seattle, I missed my birds and my dog like crazy. I got Kazoo to keep me company, and he did an admirable job of it. I purchased him from a pet shop I had frequented that had changed ownership in the interim. The new owner--one of the old employees--had no business running a pet store, actually, and I partly took Kazoo home to rescue him. The tip of one of his toes had been amputated somehow (on the cage, or via a bite from one of the other birds crammed in his cage), and it has since grown back with the toenail vertical. Kazoo has a voice that is...loud. Burbly. Like a ray gun being shot underwater. It is not exactly a pretty song, but it is loud and enthusiastic. You get used to it. In Seattle, he had free run of my tiny apartment and he actually spent a lot of time playing with me and jumping on my hands. Since moving out to Nashville, he can't fly free as often (though he has an aviary) and he's become wilder. However, when I let him out in the morning while I'm changing his food and water dishes, he follows me around and scolds me if I get out of sight. Kazoo made a funny buzzing sound when I first brought him home. He doesn't make that sound any longer, but it was a very kazooish buzz.
Tater. Guinea pig. About 2. My niece had a guinea pig that was the sweetest thing I'd ever held. I was lonely. I got a guinea pig for myself. They're a great little lap pet, except they pee whenever and wherever, so they're actually a great little lap pet on top of a towel. Tater was tiny and hot like a baked potato…also fluffy and white with brown spots like bits of potato peel, thus the name. Penny. About 2, but 6 months younger than Tater. Penny was brought into the fold because guinea pigs are social creatures and I worried that Tater was lonely. I didn't want to raise guinea pigs, however, so I got Tater neutered and then set out to find him a female companion. Supposedly, even neutered males wouldn't like one another, so it was important that I get him a girlfriend. Penny was really, really tiny and really, really cute. Shiny copper penny. Tater didn't like her, though. They didn't fight, but Tater ignored her. I was disappointed, but I wasn't about to take Penny back just for being…kind of a dud. When Penny was four months old, I had both pigs out running around on my bed and sort of on top of me. Penny was sitting on my chest, facing away from me, and I realized that "she" actually had really big testicles. Which explains Tater's initial lack of enthusiasm. Now both are neutered and they seem to enjoy one another's company. Tater is definitely dominant, but they both freak out if they can't see one another, so there's a bond there, even if it isn't true love.
Iris & Berry - brought home today. Formerly named "Icy" and "Blueberry." No idea as to how old, though they're adults. Probably a year or less. They are basic parakeets, but I think they seem especially pretty. Berry has especially clear facial markings and a deeper blue than I'm used to seeing. Iris is a unique blue--I'm calling her that because her color reminds me of a white iris--either that or skim milk. Berry is definitely a boy, but Iris might go either way... Iris seems to be the boss. They make darling chirpy sounds.

Comments

[disbelief11.livejournal.com]

Woo! I'm a bird, in your house, and I'm the boss!

Heh. Sorry about that. I'm just very attached to my name and thrilled that there's a tiny, teeny, itty bitty reminder of me in your home...even if you didn't mean for it to be there.

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[anathema666.livejournal.com]

Woo! I'm a bird, in your house, and I'm the boss!

*rolls eyes* Like you aren't the boss of every house you walk into. (OK, Dis, don't kill me. I'm so young, and my life has so much promise!)

Anyway, Jed darling, I loved seeing pictures of the menagerie! They are all fabulous pets (and it's hard to believe that Huaevo's plumage wasn't always so gorgeous). Thank you so much for sharing.

Speaking of gorgeous plumage, your new colour is lovely, as are you. And for the last time, your nose is NOT too big. Once you get into RowanAtkinsonland (or Methosville) with your schnoz, THEN you can complain that it's too big.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

They *are* fabulous pets. Huevo was always charming, but she's become beautiful, too. I wish we'd taken more pictures when they were little, because both her and Garuda have very different feather patterns/coloration than they did as young birds.

And *I* actually don't think I have a big nose. The Mr. does, though now he's claiming he was just kidding. I do think my nose photographs more prominently than it should, i.e., it's less "there" in 3-D and in motion, but I don't think it looks particularly big even here. There are things I don't like about my nose, but the size of it is neither here nor there. Mostly, it's fun to say stuff like this to make Mr. Glove squirm ;)

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[disbelief11.livejournal.com]

OOOOh, I am SO going to come up with some good way of punishing/torturing/surprising you. You wait and see.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

When I met you, I had to try very hard to not have a gushy name-squee episode--and I think I managed to seem normal enough. Iris has always been one of my favorite names, but you are the first person I'd met who actually had it ;) Even if this bird decides to be a male, the name will still be Iris (as with Penny the boy).

So, yes, actually I *did* think of you for a moment--my first thought was that she's the same color as the "white" irises I've got out back, but then I thought: disbelief!

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[disbelief11.livejournal.com]

I feel so honored! Aw, go on you silver-tongued vixen, who looks as lovely (if not more so) than when I met you.

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

Berry looks exactly like my first pet and only bird, Joey. Alas, I don't have any pictures.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

I'm going a bit nuts with the digital camera because 1) I can take pictures with it that actually look okay, and 2) it's easy, and 3) fast. All of these were issues that kept me from bothering to take pictures in the past, and thus I don't have photographs of most of my pets. I have pictures of my cat who lived to be 17, and only a photo or two of one other, but no photographs at all of a third.

So now that we finally have a digital camera, I'm acting like a new grandparent and taking pictures of everything that moves ;)

[teot.livejournal.com]

Bird lovers! I didn't know anyone else on my friends list had birds. I have a senegal and an african gray.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

Ooh, Senegal! You probably know then that a Meyers is basically the same bird with different coloring. And we'd love to have a gray some day (though I worry about the fact that it would likely outlive us, and who would take care of it then?).

Trying to explain to people who don't know birds how incredibly engaging and smart and funny they can be is really difficult, because their personalities don't really "show" in their faces the way a dog's does. I love all our "kids," but the birds are special.

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[teot.livejournal.com]

Ooh, Senegal! You probably know then that a Meyers is basically the same bird with different coloring. And we'd love to have a gray some day (though I worry about the fact that it would likely outlive us, and who would take care of it then?).

Meyers tend to be more quiet than senegals, no? Or have I got that mixed up? But my senegal is a screamer so I don't know how meyers could be louder than my birdie, at least.

My senegal has attached himself to me, and tolerates the rest of the family (sometimes not at all). He's a sweetie.

And beware of grays - they tend to attach themselves to one person, tolerate the next, and snub the rest. So if you're hoping that a new gray is going to be your sweetie, you might be in for a surprise if he/she attaches to your hubby instead. I'm in the snubbing category with our gray right now. And they do tend to have a long life, so make sure that you've decided firmly on a gray, because if you do, you'll have them for the rest of your life.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

Garuda speaks primarily lovebird these days, which is harsh and grating and LOUD. The few Meyers noises he makes are much quieter. Lots of oinking and happy mumbles.

Huevo has always been my bird, and Garuda started out that way, but then he became Daddy's bird and has only recently become fond of me again. He actually seems to prefer me a little in just the last few days, which is kind of nice. In the heat of the Daddy's bird phase, however, he was violently opposed to my existence. For a smallish bird, he can bite very, very hard. Kazoo is mine, the dog is mine, and the guinea pigs belong to whoever brings the green leaves.

The prospect of dying and leaving a pet without proper care (emphasis on the proper) is a huge block in the way of getting a gray or a cockatoo. We're very protective of our pets and don't really trust anyone with them. We love both the vet (an avian specialist) we have here in Nashville, and also the woman who we leave the birds with when we travel (who used to head up the bird program at the zoo here). We weren't nearly so happy with the vet and pet sitter we had in Seattle. Even though I really miss the West Coast and would like to eventually move back, when we thought we'd actually be doing so, we were rather concerned about having to leave the good pet resources we've found here. When I'm feeling particularly down on Nashville and trying to make myself feel more positive, these points are always high on the pro-Nashville list.

[perclexed.livejournal.com]

Aieee! So cute! All of it! But you left out one of ...er, Mr. Glove! :D

I had a bird when I was really, really little. My brothers broke it's neck, but told me I'd starved it. I haven't been too hip with the birds since, but they sound like total characters!

Love the hair too!

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

Hee! Well, that's Mr. G's hand holding Huevo and Garuda, so he's sort of there. He got a cool haircut the other day and took a bunch of pictures, but now I think he's being shy...I will tell him he should complete the set ;)

That's horrible about the bird. Horrible. There was some terrible woman at the pet store this evening who was buying a replacement bird (per the clerk--I didn't hear this directly, though I got a bad feeling about this person as she was looking at birds) because, as she put it, "There was something wrong with that other bird--it died." I'm 99% sure she killed it without even knowing that was what she was doing. The new parakeets are actually refugees from one of my vet's own employees, who thought they'd be a nice pet for her 7-year-old kid. Uh, no. They are a terrible pet for children, but they're cheap, so that's mostly who gets them.

Um, not that it is your fault for being a child with a pet bird. I just get very protective about all birds, everywhere, at all times...it's exhausting, actually.

[twigged.livejournal.com]

So, basically you forced your guinea pigs into a homosexual life bond?

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[reetchick.livejournal.com]

*snicker* I was thinking along the same lines - Jed, you should've named them "Jim and Blair."

God, I really ought to make comments that have nothing to do with The Sentinel every once in a while.

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[twigged.livejournal.com]

Heh. Well, we could probably all stand to broaden our scope of interests. *g*

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

Do the chicklets have any pets? If not, might I suggest pair-bonded male guinea pigs? You can suggest names ;)

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

Yes. And I emasculated them.

I wonder if anyone writes guinea pig slash...

p.s. your cat is darling

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

Birds! My auntie and her late husband had a succession of sulphur crested cockatiels, all called Joey. When my auntie came out here to visit she had to talk to Joey on the phone, she suffered such separation anxiety. He wasn't too pleased, either - by the end of the fortnight he had gone from talking back to hissing at her.

My aunt and uncle could never have kids and they doted on their birds. At least one of them is in the family plot.

Also, my paternal grandfather liked birds, apparently, and had an aviary filled with various broken-winged creatures that he'd brought home. One day my dad and several siblings found what they thought were baby owls and put them in the aviary. THey were, alas, baby hawks. You can imagine what happened next.

Hair looks cool! I love your glasses. And your nose is not big.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't call Huevo herself, but only because they wouldn't put her on the phone. They seemed to think they had better things to do.

My friend (also my hair stylist) was asking me today how much I'd spent at the vet on the yearly check-ups, trying to convince me that I don't want another dog. I countered by asking her how much she'd spent on her daughter. Which to *her* isn't the same, and I acknowledged that, but the pets are our "kids," and we don't want the human kind of children. I consider the money spent on veterinarian visits well-spent.

The baby hawk thing is morbidly funny awful. Poor little birds.

My nose is not big, as far as I'm concerned. I just mentioned it again to make Mr. Glove squirm, since he thinks that it is. He's wrong ;)

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

You're lovely! And I think I have very, very similar glasses currently perched on my nose. :-)

Your menagerie is adorable, and yes, Mr. Glove sounds marvelous.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

*blushes* Thank you! I have many, many pairs of glasses, but these are some of the newest and thus are favorites.

Mr. Glove puts up with a lot from me, and some days I'd be hard pressed to say what he gets out of the deal. He lets me bring home animals and he does all the cooking and washing up, and in return I...write gay porn, really. Which isn't really his thing, unfortunately for him, since I produce rather a lot of it ;)

[mz-bstone.livejournal.com]

all the pictures are lovely, but mostly?

I would love to get down on the ground and be a doggy friend with Obadiah. I've grew up with a four-footed sibling, at least it seemed that way, and when I was about seven I spent many afternoons as a dog.

*g*

B

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

He might--might--enjoy that. When I chose him, I believe I was mistaking stark terror for calm. He has hurt the feelings of many dog people who have gotten down on all fours to play by growling or piddling or running away...

Growing up, I loved the dogs and cats we had, and I related to them much more so than the kids I went to school with or my own brother. Dogs always seemed to be about fun and camaraderie and generosity of spirit, and I expected that when we brought Obadiah home.

I think he'd like to give it, but he's too frightened. This dog has been with us for about four years, and he's still so nervous and worried. I love him and want him to be happier. I think the only way we'll manage that is by giving him a dog of his own to emulate. Whenever he's with other dogs, he just does the same things that the "real" dogs do, and it seems to take all the pressure off of him.

[isagel.livejournal.com]

You have a lot of birds. I never realized they were so many!

When I was a child, I had a parakeet. He got to fly around the house and liked to sit on the rustic beams in the living room. (I still love those beams. My grandmother was always afraid they would fall down on us, though I don't see how they could move a millimeter on their own without the aid of demonic powers.) One day we discovered by his favourite spot a hole in the wall. A fairly deep hole in the wall with about the circumference of a tennis ball. If he'd been allowed to keep at it, I'm sure he would eventually have tunneled his way out. All the darling bird needed was a poster of Rita Hayworth, and he could have been Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

Well, until today it was only three. Which is still a lot of birds, but it doesn't sound as crazy-person as five birds does. Still, once you have a bird, another bird isn't that much work. And while I'll concede that five birds are certainly more work than one, they aren't noticeably more trouble than having just three. I think we're at max bird capacity now, though. Unless the vet talks us into some other strays...

I love the image of the tunneling bird with his little secret cave! But our birds like caves and tight spaces, too, though they've never built their own. Huevo loves to be squashed and to wriggle around under and through hands, as does Kazoo (which is why the way I'm holding him in the photo is actually not cruel, although it may look to be so). Garuda likes squashing, too, but not quite so much as the other two. I get the impression that lots of birds would happily dig tunnels or crawl under things if given the chance.

[rhiannonhero.livejournal.com]

Love your hair. Love your animals. Love you.

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[velvetglove.livejournal.com]

I love these things also ;)

And you, as well.

[pun.livejournal.com]

As you could probably tell when you met me, there is no such thing as too much pet talk for me! I love the story about you shoving the woman out of the way to get Garuda. That's so great. And I'm so excited to see a picture of Obadiah. He's so cute!

Hooray for your whole menagerie!