nom nom nom going to hawaii

also got some super new glass for xmas. 100- 210 zoom.
we are glamping, so i am hoping to put them on a tripod, and pick off firsts while having a glass of wine.

we will be on ouhu, in a hugh preserve, on the top of a hill. in an orchard.

hubby is the pic guy. gonna make him put up a flickr page or something. we make a pretty good bird watching team. i think he will need a plane ticket for his camera stuff.

back on jan14th
will report

accessibility issue.

so, i start by stipulating that my computer doesn't much give a shit about this issue as far as i can tell. i set things that promise to display not smaller than 18 pt type, but they lie. i suppose i could pound on it to figure it out, but, well….
when i can't find my glasses, but i have to use the computer, i amp up the type with a command +. sometimes it works, for an email or a blog, sometimes you have to select it to scale up.
but when i try to do this on du, it seems to scale up the objects, tabs, etc, but not the type. even if highlighted.
using safari.

i suppose i could fix this by refusing to get old, but damned if i can crack that one.

happy holidays to all the fellows and their families. still the best community on the internets.
xo

Question submitted by mopinko

i met a couple raygun democrats. obamacare will bring them back in droves.

this is a post i put up in pets regarding a parrot i am planning to adopt. but it definitely is a story about why obamacare needs to succeed. the everyday sadness and wasted lives have to stop.

if you want the context, read this thread, but really, i think you will get it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/116114406#post7

well, i met the birdies. very interesting, and crushingly sad.

Last edited Thu Dec 12, 2013, 10:43 AM - Edit history (1)

i had suspected from my conversations that they were rural, "redneck" folks, but with big hearts. she was trying so hard to find the right home, and had had a steady stream of the sort of people who should never own a parrot.
this is a blended family, folks in their mid-40's, his kids gone, her kid and their kid at home. her kid has mental health issues, 14, adhd.
mom was born with cerebral palsy, on disability. dad fell 40' on the job and is running out of benefits. (tho ladder falls are supposed to be covered by workers comp, but..) he just lost his healthcare.

so, i walk into the little tract house, neat and the walls lined with thomas kincaids. maury on the tube.
the little family room is dominated by cages that are 1 1/2 and 2 times a generous cage for a grey. there are so many toys, you have to look for the birds.
i didn't chase after the birds, just sat and talked, listened to their story. eventually i reached into the bag i brought and pulled out some peanuts.
now, the young timneh has to go. sooner than later. they are strained to the point that they fear he might get sick, and they will be dead. this is the wife's bird.
there is also a 20+ yo congo that may have to go before they move in with the folks. they feared they would never find anyone to take him, because he is a "woman hating biter". my real mission in visiting was to see if there was any truth to that. i have heard it many, many times. it is rarely true.
and of course, it is not in this case, either. the cranky old man stepped up for me, sat on my knee and ate a peanut. mom and dad caught flies in their mouths.

these are totally spoiled birds. both are rescues, as were their dogs, and with both disabled, pets and teevee are their life. it kills me to think they have to give this up. and over health care.

so, they decide i am the one. shockingly even the one to take the congo if he has to go.

i need to finish some projects around here before i can take him, and we are planning a trip in early january. so, i had asked if they would keep him that long, and they said they could. he wouldn't be that big of an addition to the menagerie, but i was looking forward finding a replacement zoo keeper without worrying about parrots.

i think they were sort of surprised when i told they they should keep them as long as they could. they are coming to a good home, but nothing like they one they are leaving.


so, throughout the conversation, i dreaded any mention of politics. but it was pretty amazing how quickly it was diffused when i knocked down their obamacare talking points. this was the crux of their problems, and they were terrified it would get worse. but they hadn't even checked into it. they were just going to accept the fee, because they were certain they couldn't afford the premiums. i assured them that in their situation there was a good chance it would cost nothing.
they were also worried about mental health parity, but had no idea about the guarantees already in place due to the aca. they both admitted that they did not pay close enough attention. not sure how much they believed me, but between that and the birds, i walked in on 2 stressed out people, and left 2 very relieved people behind.

tis the season.

talk me down here.

so not sure if folks no that my kaya never made it back home. i suspect someone has her, and she might get her chip read some day, but……

so, while watching for greys to show up on the market i watched a young woman on a facebook group try to find a good home for her young timneh because she could not afford to keep it.
i miss kaya terrible, and sophie too. but i could put up a fairly long list of things i don't miss.

i think this is for real. scammers are everywhere in the "adoption" business. they have been all over her. she just wants him to have a good home. but so few people really ought to have parrots, while so many want them. and so many see them as easy money.

anyway, this has been going on for several weeks. i tried hard to resist.
i go to meet him tomorrow.
he has a cranky old man of a big brother that she would like to rehome, but is not hopeful. i have a weakness for cranky old men. usually vice versa.
we shall see.

talk me down.

ugh. 4 days no pain meds.

getting steroid injections for arthritis in my spine on thursday. have to make it through 4 days with no nsaids.
not gonna be fun.

hope the shots help, tho. this is a drag.

fresh

a little video about the definition of fresh.


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=673937549294594&set=vb.410796658942019&type=2&theater

this is probably tmi, but where else could i share it?

i mean, who else would get it?
here, we can share anything, no matter how personal or gross.


right?

so


















sorry cave dwellers. not today.