Sorry I've been absent lately, but what with the holidays and all, life
has been pretty busy lately. We're all fine here, humans, canines and
feathered kids. It's been a pretty boring but hectic year around here.
I'm still seeking work--being self-employed didn't work out the way I'd
planned, and breeding birds doesn't pay the bills!  I've also been
busy with greyhound adoption/rescue stuff, the occasional web page, and
with writing bird articles that I hope someone might want to pay me to
publish someday.
The conures are done making babies for the year--a good thing, as I
still have two baby male Jendays from the last clutch, who really need
new homes where they will get more regular attention. (I don't ship, but
anyone within driving distance of Detroit, MI is welcome to send me
netmail or e-mail regarding these guys).
Kirsche cherry-head just completed the worst molt she's ever had--she
was a total monster for 2 months! She's just now allowing me to pet her
again without trying to remove my fingers. Her parents are their usual
nasty selves. I'm hoping to get them into a huge Ecotone flight cage
after the holidaze are over--they need more room to exercise than their
current cage provides.
Rio jenday is still plucking her chest feathers, but not as fiercely as
she has in the past. I still hold out hope that someday she'll quit that
habit, but it may be another 10 years before she does... Her mate
Paco has pretty much given up his "wanna kill you" attitude, and has
actually begun cuddling with me! There's hope for him yet! Paco & Rio's
son, Rico, and his girlfriend Ivy are approaching breeding age. Next
summer I may give them a box and see how they do.
The 'tiels never got their nestboxes this year because of a local "puppy
mill"-style breeder who sells cockatiels so cheaply nobody else can
compete. But one of my hens who's never bred before has been standing in
the center of the flight soliciting noisily to anyone who'll look at
her! I may HAVE to give her and one of the males a private cage and a
nestbox soon, or I may just find eggs in the seed dish!
It's been an "ok" year here--I've had better ones and worse ones. But
I'm thankful for our continued good health (the recent bronchitis
excepted), and the good health of the birds. I'm very thankful for my
feathered critters-- they really are special to me, and I know my life
would have turned out vastly different without them.
I'm also thankful for all of you, who've stayed with or joined the
Parrot Echo during the last year of major 'bail outs' for the Internet.
I hope that 1997 sees Fidonet take off again as a friendlier alternative
to the impersonality of the Internet newsgroups, and that the Parrot
Echo begins to grow again. Tell your Internet-using, bird-owning friends
about bbsing, and get them to come join us on Parrots!
Happy Holidays!
--Kathy & Wayne Johnson
  Rio & Paco de Jendayo (jendays)
  Rico & Ivy de Jendayo
  Baby Boy #2 & Baby Boy #4 de Jendayo
  Kirsche Cherry-head
  Cherry &  George Cherry-head
  Punkin, Dundee, Fiona, Trilby,
  Jon-Tom, Bita, Benny, & Bonnie (cockatiels)
  Tesla & Snow (greyhounds)
 * SLMR 2.1a * I took the road less travelled--and got lost.
--- Silver Xpress Mail System       
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