"Welcome to the Jungle"

It's day one of Operation Zookeeper. First, let's meet our guests:




This is Zoe, she's a Black headed Caique. She enjoys biting holes in my hands, making kissing noises, and going, "WHOO!"

Next is Nigel! He's a Senegal Parrot with plenty of time on his hands...toes? He enjoys being sheepish and looking around.

So far they seem to be pretty well adjusted to our home. They know us because we're at Kyle & Jen's house often and we've handled them. They're used to other animals (minus cats) so that's not been an issue either. AND the three of them (including my Quaker, Marty) were all at Bills Pet Shop together so they can all handle other birds.
Zoe is by far the noisiest of the 'bird-herd'. I came out this morning to talk to Munga (that's another story, see further down) and said, "Hi Munga.." real quiet..I hear from Zoe's cage, "HIIII ZOOEEE!!!" She makes SO many noises, I'm going to try to get a video of her later.

Nigel is real quiet. He sits on his perch and makes little owl noises.

They're fun to wake up to.

Whitney was going to come up from Jacksonville to take pictures of Robert & I today but something happened last night and she's unable to make it. Honestly I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing because I realized just last night that she would probably think we are INSANE. Our house is clean! But there are animals EVERYWHERE! 'Never a dull moment' is the phrase most used by others to describe our house. It's true - but for somebody I've never met...I just don't know if she's ready for this.

First of all - we have Munga. He hurt himself two days ago and a trip to the vet yesterday revealed he broke two toes in his right front foot.

So this is where he is now:




Yes in Mika's crate - and yes in our living room. It's going to take 6-10 weeks to heal the breaks in his toes. He'll keep himself busy by eating and drinking plenty and getting lots of rest. The doctor didn't want to put a splint on it because cats don't do well with them. He's also not on any pain meds because that may encourage him to walk on it. I don't think that's much of an issue though because as long as he's not putting pressure on it he doesn't seem to be in any pain. If you note the lower left of the picture, Mika's big head - she's not too happy with Munga taking over her den.

Speaking of other animals. Some of us have mixed feelings about our feathered visitors:

I think he's depressed now that he's out numbered.

I had my first emotional reaction to Robert's upcoming deployment today. It was a mix of jitters, nerves, and sadness. I know the extra money and seperation will be good for our sanity and our marriage. But I also know that I haven't been away from him in a long time. Honestly this will be the first time I've been 'on my own' for a length of time. An entire year. Wow. I'm not worried about danger or communication - I guess it's just the fear of the unknown.
One of the ways I'm going to tackle this deployment is by keeping busy. I looked at my planner the other day and I have SO much going on! The work with the families is going well - we're having another event next week and I'm hoping for a good turnout. Some of the wives are apprehensive, which is fine (and normal) - but I hope they reconsider because once these guys are gone EVERYBODY is going to want to be in the loop. Cindy said she has good feelings about where we're going with things.
The Klickers are going on vacation to Disney at the end of the week! They've been looking forward to this for months and I'm really excited for them. Jen is bringing Nigel & crazy ass Zoe (their birds) for me to cuddle and love the week they're gone. Zoe better not think about putting that Caique beak through my hand again. Bastard.
Whitney is coming out Saturday to take some pictures of Robert & I - I'm really excited for that. She does great work. I'll be making her some yummy enchiladas as a thank you :). It's nice to meet new friends - the internet is good for that.

Did you know: The escalator was first designed as an amusement ride? How dull!

I'm sorry I haven't updated...Ive been feeling well..busy. And bleh. Although I did rekindle my love for large cinnamon lattes from DD! :)