Fr. Tony Update: Oh, the dreaded lurg...
Great Backyard Bird Count This Week.... Join the fun!...
St. Francis Strikes Again...
Back In School... Full Steam Ahead...
Abbey and Lee To Visit Megan...
This month I'll be taking the pre-test for next fall's LPN program...... gulp.
MegAbroad...
Road Trip...
FR. TONY UPDATE: The Dreaded Lurg Strikes...
We're still on a bit of a high with last week's good news about Fr. Tony's lab results. But, it seems we're both now suffering under our annual bout of Bronchitis. How romantic, aye? I have the added pleasure of a wicked crick in my neck, to add to the pleasure. So, we're off to see our Dr. Rasmussen later today, to get the meds needed to kick this nasty stuff out of our systems. It seems rather predictable that we'd come down with something, between mixing and mingling with folks from church and visits to the cancer center. With it being so bitterly cold out, there's little to no fresh air circulating anywhere.
Fr. Tony continues to do well, aside from a bit of winter/itchy rash stuff going on, and the congestion/cough. This week he'll have his second appointment with the folks over at HealthWorks, for his weekly Physio Therapy. I'm looking forward to the 15th arriving, when I'll sign up to join as well.
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT this weekend!
Everyone Count Your Backyard Birds.
OK everybody, it's that time of year. This is an easy and enjoyable activity for families, single folk, hikers, bikers, clergy, and more. Read below for the "skinny" about the project.
What mid-winter activity is fun, easy, free, and helps bird conservation? What can parents and teachers do with children that connects them to a whole new world of natural wonders? This February, the tenth annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, will give everyone a chance to discover the birds in their neighborhood and “Count for the Record.”
During February 16–19, 2007, people of all ages, from beginners to experts, are invited to join this event which spans all of the United States and Canada. Participants can take part wherever they are – at home, in schoolyards, at local parks or wildlife refuges. Observers simply count the highest number of each species they see during an outing or a sitting, and enter their tally on the Great Backyard Bird Count web site at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/press/news-stories/2007-gbbc.
How to Participate
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
- Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes during February 16–19, 2007. Count birds at as many places and on as many days as you like—just keep a separate list of counts for each day and/or location.
- Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time, and write it down.
That's it!
ST. FRANCIS STRIKES AGAIN:
Yesterday while sitting in church, one of our parishioners (a Vet and his wife) announced they'd taken in a stray, and the stray produced 7 more strays. So, they're anxiously looking into finding homes for these adorable pups. If you live in the area and can provide a wonderful home, check out their website and read all about Mary's story. Legions of photos have been posted. Time for a good deed, yes?
As the announcement was being made, Tony was staring over at me shaking his head "NO"... as if "I'm" the "Noah" in the family? Truth be told, I did take a good look at the flyer, and it was VERY tempting! But, as our Harry counts for FIVE dogs, I refuse to take in another dog!
Low and behold, a parrot type situation arose in our midst. I was contacted by a dear friend who informed me there were two parrots needing a home, ASAP. The mom of the fids (feathered kids) is pregnant, and with baby about to make his grande debut soon, she felt it better for the parrots to be in a home where they'd continue to get the love and care they'd grown used to. This is one of the most difficult decisions for a loving pet owner to come to, and follow through with. Heartache abounds!
Fortunately, same friend's neighbor decided to jump on the St. Francis wagon and opted to adopt one of the parrots. Yesterday, with the help of another dear friend, we rounded up the trucks and vans, drove north to Masontown, PA, disassembled cages and accessories, and drove it all back to Morgantown.
Buddy, as he's called, is an adorable little Hahn's Mini Macaw..... the smallest (and we're talking small!) of the Macaw family. So far he's doing VERY well, adjusting to his new surroundings and having fun calling out to Ruby, our African Grey, who hangs out in another room on her tree. Buddy enjoys being on the shoulder, rolling over on his back for a belly rub, cooing and making tutt tutt sounds, along with a little grrrrrrrr. So cute!
The Hahn's Mini Macaw
The pictures might give you an idea about how small these little imps are.
In the wild, Hahn's Miniature Macaw is native to the tropical forests north of the Amazon in Brazil, in addition to the Guyanas and the eastern areas of Venezuela. Because of its gorgeous coloration, the Hahn's Macaw is sometimes called the Red Shouldered Macaw. They are also known as the Hahn's Miniature Macaw due to its small size! The Hahn's Macaw is a bit easier to care for than many other birds in its family because of its much smaller size. With very high intelligence, the Hahn's Macaw is easily trainable and amusing, with an outgoing and funny personality.
I know... I know! I've done it again!
BACK IN SCHOOL.... FULL STEAM AHEAD:
School is back in session, and one week under my belt. Well, two, if you don't count school being closed last week due to the cold. Not that I'm feeling like attending today, with this wretched cold/bronchitis, but one must plod along. So far so good.
ABBEY AND LEE TO VISIT THAILAND:
Abbey and Lee will be flying to Thailand in April, to see Megan. I'm so happy for them all. Not only had Megan had the grand opportunity to see a bit of the far East, but now Abbey will as well. They plan to visit the coast, see a bit of Bangkok and visit Mae Sot, our Megan's home away from home.
MEGABROAD:
Hoping to post more updates for you, regarding her work with SAW (Social Action for Women). Megan's been VERY busy with meetings, outside projects, and traveling to meetings outside of Mae Sot, but I'm sure we'll get some updates and photos out of her soon!
On a more interesting note... for those of you planning to travel abroad.... CARRY TWO BANK CARDS WITH YOU! About a month ago Megan's bank card was eaten by a Thai ATM machine. It took over three weeks to get the card back from the bank! If that weren't enough, the card had several holes punched in it, making it unusable! hrumph. So, off to the bank I go, getting a new card for her, and spending $50 to get said new card shipped safely to Mae Sat, Thailand. A dear friend (Larry the saint) works along side Fed Ex, and has helped keep track of the card as it travels accross the globe. He also made sure the Fed Ex office in Thailand was put on notice to make sure the package arrives safely at its destination! Fed Ex Rocks!
Within 3 days of shipping the card, it had traveled to Pittsburgh, Memphis, Ankorage, then accross the Pacific to the Philipines, Thailand, and has now cleared customs in Thailand. Lord willing, her new card will arrive in her hot little hand within a day or two. My hope is there were no magnets being shipped at the same time, thus disabling the magnetic strip on the back of the card. oy.
Thank you Larry! I sure owe you big time!
ROAD TRIP:
Looks like I'm going to get a weeeee little break. During my spring break from school (first week in April, me thinks) I'll be driving to NC to visit Abbey (Raliegh) and my parents (Hickory). YAY! It's been almost 2 years since I've seen mum and dad. Trip long overdue! I'm looking forward to seeing Abbey and Lee's new apartment, and visiting with mom and dad (with maybe a side trip to Meca, MaryJo's Fabrics in Gastonia). Of course, Fr. Tony may be home, going spare, with having to take care of the flock and livestock... might have to call in reinforcements!
