Lee

OBAMA 08I'm a 60 year old single mother, grandmother and recent great-grandmother. I live in a beautiful town close to Portland, Oregon. I hope to live here until............I was raised in Alaska. When I miss it I go to "tyshee's dasha" on the web. Bobbie, the creator and owner of the site has caught the flavor of Alaska and its history, (which she has lived through her Russian/native heritage.) Check it out. Sometimes I miss the beautiful mountains, lakes, the fireweed, and snow from a great distance (away).I have an interest in religions and enjoy discussing the beliefs of Christianity (mine) and others too. The more we know the fuller life becomes. The knowledge out there is limitless, if we are willing and open to it.I was born in Marietta, GA. and have no memory of it because my family moved when I was less than a year old. My daughter lived there for a short while but didn't seem too impressed (negative or positive) with it. The closest I've been since is Florida and Maryland on vacation many years ago.I despise anything that hints of rascism and prejudice. (Perhaps because it reeks of ignorance that can be so easily cured.)I'll be adding photos as soon as I get them transferred to my new computer.8-12-08 To my grandsons: be sure to check out my latest photos. I think you will recognise Miss Kitty there. She is a very happy lady, has gotten very spoiled living with grandma, and behaves herself like a real lady around Petey, who I am well aware is a definite temptation. I always tell her "us grandmas have to stick together." She replies, "Meuw-bet"! zPetey, being such a brave soul, looks on her like she's one of Mom's knick-knacks; aware they're there but nothing to fear. If she gets too close (and this has happened maybe three times in over a year of them being around each other), he gives a little "back off" squak and she turns tail and runs quickly to her corner. Its great fun to watch, sometimes more exciting than any action movie. It would be nice to have a permanent security camera set up in the house. I would probably be as surprised as I was when my girls became adults and admitted some of their more gross activities when Mom wasn't in sight at home. ---------------------------------------- DEDICATED TO PETEYSaturday, Oct. 4 I have some news to share that has devistated me. My baby, Petey, died three nights ago. Petey is was my parakeet who I raised from the time he was 9 weeks old. He was 6 and a half years old. I had hoped he would outlive me. Not to be. Petey was much more than "just a bird". His intelligence astounded me right up to the day he died.I did not lock Petey in his cage. He had two cages, actually. They are territorial, and everyone likes a familiar place to eat and sleep. At approximately 7 p.m., he would get in his cage and usually onto the swing. He was letting me know to "cover him up" now.Petey was a real talker. I taught him to kiss and he would say, "Give me kisses, baby", then put his beak against my lips and give the smooching sound. I usually have the television on (for noise mostly) and he would rattle off conversations he heard.Some of his favorite toys were those colored plastic balls. He would spend hours picking them up, tossing them across the floor and running after them. When he wanted me to play too, he would bring them to my feet. We spent a lot of time him rolling the ball to me and him rolling it back.He ate from my plate. That may sound gross, thinking he pooped in my food, but he was smarter than that. He would walk along the edge of the plate. Some of his favorites were the whites of eggs, lettuce, some fruits, and especially rice. I would have to put a towel down because he would toss it everywhere, and for long distances. I am afraid I may have killed my baby. Not knowing until too late, I found avacado is poison for budgies (parakeets). Strangely, he loved to drink the milk in my cold cereal as he chewed the flakes. It is also poison for them, but he had been drinking it for years. I think this was the first time I let him eat avacado that was not mixed with anything else. If anyone owns a parakeet, I hope this info will warn you.Petey also loved little bells and mirrors. I didn't put a mirror in his cage until long after he learned to talk. The males will talk, not the females. If they have mirrors, they will bird talk to their image only. I hung bells on string from the doorways. He would swing them in large arcs, letting them twist around each other, then run in between (not getting hit) as they unfolded. This amazed me and my visitors. He would have three or four bells going at once. He also loved the mirrors I would hang for him and spend a lot of time "human" talking to himself.He of course was beautiful. A beautiful blue, green, turqoise with a mainly white head with the prettiest black spots in a sort of ring on his chest, like he was wearing a king's necklace.He loved to take baths, splashing and turning to get every area clean. He also drank out of my glass. As long as it was glass, he would drink from it. We would play a game. He shook his head and splashed me one day. He loved to make me laugh and realized he had done something that tickled me. So we would play a game, him taking a drink and splashing me, and me taking a sip and splashing him. -to be continued. This is becoming too emotional for me.