LET'S PLAY BIRDIE TIC-TAC-TOE

I had a fun day today playing a new game with Louie..... Birdie Tic-Tac-Toe and he won!

                      

Last Sunday while attending the local bird show, I was lucky and found Higgins Parrot food for $1.50 a pound. The price was good but I felt luckiest because I could scoop out all the goodies my big girl Congo African Grey, Lacie loves. She so loves their Cheerios in it. When I buy the regular packages there are only a few in them and I have to dig though it to find them. Louie decided to help me and challenged me to play a game of Birdie Tic-Tac-Toe with the fun shaped pellets. I think he was a ringer, with that look in his eye, don't you?

We had lots of fun collecting the dozens of little orange Cheerios for our "Big Girl". I'm hoping they will someday sell them by the bag as pellets. Now I sprinkle them on top of her food or as treats. She also likes the tan banana shapes but not so much the red X's. Go figure!!

Don't worry this isn't the whole seed mix she gets. Lacie gets Higgins Sun Burst mix filled with dried fruit, nuts, mixed seeds and pellets. To it I add another dried fruit mix and other goodies! See pics. Then three times or more a day they all get fresh fruits, veggies, oatmeal, Dr. Beex birdie bread and lots of other people food.

Sun Burst, Fruit mix, Pellets.             Lacie's finished mix.                 Eenie meenie miney mo

Let me know any fun food ideas you have tried with your fids and if they worked! I'm always searching for and trying new tricks because Louie and Libby, my Indian Ringnecks are picky eaters! Plus my Lacie didn't eat people food for her first 10 years, so now I'm opening up a whole new world of colors, textures and tastes. So far so good, she loves most of them... especially if I spoon or hand feed them to her!!! They certainly teach us well.

How Cold Can You Go?

This week, we had the coldest day in South Florida in a year! Yes, it was only in the 30's and a lot of my friends up North would not even think "Burrrr" but..... without heat, it was cold!

It was about 76 on Monday afternoon and as I walked past our AC unit I heard a "woo woo woo" sound and this time it wasn't the Lacie! I opened up the AC closet and it was frozen with ice. Off it went and I changed the filter. Thinking it would be OK once it thawed and the ice was gone, I waited till the night to turn it back on. But nope, just a "woo, woo, woo".

So first thing on Tuesday morning I called the AC company that had installed the unit when we replaced our original builder grade unit. Since it was going to be a really cold night, she said the technician would be out before the end of the day, Yea!

Eric the Tech called and said he'd be there after 1 pm and at 12:50 the door bell rang. It took him only a minute after turning it on, opening the cover and I'm sure hearing the "woo, woo, woo" to figure out it was the fan blower motor. He called it in and low and behold our Warranty ran out 2 weeks prior. To my surprise, the said they called the manufacture and they would still cover the motor. Yea! The labor wasn't covered so the price would be $375 instead of the $895 it would have cost with the motor, too. Yea? I guess! But of course, they had to order it and would be back in the morning to install. No yea, as the house was already getting cold.

Well, overnight the house inside got into the 50's and I'm the one that turns the heat on whenever it gets below 70! I slept in 2 pairs of socks, sweat pants and 2 tops and on the bed 5 covers plus a pink Snuggie that wrapped me in warmth.(see pic)

I was so worried about my spoiled Fids. I already cover them every night to keep them snuggy. So I pulled their cages away from the glass doors and double/triple covered them, too!(see pics)

The next morning at 8:30 am with a knock on the door, I rolled out of my heavy blankets, slipped into my slippers and Eric the Tech carried in a pretty new fan blower motor. OK, it was ugly but pretty to me because it meant warmth!! Just 5 minutes and a big check later, the house was on it's way to being nice and toasty!! Yea!

Hope your family stayed warm and snuggly even if your city was freezing..... Burrrrrrr!

Louie and Libby buried in blankets!

Lacie snuggy, too!

Yes, 1-2-3-4-5 & Snuggie! but my face was still cold!

Good Morning Start to 2012

While I was getting breakfast together for the Fids this morning, they reminded me that we had all agreed to eat better for 2012. If they are up for it, I guess I am, too!

They started their morning with nice warm oatmeal. Louie likes just a drop of milk on his. This morning, I think he was having second thoughts! Maybe he was hoping Dunkin Donuts was on the menu? Libby dug right in, maybe a little too much! Lacie usually gets spoon fed but she decided the bowl would work today!

I stayed with my favorite cereal "Grape Nuts". I love them because they stay crunchy, no soggy flakes for me! The Fids like these, too, maybe tomorrow! Funny but Grapes Nuts just happen to be featured on "Unwrapped" on HGTV as I typing, so at the end is everything you never needed to know about them!!!

Hope you and your Fids have a great start to 2012, too!!

Louie not sure this is what he ordered

Libby caught enjoying her oarmeal a bit too much

Lacie says "Mmmmmmmmmmm Good!"

I do love Grape Nuts cereal but have to have my hot tea to wake up!

Grape Nuts Cereal - It was made by Post Foods in 1897 as an alternative to hot cereal. 

One thought of the name is it looks like grape seeds. 

They are made of Whole wheat flour, barley & yeast... NO Grapes or Nuts! 

They mix the ingredients into bread loafs then they are broken up into little nuggets. 

They sell 60 million boxes a year, enough to lay them from New York to LA.

A bowl gives you 68% of your daily whole grains requirement.

Why not give them a try because they are the crunchiest and even have a natural sweetness!