The Dino-Aspie Ex-Café (for Those 40+... or feeling creaky)

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Oh he lies! Watch out for him, Chuck, Postpaleo, and Richie. They're dangerous folks. DeaconBlues, well, the jury's still out on him.

Welcome to the home for the old farts... I mean, more senior Aspies.

Thanks to the both of you. I am delighted to have found you. I will participate more when I get my bearings.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG_mji6xC4s[/youtube]

Nothing exciting, no buildings blowing up, no guns, no car chases... just Spike!

Spike is very cute. I am hearing impaired so the computer speakers don't work much for me, but my little poodle was sitting beside me and she kept cocking her head and drooling, so I know she heard him!

Okay, Spike is going to be the most hand-trained finch ever.

That was really cute at the end, when he was trying to groom your feathers...

Yeah, but in one respect I really screwed up with Spike. I had reared baby robins and blue jays when I was a kid. They grow up, and fly away and be birds. I expected that he'd get to where he could eat on his own and would want to be back with the other birds. I'd just be the thing that brings more food and takes the crappy newspapers at the bottom of the cage away again. He's just starting to eat seeds instead of formula in any quantity now, so I expect he'll be off the formula in a couple more weeks.

Unfortunately, Spike has imprinted on me. I did some research, and the social birds, like he is, will imprint on the species that takes care of them when they are young. Hence, he preens me, wants to snuggle next to me to sleep (which could be damned dangerous for him!), etc. He literally considers me his mother. (OOPS!) We have a cage with other finches, and I've tried to introduce them he fluttered away in total fear from those aliens. I've got him now to where he will sit on my hand, if I keep my hand closed (as in the video) and let me put my hand six inches from the outside of the big cage. He'll watch, but he does not call to them. They did call to him, but he does not understand them. He does not recognize himself as being one of them. (I've got an Aspie bird???)

I should have done what they do with Condors, which is use a puppet of a bird head to feed him with, and limited his direct exposure to me. But... well, he was really, really sick several times and I sort of sat up all night cupping him in my hand because it soothed him and kept him warmer than leaving him in his incubator. Once he opened his eyes and identified me, it was all over. (For me, too.) Nothing to do about it now, but to enjoy his company. I'm told they can live up to 10 years!

oh my gawd, those muslins are dangerous. hanging around with the ginghams and flannels all the time.... not to be trusted.

(sigh)

Lurking and sneezing; it's pollen season here. Pass the tissues!

Lurking and stimming...

pollen time here, too. considering the amount of flowers that grow and bloom year 'round, i don't quite understand why my allergies/sinus infections happen so very often in sept and october!????

Much pollen in the Midwest and the worsening allergies in Sept and Oct are blamed on the ragweed count.

I don't think we have ragweed here, but we DEFINITELY have something that blooms in mid-September, as every year I end up with raging sinus headaches that usually move into infections that last up to the holidays. All the allergy tests say is that I have a very mild allergy to cats (oops) and dust mites. And the over-the-counter allergy stuff does nothing.

Lurking and stimming.....

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N_SqLljunQ[/youtube]

Too, too funny, and too, too true. Great youtube, Sufi.