Pink Fox: its Raining...IN MY HOUSE! :/

[pinkfox]

lol, loosing the weight certianly hasnt been easy in any way shape or form, surgery is just a tool...doesnt help if you dont follow the rules lol.

i did however have the yummiest lunch today.

a carb balance tortilla spreaded with artichoke, parmesan and garlic dip, warmed in the toaster oven with grilled chicken, a little tomatoe and avacado and baby lettuce...
OMG YUMMY
i only managed 1/2 of it (about a 4oz serving) the other 1/2 will be lunch tomorrow.
not bad for 200 cals and 17 grams of protein!

in other news, today was beautiful out so i spent a little time trimming back some dead stemps and stuff that didnt get done in the fall, did a little raking/tidying up and the chickens even got to range today, i dont think ive ever seen them so happy lol.
i also managed to get the nekkid dogs bathed...

i feel rather acomplished! lol.

tonight me and mum are going to a hydrofitness class at the Y which im excited and a little nervous about...(im not exactly what one would call social lol) and if this one goes well ill be going to aquazumba on thursday too...

i decided gym days are mon, weds and fris, so need something to do on tues and thurs, so hopefully this will work out, mum also needs to get the excersize in but has joint issues so hopefully the water classes will be good for her
sunday mornings is my swim only day and saturday is my "day off" im hoping this schedual will work out better than trying to hit the gym 6-7 days a week PLUS swimming...i was burning myself out. so im realy hoping this new schedual will be a little easier on my body and mind lol.

its starting to feel more like spring is heading on in and that feels good!

 

[pinkfox]

well theres not been much special going on...

my sproutlings are doing well, gonna need to split the beans and peas VERY soon as they are growing like crazy, but the lettuces and smaller stuff still seem to be doing fine withhout choking eachother out

and...*drum roll* we have spring bulbs pooping up in the flower beds! *squeeeeee* this makes me incredibly happy.

ive got plenty of projects planned for the spring, some inside, like sanding and either restaining or painting my coffee and side tables...and LOTS of outside projects.
i always find myself getting a a sudden burst of energy when springs head starts popping out of the soil!

i got a new fishy...

his name is "phish" hes a beautiful betta that i just couldnt resist...and ive been planning a betta bowl for a while...
hes a stunning double tail male pink and blue on his body, red on the base of his fins bleeding to white/clear very full finnage.
i couldnt say no to him, especially given i had a coupon that made him free!!!

this is phish's new home

the main bowl holds about 1 1/2 gallons under normal circumstances, but because of the central colum holds about a gallon.

i took the larger bowl and found the central bowl which happens to be a hurricane jar meant for holding candles, i wanted something a little taller than the main bowl so that my plan of having plants tumbling out and over would work a little better without hiding the main bowl.
in the hurricane jar i added a layer of gravel for drainage, then soil and 6 baby varigated ivy plants (they will eventually get too big and have to be moved to a large pot at which time ill take cuttings get them rooted and plant them in here again to grow out )
a layer of the white fish tank gravel tops it off providing a stable floor for a little jar candle.
i then took a cheap sprig of faux babies breath (as i wanted "flowers") and chopped them off the main stem they came on and just dotted them throughout the ivy pushing them into the gravel/dirt below.
then the whole thing got placed into the main bowl, a good layer of washed aquarium gravel holds the hurricane in place (and is a base for the betta bowl)
then i took 3 small aquarium plants and planted them in the gravel. a couple of blue glass beads (i love blue and white together) and then took a gallon of water out of my established fish tank (pre-dechlorinated) filled it up about 1/2 inch from the rim and then in whent phish.

im super happy with how it came out, it looks beautiful and its a complete eosystem for phish., the live aquarium plants will clean the water of amonia and produce O2, living filtration.

im debating on adding a trio of cherry shrimp, if i can find any locally...as they will clean any food he leaves that dropps to the bottom....but ive heard bettas can harrass cherry shrimp.

right now though phish is very happy, hes out of those little cups they sell them in, has a full gallon (in a race track style so it gives him more swimmign room lol) with some live plants to hide in...
Woot!!!

oh and because the candle is a jar candle (one that comes with a little lid) i can re-use the jar to make my own candles in the future and because its in a jar i dont have to worry about the flame singing the ivy leaves (as long as i keep the wick trimmed.

it looks so pretty in the evenings when lit and stunning in the sun to see phish swimming around.

i used some stuff i already had but it would probably cost $30-$35 to do if you didnt have anything...
this one cost me $25, i paid a little more for the aquarium plants as i got the pre-packed plants for $5 each, they would have cost $2.50 each if id bought from the "bulk tank" but they had a major snail infestation and the plants didnt look healthy...
the ivy babies cost 2.50 a pot with 3 "babies" in each ($5 total) for 6 young plants, if you have plants you like and root some cuttings youve knocked off that cost. i had the babysbreath sprig and spent $3 on a 5lb bag of gravel and $2 on the candle. i could have got away with 1lb of gravel, but they didnt have any 1lb bags when i was in...(and i plan on doing another one eventually so have enough to do a second bowl...)

anywho...

busy busy busy...

my linneolated keets are feeling the spring and getting a little frisky, i think my female is too young to set them up with a nest box...but spring is definatly in the air.

and at some point in the next week or so im going to be a grammy, yup looks like my kitty is preggers...
im disapointed in myself for "letting" it happen...but they will also be raised in a wonderfull situation and only go to great homes and will have their shots ect so the situation could certainly be worse...

so yeah, been keeping busy around here.

 

[pinkfox]

so my kitty is due to have her kittens any day starting tomorrow...
so shes very mad at me as ive got her on lockdown. shes usually indoor outdoor, and she is a very talky cat...
so right now shes having a temper tantrum by the door...*rolls eyes* talk about being a drama queen...

i screwed up letting this happen, im not going to screw up again and let her out to go have her babies under a bush somewhere...i just hope she gets the point quickly LOL!

 

[LovinLife]

my linneolated keets are feeling the spring and getting a little frisky, i think my female is too young to set them up with a nest box...but spring is definatly in the air.

What's a "linneolated keet"?

Phish is beautiful and that custom bowl looks GREAT!

I wish I could take one of those kittens off your hands. We're ready for a new kitty around her. I've got two neutered males who are about 2 years old......need bouncy little fuzzies around here!

Post a pick of your bean sprouts. Mine are going crazy! I planted soy, lima, pole snap, bush snap, and peas....I love beans!

 

[abifae]

Gonna get her fixed after this?? LOL

 

[valmom]

Your phish bowl is gorgeous!! What a good idea- I may steal it if I find a place up here that sells bettas. I used to have several when the kids were little- I had a regular aquarium that had glass dividers one section per fish. Phish is beautiful- definately out of the ordinary. And great idea about the candle/plant column. You should make up another one and take it to the fish store for them to sell as a complete set up!

 

[pinkfox]

lol abi, she was supposed to get done in december, but with the crazy weather, one thing led to another and then the clinic roof collapsed and its just been 1 big mess...

could be worse though, i do have experience delivering and raising kittens, i can bottle feed if nessicary, and im crazy about socilization...ive raised more babies in my 26 years than most "normal" people do in their life. lol.

as a side note, i wish my camera was working...
jack jack (my sever macaw) managed to split his wiffleball in half and is currently wearing 1/2 of it as a hat telling himself "hi jack jack" in his most flirtatious voice. hes an odd little peanut that bird!

and thank you on the compliments of phish's bowl, he seems to love it, he started on a bubblenest

the linnies are Linnieolated parakeets, a small south american parakeet, body wise they are about the same size as a budgie, but with a shorter tail and must stockier...
(i call them bowling balls)...
generally they are terrible at flying and even in the wild tend to walk/climb everywhere because they are a very dense bird.
like most parakeets they can be amazing talkers (not as good as the english budgie, but typically better than the american "parakeet"
and they come in some very pretty colors...

they are still relitivly new to the 'pet trade' here in the US but have been popular in the uk for some time...they are a great little bird!

lokie is the slate/mauve in the back, and cricket is the green infront.

little lokie, in terms of size thats her on my shoulder.
cricket is a tiny bit bigger than her but is more just a bit bulkier.

they are very cute, very sweet when handraised and make great pets, they also are incredibly quiet, they talk and chirp (hence the name cricket) and make little peeping noises (they remind me of chicks peeping) but unlike the other parakeets (and even parrotlets) they dont scream or squark.

 

[abifae]

awww! What sweet babies

Birds are so funny. My ex had a blue and gold macaw and we taught her the Time Warp.

 

[pinkfox]

i realized after posting pictures of phish and the linnies...
i havent realy introduced my none human family...

so heres the rest of them since im having a quiet day...

Jack Jack...

i brought jack jack home as a fuzzer in august, he had only his head, wing and tail feathers.
ive worked with parrots for many years, i do not suggest buying an unweaned baby parrot for MOST people, its alot of work, alot can go wrong and it doenst nessicarily make the bird bond to you more...
but i had the experience and this guy needed a good home...
and when i saw him it was love...

when he came home he looked like this:

and now hes about 7 months old and looks as he does in the first picture.
for those not "in the know" jack jack is a sever macaw, the largest of the mini macaws and the only mini macaw to have the feathering on the facial patches.
hes my baby but he loves pretty much anyone that will pay attention to him...

with my mum...aka "gamma" (thats what he calls her too...)
(gives you an idea of his size and a good veiw of some of his pretty colors...)
severs are MUCH smaller than their larger cousings, BUT they are BIG macaw personality...so dont let the minis little cutie faces fool you...they are BIG BIG BIG birds in smaller bodies...

jack jack is an early bloomer, severes dont typically talk well and dont start until about a year normally, but at 6 months jack started talking and making random noises, among them, hi, jack jack, helloooo, OOOOOO, fishy fishy, Meow, he also mews like the cat, barks and growls like the dogs and makes the noise of runnign water, he clucks like a chicken and makes kissy noises, oh and somewhere along the way he picked up the sound of a monkey...he also laughs and makes all kinds of noises that will probably eventually be new words lol

 

[pinkfox]

then theres my fish tank, a 39 tall, origioanlly mixed cichlid is now a parrot cichlid tank (and temporarily, they will be moved into the 55 once the ponds re-done for mums fish)

this is the Boss man

gigantor!
hes a blood parrot cichlid (yes they are mutt cichlids)
i got him from the petstore after they were keeping him in a 5 gallon tank...someone had dropped him off because their oscars had been beating him up (hence the white on his sides, its where his scales had been torn out) they didnt think hed make it so they put him in a 5 gal with an airpump and left him...

he came home and is thriving, some of his scales even seem to be growing back in.

he and jack jack are actually buddies, jack jack taps on the tank and goes "oooo fishy fishy fishy" and gigantor swims over to him then away and jack chases and then gigantor chases him...its funny!
heres a pick of them playing (it also shows you how big gigantor is, hes about 7-8 inches long!)

he shares his tank with with 9 tiger barbs who dont have names, strawberry (a "purple" (more red than orange) parrot cichlid) pinky a pink "jellybean" and greanbean a green "jellybean" both the jellybeans were rescues, i dont condone the act of injecting fish with color. they are dang cute with thier smushy smiley faces.

then theres my beautiful baby!
Tempi.
tempi was a found case, tied in a bag in a trashcan and left for the garbage truck...
not anymore...

this was the face they tied up and literally tossed away, this was the day after i brought her home