Maureen glazed this Maydee

Just wanted to share the photos of this Maydee that was painted and glazed by Maureen Love, probably back in 1953-1954 when the original production run was done. Makes you suspect that there was a Wrangler too, whose brown pinto color was simplified by the factory into the basic Wrangler that was produced.

Love her!

Joanie

Haiku coming soon!

Maia is such a delight... I never knew that birds could be so loving! Maia is, however, Craig's bird, so I wanted one of my own. After a lot of research, thought, and soul searching about what I wanted in a bird, I found the kind that most seemed like a good fit... a Blue Crowned Conure. They are a bit bigger than Maia... she is about 12" from beak to tail tip, and Blue Crowneds are about 14"... and not as colorful, but more likely to talk, and very amenable to learning tricks. (who doesn't love a parrot that can do tricks?) The breeder that I chose is in Georgia, and she will be shipping the bird at the end of the month. We already have an extra cage (because Maia has two!) and enough food for a flock, so we are ready for him any time.

Here he is with his breeder, at least this might be him... she has three and they are identical in the photos. She is going to mark his beak and take more pictures tomorrow. (There is one nest mate left for sale, btw, if anyone wants a fantastic companion bird! Her link is here:

Brightwood Aviary

I chose a woman breeder because it seems more likely that the bird will bond with a woman, after having been hand fed since about 3 weeks old by a woman. Also, she is a great gal, a horse woman, a dog lover (she has an Eskie!) and just the nicest to talk to. We chatted away like old friends! Her birds are very hand tamed, very vocally responsive (a good trait if you want a talker) and very healthy.

His name will be Haiku... like the Japanese poems. Small, nuanced, layered in meanings, and sometimes with a surprise twist at the end. That's how conures are, they are often called "mini Macaws" because they are thinkers. It's been so fascinating, watching Maia during the day as I work... she has definite rhythms, an internal schedule, moods, and preferences. Different than the dogs, but if you watch her, she communicates just as clearly... the language and accent are different, but the meaning is the same. She has learned a couple of tricks that I will put up movies about later.

He will be shipped from Georgia in a cage/crate, traveling just like a dog or a cat would, with food and water and toys. He will have a direct flight to San Diego, where I will pick him up at the terminal. Apparently this is done all the time with birds. Even with the flight costs, he will be less expensive than Maia was... the difference between buying from a pet store, and buying directly from the breeder.

Maia has a new play tree

Thanks to Jeanene Bernardin, Maia has a new play tree! Jeanene visited recently and brought us a new cage (smaller but useful for outside or for traveling) and a play stand. But I wanted to change the top of the play stand, and put a tree on it instead. So, I unscrewed the "T" top with the feeders on either side, and went out seeking a nice branch. Cathy, who is Johnny's mom and has a wholesale florist shop, had some manzanita branches that were just right... and at the right price, too!

$25 bought this gorgeous sand blasted manzanita branch. I brought it home and lopped off all of the little branches, all of the pokey bits, and sawed the end straight. Then I just drilled and screwed! The white chain is from the hardware store... it's plastic... and the toys are from PetSmart (on sale!) So for less than $35, Maia has a new play stand... isn't she a pretty bird?