Hmmm....

[The Boss]

The new security measures seem to be working... I haven't seen any graffiti in here since I stopped feeding Kitty and told Lysander that a stranger would be coming by with single-malt for him. :heheh:

[Darby]

A very welcome outcome. I did hit 'delete post' on the last one I saw in Seattle's postbox but that also took out the whole thread (sorry bout that :-( ). I should leave it to the experts.

And speaking of experts, I have enlisted the help of a friend to try and make our company call sign for ATC. Hope its soon.

Anyways.......to work

[The Boss]

Took out the whole thread...! Geesh, I'd better think twice about arming you with anything more dangerous than a "delete" button... :-p

But yes, in checking it does seem you also ended up in the list of people with delete powers. I forgot that you and Rick belong to the same subgroup because you were HubCaps.

So I got to add a whole extra hour to my day this morning. You see, I was awakened at 0430 by this horrible smell that turned out to be what the dog did in (and all over) the small bedroom that serves as my office and closet. Don't even think about offering me chocolate pudding anytime in the next 24 hours... :nasty:

[Captain Geoff]

And that's why we're a pet free house. We had fish for many years but even they were too much work. My daughter want ducks, but not the responsibility that goes with 'em. So pet free we shall remain.

[The Boss]

I guess the dog is overall worth the occasional hassle of that nature because he's really good with and for the kids (I admittedly may not have felt that way at 0445, however). Then too, it's not a bad idea to have a dog in bear country, and I feel safer when I and/or the kids bring him along on walks. And he's at least got the grace to be ashamed of what he did this morning, even if he couldn't help it. Golden retrievers do tend to be easy to forgive.

I admit I'm tired of cleaning up dog hair, though. :-p But Figaro has a significant heart defect and isn't really expected to last too many years, so perhaps that's a plus in the end. The breeder owes us another dog because of the defect, and if we choose to take her up on it I might consider one of her goldendoodles (cross between golden retriever and poodle). They are bred as service dogs for people who can't handle dog hair, and breeders have managed to generally produce the desireable poodle trait of not shedding along with the "happy to serve" brain of a golden.

I really prefer the parrot, who is decidedly messy but sufficiently interesting to balance that out. I mean, you've gotta love a pet who talks back and rats out your kids' bad behavior. :)

[Captain Geoff]

:laugh:

[Darby]

Speaking of parrots,,,heres a pic of one who visits the grevillea tree in my front yard on a daily basis. Its a 'Golden Lorikeet' a native here and lots of them along the east coast. Sometimes up to 4 of them will fly in when the entire flock is in the area but this one is a regular. He settles in for a morning nap and then a big feed of nectar, then another nap and another feed.

[The Boss]

Ooooo... that's nice. We just have jays, ravens, and crows outside our window at the moment. Noisy, rude things, trying to teach Gandalf bad habits. It's sort of a cognitive dissonance to think of lorikeets flying around wild like that, given how expensive they are to buy as pets.
:whoa:

But Darby, you might just know this... is it true that the aboriginal word for parakeet (budgerigar) means something along the lines of "pretty good eating"? Or was someone pulling my leg with that one?

[Darby]

Dear Boss,

Its a bit long winded but here goes :laugh:

Yes it is along those lines. Budgies were definitely on the menu and considered good eating by the indigenous tribes. Basically, their word for good is 'boodgeree'and the word for food, or to eat is 'gai'. Thats what they called that bird, boodgereegai'. The english spelled everything as they thought they heard it and the english name started out 'betchereegar' which evolved to 'budgieragar' and now is shortened to 'budgie'. Thats how the story goes anyways. Notam: I had to go away and look all this up as complicated languages and forgotten dialecs are not my strong point

And while I am on a roll.....pauses for silence....The word Kangaroo drives from the very early white arrivals. It appears the late great Captain Cook saw one hopping away into the sunset and asked an indigenous guide "what is that animal? The guide did not understand the question so said 'kangaroo' or "I do not understand" And anyway, to cut a long story short, that is how one of our national emblems got its name. Well thats how the story goes anyways.

Hoping this satifies your question.

I remain
Yours sincerely,
Professor of Nothing
darb. Cpt PGA

[Darby]

I am also a bit of an authority on Indian Ocean sunsets. Heres one I took on my recent trip. The old pearl lugger came along right on cue but sadly, while I as setting up my camera, a Beaver float plane flew right across the setting sun.....AND I WASN'T READY FOR IT!!!!! :cry:

[The Boss]

That's great! :rofl: I always figured they would have make a good little snack. http://pierglass.com/smileys/emote181.gif :eat: http://pierglass.com/smileys/emote192.gif At $25 a pop, they're still a bit expensive to make it on the regular menu, though. ;-)

One of the books I had as a kid mentioned the "kangaroo" story, which is one of the best (if not THE best) "how it got its name" tales there is. :-D

Thank you Professor Darby, for sharing your vast knowledge (of how to look things up)! :-p And thanks for sharing that beautiful picture. Everyone knows Beaver pilots have an uncanny sense of timing, though, always showing up just when you DON'T want them to, and never showing up on time when you do.