Birds Make Good Neighbors

I’m not sure what qualifications make one a “bird expert”, but I have been feeding birds several times a day for almost five years.  And for days, almost weeks, I’ve been putting off writing this post.  So let’s get it over with.

I found a dead bird in the front yard where my ground feeder and window feeder was.  First off, I live in the desert, in a new community, where there aren’t many birds.  I’m mainly feeding Sparrows, Finches and Doves.  When I went to dispose of the dead bird, I noticed his eyes were….. diseased looking.  I simply thought it was a decaying issue.

Lately we’ve been getting a lot of crickets, which eat the leftover bird food, thus bringing scorpions.  I told my brother I was going to wean the birds off of the food and stop feeding them.  He insisted it wasn’t a bird food problem and advised me a baby bird was relying on the food supply I had been putting out.  So I continued to feed them.

A few days after he told me about the baby bird, I saw it eating from the small, decorative feeder I placed out in the yard.  The bird looked like a Finch.  Several baby Doves had been born as well, so I was glad I decided to keep the feeder out (see feeder below with a healthy adult Dove).

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The month of April of 2010 was a rough one. I was laid off after giving over a month’s notice at my job (my husband and I moving back to Arizona in May), so I decided to volunteer at an animal shelter. Actually, I hadn’t planned on volunteering. I had been caring for a stray cat, Jinny, since Christmas 2009; and she happened to be pregnant. I originally contacted several shelters to see if they could take her and her babies, once they were born, and old enough. Every shelter was full, of course. Since I had been laid off and had over a month’s worth of time to spare, I figured it would be good to volunteer at one of the shelters. This would get me out of the house, hopefully help with my panic attacks, be great for a reference and I’d have an “in” for Jinny and her babies. Plus, it was a no kill shelter.

I started at the shelter 4/2/2010. I was there four to five times a week! I got to know the kitties pretty well. I came to love them, since I worked with the same ones day in, day out. Monday, May 17th we had four new arrivals, since we had a few empty cages: two kittens, one cat under a year and another 5 year old cat.

Wednesday, 4/21st, was my first day back since the arrival of new kitties. I was excited to play with the new arrivals! I went ahead and cleaned three cat cages before letting the new cat out, namedVan. Van was meowing, expressing how badly he wanted out of his cage. I felt bad for him; he really wanted attention, so I decided to clean his cage next and let him out to play. As soon as I let him out, he was rubbing up against my leg, meowing, loving up against me. I pet him once or twice while I was working on cleaning his cage. Next thing I know, while I was standing up, he comes over, stands up on his back feet, stretching his front paws up to my knees for me to pet him. I reach down to pet him and the next thing I know he’s biting my arm. Hard! As he’s biting my arm, near my wrist, I realize he wasn’t letting go. I started to freak out, imagining him clamping down on the veins in my wrist. “I’m going to bleed to death when he lets go!” I thought.

As fast as this all was happening, my life was flashing before my eyes because I had no idea why this cat was biting me so hard – and I had no idea why he wouldn’t let go. I screamed as loud as I could, but Van bites down harder. I feel my left arm go numb and then my thumb and index finger begin to tingle. Now I’m in shock, I believe. The animal shelter is located inside PetSmart (PetSmart is legally separate from the shelter and simply allow animals to be adopted at their store). If one has been to a PetSmart, the cat room is usually a small room with glass and is soundproof. I know this because when I screamed, the customers outside didn’t even look over at me.

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These interesting cupcakes have, in my opinion, a really gross, intense smell when preparing. This is probably because they are made with a stout beer and unsulfered molasses. Stout beer is sometimes used in English and Irish recipes for spice cakes and quick breads. And these exactly taste like a spice muffin, not what one would think – beer and molasses. Adding raisins would be a great idea. Serve with coffee or a glass of stout.

These were made for a June 19th birthday party – at a bar. Perfect fit!

Stout (Guiness) Cupcakes
Makes 28

Ingredients
3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg (I used regular)
1 and 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 and 1/4 cups unsulfured molasses
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light-brown sugar
2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 and 1/4 cups (10 ounces) stout beer, such as Guinness, poured and settled
Stout Glaze (see below)

Stout Glaze
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 cup stout beer, such as Guiness, poured and settled

Whisk together ingredients until combined.  Use immediately.

Directions
1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2.)  With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat oil, molasses, brown sugar, whole eggs, yolk, zest and stout until combined.  Reduce speed to low.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. 

3.)  Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean (I use a knife), about 20 minutes.  Turn out cupcakes onto wire racks to cool completely.  Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4.)  To finish, place cupcakes on  a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or wax paper); spoon glaze over cupcakes and let set.  Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed (but I have witnesses who beg to differ after eating them a few days later); keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Photo by Tiffany. Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

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Made these for a July birthday. Delicious, but very messy!

Ingredients

Makes 12 Jumbo

Directions

Photos by Karen (mom) and Tiffany
Watching: Julie & Julia
From http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cream-filled-chocolate-cupcakes

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Click Photos to Englarge

These are a major hit. I made these for my mom’s birthday party. Here’s the recipe:

1.) Prepare your favorite white cake mix (18.25 ounce box), then divide the batter evenly among six small bowls. I measured out approximately 3/4 cup for each bowl. Following the above color chart (see photo), dye each bowl a rainbow color (I accidentally did my [first batch] rainbow backwards. Oops!)

2.) Line 16 muffin pan wells with baking cups. Evenly distribute the purple batter among the cups, then the blue, and so forth, referring to the rainbow color chart. As you go, gently spread each batter layer to cover the color underneath. I used a spoon (about a teaspoon’s worth) of batter for each layer.

3.) Bake according to box directions. Top with a whipped cream or icing cloud and enjoy!

Photos by Tiffany
Recipe FamilyFun.com/Magazine
Soundtrack: Silent Drive / Banana Rejection

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Last year I joined a fan page on Facebook called Pet Photographers of America ran by Colleen Paige.  How it works is, you submit a photo of your pet and if she “likes” it, you send her a high resolution photo where it may be used in a series of coffee table books, allegedly, to come out this year.  (I also submitted photos for her “homeless shelter” project, in which I took photos of cats at the shelter I volunteered at – and never heard back – after she continuously said she’d be emailing). 

I sent several photos and continuously received several “likes”, but never was sent a release form.  Months went by and people started accusing Colleen of stealing and using photos, so a few of us “fans” got a little nervous.  First of all, emails were never responded to, release forms never sent, fans now needed to become paying members of her website to have first choice of their photos to be used in the coffee table series and then the PPOA Facebook page was dismantled (as well as her personal facebook page).  So I emailed Pet Photographers of America, never heard back and then emailed again, telling them NOT to use my photos.  Sales of the book are suppose to help shelters – “we” aren’t sure what sales go towards because, again, we never received full information regarding the project and emails were never responded to after asking about details.

 Membership at Colleen’s website is $45 for a “regular member”.  Where this money goes, I am not positive either; but if it goes towards shelters like she says, I would rather support my local shelter, rather than support someone who doesn’t email back, deletes and constantly changes her website & email addresses and then dismantles a facebook page where several hundreds of photos were submitted.    I would have been honored to have my cats in a legitimate coffee table book series, but I am even more honored to post MY photos at my very own wesbite (and not be out $45+).

All photos (c) Tiffany 2005-2010.  Do not use photos without permission.

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This is how much Vega, my cat, and I are in sync: we are both on Clyndamycin at the same time!

BFF’s!

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January 7th I took my kitty, Vega, to a discounted spay/neuter clinic here in Knoxville, TN; our regular vet charged double the price. Here is a photo of Vega right after surgery.

A few days after her surgery, she started to develop a hard lump underneath her incision, which caused great concern. I called Fix-a-Pet and they said it was normal, but if her condition changed to call my regular vet. Gee, thanks. I’ve had my share of female kittens spayed, and I’ve also seen surgeries done when I worked as a vet tech; I’ve never seen any lump of the sort. Notice above, Vega has no lump. Below shows the firm, non-painful swelling under her incision.

I called my regular vet, just to pre-warn them that I may be rushing her in at any moment, should she become listless or stop eating, etc. In the meantime, I looked this lump subject up on the internet, in which I found the best (and re-assuring) advice:

Question: Is this post abdominal surgery (i.e. spay) lump “normal”?

Surgical closure of the incision
For traditional abdominal surgeries, most vets do what is called a 3-layer closure. The first (inner-most) layer is the strength layer. This closure is sutures up the body wall. The second layer is the subcutaneous layer; the connective tissue (and fat) between the body wall and skin. The final layer, the one everyone sees, is the skin closure.

Pets will often lick or chew at the suture line. Some animals just a few times, other animals will be obsessive about it; possibly removing sutures in the process. Cats are particularly adept at removing sutures prematurely (before the recommended 10-14 day time).

It is important to note that many vets bury the sutures with suture material that dissolves, so there are no sutures to remove. Additionally, some vets use surgical skin glue to speed closure and healing. Your vet will give specific post-surgery instructions upon discharge.

What is “normal” for post-surgical healing?
This varies of course, with the suture materials used, the doctor’s technique, and the patient. It is very important to keep your pet from licking and chewing and to keep your pet physically quiet (no vigorous activity) while healing during the 10 – 14 days post surgery time. Any redness, painful swelling, and drainage should be mentioned to your veterinarian right away, especially if your pet is listless and not eating.

A lump can be “normal,” sometimes
A firm, non-painful swelling under the incision that appears a few days or a week after surgery is fairly common, particularly in cats. This the body’s way of working on the sutures, called a suture reaction. Some animals “react”, most don’t at all. These types of lumps can take several days or weeks to shrink to normal. If you notice a lump, call your veterinarian. They may want to check it out and make note of it.

When a post-surgery lump is not OK
If you see any redness, swelling, pain, or drainage from the incision, or your pet is listless and not eating, this may be serious – call your veterinarian as soon as possible.

From about.com

In Vega’s case, she turned out to be okay. Her lump went away about a week after I noticed it. Just wanted to post about this, just in case fellow kitty momma’s were concerned with the same issue.

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Early January, 2010, we had a light dusting of snow here in Knoxville, TN; roughly an inch. The birds came out of the woodwork, desperate for food. At the time I only had one feeding station, so I added a second feeder, about 30 yards away, in the brushy area of our backyard. Several “new to me” birds introduced themselves, including an Eastern Towhee, a Dark-eyed Junco, a Woodthrush and the ever-so-frisky Carolina Wren.

Eastern Towhee

I dug out several of my backyard birding books looking for what particular foods these “new” birds ate; I wanted to keep them around! One bird in specific, I noticed the Carolina Wren constantly hopping around my main feeder. The wren’s diet is mainly made up of insects, but they will eat seeds and berries, although rather infrequently. Reading that many birds love suet – and I figured it being winter - what a perfect time to try a homemade version!

There are several suet recipes readily available online as well as cheap suet blocks for sale in almost every local grocery store; however, I simply used whatever I could find around the house, since I didn’t want to wait to go to market. Plus, I was iced in and couldn’t drive for the day.

Easy, Simple Peanut Butter Suet

1.)  Place 1/2 cup Criso (or shortening of your choice) and 1/2 cup peanut butter in a saucepan and melt on low heat, stirring occasionally.

2.)  Add 1 & 1/2 cups plain cornmeal.  I used the Jiffy Cornbread from the box.  Stir until combined.

3.)  Next I added a handful of Quaker Oatmeal, sunflower seeds, craisins and some dried blueberries.  You may also add raisins, apple chunks, bread crumbs, bird seed, mixed fruit, nuts, grated orange peels or any other bird friendly foods.  Stir again until combined.

4.)  Pour into a plastic container lined with aluminum foil (I used a cool whip container).  Place in the fridge to cool.  It won’t take long to harden.

5.)  Once cooled, cut into squares and place directly into your suet basket or cage.   Refrigerate any leftovers.  Double recipe for an extra winter supply.

Melted Homemade Suet

Hardened Homemade Suet 

Not only did this recipe attract Carolina Wrens, but the Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse and several chickadees enjoyed snacking on it as well!  Not only was it a treat for them, but a treat for me to watch!

I’ve posted a short (not so great quality) video of a Carolina Wren happily enjoying some sunflower seeds, as well as the homemade peanut butter suet.  So fun!

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(c) 2009 BMGN . Boston. Winter 2009

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