Free as a Bird Now

Skyrider

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Jul 5, 2017
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Virgo Supercluster
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Jack - African Grey or is he a Red-tailed hawk
Pandora's Box

I got brave and opened Jacks palace gate.

I remember hearing the story of Pandora and how her curiosity got the best of her. So it was for me yesterday.

I had a few hours before work so I decide to see if ole Jack might like to stretch his wings a little. He has calmed down considerably by now (9 days). At first he looked at me as if to say, uh yaz left the door open Mr Rider. I went about my business preparing lord Jack's meal. He took his time and eventually emerged and made his way to the top of the cage door. Immediately he began flapping his wings. He had not done this since his arrival. The song Freebird began to filter through my mind. In those few seconds I realized how important it must be to let these little guys have as much freedom as possible. I was feeling pretty cocky when I began to notice all the trouble Zeus had placed in the infamous box.

The first gremlin that emerged attacked my refrigerator. It was obvious something was drastically wrong in the defrost department. Freezers should be cold not warm. Upon further investigation it appeared all the plastic in the freezer was obeying the laws of gravity and working their way to the bottom of the freezer compartment.

Kirk to engineering, status on the defroster!
Ah captain the dilithium crystals have overloaded, she's melting down! The reefer drive is offline!

As the air filled with the chemical smell of melting petroleum products, I jerked the plug and frantically opened windows and turned on the exhaust fan. I was scared to death my canary (Jack) would drop off his perch any second.
Jack made his way to the top of the cage and watched his jester bouncing off the walls like a pinball.

That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball

I need a reefer unit quick. Can I leave Jack out? No choice. I'm not going to rush him at this point. So we're off to see the wizard.

As I was backing out of my parking spot a new gremlin steered my old truck into a post. Scraaaap! No dents just traded paint. No harm, it's old. Then I ran a red light. I found, bought, loaded and delivered a new refrigerator in less than one hour. A new personal record. Jack was still perched atop his cage.

When you lay a reefer unit on its side you need to stand it up and let the oil settle down before turning it on. This would take more time than I had left. Jack had no intention of going back in his cage. I'm out of time. Another of Pandora's escapees arrives. Feels warm in here. Sure enough I open the a/c closet and discover frost on the lines. Low on freon. I raise the thermostat a bit and it begins to thaw. I have never had an issue with the a/c here. Text the landlord. Hi ho, off to work I go.

It could be worse. It could be raining. Guess what? It started to rain. The next four hours were agony. I was worried sick I would find my new buddy lifeless in a pile of feathers the victim of Pandora's legacy. All his food will spoil. He'll overheat or collapse of toxins left behind by the defunct refridge. On top of all this we were short handed at work. Will this day ever end?

I race home to find Capt Jack preening atop his dwelling. Cool as a cucumber. Whew! I transfer all the perishables to the new fridge share a few grapes and favorites with Jack and back to the grind.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Or so it seemed from my perspective. When I got home Jack was nowhere in site. The dinning room looked like a war zone.
DON'T PANIC
I looked everywhere.
Tink tink tink (his signal for me to bring food).
The only place I didn't look. There sat Jack on a new perch I had put inside the back corner of his cage. I nearly shed a tear. He was fine but it was obvious he did an EVA off station. I closed the door and happily cleaned up the debris.

As with Pandora, at the end of the worst day I've had in many years, there was still hope. Hope that I can give Jumpin Jack Flash the life he deserves. I know I can't take him to the rainforest for the freedom he should have but I have hope I can make his captive life as fulfilling as possible.

I had to tell someone this tale. I'm glad it had a happy ending. Hopefully Zeus is happy as well.

Thank you for reading it and I hope I didn't ramble on to long.

Ciao y'all
 

Kiwibird

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Jul 12, 2012
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Let a parrot out of his palace and utter chaos reigns? Yup, sounds about right...:D Glad Jack was ok after the fridge meltdown. Bet you're looking forward to letting him out again tomorrow and seeing what "fun" he has planned next, huh??? I mean, you are now obligated to let the winged demon out daily from here forward:p
 

AmyMyBlueFront

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Jonesy a Goffins 'Too who had to be rehomed :-(

And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
Jumpin' Jack Flash...he's a GAS GAS GAS! :D






Jim
 

Kentuckienne

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Great storytelling - you have set a high bar for yourself that we expect you to maintain.

It would be good to work on Step-up so Jack can go back into his cage when you aren't home. It's nice to be free, but if he chews on an electric cord, finds a dropped prescription med, eats something toxic, chews on some fabric and ingests fibre, gets his toe caught in something, gets stuck in a small space etc. he could be a dead birdie. A big cage with lots of toys and distractions is good for when you aren't there.

And someday there might be an emergency where he just has to go. Now. I saw a great thread here talking about keeping a pillowcase in the emergency kit - if there's a fire, you just grab them and stuff them in and get out. GET OWT.

Scary fridge story, I didn't know they would do that. Melt inside, I mean. Now in addition to the other monitoring stuff I should get some temp sensor monitors and a leak detector. I figure, if I put an alarm on something it will never have a problem. Murphy will see to that with his Law.
 

Terry57

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What a terrible day you had! They say things come in threes, so hopefully that is all the bad that will happen for awhile! Your story telling is amazing, and I find myself looking forward to your every post.

I am SO excited that Jack came out of his cage...that melted my heart. I have no doubt that you can, and in fact are, giving him the life he deserves, and your patience will be rewarded by him stepping up for you when he is ready. That is such an amazing feeling when they are able to take that leap of faith.

Fingers crossed that your run of bad luck is over!
 
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Skyrider

Skyrider

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Jack - African Grey or is he a Red-tailed hawk
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  • #6
I guess Jack decided today is the day.

This morning while Capt Jack was having breakfast I opened his door again. After yesterday's fiasco this was a very tough decision to make. What horrors await us this go around. I closed my eyes, crossed my fingers and opened er up. He kept eating. Cool....no thunder bolts er lightening very very frightening me.....Galileo....cool

I was sitting in the living room playing a guitar. Wait, let me rephrase that. I was trying to play a guitar. I have been learning for three years. Evidently Jack didn't approve of the sound or intended to give me a few pointers. Either way I heard a commotion like, well, like a very large winged creature headed my way. At that moment Jack Flash burst into the room in all his glory. He landed, it was more of a controlled crash, by my feet and pooped...on the carpet. Well hello there Jack! Now What? We just stared at each other for maybe 30 seconds. Seemed longer. Should I run or have a close encounter of the third kind.

Air Traffic Controller: TWA 517, do you want to report a UFO? Over.
TWA Pilot: Negative. We don't want to report.
Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, do you wish to report a UFO? Over.
AirEast Pilot: Negative. We don't want to report one of those, either.
Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, do you wish to file a report of any kind to us?
AirEast Pilot: I wouldn't know what kind of report to file, Center.
Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, me neither.

Being of adventurous spirit I knelt before the king and extended the only limb I could afford light damage to.

Little history here. I started riding motorcycles when I was 5. Wrecked every motorcycle I've ever owned at speeds from 5 mph to 150 mph. I was in a light airplane at 2 and learned to fly at 15. I lived and worked on ranches and rode barebacks in the high school rodeos. I mean those are everyday living. Not much raises the hair on my collar anymore. My wife has parrots but I avoid them like the plague when I'm home on weekends. When Jack made a move for my arm it was all I could muster to not run screaming like a little girl out of the room. Then he cautiously walked up on my hand then up on my arm. Again I teared up. Ah heck man, that's just awesome right there :30:

We walked around the house to parts he couldn't see from his kingdom then back to the kitchen. We shared a few treats and then back to his safe house.

WOW!

As Katharine Hepburn said in the African Queen: I never dreamed....I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!

I have no more words. I'm stunned.

He crawled back in his cage and started grooming.

That'll do donkey, that'll do

I'm hooked
 

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Terry57

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YAY Jack & Skyrider! You two are already quite the team, wow!
He looks perfectly content sitting on your arm like that. So excited for you both, this is a red letter day for sure:)
 

Inger

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Ooooh Jack is Bingo the Amazing Amazon's brother, isn't he? I'm only a little slow on the uptake; it's been a rough couple of weeks. This journey is really lovely to watch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Flboy

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Most excellent adventure!
On your thermal meltdown fridge, there should be some sort of recall--Samsung?
Older units have both an upper limit and safety switch. Newer also have a electronic Max timer cutoff!
 

Kiwibird

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1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Wow! Jack sounds pretty bold and adventurous for an CAG. I've heard they're pretty shy and timid birds as a rule. Lucky you! You sound to have gotten the exception to the rule.

How awesome your first encounter with the 'bird' kind:D went so well. No bloodshed, a full house tour and a photo? I bet you're already wondering how you ever lived without a feathered ET:p
 

Allee

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This photo!!!



My heart soars like a hawk! And I'm a tiny bit jealous!

Inger, you are correct! :)
 

Scott

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Aug 21, 2010
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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Kind of scary to have a refrigerator fail in malevolent fashion! Just had a 17 year old auxiliary fridge fail in the garage. Thankfully it simply died; something in the circuitry repeatedly blew the socket circuit breaker.
 
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Skyrider

Skyrider

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Jack - African Grey or is he a Red-tailed hawk
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I'm sorry I should clarify the meltdown.

Have ya ever heard the song Jelly Jaw Joe?
Well his hands hung high and his pockets hung low he was fast with his cash and slow with his dough
if he couldn't take it with him he wasn't gonna go
I mean this guy was....
How do I put it?
Frugal
No
Economy minded
No
Well, ok he was cheap
Words can't describe the cheaptatude of da man
I mean he made his kids take their glasses off when they weren't lookin at nothin
He'd turn the stove off while he flipped his bacon over
Ya know he wouldn't even tip his hat
It's hard to adequately describe the cheapiosity of da man.......
Performed by David Bromberg

That's me

Let me just say that the rest of modern society should not worry about this type of refrigeration calamity. It was all my fault for being to cheap to buy a new refrigerator. Yes I bypassed the safety features and manually defrosted the freezer. Only this time the timer malfunctioned.

It's a curse actually. When I see something broken I have to mess with it and try to fix it. This time nearly cost my buddy his life. Live and learn the hard way. I graduated Magna cum laude from the school of hard knocks.

So fear not. You are correct sir. Safety features abound on modern appliances. They are quite safe if you leave them alone.

I wish to beg your communal pardons for not making that point clear in the beginning. Thank you for pointing it out.

Take care and save a tree. There might be a parrot onboard

Sayonara y'all
 

plumsmum2005

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Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
I think you are going to keep us amused for a bit LOL.

Great progress with Jack, probably feels it is safer riding along with you than being left in the aftermath. Welcome to you both btw and keep writing please?
 

Scott

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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Should I run or have a close encounter of the third kind.

Air Traffic Controller: TWA 517, do you want to report a UFO? Over.
TWA Pilot: Negative. We don't want to report.
Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, do you wish to report a UFO? Over.
AirEast Pilot: Negative. We don't want to report one of those, either.
Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, do you wish to file a report of any kind to us?
AirEast Pilot: I wouldn't know what kind of report to file, Center.
Air Traffic Controller: AirEast 31, me neither.

Not all pilots exercise such restraint! I once "reported" a UFO sighting but the controller knew better!

During the early 1980s I was a flight instructor based at an airport near Marine Base Camp Pendleton. Part of the training for a new pilot involves several hours of night flying, and one evening I was practicing maneuvers with a student. Protocol was to receive traffic advisories from air traffic control, so we were in radar and voice contact, but given the late hour, there was little action. At some point I noticed a series of distant bright orange shimmering objects in close formation. There seemed little movement, and the luminosity of each orb varied slightly over the next few minutes, while the entire scene in slow descent. My best recollection was to key the microphone and utter "Approach, Cessna 91U, has anyone reported UFOs in the area of Camp Pendleton?" Mr. controller queried a description, and instantly solved the riddle. They were parachute flares, dropped to illuminate a battlefield. Pendleton spans more than 200 square miles, and hosts live fire exercises, bombing ranges, etc. Boy, did I feel like an idiot!!
 

Flboy

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Dec 28, 2014
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Greater Orlando area, Florida
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I'm sorry I should clarify the meltdown.

Have ya ever heard the song Jelly Jaw Joe?
Well his hands hung high and his pockets hung low he was fast with his cash and slow with his dough
if he couldn't take it with him he wasn't gonna go
I mean this guy was....
How do I put it?
Frugal
No
Economy minded
No
Well, ok he was cheap
Words can't describe the cheaptatude of da man
I mean he made his kids take their glasses off when they weren't lookin at nothin
He'd turn the stove off while he flipped his bacon over
Ya know he wouldn't even tip his hat
It's hard to adequately describe the cheapiosity of da man.......
Performed by David Bromberg

That's me

Let me just say that the rest of modern society should not worry about this type of refrigeration calamity. It was all my fault for being to cheap to buy a new refrigerator. Yes I bypassed the safety features and manually defrosted the freezer. Only this time the timer malfunctioned.

It's a curse actually. When I see something broken I have to mess with it and try to fix it. This time nearly cost my buddy his life. Live and learn the hard way. I graduated Magna cum laude from the school of hard knocks.

So fear not. You are correct sir. Safety features abound on modern appliances. They are quite safe if you leave them alone.

I wish to beg your communal pardons for not making that point clear in the beginning. Thank you for pointing it out.

Take care and save a tree. There might be a parrot onboard

Sayonara y'all
Funny, I also melted a fridge! Used a heat gun to defrost it and closed the door to speed it up!
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
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1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
At some point I noticed a series of distant bright orange shimmering objects in close formation. There seemed little movement, and the luminosity of each orb varied slightly over the next few minutes, while the entire scene in slow descent. My best recollection was to key the microphone and utter "Approach, Cessna 91U, has anyone reported UFOs in the area of Camp Pendleton?" Mr. controller queried a description, and instantly solved the riddle. They were parachute flares, dropped to illuminate a battlefield. Pendleton spans more than 200 square miles, and hosts live fire exercises, bombing ranges, etc. Boy, did I feel like an idiot!!

Wonder if these were the "UFO's" I saw once? Stationary glowing orange dots up in the sky. I'm not a big superstitious type, so I figured there was some logical explanation we just weren't aware of, this sounds about right. We were way out in the desert, late at night but not near any military installations I'm aware of. Though I could see military doing testing out there in the middle of nowhere because it's the middle of freaking nowhere.
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
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San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
At some point I noticed a series of distant bright orange shimmering objects in close formation. There seemed little movement, and the luminosity of each orb varied slightly over the next few minutes, while the entire scene in slow descent. My best recollection was to key the microphone and utter "Approach, Cessna 91U, has anyone reported UFOs in the area of Camp Pendleton?" Mr. controller queried a description, and instantly solved the riddle. They were parachute flares, dropped to illuminate a battlefield. Pendleton spans more than 200 square miles, and hosts live fire exercises, bombing ranges, etc. Boy, did I feel like an idiot!!

Wonder if these were the "UFO's" I saw once? Stationary glowing orange dots up in the sky. I'm not a big superstitious type, so I figured there was some logical explanation we just weren't aware of, this sounds about right. We were way out in the desert, late at night but not near any military installations I'm aware of. Though I could see military doing testing out there in the middle of nowhere because it's the middle of freaking nowhere.

Possibly, April. While I firmly believe in intelligent life beyond Earth, IMO the overwhelming majority of UFO sightings have terrestrial explanations. I've never seen parachute flares from the ground, but they probably descend very slowly. Does this look somewhat familiar??

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ookgfo9Kwgg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ookgfo9Kwgg[/ame]
 
OP
Skyrider

Skyrider

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Virgo Supercluster
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Jack - African Grey or is he a Red-tailed hawk
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  • Thread starter
  • #20
Oh....I have to tell this story here. I have a googolplex of UFO stories but this is Bob's song.
Back in the 60s the UFO craze was on high alert. I remember seeing UFOs on the cover of life magazine. A friend of the family had a hanger on our private airport. Yep I grew up on an airport. My childhood friends were engineers, airline pilots, doctors lawyers, mechanics and of course motorsickle nuts. Bob was a retired engineer from Continental Motors. He had a machine shop in his hanger where he kept a North American Navion. He was also an avid astronomer. He designed the instrument lighting for the first F-16s. He told me this story one night at a star gazing party in front of his hanger. He was flying back from somewhere out west. I believe Phoenix. It was just after sunset. Flying east he noticed a bright light far ahead. Very quickly the bright light began to reveal it was domed on top and on the bottom. I'll be dern, a flying saucer was headed right for me and it was getting big quick. He said he was just about ready to pull a 180 when logic took over. Being an astronomer he thought for a bit and decide the moon should be full and on the rise by now. Then he remembered he was headed for a mountain range. Sure enough as he held his course and his confidence the mystery unfolded. The moon was indeed rising. And from his perspective, between two mountains. The curve on the top was the moons fault of course and the curve on the bottom was the valley between the mountains. We traded UFO stories for years. He always had explanations for the phenomenon. I miss him. He was one of my heroes.
I believe kids need folks like Bob early on in life. The night he showed me Saturn and I realized what it was and how far away it was, I was hooked. I believe there is life out there but until we can figure out how to break Alberts speed limit it's gonna be awhile before we find it. And as Elle said in Contact, if there isn't it sure is a waste of space.
 

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