My First Teenager...

In the hubbub of Magnut's Taco acquisition we were reminded by one Miss-D that her 13th birthday is this week. Guess what she wanted...a Parakeet.

Saturday evening after we got Taco settled in Miss-D began her assault on our senses...she got us while we were weak and held on like a dog with a bone. At some point one of us said, "FINE, if that is what you want it's yours...now move along and let us be...for the love..."

10 minutes later she took back up the assault..."You have already won...what do you want!?!"

So, in a moment of weakness we allowed her to "research" parakeets on-line. ROOKIE ERROR.

Every frickin 5 minutes she was popping in to our room to tell us some bizarre parakeet fact...something about how the name means "tasty treat." She also managed to find one of those militant Parakeet lover sites that tells you things like:

--If you don't buy a very young bird, one who has been hand raised, it will never love you

--You must take your bird to the vet within the first week. It will need an MRI, Chem 7, EKG, Bone Density Scan, Colonoscopy, Blood Gas Panel, Glucose Tolerance, Liver Function test, and an Ultrasound. Skip any one of these and you will go straight to hell for not loving animals.

--This bird cage will not do:

You must get something like this:

Even if you only have one bird...it will appreciate the variety of having two spacious homes. Should your parents cheap out and buy the first cage...don't be surprised when your bird develops cabin fever, goes completely insane, escapes from its cage and pecks your eyes out while you sleep.

--Do not purchase any "food" from the pet store. It will kill your bird. You must order our special book Potluck For Your Parakeet. It has everything you need to know about preparing your bird the 16 small square meals a day it requires.

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So Rob took her to Montgomery to buy the bird and all of the stuff you need to have a bird. There are all kinds of little started kits you can buy...to bad they don't have one for parents for their first teenager. Something like zit cream, a cell phone with a tracking device, and a 5 year supply of Valium.

Today we start a new era...Happy 13th Birthday Miss-D!