#african grey parrot fact sheet

[filosofablogger]

Good Monday morning, friends!  I bet you’re all glad to have that pesky weekend behind you and eagerly looking forward to the next five days, otherwise known as “the work week”, yes?  Hey!  Don’t throw that!  I was only joking!  Okay … so how was your weekend?  Do anything fun and exciting?  Yes, Hugh … I know what you did all weekend … shoveled snow!

Grab a bite and a cuppa and let’s find fun things with which to start our week, shall we?

Speaking of donuts …

This is the world’s most expensive donut.  Last week, a Florida doughnut shop celebrated its grand opening with a $100 donut containing 24-karat gold and Cristal champagne.

Bjorn Delacruz, pastry chef at Enter Through the Donut Shop, in Miami Beach, said the Gold Cristal Ube Donut is loaded with luxurious ingredients.

“It’s created from a base of ube, which is a sweet purple yam from the Philippines.  Within the ube mousse we suspend little bits of Cristal gelee, basically Jell-O shots made from Cristal. We cover it with Cristal icing. I airbrush it with some gold, and then I guild it with about with six to nine sheets of edible gold.”

The donut costs $100, or if you’re shopping for a bargain, you can get a dozen for $1,000.  Please do not buy me one, for I don’t eat anything that costs that much, and I don’t eat gold and I don’t like champagne!

Snow, snow, and still more coming …

I mentioned that poor Hugh has been snowed in for most of the winter, with record snowfall totals.  Look at some of the cool pictures I found of the snow in his state …These guys were having fun playing on the Ice on Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota in the wake of a blizzard that dumped a foot of snow in many places.

Some people used the snow as an opportunity to show off their creative talents …

I look at these pictures and can only be thankful for our relatively mild winter …

But the dogs don’t seem to be minding it too much …

Franrose Tashjian walks her almost 12-year-old siberan husky, Khubie, down Summit Ave. on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018 in this winter’s latest snowfall. Tahijan who has three children says that Khubie is a really cute dog. “This is his weather,” she said. Snow and ice arrived Thursday morning with a temperature drop of 30 degrees and wind chill as low as -15. (Pioneer Press / Ginger Pinson)

A joyful reunion …

The parrot’s name was Hugo, despite the fact that he was actually ‘she’, and she was found on a runway at the Dublin (Ireland) airport during a routine inspection.  The airport launched a social media appeal to reunite the African grey parrot with her owner, but four people came forward claiming she was theirs!  But only one, a man named Lubomir, claimed that the parrot speaks Slovak.

Airport management then had the idea of recording an audio clip of Lubomir talking to the parrot in his native tongue and sending it to the animal shelter in Kildare, where the bird was being kept.  When they played the recording for Hugo, she got so excited that it was obvious that was her daddy!

The reunion

And speaking of parrots …

This one’s name is Rocco, and he was living in comfort at the National Animal Welfare Trust sanctuary in Berkshire, UK.  But Rocco had a bit of a problem with … um … his language.  Oh no … Rocco could speak quite well, plain as day, and that was the problem.  He was rather like my late brother-in-law John, who could not speak without using profanity!

Finally, as Rocco’s language was becoming a problem with the visitors, staff member Marion Wischnewski took Rocco home to live with her in Oxfordshire.  Well, at first it all seemed harmless and even rather cute that Rocco took up with Alexa, Marion’s Amazon smart-device that can be used for all manners of things.  Rocco would ask Alexa to play music or tell jokes, and that was all fine & dandy. But one day when she returned from work, Marion found that her Amazon shopping list was … hefty!  Turns out that Rocco had ordered strawberries, ice cream, and a kettle!  She canceled that order, and a few days later checked to find that Rocco apparently had a hankering for watermelon and raisins!  Over the next few days, Rocco tried to order broccoli and a light bulb, among a number of other things.  Marion has learned to check her Amazon account each day!

Tulips?  Or Turnips?You’ve got to feel just a little bit sorry for Allan Harris of Hartford, Kentucky.  The guy’s heart was in the right place, but his hearing … maybe not so much.  A few days before Valentine’s Day earlier this month, he was trying to get an idea what his wife might like, when she (Nina) mentioned that she would like to have some tulips to plant in the yard this spring.  Easy enough, right?

But Mr. Harris somehow misunderstood and thought her heart’s desire was actually turnips, so …Cute little container though.  According to Nina …

“When I got up, I had my first cup of coffee, and he said, ‘Oh, your turnips are here!’ And I said, ‘Turnips?!'”

And Allan says …

“I went and got the bucket and put the turnips in the bucket that says ‘I love you’ on it. I went in there, got her coffee — and here you go!”

You’ve really got to feel sorry for him, but maybe next time he’ll pay attention?  After that fiasco, Mr. Harris went back out, got the tulips, some candy & balloons to make up for what he calls his “boo-boo”.

Instead of an animal video today, I came across this and I think you will find some of these people truly amazing!

Well, friends, I see gorgeous smiles on your faces and I hope they stay in place all week long!  I also hope you share them with others who aren’t wearing their own.  Keep warm, keep safe, and have a great week!  Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa and Jolly!!!

Good Monday morning, friends!  I bet you’re all glad to have that pesky weekend behind you and eagerly looking forward to the next five days, otherwise known as “the work week”, yes?