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The Book Of Our B.I.R.D.S., Chapter 4.
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This book is dedicated to all of our birds,
from Miss Buddy, to and including our
most recent bird, who either individually
or collectively have taught us many lessons
in loving!
Foreword
1.) "Martha," A plump
English Budgerigar we
bought as a mate for Harry
2.) Sarai, a beautiful light
blue and white female English
Budgerigar
3.) Little Bits II, my cute
and spunky little green and
yellow parakeet
4.) Amani Lynn, Little Bits'
1st Hatchling
5.) Adam, Little Bits'
2nd Hatchling, who hatched
3 days too soon and died
6.) Jeanne Marie II,
Little Bits bit his leg
when he was only about
three weeks old
7.) Anne Marie,
Little Bits' 4th Hatchling
An Albino White American
Budgie, pretty & spunky
8.) Dallin H. Oaks, a gray
English Budgerigar whom
Jeanne called "The Wise
Old Man"
9.) Dietert, A handsome
gray English Budgerigar and
our Bradley's "Best Bud"
10.) Sally, the mother of
our Imara, and the mate of
our Cori LeMay
11.) Thomas S. Monson,
Jennifer's twin brother and
mate to Sydney Larsen
12.) Sydney, a gray English
Budgerigar and the mate of
Thomas S. Monson
13.) Azure, a beautiful
female parakeet with a gray
mantle across her wings
14.) Audacity, our "Fan Bird"
who was not only an "Escape Artist"
but had a "Brush with a "Fan"
15.) Mandi-Keet, named in
honor of our Mandy Jeanne
16.) Spencer W. Kimball,
a regal and elderly gentleman
17.) Chad, named for
Dr. Chad Lunt, who is Jeanne's
special friend
18.) Larkin Hastriter II, Sally's
older brother and a friend of
our James E. Faust
19.) Snowee, our youngest
flock leader and our "runway"
bird
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Foreword
It is interesting and very humbling to note that our birds, whom we have loved and have sometimes lost to death, have become so very interesting and important to our readers. There are many lessons to be learned from our birds. These are lessons which were cleverly disguised as opportunities to rescue, nurse, and love some of these birds whom were considered of little or no worth by pet store managers, avian breeders and by several individuals.
One such true and contemporary story revolves around our "Shy Guy," a cute little Peach-Cheeked Love Bird, and his lady friend, "Miss Azure," who is sitting on infertile eggs. The two cannot mate, because they are two different species of birds. She nests in the lower, back, right corner of their cage, and "Shy Guy" feeds her, protects her and covers her body with his wings and his chest to keep her warm! I cannot get close enough with my camera to take an exact picture without frightening "Shy Guy" and 'Miss Azure," so the picture at the top of this page is the best that I can produce. This is one of the many stories of our birds...
Because many of our birds whose stories we are telling have died, I will attempt so far as it is possbile to describe each bird and to assimilate or to reproduce as closely as possible, a picture of each deceased bird. I wil attempt this by downoading the pictures of one of our live birds and which pictures most closely resemble the plumage of the deceased bird under discussion. I have also commissioned a local artist and friend who will draw a picture of each deceased bird. Together, the drawing and/or the picture will serve to illustrate each bird.
That which started several years ago as a series of articles entitled, "Bird Stories," and Raising Birds" Chapters 1 and 2, and finally, "B.I.R.D.S." have now become the beginnings and bases for this book. And for this privilege, of sharing our birds' stories, Jeanne and I thank you!
Jeanne and Randy Faulk, Co-Authors.
11 December 2009
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX," CLICK HERE!
OR TO CONTINUE READING, JUST SCROLL DOWN. |
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Martha
Hatched: About 6 years before. Purchased: 4/16/2005. A plump Blue-Violet English Budgerigar. Hen. Date of Death: 5/19/2008.
Jeanne bought this pretty, and plump six year old English Budgerigar Hen from Mr. Carroll Myers as an intended mate for our Harry Allred Faulk, whom we bought on 4/17/2004.
We thought that they looked good together and hoped that they would mate, but neither one showed any interest in the other. Martha never laid eggs during the entire 37 months that we had her. I suppose that as a "Brood Hen," who laid eggs and fed chicks for a number of years before we bought her, Martha was tired of mating!
She did not outlive Harry, who died on 11/21/2008, because she died on 5/19/08 at the approximate age of 9 years of age.
Written 3/1/2010.
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CLICK HERE!
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This is a picture of Candace,
but she looks enough like
Martha that you get the idea.
Candace's feathers are actually darker,like Martha's feathers were, but the flash attachment makes Candace's feathers appear lighter.
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Sariah
Hatched: Date Unknnown, Purchased: 4/16/2005. A Blue Spangled English Budgerigar. Hen. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne bought this beautiful light blue and white female English Budgerigar from Mr. Carroll Myers at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Show.
Jeanne named Sariah after a very noteworthy lady mentioned in The Book of Mormon. Like most femaies, Sariah has a sharp beak, and she knows how to use it, because she doesn't lke being handled!
Written 3/2/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Little Bits II
Hatched: About 3-6 months before. Purchased: 9/24/2005. A cute little green and yellow parakeet. Hen. Date of Death: 8/30/2007.
Little Bits' story is most unusual. Shortly after Hurrican Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in September of 2005, the Alamo Exhibiton Bird Club held its Semi-Annual Bird Show at the Live Oak Civic Center in N.E. San Antonio on 9/24/2005.
Jeanne had come home from work around 7:30 A.M. and was going to go to sleep, because she had to get up at 3:00 P.M. that Saturday afternoon in order to get ready to go back to work at 5:30 P.M. Before she went to bed, she asked me to drive over to the bird show and to buy her a green and yellow female English Budgerigar, and I promised that I would do so.
When I arrived at the bird show, TO READ THE REST OF LITTLE BITS II's STORY, CLICK HERE!
Written 3/3/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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This is Genealogy of Amani Lynn, Adam, Jeanne Marie and Anne Marie: (We know nothing about the pedigree of Little Bits II, except that she carried the
recessive gene for Albinoism.)
Parents: Big Bird & Little Bits II
Big Bird's Parents: Candi & Teal
Candi's Parents: Marie & Dana
Brent (Marie was an Albino, so
both Buddy and Jinxie I had to
have had the recessive gene.)
Marie's Parents: Jinxie I & Buddy
(We know nothing about either
Jinxie's or Buddy's genealogy.)
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Amani Lynn
Hatched: 12/14/2005. Purchased: N/A.
A beautiful Teal Blue American Budgie with
Teal tail feathers. Hen. Date of Death: 9/27/2007.
Amani Lynn was named after Amani Onjanue, another of Jeanne's favorite birds, second perhaps only to Miss Buddy, and to Miss Sally. Amani Lynn was Little Bits's and Big Bird's first hatchling, but only lived about 21 months. She died on 9/27/2007, less than a month after Little Bits died.
Written 3/3/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Adam
Hatched: 12/15/2005. Purchased: N/A.
Egg Laid: 11/27/2005. Gender: Unknown. Date of Death: 12/16/2005.
Adam's story is a short one. Little Bits II laid this egg on 11/27.2005. As far as we know, it was her second egg in the clutch of four eggs. The incubation time for Parakeets, American Budgies and Engish Budgerigars is approximately 21 days. This little bird hatched about 3 days too soon, and he was too weak to survive. He died the very next day, 12/16/2005.
We named him "Adam" only because we wanted to give him a name before we buried him. We really do not know if he was a male or a female. We also do not know if he was a Parakeet, like Little Bits II or if he was an American Budgie like his father, Big Bird. But no matter which type of bird he was and whatever gender he was, we still loved him and hated to see him die.
Written 3/4/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE.
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Jeanne Marie (Faulk) II
Hatched: 12/16/2005. Purcahsed: N/A.
A handsome Violet American Budgie with a Violet tail. Cock. Date of Death: N/A.
I have already told part of Jeanne Marie II's story as an integral part of my story about his mother, Little Bits. (To read more about Jeanne Marie II, CLICK HERE!)
Jeanne Marie II was named after another beautiful bird, Jeanne Marie Faulk I, a Pale Teal Blue Silver Wing Female Parakeet whom we bought from Ruth Bova on 10/11/1999 and who died on 8/27/2003.
It is very difficult to tell the gender of some birds, whether they are Parakeets, American Budgies or English Budgerigars, and Jeanne Marie II is no exception. Jeanne thought that he was a female, and therefore, Jeanne named him after herself. It took some time before both Jeanne and I realized that Jeanne Marie was a male. But he is cute and he is a sweet natured bird, and we love him, especially after Little Bits almost bit his leg off! It was true then, and it is true now: Jeanne and I quickly develop an attachment to any of our birds who are either ill or injured. Jeanne Marie II won our hearts when as a baby bird, he was severly injured, and he still holds a warm place in our hearts today.
Written 3/4/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Anne Marie
Hatched 12/19/2005. Purchased: N/A. A beautiful Albino White American Budgie with "Red" Eyes. Hen. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne named this beautiful little bird Anne Marie after Jeanne's mother, Anna Marie Rennecker, and also after our original "Miss Marie," Miss Buddy's 2nd daughter who was also an Albino White Female American Budgie. If you look very closely at the top right picture of Anne Marie's chest, you can see a vague "light blue" mantle against her white chest.
When Anne Marie hatched, Jeanne and I
(TO CONTINUE READING THE REST OF ANNE MARIE'S STORY,
CLICK HERE!)
Written 3/4/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Dallin H. Oaks
Hatched: 2003. Purchased: 4/21/2007.
A handsome Gray English Budgerigar. Cock.
Date of Death: 2/19/2009.
Jeanne bought this handsome bird from Mr. Carroll Myers at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Show and named the bird after Elder Dallin H. Oaks, one of our General Authorities in our Church. Although Jeanne gave him the name of Dallin, she often referred to him as "The Wise Old Man," because he looked so regal and somber, like a judge.
He was somewhere between 3 and 4 years of age when we bought him, and he died on 2/19/2009, about 22 months after we bought him. Jeanne misses him terribly!
Written 3/5/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Dietert
Hatched: 2006. Purchased: 4/21/2007. A handsome Gray English Budgerigar. Cock.
Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne bought this handsome bird from Mr. Carroll Myers at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Show and named the bird after another General Authority from our Church. Much to Jeanne's consternation, I nicked-named Dietert "the Uck," which is an abbreviation of "Uckdorf," the General Authority's last name. Occasionally, even Jeanne calls Dietert, "The Uck," so I suppose that she has finally forgiven me.
Dietert is a very sweet natured bird who has taken up with another one of our handsome English Budgerigars by the name of "Bradley." Like some men often bond, so do some birds, and it is not at all sexual.
Jeanne will talk to Dietert, and it often seems that he understands what she is saying. We hope that he and Bradley will be around for a good, long time.
Written 3/6/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Bradley is the Blue English Budgerigar on the Top Left. Dietert is Gray English Budgerigar on the Lower Right, Where you see one, you will see the other! |
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Sally
Hatched: 2005. Purchased: 4/21/2007. A beautiful yellow headed English Budgerigar with an iridescent-green body. Hen. Date of Death: 11/13/2009.
Jeanne bought this beautiful English Budgerigar from Mr. Carroll Myers at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Club in Northeast San Antonio. She is the younger sister of Larkin II. The only way to tell the difference between Sally and Larkin II is to look at each one's cere. Sally's cere was tan to light brown, while Larkin II's cere is blue.
Sally's mate was a handsome American Budgie, whom Jeanne named "Cori-Mel." Sally's only surviving daughter is "Imara,"
YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT "MISS SALLY," "CORI LEMAY," AMD "MISS IMARA" AS REFLECTED ON OUR "B.I.R.D.S." PAGE,
BY CLICKING HERE!
OR, YOU CAN RETURN TO THE INDEX AT THE TOP, BY CLICKING HERE!
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Thomas S. Monson, AKA, Tommy.
Hatched: 2004. Purchased: 4/21/2007. A handsome light teal green English Budgerigar. Cock. Date of Death: N/A.
If you think that you have read this story before, you are right. This is also Jennifer's story. The picture is of her twin brother, Thomas S. Monson, which we shortened to "Tommy". And, "YES," you have seen these pictures too! The only way that we could tell Tommy from Jennifer was to look at each bird's "cere," which is a small piece of skin just above the bird's nostrils. A male bird or "cock" usually, but not always, has a bright blue cere, while the female or hen has a light brown, tan, beige, white or light purple or lavender cere.
When Jeanne went to the Bird Show on 4/21/2007, she saw these two birds which were huddled together like 2 book ends, side by side. Jeanne bought both birds, because she knew that to separated one from the other would be a tragedy. Jeanne also knew that if she did not buy both birds, someone else might have only bought one & not the other...Another tragedy!
Jeanne was a little bit afraid that I would say something when I got home, because Jeanne had told me that she was only going to buy 1 bird, but she bought 5 birds, 2 of which were Tommy and Jennifer.
I was NOT unset, and I congratulated
Jeanne on her humanitarian endeavor NOT to separate these two birds. We laughingly said that it was difficult to tell where one bird's wing ended and the other bird's wing began. They were like matching book ends and were inseparable in more ways than one.
Birds grieve just like people grieve when a family member dies. Tommy grieved for 2 weeks, after Jennifer died. We grieved just as long, just because we loved Jennifer so very much!
Tommy has a mate, a beautiful gray English
Budgerigar, whom Jeanne named "Sydney,"
after a close friend of our family, Sydney Larsen who lives in Smithville, Utah with her husband and her children. Before they left San Antonio, Sydney and her husband, Sid Larsen came to visit us and to see our birds, and her name sake.
Written 3/9/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX" CLICK HERE!
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Sydney (Larsen)
Hatched: 2004. Purchased: 9/27/2008. A beautiful grey English Budgerigar. Cock. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne purchased this gray, female English Budgerigar from Mr. Carroll Myers on 9/27/2008, and she immeditately was claimed by Thomas S. Monson shortly after the death of his twin sister, Jennifer. Just like with Thomas S. Monson and his late sister, where you see one, you see the other, after the untimely death of Jennifer, Thomas S. Monson took up with Sydney, who Jeanne named after her friend, Sydney Larsen.
Written 3/10/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Azure
Hatched: Late 8/07 or Early 9/07. Purchased: 9/28/2007. A beautiful Parakeet with Lt. Blue, Lavender Feathers and a Gray Mantle over the Wings and a Yellow Head.
Hen. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne bought this beautiful female parakeet, from Petco, on 9/28/2009, when she bought Jen-Two, Mandy-Keet, and Audacity. Jeanne put Azure and Jen-Two in the cage with Shy Guy to keep him company. They two femaies preened Shy Guy and treated him like royalty!
When Jen-Two died suddenly on 12/20/09,
Jeanne took Azure out of Shy Guy's cage and placed her in a cage by herself, not because of any thing that either Azure or Shy Guy did, but because it was becoming obvious to Jeanne that Azure was becoming hormonal. Azure's cere began turning a dark brown, and she wanted to start laying eggs,
even though all of her eggs, and there were many, were infertile.
After Azure got over her "egg laying mode," Jeanne returned her to Shy Guy's cage, and he would go down to the bottom of his cage and lie next to her, an act of friendship, which he performs to this very day! In return, Azure has resumed preening Shy Guy, and the two of them get along fine together! Last night,3/18/2010, Jeanne and I saw Shy Guy on top of Azure to keep her warm. Shy Guy was acting like an "Electric
Blanket."
Written 3/11/2009. Revised 3/19/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Here is Azure. This is Shy Guy.
This is also Shy Guy.
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Audacity
Hatched: Late 8/2007 or early 9/2007. Purchased: 9/28/2007. A handsome Cobalt Blue Parakeet. Cock. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne bought this handsome parakeet from Petco in N.W. San Antonio on 9/28/2007, along with Azure, Mandy Keet, and Jen-Two. Jeanne put all four baby birds in a white cage. Within several hours, Audacity managed to squeeze his tiny, slim body through the corner of the cage, while Jeanne and had left the house.
When we returned, we quickly discovered that this cobalt-blue male parakeet was nowhere to be found. It is important to know that Jeanne and I had not yet given it a name, because we could not determine whether the bird was a male or a Female, but that "oversight" in not naming that bird,would be resolved very quickly!
At first, we thought that the bird was a female, because it took up with our "Patriarch," Dana Brent.
You can read the "First Supplement" to Audacity's story by CLICKING HERE.
Written 3/12/2010.
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Mandi Keet
Hatched: Late 8/2007 or early 9/2007. Purchased: 9/28/2007. A handsome Cobalt Blue Parakeet. Cock. Date of Death: 10/25/2007.
Jeanne and I went to the Petco store on Bandera Road in San Antonio on 28 September 2007 to buy the three parakeets that Jeanne had seen at Petco a week before. As we were just about to leave with our three birds, Jeanne pointed to a little cobalt-blue parakeet which apparently had an injured foot and looked very weak, dehydrated,starved and sickly. Jeanne wanted to buy him in order to get him out of that cage with the other birds, who may have either further injured him or even killed him.
We bought and came home with 4 baby parakeets. Two were females, whom Jeanne named, "Azure" and "Jeanne Two." The other two were males, whom Jeanne named "Audacity" and"Mandy- Keet," because the little cobalt-blue parakeet reminded us of our "Mandy Jeanne," whose story I have earlier told in B.I.R.D.S.
On Monday morning, 22 October, just about 3 weeks after we brought him home, I found "Mandy Keet" on the bottom of the cage. He was almost dead. I awakened Jeanne and asked her to take a look at him. She immediately began to treat him, and we thought that there was a chance that we could save him. He died in my hands around 8:20 P.M. on Thursday, 25 October 2007. It would seem that we exercised poor judgment by buying a bird that was severely compromised, but we felt that the other birds would kill him if we did not get him away from that enclosure at Petco. We gave "Mandy Keet" another 27 days of love and nurturing, so we are not in the least upset that we bought him and brought him home to love and protect him. To care for our Heavenly Father's little creaturesis what we were meant to do, and to progress in our earth life in order have and to develop the compassion to care is what we were meant to become...
TO READ MANDI-KEET'S STORY IN "B.I.R.D.S.," CLICK HERE! OR
TO READ MANDI-KEET'S "EULOGY,"
CLICK HERE!
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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This picture is as close as
I can presently get without
my taking an actual picture
of a bird who looks like our
Mandi-Keet looked before
he died. When I can take a
picture of "Audacity," then
you will have a better idea
what Mandi-Keet looked like.
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Spencer W. Kimball
Hatched: 2007. Purchased: 4/19/2008. A Gray English Budgerigar. Cock. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne bought this handsome male English Budgerigar from Mr. Carroll Myers at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Show on 4/19/2008. She named him after the 12th President of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints.
Spencer W. Kimball likes Miss Sariah, whose story you have read earlier on this page...
Written 3/17/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Chad
Hatched: 2006. Purchased: 4/19/2008. A handsome Blue-Gray Budgerigar. Cock. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne also bought this handsome male English Budgerigar from Mr. Carroll Myers on 4/28.2008. Jeanne named him "Chad," after a very special O.B. Doctor with whom she worked at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. Chad is very much a flock bird, but he pretty much keeps to himself.
Written 3/18/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
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Larkin Hastriter II
Hatched: 2004. Purchased: 9/27/2008. A handsome Iridescent Green English Budgerigar with a Yellow Head. Cock. Date of Death: N/A.
Jeanne bought this handsome male English Budgerigar from Mr. Carroll Myers at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Club on 9/28/2008. He is the older brother of the late "Miss Sally," who hatched in 2005 and from a different clutch, but only the color of their respective cere's is different. Other than the difference in the color of their ceres. and the difference in their ages, they could be twins!
Larkin II was named in honor of the late Larkin Hastriter I who died on 10/1/2004 and who was named for a very special Home Teacher. Larkin II's "Best Bud" is our James E. Faust, whose picture you can see on the right. James E. Faust is on the left side of the picture, and Larkin II is on the right. Where you see one, you see the other!
Written 3/19/2010.
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX," CLICK HERE!
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Snowee
Hatched: 2008. Purchased: 9/27/2008. A White English Budgerigar with Dark Gray, Black, and Blue Marks. Hen. Date of Death: 6/29/2009.
Jeanne bought this beautiful femaie English Budgerigar from Mr. Carroll Myers at the Alamo Exhibition Bird Club in N.E. San Antonio. Jeanne named her "Snowee." As soon as I saw her, Snowee immediately reminded me of "Miss Teal," althought Snowee did not have a teal-blue bellly. It was obvious that even though Snowee was a young bird, she became the undisputed flock leader in just a few months. It was cute to watch Snowee run up and down the plastic "runway" which I built for Dana Brent.
We do not know the reason for her untimely death, but Jeanne found her on the bottom of her cage. We will miss her!
Written 3/20/2010.
*********SIGN POSTS********
TO RETURN TO THE "INDEX,"
CLICK HERE!
TO CONTINUE TO THE NEXT WEB PAGE, "CHAPTER 5," CLICK HERE!
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