Move to Texas-Budgie Pics!

Finally-the card reader and internet are set up and we can share some of the pictures of the budgies moving to Texas in a prius.  K had worried a great deal in advance; she even feared they might suffer health problems on the trip (or even die?!).  (Yes, K is a worry wart.)  To the contrary, the budgies loved the the trip as far as we could tell!  They particularly liked singing along to the radio (with a preference for Toby Keith songs, and also weird Celtic music, apparently.  This preference is based on the fact that when this music played, they all sang and chirped).  They also quite liked the grasses we cut from roadside weed fields.  The one time they involuted, was in KY (the state, not the jelly) where the scary "Nikko" the cat was living!

Why Pets? Why Cute?

In yesterdays coments, carl said...
I think that the more interesting question is why humans have pets at all. Other species don't in the wild -- I've heard of captive chimps having dolls or pets, but that must be an awfully artificial environment for them.

Maybe we started out by joining packs of dogs to help us hunt, and then transferred our loyalty to wider circles of species.

I think this is an interesting question, and answer.  It is clear that people have used animals to help them hunt (dogs helped hunt, hence bonded with men, who were traditionally hunters) or protect what is gathered (cats protected grains from rodents, hence bonded with women).  i am sure the feminists in the group (of which I consider myself one) may find these generalizations offensive, but, they are interesting and worthy of discussion, I hope.  Other animals have been useful as foods themselves (rabbits, goats) or to produce food (once again goats, or cows who produce milk).  That said, I think that we have a natural affinity and affection for animals which extends beyond their usefulness.  Could it be the amazement that our instinct of fear is overcome with trust and affection trans-species?

While cute overload is horribly anthropomorphic, as I have said before, it still is an excellent collection of animal pictures of all types.  One category of pictures, called "interspecies snorgling", (yes, saccharine, I realize) has a lot of pictures of animals "bonding" in unexpected ways.  And an earlier blog here reported a monkey and pigeon who had formed a special bond.  We don't understand these traits in ourselves, but I am not convinced that other animals don't also have them to a degree.  

MIddle Aged Childless Women and Pets

I realize that I (K) am nuts about the budgies. Even I have perspective that this is a little weird; weirder than being obsessed with a dog or cat, even. However, I also get great pleasure from the budgies. It is a cliche to say that this is biological; childless woman, middle aged, blah blah blah. Why fight it? I can't WAIT till we move (in about a year) to a house we own, so I can get a hedgehog.

Singing

the fact that parrots are noisy, and can learn to talk, is well known. Since moving to Texas, the budgies are singing a lot more. Sutcliffe has always been a singer, and I attributed this to his male sex. However, all three budgies are singing, very much. I wonder what this signifies?