Carolyn . . . the Pet Owner

OK, this should be pretty quick!

I'm an Animal Nut!! OK, I've stated it clearly at the top!! Name your addiction. That's what every 12-step program usually starts out with! I truly must admit that I relate to animals far better than I do with people . . . well, most of the time anyway.

Pets!

I grew up with various pets, but none truly mine until I bought myself my first canary. That turned out to be the first of, well, probably hundreds of birds I've owned and bred.

Currently, I have, oh, about 40 to 50 birds, mostly canaries. A few Lady Gouldian finches, a blue-winged Siva, a white-headed black bulbul, and then Kookla, the startling. Of course, my most impressive bird is my hawk, Pente. But she is not a pet! She's a hunting partner, and got a whole post to herself.

I've bred my birds, and showed them. I will probably always have birds in my life. I'd like to get some more interesting softbills, but, that would take some money I can't spare right now.

I have three fine dogs! Astra is the oldest, and she's a sable sheltie. She's very fat! Always been fond of the food dish, and not fond of moving much. She became overweight at a very young age! The next dog is Anubis, the German Shepherd. He's had a hard road coming to his current state. He came to us a very low self-esteemed dog. Submissive urination and all that. He's gotten better with time. A very beautiful dog . . . but dangerous. 120 lbs of cowardly aggression. (Side Note: Nube went to the vet last week . . . and he's lost a LOT of weight!! He's now 90 lbs. Sam has been a really healthy influence on him!) He has to be watched closely, and carefully introduced to new people. But, once he knows you, he's like butter! The last dog is Sam, our black mutt. Sam was literally something I picked up on the side of the road. He came to us in the winter of 2002. Starving and mistreated. We took him in, got him some good vet care, fattened him up, and he has become just the best dog. He also did wonders for 'Nube. They wrestle together, and now both are muscular and fit. They all leave lots of hair in my house, but, well, that's OK. They also bring lots of love into this house!

Our fourth dog, and our first dog we owned, was Kashmir. She's gone now! May her doggy soul rest in peace! I buried a little chunk of my heart with her. There will never be another Kashmir!

Alongside Kashmir, out in the back in our own pet cemetary, are our two cats, and the first mammals Shawn and I had as pets. These two sisters were raised from tiny little kittens. They were very sweet, and gave us many years of love. Tasha met her end at the talons of an owl. Chelsea died at age 15 of cancer. At this point I don't want any more inside cats . . . not for awhile. I've enjoyed not cleaning a litter box.

I do have two outside cats . . . strays that took up with us. Attila, the old yellow leprous cat (hair falls out in patches all the time) and Gasket, the black and gray tiger. They get fed and shots, and stalk around the property. Otherwise, I don't pay them much mind!

Outside I have chickens and a pair of geese . . . although I'm afraid one goose has gone missing! Hmmm

I have a snake, given to me by Bill Oakes. He's a Californian King. (The snake . . . not Bill!) He's black and yellow striped. Nice for a snake. Growing very fast . . . eats lots of mice. He came with the name 'Luke'.

Let's see . . . anything else? There are mice, but they are food for Pente (and Luke), so that doesn't really count. No fish . . . too smelly.

I think that is about it. It's been worse! At one time I think I had 120 birds to feed every morning. That was just too much! Slowly I'm pairing down what I have to a more manageable level. It's a good thing . . .

. . . lets me get more sleep in the morning.


Of course, the best kept pet in the house is Shawn!


cdb

Carolyn . . . the Falconer

OK . . . here is a neat part of who I am . . . and it has been many years coming to this. To date, I am on the cusp of becoming a general level falconer. This means I'll be completing my apprenticeship . . . and then no one . . . other than myself, can take away this aspect of my personality (except, well, you know, the government, if they ever outlaw the sport!)

From a very early age I have always loved birds . . . especially the raptors. I knew about falconry, but never knew any falconers. Now looking through my NAFA catalog (that's the North American Falconers Association) there is only one person in El Paso who is a falconer. Highly unlikely I would have ever met this person! It wasn't until I came to Wisconsin, and settled down, and bought a home and a little land, that this long-standing dream became a reality. And to top all that, the man who has been training me lives just 5 miles from my home. It doesn't get any better than that!

This man, Dave Noble, is a Master falconer. He's been doing this for so long, he's probably forgotten more things about the sport than I'll ever know. It makes me ever so disappointed that I came to falconry in my late 30's. Most people start when they are teens, or at age 18. So many years lost! I guess I'll just have to make up for lost time!

Anyway, Dave is a good friend . . . and he has been a most outstanding teacher! I would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to learn this sport. I don't think I could have had a better person to mentor me into the world of falconry!

The month of July is reporting month to the State of Wisconsin. Any day now I'll receive my blank report form, that I have to fill out and return. Dave will pen a few good words for me to be included in that report, and it will be submitted back to the state. Once they process it, my license should be upgraded . . . and I'll be a General Level Falconer. My apprenticeship will end . . . and then it is up to me to maintain myself as a decent representative of this sport. I shall continue my association with Dave, but he'll then just be a hawking buddy. But I'll still pick his brain for info . . . because as a General level, I can have 2 birds. I plan to trap and train a kestrel this year.

My current bird is a red-tailed hawk. Her name is Penthesilea. "Pente" for short. That's the name of an Amazon warrior queen. It fits! Pente is a really big girl . . . and she was pretty feisty when I was first training her. She's manned down pretty good now. We caught 12 rabbits earlier this year. Not too bad, but certainly nothing to boast about! We'll do better this hunting season. She's molting right now, but will be done by August most likely. Get her back into hunting shape, and we should be back in the field by September. Got to get a lot of practice in . . . so we look good at Kansas this year. Going to the NAFA meet, with Dave and Bill. Should be a load of FUN!!

My first hawk was called Scimitar. He was a nice, sweet bird who was very kind to his human . . . who had no idea how to handle a wild hawk. He was a good teacher for me, on how to care for a hawk, but he was not a very good hunting bird, for falconry. Dave suggested I let him go . . . and I did. Hopefully he made it through the winter OK, and is out there somewhere doing well. I'll never know!

Where to go from here? Onward and Upward! There is so very much to learn. I've just wet my feet, really. I might be ending my apprenticeship, but you never stop learning. I very much look forward to keeping this as an important part of my life!

cdb