Twilight Storms junk I wanna jot down.

[Twilight Storm]

I was at Sams Club today and came across these:
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...Id=prod1180623


We drink a lot of bottled water, and used to refill more expensive bottles at a "The Water Store." They went out of business by us years back and we have been refilling our jugs from grocery store machines.

This hasn't exactly worked out well. I have noticed the water from the grocery store machines gets a funny moldy or plastic taste after a short time sitting in the jug. I have tried bleaching and washing the jugs and nothing keeps the water from going bad. This caused us to get cases of regular sized bottles which end up having to be recycled.

Now the bottle doesn't say spring water but it's the same brand. If it turns out to be good I plan on getting these from now on!

I have been mulling over what to do with the bottles after we use them. I could recycle them but I remember seeing a thread someone commented on. It was a betta person in Thailand that said they re-use things a LOT there! This got me thinking about the size of the container, and the fact it is plastic and BPA free.

This may turn out to be just the thing I was looking for to turn into a betta barracks!

I could do a central drip system, but I am not sure I want to risk that. If I keep the fish I want to breed in this barracks and one got sick using this system I run the risk of loosing my entire breeding stock.

Another option is to invest in an industrial sized air pump and set the bottles up with sponge filters. I love sponge filters. This way I could keep each fish in its own container and there would be no cross contamination sharing water between tanks.

To do water changes I could get a large siphon and make some net dip in a bucket and disinfect the siphon between bottles possibly? Doing it this way I think there would be less of a chance to loose every fish I own to a disease unless perhaps I get careless or something happens beyond my control.

Perhaps I could set up my fish in the basement by the sump pump well. Our basement is not ideal for fish, but perhaps I could construct a system similar to what the Thailand breeders use. I could cut drain holes in the back of the bottles, screen or stopper them somehow, and fill a tank with aged dechlorinated water. I would fill the bottles with the new water and let the old water drain into gutters which could run right into the sump pump well and out into whatever the sump pump drains into. (This sounds complicated, but worth jotting down.)

If the water IS good I am guessing I will accumulate about 5 of these per month equaling roughly 60 per year. That's one heck of a lot of recycled 4 gallon bottles. I don't think I am going to have 30 breeding pairs... EVER... at one time LOL!!!

These bottles would be great for making green water (if I can manage to make more then mosquito larvae and Cyanobacteria (blue green algae aka gross pond scum)...., and perhaps even use them for spawning once I get the hang of breeding. I could even take a couple and sink them into the gardens and make small stone covered water features with a pump that lifts water up past a lid that can drain water back into the bottle. Maybe even just the top of the lid inverted and placed upside down back into the bottle like a funnel. Features this size would look nice in the warmer months placed on either side of the walk leading to the front door.

[coder14]

That sounds like a pretty sweet idea. Post some pics when you get it going.

[Twilight Storm]

It will be quite a while before I do, but I promise I will coder14!! :) I won't be able to see the fish inside perfectly because of the indents on the bottles but it seems like a pretty "green" idea. Can't beat a "free" 4 gallon tank imo.

[Twilight Storm]

Today I cut down my medicine by half per docs instructions. The scarring in my eye is breaking up, which is good, but my vision is still really messed up in that eye. He said the scarring is in the jelly layer of my eyeball so I will be seeing through all the "amoebas" for a while longer yet. He said the "head rushes" I experience in that eye should begin to go away soon. I hope he's right. I really want to drive again soon. He also said I could freeze the unused medicine in case the infection comes back. This will save quite a bit of money since that stuff cost an arm and a leg.

Just got a foam floating pond plant basket from a neighbor that she was going to throw out. I MUST find a good use for that in the garden asap.

[Twilight Storm]

Since I couldn't edit this so far in the future I just wanted to add to anyone who bothers to read this:

I opened that 4 gallon purified water today. It's very clean with absolutely no mold or plastic taste. I drank darn near half the bottle already lol!!!

Since I pictured the spring water version of this water, I have no idea how the spring water is. I don't like the mineral tang in spring water.

If anyone drinks purified water I HIGHLY recommend this water for drinking!! I may end up with more bottles then I figured on if I keep drinking as much as I did today lol

To add one more thing to my daily journal:

A friend of the family dropped off their cockatoo today while they go on vacation. She did this last year when the green wing macaw was first given to me.

During the short time the two birds were in the same room together last year, her bird taught the macaw to say some things he said at their house.

When the lady walked in with the cockatoo today my macaw saw the bird and said "Hi Murphey!" (her birds name) We were all laughing so hard. I wish I had that on tape it was priceless. :D

Louise has come a long way with me. When she got here, she wouldn't let anyone touch her. Having been a hand fed baby it was sad she got so distrustful of people. She now eats SOME veggies and an occasional piece of fruit, although 99% of the time it all ends up on the floor of the cage every day. For about 10 years? Maybe longer, she was being fed gummy bears and black oiler sunflower seeds... I don't know if she was played with either during that time.

I can now pet her head and touch her almost everywhere on her body inside the cage. She has stepped up on my hand a few times, although she doesn't want to be on me very long. I can play with her feet and touch her tail. I even got down on the floor today and she came down to the floor of her cage and hung out by me while we played peek-a-boo.

If she comes out however she is a lot different and there is NO way I can get her back in her cage without giving her a small piece of american cheese. (Yes I know cheese isn't good for birds, it's only an occasional treat, and the ONLY way to get her back inside her cage at this time. This bird will do just about anything to get her beak on that cheese...)

I still don't trust that she won't bite me. In fact I KNOW she will bite me. She plays a dominance game which I think came from where she lived before she came here. Getting her to stop attacking at people as they walk by has been by far the biggest challenge so far with her. She even attacks at the dogs, and they have a very healthy respect for her beak too lol. I am trying to teach her the refrain from Red Solo Cup, and that Every little breeze seems to whisper Louise song. So far no lyrics but she listens and says "shhhh!" when i'm singing. LOL!!

I always tell her her owner is waiting for her up in heaven, and he wants her to be happy, and that he will see her again someday and then they will be together again. When I say his name she always turns towards me and listens carefully. Poor baby she misses him so much. He was such a wonderful caring man, and he loved Louise so much. He could do anything with her back in the day. I'm sorry the person who he left her to wanted to move on, but i'm glad she's here now. Someday I think we will trust each other enough. :)

[Twilight Storm]

Ticks me off..... Last night my vision was a little blurry and looked in the mirror and it looks like the infection is coming back... On top of everything my pupal changed shape in that eye and I look like a half goat or something.... Called my doctor and he verified that the infection probably stepped it up a notch since we were in the process of weaning me off the medicines... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to go in on Monday and see them again....

Still searching for the right pair of fish to start breeding. I may go ahead and just join the IBC before I get my pair... but the way things are going it may take another year to find fish... If I wasn't so picky with what I wanted to start with I probably wouldn't be having so many problems, but why start with fish in colors I really don't want. It would make for an unhappy situation. I would be stuck finding fish similar to them and paying a lot of money to keep on as I perfected them...

After I get a head of lettuce and make BLTs (sounds amazing tonight!) I need to do water changes. Water changes are always fun when i'm half blind. I end up dumping cups of water all over the floor since my depth perception is off LOL!! My bettas end up looking at me like "OMG she's at it again...."

[Aus]

Hi TS,

Wow, a macaw? What an amazing gift. Daughter had a good laugh when I read her the bit about 'Hi Murphey!"

How old is Louise? And omg, gummy bears? How sad her original owner passed away.. but at least she has a good home with you now.

Just as a bit of trivia, here's some funny coincidences that happened while reading this journal aloud to Daughter:

Right before I read it, she was asking about parrots. Specifically, how much a macaw would cost, with this hopeful look in her eye. My answer: "A LOT." Then not half an hour later I read your post about Louise and Murphey.. and she said, "A lot, huh? Well THAT lady got one for free!"

Then we read about about Louise and the singing.. Daughter's middle name is Louise. Why? Her great-great-grandma's favourite song was: "Every little breeze seems to whisper Louise".

May we see some pics of Louise? I think Daughter would be thrilled to see some, as would I.

I do hope your eye clears up quickly .. I had double vision for a few days recently (we still don't know exactly why), and I can so sympathise with you on trying to get fish things done with impaired sight.

[Twilight Storm]

With the boring life I lead i'm surprised anyone browses my journal thingie.

That's neat about your daughter though! And all the strange coincidences. :D
I have 1 picture of Louise in my albums here on bettafish. I will see if I can upload a couple more. :)

To update a little about Louise in here though:

Today I came in with the dogs after letting them outside and she yelled "HI! HOW ARE YA!?" at me and I shook her foot, and told her I needed to go do something. I went to the adjacent room and she said my name today a few times! I also took her on my arm to the family room and sat on a chair with her twice today for a few minutes. (BIG PROGRESS!!!) She has tried to get my finger in her mouth a few times today though... And not in the "I'd like to taste you and be gentile." kind of way.... *sigh* A couple days ago I started to do goofy things with her, it helped a lot with what we have progressed to doing with each other.

Just reminding you she was a hand fed baby way back, I am guessing she is about 25 now, so still very young. They tend to "pick" people as their owners. A lot of people who get large parrots are often the people who their parrot hates the most LOL. Seriously though, it's true. I've seen it so many times. Just say a wife gets the bird, loves the bird, and the parrot picks the husband and bites the wife... I'm REALLY lucky Louise is working with me. Especially since she and a man were bonded before he passed away. It helps none of the men here want anything to do with a bird that can exert something like 2000 pounds of pressure in a bite. I'm apparently the only one crazy enough, and patient enough in the house. I've watched her open chain links for fun, as well as taking any nut and squishing it like it was a cracker. It's also why I am being goofy with her. She reacts better to me when I do something she doesn't quite expect because it changes her dominance "game." Mind you I still play with her tongue but I don't quite trust her to have my finger inside her mouth yet lol. Probably will in a few more months though if things keep going so well. :) I still think a lot of her attitude came from not having enough attention after her owners passing and her successfully intimidating people she was in contact with since....

To finish up, went to the eye doctor today and he said he wants to clear this eye junk up and might recommend a shot... Unless they knock me out, there is NO FREAKING WAY anyone is getting near me with a needle with the intent on sticking it inside my eyeball.... I hate needles for one. Two, anything going near my eye gets a bad reflex action of me jerking away/ blinking/ moving in some way. THREE I would probably never get over the trauma of seeing a needle making it's way to my eye.... SHEESH... Just NO WAY that would happen with me being conscious..... I guess it's 3am by the time I saw I never posted this. So all this happened yesterday lol.

[Aus]

Here I am again! My life must be even more boring!

Needles.. eyeballs.. hell no. It's a phobic thing, used to have bad dreams about it. Make them knock you out? I darned well would!

Lol, about the parrots hating the person who buys them. Looking forward to Louise-pics, she sounds like a hoot. Daughter was flabbergasted at the idea of a bird that could conceivably outlive its owner.

[Twilight Storm]

Here is the one I have in my album. Not sure when I will be able to DL others. :D I have this picture on my desktop atm. Yesterday and today she has been really loving it when I rub the white skin on either side of her face. She lifts her foot and starts rubbing her own head while I rub the white skin below the lines of the tiny red feathers. :D Once in a while while I am doing it she sticks out her tongue and tastes me before closing her eyes in petting bliss lol!