A Gecko On the Stove

Happy fall!

A tiny part of me wishes that I could see the trees with their leaves changing colours but the rest of me is content to be here in the warm sun.  It has been so hot that we have been leaving the doors open to try to get a breeze flowing through our house. That's probably how a gecko got in and came to visit my kitchen today.

At first, I thought he was a cockroach. I saw something scurry under the toaster when I went to make lunch. I got a shoe ready to attack but then this little guy came running out.

I put my shoe back on and grabbed the camera. When I tried to catch him (with a box...I'm not the type to catch lizards in my hands and my helpers were out bike riding) but he ran onto the stove.

The box was not working. As soon as I made a move he would run to another part of the stove. Finally, with two identical sized baskets that we use for homeschool, I trapped him. 

I set him free outside the door and after resting for a few minutes he hopped off into the grass.

I spotted him again later on in the day but he was not heading toward my kitchen. Hopefully he learned his lesson. At least it was better than a cockroach!

Marcie Cooper

Freddy's Adventures

Once there was a little budgie named Freddy who lived with a missionary family in the Dominican Republic. He loved to come out of his cage and sit on top of it.

From there he would fly to the table to play with toothpicks that the little girl laid out for him.

Sometimes he flew down from the table and sat on the rungs of the chairs. He liked to stay there so long that the family forgot he was around.

Freddy found feet fascinating and loved to go for rides on them.

He also rode on shoulders and would even tag along while the Mom swept the floor. It tickled the little girl when he played with her hair.

People did not mind his gentle poking and investigating but they did not like to be bit.

He worked on not biting and got better at stepping or flying to fingers when people said, "Step Up!"

He loved to spend time in the window observing all that was going on inside and outside the house.

One day, from his perch on the window sill, Freddy saw that a door had been left open and there was no one around. He flew as best as he could out the door and across the driveway. One of his wings was deformed so he could not go very high. He passed a hibiscus tree and made it to a wall where he held on tight. When the family realized that he was no longer in the window and that the door had been left open, they quickly searched and found him outside. The Dad said, "step up," and he hopped onto his finger and rode back into the house.

The next day, he flew out again but this time the family saw him. They followed him outside and found him standing on the driveway. Once again, he "stepped up" and was taken back inside. He returned to his cage where he contentedly swung on his swing, ate his seeds, and enjoyed his lettuce treat.

As for the family, they had to be more careful with their two little boys who constantly went in and out of that door near Freddy's cage.

Puppies

Hello!

A little over two years ago, we found this stray puppy sniffing around our garbage can.

Of course, a certain five-year-old wanted to keep it but we had to say, "no." We weren't trying to be mean, just trying to save us from allergies! Our neighbour adopted her instead and named her Rosita.

Early this morning, while most of us were still sleeping, Rosita gave birth to five puppies of her own. Kids, friends, and neighbours couldn't wait to hold them!

I, personally, did not hold them. And no, my dear daughter, we may not have one.

Goodnight!

Marcie Cooper

Santiago Field Trip Part 2: The Zoo

Hello!

Have you been to a zoo before? On my little girl's field trip on Friday we went to a monument and a small zoo in Santiago, a city down the mountain from us. The zoo had mostly birds and farm animals with a few other ones like monkeys, turtles, and crocodiles.

There were two lions but they were only separated from us by two layers of chain link fence. I didn't go too close to them! My favourite were the lambs.

I think the kids had just as much fun with the cotton candy and crazy tube slide!

Everyone except the driver and a couple of adults fell asleep in the bus on the way home. It was a fun but exhausting day!

Marcie Cooper

A Whale at the Beach

Hello!

On the week-end, we took some visiting friends to the beach. We all had fun!

Some of us (but not me) even saw a whale! My little girl says that it looked like this but was going the other way:

Humpback whales migrate here every year to have their babies in the warm water. See the baby fin beside the mother's?

My husband saw lots of whales on a whale-watching trip a few years ago to Samana, on the east of the island.

He took these whale pictures then. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to see one!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Bees

Hello!

We all know that bees like honey, right? Well, I experienced that for myself a couple of days ago while I was baking. I was making granola with honey in it and didn't realize a door had been left open. My little girl saw two bees come in and she left the kitchen to hide in a bedroom. I closed the door, got the bees with a fly swatter, and thought we were done. Then I looked outside and saw a huge swarm of bees gathering around our windows. Fortunately, we have screens. Somehow, however, more got in. I shut all of the glass windows. A few more still got in. I shoved coats under the doors and stuffed paper towels in a few holes we had in the cement wall. Finally, they stopped coming in. They didn't leave our house until the granola was sealed in a container and the dishes were done. My little girl made me promise not to make granola with honey in it again.

Maybe we'll try again if we're in Canada in winter when there are no bees anywhere close by. If you're there, enjoy some honey for us!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

ROAR

Hello from my zoo to yours,

My little monkeys are all asleep now but it was definitely a zoo in here before they went to bed. I think my baby learned his first animal noise today--ROAR. It was all thanks to his big brother who has been acting much more like a lion than a monkey these days and roaring at everyone he sees.

If you live near us and would like a free trip to our zoo, just stop by. There's never a dull moment and we always have snacks.

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Spider!

Hi!

I do not like spiders!  My kids have a book with a fuzzy spider on the last page. I pretend to be scared and close the book. Over and over again, they bring me the book with that page open. I say, "No, I don't want to see the spider! Don't show me the spider!"

I can't believe that I took a picture of a spider. Do you want to see it? Did I tell you that I don't like to look at spiders? I'm trying to write enough so that the picture won't show on the computer screen unless you scroll down farther. This spider is the wildest spider that I have ever seen. It has a red head, a black back, and a bright yellow body with black spots. I have no idea what kind of spider it is. I would like to know so that I can find out if it is poisonous or not. Maybe by putting this picture here someone will tell me. Are you ready? Here it is:

I hope that you will have a great day without seeing any more spiders--unless you want to!

Marcie Cooper

Mice

Hello!

There's a mouse in my house!

No. Wait. There are two mice in my house!

I am glad that they are not real mice. We have caught enough of those in this house (and ants, spiders, mosquitoes and cockroaches) and I do not want to see any more!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Training Budgies

Hi Kids!


We are trying to train our budgies.  We have a book to help us know what to teach them.  This picture is of the girl budgie, Lucy.  She comes out of her cage, flies around, and sits on fingers. 

We are trying to teach the boy, Freddy, to talk.  He chirps a lot but doesn't say any real words yet.  I will let you know if he does.


Have a great day!


Marcie Cooper

Budgies

Hi Kids!

My kids got two birds from their little friend.  Her birds laid eggs and they hatched.  We got the baby birds.  They are budgies.  My kids like them a lot but they still wish they could have a puppy.

How about you?  Do you have a pet?

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Calf

Hi Kids,


What do you see if you go for a walk where you live?  
Today I saw a man walking a calf on a leash in the middle of town. 
I wonder where they were going!

Have a great day!


Marcie Cooper