In laws/birds

[Catherine Keegan]

At 01:24 PM 3/13/02 +0000, Joann wrote:
>--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "lupinesque" <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> > And how about a rule that uninvited guests are asked in for a cup of
> > tea at most, never a meal or an overnight stay or (yikes) a four-day > 
> visit?
>
>As Ann Landers says, nobody can take advantage of you without your
>permission.

True and not true.  In-laws are one of those areas where no sane 
spouse  wants to put their "This is the hill I plan to die on" flag 
up.   It's almost a sure-fire way to have a truly hideous weekend with 
everyone's life in shambles.  No one wins.  I don't think anyone would have 
won on the unannounced 4 day visit, either.  I do hope the neighbors feel 
ashamed of themselves and understand that it was not a good thing that they 
did.

My only advice is to start making up or maybe just exaggerating a bit how 
busy your schedule is and how you won't be home hardly at all over the next 
few months.  It didn't work for me but it might work for you.

Storm, sorry to hear about the bird.  Euthenization is always tough.  I 
wonder if what you're talking about is the same thing as avian pox?  I've 
heard that called Avian Aids before but the birds don't always get 
euthenized.  It generally manifests itself as blisters that show up on the 
feet and some times the beak.  A soak in the blue stuff (can't remember its 
name right now) for ten minutes a day, a bunch of days a week some times 
helps it.  It's horribly contagious .  Separate gloves and aviaries 
required and you gotta sterilize the heck out of it.  Anything that goes 
wrong with a liver seems to make that long trip down to the tank.

How's the raven?

Catherine in California where it looks like the weather forecasters are 
wrong again and it might be a nice day...