House

[Jer]

Hi everyone,

Hope all of you and your fids are well.
I have a question about the house. When entering my house, the first room you enter is my small living room, which really doesn't get used, I have a macaw cage with two greys, and another smaller parrot cage with the maximillian pionus. Then is my kitchen and dining area, keep in mind my house is only 1500 square feet. Then from there is my family room. In there I have another parrot cage with the the third grey. I keep the cages clean and the rest of the house is clean. I am not a dirty person. Of course there is the daily mess of seed and paper on the floor by the cage which I clean daily.
So my question is, why do I get the feeling from people that everyone who knows nothing about birds, feel or make me feel like they are dirty? Is it just me ? Do I have to many cages and birds in my house? Or are these people just stupid? I had one neighbors daughter say to me once when I had only ONE grey, "How can you keep that bird in the house, they have worms". Which led me to believe that she heard this from her parents. Does anyone else have this issue or am I being over sensitive. This really has no major impact on how I feel about my birds, they aren't going anywhere. Just being curious about others and their situations.
Thanks,
Jer

[greyburd]

you know Jer, there will always be ignorant people that just don't understand. When I lived in my old apartment (with a dog and a cat) someone came in and told me it smelled like "animal" in there. Well, yeah I guess it would, since 2 animals live there.

I personally wouldn't worry about it. You know your house is clean. You know your birds are clean.

[The Outlaw]

Jer:

Here's my perspective. If you had come into my home 10 years ago, you would have thought you'd stumbled upon a charming little BandB. I had no birds and one dog. I used real linens every day, we ate on the good china and the house always smelled like apple pie. That's because I spent a fortune on Yankee candles.

You would be impressed and I would be exhausted and worried that I'd missed a spot and you'd out me.

Fast forward 10 years. My tranquil house is alive and noisy, there is seed hulls and feathers in every room, the kitchen floor is perpetually sticky and the refrigerator is exploding with fruits and veggies. The freezer is packed with bird food and we eat out a lot. Its quieter and cleaner.

However, I have weekend guests just about all year long, and no one ever complains about the mess. Heck, if they did, I'd go visit them at THEIR house.

I think its about where you put your priorities. I hate sterile environments. I have been in "livingrooms" where NO ONE ever sat on the sofa and the curtains are always drawn. Just who is living there?

Give me life, and noise and the mess that goes with it. Give me daily surprises and something to look forward to. You gotta break some eggs to make an omlette after all. I know that its not for everyone and they probably aren't still on my friends list anyway. However, I've met the MOST fascinating people since then.

Pets are messy and sometimes stinky and often cause allergies in casual guests. I often wonder if our smells are distasteful to them. Imagine being trapped in a cage with something that smells foul to you.

In any event, its your home. Enjoy it.

[Tashk]

Bravo!!! Bravo!!!

[dgcashier]

Amen to that! I have had people with dogs and stinky litter boxes ask me, " how can you stand the mess....feathers and seeds all over the place!"
All I said was " seeds and feathers DON'T smell!

[bekfreak]

And my office that I work in smells like butt and a big germ. :) BP smells better than that place, and so did coming home to just one lone tiel. As long as it's kept up on and cleaned to keep unwelcome critters away....

[Mylo's Mama]

Your house has birds! Oh no I think Birds are better than human children. Forget what everyone else thinks ....Martha Stewart isn't coming over, is she? I have an even smaller house than you have (1268) First thing you see when you walk in the front door is 2 huge macaw cages and an amazon cage! Takes up the entire SE wall of my living room! (I'll try and post a pic later) And I am thinking of getting rid of the loveseat for another macaw cage! Leaving me with the couch and the TV, that's it!They way you explained your house is set up, it doesn't sound "dirty" at all. I also applaud what The Outlaw says, who wants to go to a house where you can't touch anything . It's all about where and what you are comfortable

[Lori L]

Remember the days when people used to put plastic on their furniture to "save" it in perfect condition for like....ever. Then what happened, they eventually died and the sofa was in prestine condition. Well give them a gold star.

Frankly Nancy's house seems more inviting, friendly and cozy now that what it was before. Afterall what is life all about but living it to the fullest

[bekfreak]

And it's those same people who wouldn't use air conditioning either. :) And you would stick to the plastic on the sofa. Suprisingly they still make those god aweful covers and people use them.

[Bela]

Outlaw, I love your post and as I read it, I can totally relate. I only have 5 birds, one of which is a parrot, but add them to the 2 cats and my once immaculate apartment, has become the wonderful house with 7 fids and all the fur, feathers and tossed food. My grey kitchen floor would be white if I mopped it daily, I just found a dusty bunny the size of a lop eared rabbit in the corner where my PC is sitting. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate living in a pig pen, but until I can afford the 24 hr maid, I'll just have to assign names to the dust bunnies.