Entry #2: Parrots as Pets

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    Have you ever seen somebody with a pet bird, often a parrot with colorful feathers that makes funny noises? Maybe you've seen them in viral videos, or at a pet store near you, waiting to be brought home to a loving family. Maybe you even know somebody who owns or has owned a bird, considering that roughly 6% of the 90 million pet-owning households in the US have at least one as a pet. That's 5.7 million homes with birds. Have you ever thought about getting one yourself? I know I certainly have, and I even own 3 of them now. They're cute companions to have, and all those viral videos might have you convinced they'd be the perfect pet. I mean, why wouldn't they be? They can talk, and you can teach them tricks and have lots of fun with them, so what downsides could there possibly be to owning one? That's what I'm here to tell you.

    Owning a bird and taking care of it well is no easy feat. They're messy, destructive, noisy, and like to chew on almost anything they can get their beaks on. They require consistent upkeep, ranging from weekly to bi-weekly cage cleanings and swapping out all their toys every 4 weeks. They'll throw food everywhere, get feathers and dust all over, and poop wherever they feel like, including outside of the cage. Taking them out is non-optional if you'd like your feathered companion to stay healthy and fit, so you need to be prepared for the chaos that comes with them. Even the only truly domestic birds — pigeons — are messy. They can't help it, it's only instinct, so you'll need to be ready to clean it all up for them.

    There's a lot you'll need to be prepared to give up if you want to own a bird. From small things like candles and non-stick pans that are toxic to birds to time and money you'll need to give to care for them. Vet bills can be even more expensive for exotic pets like parrots because of the different license a vet needs to specialize in exotic animal care, and birds tend to have a myriad of physical, emotional, and hormonal problems in captivity that require medical attention. You'll need to keep up with your pet's yearly expenses with food and toys too. Just the starting cost to buy the supplies for a bird can run up to $1800, depending on the cage size and kind of food and toys. The bigger the bird, usually the more expensive, and that goes for the birds and all their supplies. Some macaws go for thousands!

    It's also known that most of the time, the bigger the bird, the louder they are as well. Even the quietest birds can go up to 65-70 decibels, which is about the equivalent of how loud a washing machine can get. That may not seem loud, but more often than not, birds need fellow bird companions to stay healthy  — and if you have a whole flock of them trying to be louder than one another, it'll fill the whole room. It's hard to get them to stop, too, especially when they don't understand why we want them to. Birds have wildly different personalities as well, so you could always end up with a conure that doesn't like to get any louder than a finch, or a budgie that tries to be louder than a cockatoo.

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    If you truly believe you want to own a parrot, this isn't to discourage you. This is just a warning to those who may not have what it takes or may not have the time or energy to give a feathered friend what they need to thrive. Parrots show more intelligence than the average toddler, so getting a parrot is often like bringing a child home — which many people aren't prepared for. On average, 85% of birds are rehomed multiple times in their lives. Whether this be due to situational changes or simply the overestimation of one's ability to care for such a high-maintenance animal, it's all the same to the poor birds that have to go through it. Often, larger birds will begin to pluck out their own feathers from the stress of switching homes, especially because they become so attached to the person taking care of them that it can be difficult to switch. If you want to own one of these magnificent animals, you need to make sure you can care for them properly, so they can thrive with you. If you truly believe you can handle all of what I've said, and you have a strong desire to own one still  — then I encourage you to do some more of your own research to discover more about them and learn the depths of what needs to be done to care for them. If anyone reading this does end up with a feathered friend someday  —  make sure you treat them well. If you do, they'll be a friend for a lifetime, sometimes even longer.

Entry #1: The Art of Miniatures

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    Have you ever played with dolls as a kid? If not, have you played with Legos? Perhaps a set of them, that included a building, or a car? Both of those are examples of miniatures. Whether you build them yourself or simply like to collect and arrange them all, it's all part of the hobby. I discovered the miniature hobbyist community years ago and fell in love, and now I'd like to share it with you too! It's a very versatile hobby with many different ways of participating, and I want to introduce you to it and show you some of the reasons it's so loved — maybe I'll convince you to love it too!

    The hobby of miniatures is flexible in that there are many different options to choose from when getting started. That's not to say you must branch out eventually into other areas, but it can be hard not to when there are just so many possibilities of things you can do! For instance, I began this hobby when I was younger, simply by collecting tiny pieces of furniture that I liked from different local hobby and craft stores. Eventually, I tried to make a dollhouse out of cardboard for all the furniture to fit in, and it turned out rather nice! That being said, most people do tend to make their dollhouses out of wood — but that's another thing I find so great about this hobby. You can make miniatures out of just about anything. Whether it's made out of nicely carved wood and wired like a real house, or cardboard with cheap fairy lights and furniture made from knick-knacks and scraps, they're all miniatures, and equally deserving of love for the craftsmanship behind them.

You don't have to build things all on your own though. In the last few years, many different stores have popped up, including ones like RoLife and CuteBee, that sell premade kits for building your own tiny house or room dioramas! They range from 1/12 to 1/24 scale like many dollhouses do, and even differ from having plastic furniture to furniture that you make completely on your own from the pre-cut supplies they give you. It requires a lot of patience to create, and lots of dedication and hard work, but being able to see the final product all lit up nicely and cleaned up well is a feeling like no other. 

Local Hobby stores will occasionally sell those premade kits as well, but if you happen to find a local small business that specializes in miniatures — like Auntie Em's in downtown Glendale, Arizona, or Ms Peggies Place in San Diego, California — you can find so much more. Those tend to sell kits for furniture and houses, as well as all the pieces you need to build them yourself or to mix and match on your own. And if you aren't feeling up to it, you could always buy the premade dollhouse furniture they usually have, or even an entire dollhouse to house all of it! They tend to run on the more expensive side, but I believe it's worth it for the quality and care put into the craft.

When it's all said and done after, you can either sit back and admire your work displayed on a shelf or table, or begin a new project to add onto or even improve on your last one, both of which I think are some of the best parts of creating or collecting miniatures. That wonderful feeling of knowing you built or put something together, and learning from the trial and error that came along with it is all part of the passion for the hobby, and it's something I hope everyone who decides to give the miniature hobby a try feels. Maybe it could even feel so fulfilling that it turns into something more. The only way to know is to give it a try.