Shannon Cutts

Day 130: Cockatiel Knows It’s In the Bowl

Despite the high prevalence of large featherless waitresses in the food service industry today, they can be remarkably tough to train. For starters, getting distracted by “cuteness” is a known hazard of the species. Also, featherless beings tend to get overly hampered by their own outmoded customs when it comes to fine dining. For instance,ContinueContinue reading “Day 130: Cockatiel Knows It’s In the Bowl”

Day 129: Box Turtle Is Fern-licious

Box turtles, like the large shell-less beings, come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. Some box turtles are quite sizable – even stout. Other box turtles are smaller and more streamlined. And some box turtles have three toes on their back legs – these are called (not surprisingly) “three-toed box turtles.” Every so often,ContinueContinue reading “Day 129: Box Turtle Is Fern-licious”

Day 128: For the Best Seat in the House (Move the Tortoise)

There is this saying, “if you want the best seat in the house, you have to move the dog.” As if. If you really want the best seat in the casa, well, good luck. Because chances are good a small, very cute shelled being is already sitting in it. And it is very hard toContinueContinue reading “Day 128: For the Best Seat in the House (Move the Tortoise)”

Day 127: Cockatiel Discovers Unattended Apple

The large featherless beings may be, well, large, but they tend to be rather slow on the uptake. For example, let’s say your large featherless waitress begins snacking on a desirable item. But then she gets distracted (as usual) and leaves her snack totally unattended. The smell then wafts over in the direction of theContinueContinue reading “Day 127: Cockatiel Discovers Unattended Apple”

Day 126: Box Turtle Behind Bars

The large shell-less being here…. As the ratio of concrete to grasslands and forests continues to shift, more and more wild beings are getting displaced into urban areas. This is exactly how Bruce and I met. He was wandering about, getting menaced by dogs and nearly run over by cars, when he was rescued toContinueContinue reading “Day 126: Box Turtle Behind Bars”

Day 125: Big Lawn Little Tortoise

Any shelled being who can grow from silver dollar-sized to football-sized in just four years deserves some serious kudos. But big as you may get, there will always be something bigger. Like your grandparents’ enormous lawn, for example. After foraging for awhile, it can feel quite intimidating – not to mention exhausting – to lookContinueContinue reading “Day 125: Big Lawn Little Tortoise”

Day 124: Cockatiel Is Damp & Dapper

The super-competitive annual nesting season isn’t for amateurs. Ladybirds have very high standards, and they expect their suitors to bring their A-game on every level, from nest selection to victuals choices to personal style. For this reason, you want to make a fashion-forward first impression, which as every worthy candidate knows always begins with aContinueContinue reading “Day 124: Cockatiel Is Damp & Dapper”

Day 123: Box Turtle Loves to Swim

During their younger years, many large shell-less beings undergo a traditional rite of passage called “swim team.” This grueling ritual involves donning a set of distressingly scanty garments, jumping into an icy-cold water body and swimming back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until one of two things occurs: the end-of-practice whistle blowsContinueContinue reading “Day 123: Box Turtle Loves to Swim”

Day 122: Tortoise Lunch Is Very Fresh & Very Gone

There is no doubt the large shell-less beings mean well. Yours, for instance, really wants to make sure you get plenty of exercise, fresh food, play time and shell scratches (not to mention restful naps). But there is one thing that will forever separate you and your assistant. She gets repeatedly hung up on thisContinueContinue reading “Day 122: Tortoise Lunch Is Very Fresh & Very Gone”

Day 121: Cockatiel Says That’s Not My Feather

When your petite and powerfully aerodynamic body is completely covered in soft feathers, it is safe to say there is a place for every feather and every feather in its place. And when it is time for action, it is all feathers on deck (so to speak). This means you don’t take renegade feathers lightly.ContinueContinue reading “Day 121: Cockatiel Says That’s Not My Feather”