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Photos of some of my pets!!
This album may take abit to load, 9 photos in all.
Hello. My name is Darlene Johnson and I married Kevin in 1980 and we are aviculturists. We have 3 children named Adrian, Naomi and Wendell. About a year after we married, my father-in-law presented me with a calico kitten, which we named " Marbles " and she became very precious to me. This is how we got into pets. As a child growing up, I always had some sort of pet. Throughout my childhood, we had a couple of cats, a dachshund dog, a white rabbit, a turtle and goldfish.
Our current pets consist of a Papilion dog named " Fidget ", a red spotted tabby Domestic Shorthair cat named " Dusty ", a siamese fighting fish named " Kermit ", a Pale- Headed Rosella named "Blueberry", a Golden-Mantled Rosella named " Rainbow ", a hand fed cinnamon pearl pied Cockatiel named " Robertlee " who can say " Hello, Pretty Bird ", a tame Purity dove named, " Twinkle " and an aviary in my huge kitchen consisting of a green singer, violet-eared waxbill, diamond sparrow, a paradise whydah, 2 lavender Finches, a Red-Capped Cardinal named "Zorro". They are all male birds, except we have a pair of lavender finches and they all have names.
I purchased my first pair of lutino Peach-face Lovebirds as pets in 1992, when a store was going out of business. The next thing we knew, we had Peachface and Masked Lovebirds, all in one aviary for pets. Then, one day, Kevin said, " Why don't you breed them to help pay for their keep. " So in 1993, we started breeding birds. This is how we got into the breeding of birds. We have also bred various species of fish and Teddy Bear Hamsters, for about 7 years. But, we are now, concentrating on parrot breeding.
My mother's father, bred yellow singing canaries in their kitchen, before there was the invention of TV. My mother's oldest brother, bred the fancy chickens in their backyard in town. My father's father, bred the fancy pigeons and doves ( fantails, etc. ) on the farm before I was born and until I was in my early teens. So, I guess you can say, that the breeding of birds runs through my blood.
Kevin lived on a cash crop farm, when he was a child and bred goats. His father sold the farm, when Kevin was 20 years old and he was not sure what he wanted to do with his life. Now, he wishes that he took the farm that his Dad offered to him and his brother. He wanted to raise angora goats. But, alas, that dream did not come true. So, the breeding of birds, is the closest he is going to get to his dream of running a farm.
Over the years, we have successfully bred Zebra and Bengalese Finch mutations, Longtailed Grassfinches, Diamond Sparrow Finches, Java Rice Finch and mutations, Diamond Doves and mutations, Masked Lovebirds in green and blue, Lutino Peachface Lovebirds, Budgies, Bourke Parakeets and mutations, Turquosine Parakeets, Golden-mantled Rosellas and Cockatiel mutations including whiteface and yellowcheeked mutations.
We have an indoor aviary consisting of 294 square feet. Our nursery is 14 feet wide by 21 feet long, which overlooks extensive perennial gardens and nicely landscaped in our backyard with a working fountain.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING! Come Back Soon!
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This page was last updated on: February 21, 2008
Copyright © September 2001 - 2008 All rights reserved.
Photographs, articles, some backgrounds are the property of LITTLE DARLINGS
To
This layout & site design by Darlene Johnson of LITTLE DARLINGS
September 2002
On a personal note, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the autumn of 2000. When I saw the surgeon, the tumor was too large for just radiation treatments and must first be surgically removed. This was done two weeks later. The surgeon removed the tumor and several lymph nodes as well. Apparently, I had my type of cancer for several years and it started to grow after the birth of my first child. Cancer cells tend to grow when there is unhealthy stress in your life. Before I could have my radiation treatment, my body had to be without hormones for six weeks. As my body was suffering withdrawal symptoms. I had migraines for weeks, became very lethargic, could not produce body heat and became very cold. Metabolism slowed down and I could not digest my food properly and had a reduction of appetite. Also, I could not think as sharply as before.
Then, radiation treatment for three days in the hospital, in a lead lined room, in isolation with only nurses to give me my meals. I was so full of radiation that I lit up the red light bulb outside of my room for two and a half days. Before I could go home. The radiation measuring device had to have a green light at a distance of three and a half feet from my body.
To get the radiation out of my body the quickest way. I had to suck ten whole lemons a day. This caused my saliva to flow, which contained the radiation and I would swallow my saliva and it was then eliminated through natural body functions.
The first day, I did not suck enough lemons and my face and neck swelled up twice the size. Nurses got really mad at me <grin> (well.... you try to suck that many lemons!) They told me the consequences and boy did I ever suck those lemons!!! In the end, it took the top layer of my enamel off my teeth and made my teeth very sensitive for several months later. They also started to deteriorate along the gumline. Also, my saliva glands were damaged and I have a dry mouth constantly. I also have a weaken immune system, that still has not recovered and decreased vision.
After this, I was placed on synthetic hormones and it took several months and blood tests to find the right level for me. Then it was time to get off the hormones for six weeks again and go through all the suffering of the above symptoms, so that I could have a cat scan.
The results of the cat scan was the cancer was in remission!!
Since then, I have undergone several ultrasounds, blood work, etc. on a continuous basis to make sure that we can catch the cancer, if it returns. There is a 20 % chance of returning and higher, if a lot of stress is involved. Which, with three children and of course looking after everything pertaining to my parrot hobby. There is a good possibility of it returning. But, I will not give up my parrots, as this is the one thing that I really enjoy doing.
The doctor has also told me that I will always be tired and will never have the same energy level I once had before surgery. I have slowed down immensely and still only have about 50 % energy.
I have gained fiftty pounds since the surgery and still gaining and have the need to sleep a lot. I tire very easily and cannot do the things I once did. I have alot of headaches and migraines. So, if I am slow to answer emails, this is the reason.
I want to thank my husband Kevin for being my sole physical and emotional supporter through all of this. I am amazed at the love and care that he has shown me! He is my life and I am not complete without him! If he wasn't there for me physically, I would have deteriorated rapidly physically and emotionally, as there was no one else there for me as I was going through with this.
Also, Kevin looked after all the breeding parrots, did nursery chores, etc. during this time period and did housework and made meals the best he could. I continued to hand feed the chicks and answer phone calls and emails and did the business end of the parrot hobby as I recover. I also want to thank my daughter Naomi for making a few meals.
I also want to thank the three churches, my family members, friends who prayed for me and anyone else. It was through the power of prayer in our Lord Jesus Christ that pulled me through all of this and not let me die, as some family members and friends that had cancer had died.
I want to thank my church for preparing a hot meal a week for the three months during my second reduction of hormones period. It was the best hot nutritious meals I had in along time!!
Thanks to my in-laws for driving me to surgery and the two hot meals they made for Kevin and the kids when I had surgery and went in for radiation treatment and the hot meal when I had my second reduction of hormones for the cat scan. Thanks goes to my mother-in-law for helping with the housework twice. Thanks to my Dad & his wife Nancy for the flowers and your visit to my home right after surgery.
Also, thank you to some of my neighbors who gave us occasional treats. Also, those that sent cards, emails and phoned me, after I had surgery and through my recovery period.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy the rest of my website. It is all about the PARROTS that we raise with love!
We have decided to stick to the breeding of psittacines. We now specialize in green Quaker Parakeets including, blue, aqua, RE cinnamon, RE cinnamon blue, pallid and pallid blue; Alexandrine Parakeets; 4 species of Pyrrhura Conures: Green-cheeked, Rose-crowned, Crimson-bellied and Painted; Dusky-headed Conures; White-capped Pionus, Blue-headed Pionus; Maximilian Pionus and Senegals.
