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First I want to tell you about the four of us. Tangerine and I were born in an area near the Gulf of Mexico right here in the Rio Grande valley. I'm sure that I hatched first. After we shook off our egg shells, we had a baby sitter who fed us and took care of us. We lived for several months on a big ranch that was surrounded by a wildlife refuge. We had a pen where we could see our mommy and daddy. That place was really scary. There were alligators right outside our pen and we never wanted to get out of our cages. Then one day, Alice and Thad came and picked me up and took me to their house. A short while later, they came back and picked up Tangerine. By this time, I had declared myself the new ruler of the jungle and everyone accepted me as overall ruler. My ancestors originally had come from Mexico and even further south. I know that I have many relatives down there since Alice and Thad go down there often, and they tell me when they see my cousins. By the way, they call us military macaws not only because of our excellent organization and our ability to give orders, but also because we wear these nifty uniforms. All of the military macaws have green feathers with a brilliant patch of red on the head which indicates our rank. Did you know that these colors get brighter over the years? Our underfeathers are actually yellow and blue but we don't show these to anyone but Alice and Thad.

Now about Alice and Thad. They grew up in North Dakota and there they fell in love. They raised three children. Just when their children were about grown up, they moved to the Rio Grande valley. They lived in Harlingen and got a stupid parrot to live with them at that time. This parrot's name is Pedro and he is completely loco. I can't stand him. He bites Thad's fingers and makes them bleed. He bites my feet which really hurts. Although he is much smaller than I am, I must admit I am a bit scared of him. He is crazy. I wish Thad would let him fly away so I wouldn't have to look at him. Anyway, they all lived in Harlingen for two years and finally they moved to our present location. Then Tangerine and I came to live with them, and Thad and Alice have been happy ever since. They even have grandchildren now and I will show you some pictures of them, but first I want to tell you something about the Rio Grande valley where we live.

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