In which Max disapproves of my decorating...

Amazon sometimes feels like it gets me, like when it suggests I buy some butterflies. However, Max does not always agree, and she shows her disagreement by eating my art supplies:

Luckily for me, I was able to use it anyway!

Warmth

When Max gets chilly, she flies to a radiator and warms up a bit! I love it...

Seen on my run this morning

It is so hard to get out of bed to run, but I'm always so happy when I do.  I sometimes feel like I am the luckiest lady in the world!

Friends?

Don't believe everything you see!  Max and Calypso were peacefully on their cages.  I was studying on the couch.  Calypso flew over to her cage, when I snapped this picture.  But he just wanted to be a bully!  After ringing her bell of disapproval, Max climbed down to walk over by me, and Calypso reigned happily until I put him back where he belonged.

Displaced leaf bathing

In the wild, Calypso would leaf bathe on actual leaves.  In captivity, he uses new rags and his ingenuity!

World Series

One of my best friends works as an executive for a local concert venue. As such, I get to see a lot of live music. Tonight, one of my favorite musicians was playing. He was having an off night, so we only stayed for about half of the concert. I got home in time to watch the 9th inning of the World Series. Unfortunately, my only TV is in the same room where the parrots are. And here I confess another deficiency in my parrot ownership (though Max is so happy about this!) -- I woke them up so I could watch what's going to happen. I tried being as quiet as possible, but Max left her sleeping perch to beg to come out:

I have owned Max for nearly 15 years, and I have never seen her sleep.  I'd think she didn't need sleep, except for her extreme silence during the night.  She was ready to party, so I let her out for a few minutes, until the game ended.  Indians win!

Toothpaste!

And this is why I can't have nice things:

Max gets into everything! She loves the taste of toothpaste. I can't imagine that it's healthy for her, so I try to keep it out of her sight. But sometimes I forget, which means she gets to do this, and I get to spend the next few weeks getting sticky as a bit squeezes out the end of the tube through her minuscule pin prick holes.

Quarterly (?) Update

I'm not even sure it's fair to mention me and the word "blogger" in the same sentence, since I have done so little of it in the past few years. But I frequently think about something I'd like to post here, if only so that I can reflect on life in the future.

So again, I am going to try to recommit to posting more frequently.

This summer has been incredible.  I took level 2 of the CFA exam in June, and found out in July that I had passed!  Only one more level left -- I'm taking it in June 2017 -- and then I will be done with tests forever.  I hope.  Which means that after nearly a year of nonstop studying for levels 1 and 2, I've been enjoying myself, mostly stress-free, this summer.

Max turns 15 next week.  I purchased her from a breeder before I knew about the plight of captive parrots, but it is Max that led me into the interesting world of parrots.  She's sitting on the arm of my couch, a few inches from me, contentedly grinding her beak.  We'll probably spend the next few decades of our lives together, barring any accidents or surprise poor health on either of our parts.

Things with my boyfriend are still going well.  I need a blogname for him!  I'm not feeling particularly creative tonight, so I will simply call him J.  We recently celebrated a year together and are planning a trip to Hawaii in a few months.  Where I will run a marathon (along with some friends) and he will relax.  I will also relax.

A few years back, a man who has become one of my best friends gave me a dozen yellow roses for Valentine's Day.  He was delivering flowers to his husband (my coworker and another one of my best friends, though not quite at the time of this story) and he didn't want me to feel left out.  Since that time, I've saved all of the roses anyone has given me.  J knows this, so he gave me a gorgeous bouquet for our anniversary.  I plucked one out and put it in one of my favorite vases:

I bought it from a local potter when my art museum was having an art fair, and it brings me joy every day, even while empty.

As I type this, I'm watching the World Series.  Baseball is so calming, and I particularly love playoff baseball.  There is a movie (you can currently find it on Netflix) called "Fastball" that I highly recommend to anyone who loves the game.  I can hardly believe that the Indians made it this year -- I cannot tell you how many times I've watched "Major League" over the years.

Max has flown back to her cage, and is preoccupied with a toy she found in a bucket I attach to the side of her cage, filled with components that have broken off of other toys, like beads.  Calypso is playing happily inside his cage, even though his cage door is open.  I had to trim his beak a couple of days ago, and he may still be holding a bit of a grudge.  He'll get over it :)

As the days get shorter, and the weather colder, I am finding myself already missing summer.  And I have to wait quite a few more months until it appears again.  I've stocked up at my local bookstore, and am hoping to spend many evenings curled up with a good book.

Max has now returned to the arm of the chair, and is daintily trying to get my attention so I will scratch her head.  If I continue to ignore her, she will become more insistent, so I will oblige her before it comes to that.  It's really quite amazing to me the relationship we've formed over the past nearly 15 years.  I can predict how she's going to behave, and she'd probably say the same thing about me.

Brief update - things are fantastic! - thanks for checking!

I recently received two comments from blogfriends asking if things were OK.  I cannot believe how quickly time flies and that it's been over a year (!) since I've updated.  (And thanks for still caring about me -- I think of the people I met through here often, even if my actions don't reflect that!)

I still plan to start updating this blog more frequently, and will write a lot more after Saturday, June 4.

The past year has been the absolute best year of my entire life.  I still shake my head in amazement sometimes that this life has happened to me, especially when I consider how sad and shocked I was when (what I assumed would be my) lifetime marriage came to an abrupt end.  The me of 4 years ago had no idea that that would be the best thing that ever could have happened!

After going on more than 60 disappointing first dates, last February (2015), I decided to entirely give up on dating and just focus on creating an amazing life.  I became much closer with my friends and family.  My mom and I took a trip to Europe -- a trip she'd been dreaming of for years -- so that she could see where I lived as a high school exchange student 20 years prior.  I decided to pursue an extremely challenging work designation that will skyrocket my career (level 2's exam is on Saturday, June 4, so that's why more extensive updates will have to wait until after that date), which led to a promotion and huge raise.  I ran marathons in more states (12 down, with Maryland, Nevada, and Hawaii coming up later this year.)

Max, Calypso, and Andreas are thriving.  We've been in our house for almost three years now, so they have the routine down and are very happy animals.

While I was out living my life and not dating for over half the year, I met an incredible man and we've been dating for 8 months.  Isn't that so cliche? -- you find what you need when you're not looking for it.  As I'd met my ex-husband so young, I hadn't really had any real dating experience; certainly not as an adult.  What a difference being with an emotionally healthy man makes!  He celebrates my accomplishments, compliments me frequently, and loves baseball -- three things I had no experience with in a partner.

And, he loves the parrots!  Being prey animals, they are necessarily wary of intruders, especially as they've had me to themselves for so many years.  And my boyfriend is 6'3" -- not sure they knew people that tall even existed!  But he is so patient and kind.  He asks to spend time with them without me, finds their favorite types of music and has dance parties with them, and makes sure to give them plenty of praise and treats.  He doesn't get frustrated when it takes them longer to warm up to him, and delights in small progress, like when Max will perch on his hand instead of flying away.

Once I am through with this test, I will have 6 months or so until I have to start studying for the next test (hopefully level 3, the final level, assuming I pass level 2) and I will definitely be blogging much more regularly!  I have had some really fun experiences over the past few years of limited blogging, and would like to have committed them down so I can reread at some point!

Love and miss you!  More soon! XOXO

Well, hello there!

November

How did the year fly by so quickly?

Before I knew it, it's November, there's snow on the ground, and I'm wishing that when my life imploded, I had chosen to move somewhere warm.  Although then I'd have to deal with killer snakes, so I guess I just have to deal with the snow.

All of my pictures reside on my phone, and I have not yet transferred them to my computer, but I felt the need to write tonight.

Today, I went with my mom, one of my best friends, and her mom, to a food and alcohol festival.  We ate so much delicious food, and had so many interesting beers, wines, and spirits.

Things are going so well for me.  Last week, I acquired a piano, and I am teaching myself how to play.

Additionally, I have a great friend from Costa Rica, and he is teaching me Spanish!  He is an expert bird watcher, so we go out and he is able to help me learn bird calls.

I've been thinking about fostering someone, in Beeps's memory.  I haven't spoken to the lady who runs the rescue where I volunteer, but hopefully she'd be on board.  I still miss him every day and wish there were something I could have done to keep him alive and happy

More soon!

What's next?

I brought a parrot stand into my upstairs bedroom with my TV, so that on the occasions that I watch TV, Max and Calypso can be with me.

As always, Max is not content to explore.  She must fly around and cause trouble.

She tried to land on the door frame, but was shocked to see that it was only 1/4 inch or so, and therefore needed to be rescued.  Unfortunately, it took her several times to realize this!

Birdwatching!

While dating, I met a wonderful man from Costa Rica. We are not meant to be, romantically, but we make great friends.  He was a tour guide in Costa Rica, and knows so much about birds and birding.  A few weeks back, we went out birding  Unfortunately, I was stuck with the camera on my iphone, but we saw a Cooper's Hawk just lounging in the water!  It's about 1/3 of the way from the left and in the middle.  You can see its reflection in the water.

I went to grab my scope, and we watched her for quite a long time.  She bathed a bit; then she flew from branch to branch.  It was just magnificent.

When I was trying to figure out how to draw an arrow on the picture (obviously, unsuccessfully), I instead found a button that would intensify the colors in my picture:

More beauty:

We're hoping to get out a few more times this fall, and will take my scope out this winter to look for migrating ducks and other waterfowl.  I can't wait!

View

I took this picture out of my office window last week. My boss had bought me a lemon tea drink, and it seemed so much like summer.  Except it is starting to get cold!  If I squint a bit, I can pretend that I am looking at the Mediterranean.

Woodcarving!

Part of my post-divorce life is actually experiencing different things that life has to offer.  This fall, one of those things was taking a wood carving class through the rec department.  I learned how to make an owl:

Before and after:

She is now part of my owl collection at my office.  I'm trying to decide if I liked wood carving enough to take another class in it this winter.  The teacher was amazing, but I did get a blister on my finger from pushing the knife into the hard wood.  Even if I never carve another piece of wood again in my life, I have the memory and experience of doing so.

End of summer

I am so not ready for summer to come to an end yet.  I had such an amazing summer - a road trip with my sisters, concerts, movies, friends, etc.  I am slowly trying to wrap my head around the impending fall and winter.

I got this note in my fortune cookie, which my coworkers joked was place especially for me:

Made me happy that things are going so well at work.

Last month, I ran a 50K and wound up finishing 3rd in my age group.  Super pumped, and I received some nice prizes from that.  But perhaps the best prize was soaking my feet in an ice bucket while eating a cookie.

I volunteer at a nature center as the Treasurer, which means I spend way too much of my volunteer time inside!  Earlier this month, I was there to help with the financials, but finished early enough to take a hike.  Nature is so calming and beautiful:

Until August

Almost caught up! My city is just so much fun, especially in the summer. Our local parks department puts on shows so you can go and listen to music in several city parks. I went quite frequently with friends this summer.

Here is photographic evidence of my car hitting 100,000 miles.  I actually hate my car.  It was a terrible choice.  It only has two door so is inconvenient, is super low to the ground, the check engine light is always on; I could go on and on.  It does have a great stereo!  In any case, I've thought about replacing my car (it's a 2002; purchased in 2001) but I hardly ever drive, so it makes financial sense to drive it as long as possible.  I hit 100,000 miles while going down the freeway.  I'm hoping to keep it for another few years while I make improvements to my house and save money.

I was making a dish of Thai peanut sauce with roasted broccoli.  Max kept saying, "want some!" I thought she wanted broccoli, but she had her eye on the peanut butter.  Once I figured that out and complied, all was right in our house again:

 I kept giving her broccoli, and she kept throwing it on the counter!

My best friend does Scottish Highland dancing, so I went to a festival to watch her.  Because I was with the talent, I got to sit backstage.  It was so much fun!

And a baseball game.  I am sponsored by a local running store; mostly because I am really good friends with the lady who is in charge of the sponsorship program.  Every year, they do an employee outing to our local MLB team.  And, even though I do not work there, I have been adopted as one of their own.

One of my friends is an amazing cook.  He had me over to their house a few weeks ago, and he served individual pizzas for everyone.  He used naan as the crust, and then you top as desired.  What a fantastic idea!  I have stated making these for myself:

And that pretty much brings me up to speed on what happened this summer.  I am still in denial that fall is coming, but I need to face reality.

I hope that everyone reading had a great summer and continues to do well!

Boating, with dogs

I may have mentioned this earlier, but, quite by accident, I have recently become friends with people who like to take me out on their boat. Yay for me!

Over July 4, I went out on my friends' boat to watch the fireworks.  I invited two married friends to go with me (my best friend and her husband.)  They reciprocated by having us all out on their boat a month or so later.  With their dogs.

This is Hans.  He is my surrogate dog.  He absolutely loves me.  When I run with my best friend (who owns Hans and his sister), I hold his leash.  When he sees me, he jumps up and down; turning in circles with excitement.  It is so fun to see.  And he'll do it every time, even if he just saw me three hours earlier.  He is willed to me, though that should not come into play since his owners are just 40!

We had a great afternoon and have plans to do this more often in 2015.

Max eats broccoli

Since I'm working and going out more than I did before, I do the best I can to continue to give my parrots lots of attention.

Which means they "help" me cook. Max is testing the freshness of my broccoli. Which looks a bit toxic and glowing in this picture, but which was actually organic and delicious!

Another beer fest

My parents and I, sometimes with other guests, have gone to a beer fest every year since it started in 2010. Therefore, 2014 was our 5th year doing this. As always, so much fun. My parents are great sports and are probably doing things in their 60s with me that they never imagined they would be doing. The divorce was good for my entire family!

Have you ever heard of Beard Beer?  When I was at my local liquor store, they told me about it, but it sounded so disgusting that I didn't buy any.  After thinking about it for a few months, and deciding to play a trick on my parents, I went back to buy some but they were out of it and not planning on getting any more.  I figured my chance to try it was over.

But I hadn't considered the beer fest!

They had it, and it was surprisingly good.

For those not in the know, they found the yeast for this beer in the beard of one of the workers.  Pictured on the bottle.  My dad wouldn't try it, but my mom and I agreed that it just tasted like pretty good regular beer!

This beer fest happens to be on the same weekend as a big street festival about two blocks away.  So, even though we'd been drinking most of the afternoon, we headed over to the festival.  There is a bar in my town that is known for its international theme -- I went here to watch many of the World Cup games.  I told my dad that it was one of the hippest bars in town (you can tell I am not hip as I actually said that to him), and he responded, "That's why we're here, of course!"

So he went to buy us what we didn't need: another beer.

We ran into some friends at the street festival, and had a great time. Finally, we decided it was time to go home, so started walking.  But first, I wanted to show my parents the amazing house that two of my very good friends just bought and renovated.  They weren't home, so I texted them, they gave me the garage code, and we took a tour.  What a fun evening!

And then we stopped on the way home for some pie:

We had a great evening.  My parents spent the night at my house, and my dad had his first good night's sleep in months.  (I have an amazing bed -- trying to get them to buy one -- and my dad needed surgery -- which he had and which was successful.)