I only hope he forgets about constantly screaming while outside his cage the next time I'm alone with them. Let's hope Tuesday night was an aberration!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Rocky's back to normal
Rocky was back to normal last night, spending a lot of time with Thomas and not screaming.
I only hope he forgets about constantly screaming while outside his cage the next time I'm alone with them. Let's hope Tuesday night was an aberration!
I only hope he forgets about constantly screaming while outside his cage the next time I'm alone with them. Let's hope Tuesday night was an aberration!
The greys enjoy farmers' market finds
Wednesday is when our local farmers' market takes place, so I was there again yesterday. My favorite farmer had his wonderful greens mixes again, which means we get to eat amazing salads like last year this week.
He puts some edible flowers in the mixes, and I take them out in order to feed them to the lizards who get so much more enjoyment out of them than we do.
As soon as Max saw the flowers, she started dancing and saying, "Want some!" I didn't think she did want some, but I like to show them that their words have meaning, so I offered her a flower. To my surprise, she took it! I'm not sure if she actually ate any or she just enjoyed destroying it.
I love how this picture captures how delicately she's holding the flower in her foot:
Of course, then Stella had to get in on the action:
Rocky, Calypso, and Daphne were not interested. Beeps quickly destroyed his before I could get a picture.
I had placed the flowers to the side while I washed the rest of the greens, intending to place the flowers in the lizards' refrigerated food container for distribution the next day. Someone decided to help herself to seconds. I expanded the focus of this picture so you can see how Beeps was watching everything that was going on. He'd just finished throwing all of the newspaper lining the stand tray on the ground.
After the greens were ready, I started working on the toppings. My second favorite farmer was selling mushrooms, so I picked some up. I was at the sink, washing them, and putting the tops on a cutting board for me to slice once they'd all been washed.
Sneakily, Max flew over and grabbed an entire mushroom top for herself! I tried to get it out of her grasp, but she was determined to keep it.
Here is a short video that captures the essence of what I was trying to do. She was perched on my hand and I tried to get the mushroom with the other. In order to get part of this on tape, I had to set the camera and Max down, which results in her not being entirely in the frame.
My favorite part is at the end when she's had enough of me. She just flies away! I let her eat the mushroom and when she dropped the majority on the floor, I rewashed it and offered the pieces to the rest of the parrots.
He puts some edible flowers in the mixes, and I take them out in order to feed them to the lizards who get so much more enjoyment out of them than we do.
As soon as Max saw the flowers, she started dancing and saying, "Want some!" I didn't think she did want some, but I like to show them that their words have meaning, so I offered her a flower. To my surprise, she took it! I'm not sure if she actually ate any or she just enjoyed destroying it.
I love how this picture captures how delicately she's holding the flower in her foot:
Of course, then Stella had to get in on the action:
Rocky, Calypso, and Daphne were not interested. Beeps quickly destroyed his before I could get a picture.I had placed the flowers to the side while I washed the rest of the greens, intending to place the flowers in the lizards' refrigerated food container for distribution the next day. Someone decided to help herself to seconds. I expanded the focus of this picture so you can see how Beeps was watching everything that was going on. He'd just finished throwing all of the newspaper lining the stand tray on the ground.
After the greens were ready, I started working on the toppings. My second favorite farmer was selling mushrooms, so I picked some up. I was at the sink, washing them, and putting the tops on a cutting board for me to slice once they'd all been washed.Sneakily, Max flew over and grabbed an entire mushroom top for herself! I tried to get it out of her grasp, but she was determined to keep it.
Here is a short video that captures the essence of what I was trying to do. She was perched on my hand and I tried to get the mushroom with the other. In order to get part of this on tape, I had to set the camera and Max down, which results in her not being entirely in the frame.My favorite part is at the end when she's had enough of me. She just flies away! I let her eat the mushroom and when she dropped the majority on the floor, I rewashed it and offered the pieces to the rest of the parrots.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Determination
This morning as I was changing the birds' dishes, the greys flew into the kitchen with me. In an anticipated move, Stella then flew to the floor and did her morning rounds of the shoes, the pantry, the cabinets...
I opened one of the cabinets, and she came running, but to the side opposite where I was. I noticed her peering at me through the bottom of the door. By the time I got my camera, she had proceeded to trying to fit her body under the open door.
Of course, she could have easily walked around the door if she so badly needed to get to the other side. This way must have been more fun.
I opened one of the cabinets, and she came running, but to the side opposite where I was. I noticed her peering at me through the bottom of the door. By the time I got my camera, she had proceeded to trying to fit her body under the open door.
Of course, she could have easily walked around the door if she so badly needed to get to the other side. This way must have been more fun.
Defeating the purpose
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Thomas was gone yesterday. He called me in the evening. I tried to talk to him while sitting in the kitchen, where the greys had followed me. This could not happen, as the instant I picked the phone up, they started demanding my attention. "Up! Up! Come here!" When that didn't work, they started loudly whistling and chirping. Thomas tends to be a bit of a phone-mumbler anyway. After making him repeat himself several times, I enclosed myself in the bathroom.
After a few minutes, I heard Stella having a fit in the kitchen. She had climbed on to the dishrack and was throwing all of my clean dishes (mostly silverware and measuring spoons and cups; I don't think she could lift a plate, although she had lifted a component of Thomas's new French press coffee machine several inches off of the rack) on the floor. I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom with me.
Separated, therefore not egging each other on, combined with Stella being in close proximity to me, I had several minutes of peace.
Then came the knocking.
Max had flown down and started ramming her beak into the door. I tried to ignore her, but I couldn't resist the effort she'd put in to joining her flock. I wanted to reward her ingenuity, so she joined us.
I explained to Thomas what had happened. He said, "Let me get this straight. You went into the bathroom to escape from the greys. Now they're both in there with you. Why are you still in the bathroom then?"
I couldn't come up with a good answer, but we were done with our conversation anyway, so we hung up and then I took this picture. Excuse the messy counter!
After I took the first picture, Stella started chasing Max around. You can see that Max's wings are partly extended -- she flew to the other side of the counter right after this picture was taken.
Shortly after this, it was the parrots' bedtime. Thomas will be home tonight; I'm looking forward to him taking the pressure off of me in terms of having to keep everyone entertained and happy!
After a few minutes, I heard Stella having a fit in the kitchen. She had climbed on to the dishrack and was throwing all of my clean dishes (mostly silverware and measuring spoons and cups; I don't think she could lift a plate, although she had lifted a component of Thomas's new French press coffee machine several inches off of the rack) on the floor. I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom with me.
Separated, therefore not egging each other on, combined with Stella being in close proximity to me, I had several minutes of peace.
Then came the knocking.
Max had flown down and started ramming her beak into the door. I tried to ignore her, but I couldn't resist the effort she'd put in to joining her flock. I wanted to reward her ingenuity, so she joined us.
I explained to Thomas what had happened. He said, "Let me get this straight. You went into the bathroom to escape from the greys. Now they're both in there with you. Why are you still in the bathroom then?"
I couldn't come up with a good answer, but we were done with our conversation anyway, so we hung up and then I took this picture. Excuse the messy counter!
After I took the first picture, Stella started chasing Max around. You can see that Max's wings are partly extended -- she flew to the other side of the counter right after this picture was taken.
Shortly after this, it was the parrots' bedtime. Thomas will be home tonight; I'm looking forward to him taking the pressure off of me in terms of having to keep everyone entertained and happy!
Mysterious and irritating
I don't know if his behavior has anything to do with the fact that Thomas wasn't home. I guess we'll see if it repeats itself tonight -- I certainly hope not!
Over the past few weeks, Rocky has been treating a towel inside his cage and a ball with certain reverence. It appears to be some sort of displaced nesting behavior; however, he doesn't dig in the towel or try to sit on the ball/egg. He just likes to stand on the towel, near the ball. Sometimes he'll gently rest his beak on the ball.
When either one of us is home, the parrots spend the majority of the time out of their cages. Exceptions are made for sleeping and safety.
Yesterday, as usual, I let Rocky out of his cage shortly after returning home from work. As soon as the cage door was open, he started screaming. Constantly. Loudly. Not wanting to incur the wrath of my neighbors and, quite frankly, having heard enough noise, I decided that if he was going to scream anyway, I was going to lock him in his cage so that I didn't have to worry about a sneak attack as I tried to fend off an oncoming headache. The screaming instantly ceased.
Headache averted, I returned to the kitchen to cook dinner. Then, as I settled on the couch to eat, I opened his cage door again. More constant screaming. How does this not hurt his throat in some way? The parrots we saw in the wild screamed occasionally, but certainly not for 5 minutes straight!
I closed the door again, and he quieted down. When I relayed the story to Thomas, he guessed that Rocky didn't want me disturbing his nest. Whatever the reason, he spent much more time in his cage yesterday than necessary; let's hope this is only temporary!
Over the past few weeks, Rocky has been treating a towel inside his cage and a ball with certain reverence. It appears to be some sort of displaced nesting behavior; however, he doesn't dig in the towel or try to sit on the ball/egg. He just likes to stand on the towel, near the ball. Sometimes he'll gently rest his beak on the ball.
When either one of us is home, the parrots spend the majority of the time out of their cages. Exceptions are made for sleeping and safety.Yesterday, as usual, I let Rocky out of his cage shortly after returning home from work. As soon as the cage door was open, he started screaming. Constantly. Loudly. Not wanting to incur the wrath of my neighbors and, quite frankly, having heard enough noise, I decided that if he was going to scream anyway, I was going to lock him in his cage so that I didn't have to worry about a sneak attack as I tried to fend off an oncoming headache. The screaming instantly ceased.
Headache averted, I returned to the kitchen to cook dinner. Then, as I settled on the couch to eat, I opened his cage door again. More constant screaming. How does this not hurt his throat in some way? The parrots we saw in the wild screamed occasionally, but certainly not for 5 minutes straight!
I closed the door again, and he quieted down. When I relayed the story to Thomas, he guessed that Rocky didn't want me disturbing his nest. Whatever the reason, he spent much more time in his cage yesterday than necessary; let's hope this is only temporary!
Old times
After several months where Thomas was with us every evening, June arrived. Unfortunately, it's a call month, which means 30-hour shifts at the hospital. The animals and I were alone last night. For the most part, he was greatly missed. The fish, lizards, and Daphne are indifferent. Calypso is actually happier when he's not around.
I brought Calypso and Max in the kitchen with me as I was preparing dinner for myself. Stella was in her cage because the stove was on, Rocky was in his cage for reasons I'll get into in a later posting today. Daphne was in her cage because I always supervise her when she's out due to her much smaller size. Beeps was out, but chose to stay and play on his cage instead of joining us.
It was just like old times, three years ago, when Max and Calypso were my only larger birds.
Calypso is the best I've ever seen in using his beak, feet, and general cuteness to stick to me even when I'm trying to set him down. I've left the house 10 minutes later than intended twice this week already. Sometimes he's so adorable I can't even stand it.
I brought Calypso and Max in the kitchen with me as I was preparing dinner for myself. Stella was in her cage because the stove was on, Rocky was in his cage for reasons I'll get into in a later posting today. Daphne was in her cage because I always supervise her when she's out due to her much smaller size. Beeps was out, but chose to stay and play on his cage instead of joining us.
It was just like old times, three years ago, when Max and Calypso were my only larger birds.Calypso is the best I've ever seen in using his beak, feet, and general cuteness to stick to me even when I'm trying to set him down. I've left the house 10 minutes later than intended twice this week already. Sometimes he's so adorable I can't even stand it.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Spice girl
While cooking dinner last night, I left the spice cabinet open as I walked to the pantry to grab an ingredient. I heard flapping, and assumed Max had flown over to stare at the basement door, since Thomas was working out down there.
Imagine my surprise to return to this sight:
I think this is the first time Stella has flown onto a cabinet door. I actually prefer this to having her hang out by the shoes; however, after I removed her from here, she didn't make a return trip, but did fly down to the shoes at least 10 times! Despite reminders that shoes are not her babies.
Imagine my surprise to return to this sight:
I think this is the first time Stella has flown onto a cabinet door. I actually prefer this to having her hang out by the shoes; however, after I removed her from here, she didn't make a return trip, but did fly down to the shoes at least 10 times! Despite reminders that shoes are not her babies.
Radishes
Yet another farmers' market purchase last week were radishes. I don't think we've ever given them to the parrots before, although my memory may be faulty! From his reaction, this may be Rocky's favorite food. He couldn't get enough of it! He was so quickly eating the radish.
The greys weren't interested. Neither, surprisingly, was Calypso. Beeps took one and completely destroyed it. I don't think he ingested any; it was a toy.
These will stay on my farmers' market list!
The greys weren't interested. Neither, surprisingly, was Calypso. Beeps took one and completely destroyed it. I don't think he ingested any; it was a toy.These will stay on my farmers' market list!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Random musings
I was up at the parrot rescue for a few hours this past Saturday, mostly making toys for the parrots currently at the facility. As usual, it kind of put me in a sad mood. So many wonderful parrots! There are a few that I really would love to make part of my flock -- in particular a blue crowned conure and a greenwing macaw. However, as I've stated many times here, I realize our limitations, and bringing anyone new into our home right now just wouldn't be fair to those that are already here.
This got me thinking about the circumstances surrounding the entry into our home of each of our parrots. It's really interesting how things turn out. There have been literally scores of parrots who picked us (either Thomas or me or both) at the rescue that we didn't bring home. Stella, the last parrot to enter our flock, didn't particularly care for either of us when we first met her at the rescue. I thought this would make it easier to simply foster her, but she quickly warmed up to us and we kept her. What would her life have been like if we hadn't kept her? Would we have taken another bird in to our home, or would we currently only have five? Playing what-if games like this is ultimately futile, but I can't always control where my mind wanders.
This got me thinking (more mind-wandering) about how wonderful all our parrots are. Although they occasionally frustrate me (if I were at home, I'd glance at Rocky now), I feel as though we could not be happier with our birds. I hope that every parrot-owner feels that their birds are the best in the world. And then I got sad again, thinking of the birds at the rescue, with no family; no one who thinks they're the best bird in the world. I hope that they find that special family where they can be cherished and loved as they all deserve.
Then I walked over to my parrots, thanked them for being so wonderful, and gave Calypso the attention he was begging for.
Just as I was sitting there, thinking all of these nice thoughts about them, something possessed them. Every single one of them (almost) started doing something irritating. Rocky and Beeps screamed. Stella slammed her bell against the side of the cage. Max started eating the mini blinds. Only Calypso and Daphne remained sweet.
I think they wanted less thinking and more dancing out of me. Or at least that's how I read it, so I turned up the music and we all expended some energy.
This got me thinking about the circumstances surrounding the entry into our home of each of our parrots. It's really interesting how things turn out. There have been literally scores of parrots who picked us (either Thomas or me or both) at the rescue that we didn't bring home. Stella, the last parrot to enter our flock, didn't particularly care for either of us when we first met her at the rescue. I thought this would make it easier to simply foster her, but she quickly warmed up to us and we kept her. What would her life have been like if we hadn't kept her? Would we have taken another bird in to our home, or would we currently only have five? Playing what-if games like this is ultimately futile, but I can't always control where my mind wanders.
This got me thinking (more mind-wandering) about how wonderful all our parrots are. Although they occasionally frustrate me (if I were at home, I'd glance at Rocky now), I feel as though we could not be happier with our birds. I hope that every parrot-owner feels that their birds are the best in the world. And then I got sad again, thinking of the birds at the rescue, with no family; no one who thinks they're the best bird in the world. I hope that they find that special family where they can be cherished and loved as they all deserve.
Then I walked over to my parrots, thanked them for being so wonderful, and gave Calypso the attention he was begging for.
Just as I was sitting there, thinking all of these nice thoughts about them, something possessed them. Every single one of them (almost) started doing something irritating. Rocky and Beeps screamed. Stella slammed her bell against the side of the cage. Max started eating the mini blinds. Only Calypso and Daphne remained sweet.
I think they wanted less thinking and more dancing out of me. Or at least that's how I read it, so I turned up the music and we all expended some energy.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Rhubarb frenzy
Last week Wednesday I went to the farmers' market for the first time this season. There wasn't too much produce yet available but I still wanted to support my favorite local farmer, so I bought some rhubarb even though I had no idea what I was going to do with it.
I asked my friends on a forum that I frequent, and someone recommended a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. (Yes, I can use recipes other than those coming from my favorite cookbook!) It was quite delicious. I made a few substitutions -- whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose and lemon rind instead of orange (since that's what I had at home). The topping didn't cook all of the way, which was probably the result of me not mixing it properly.
It turned out a little too sweet for me; if I make this again I think I would eliminate some of the sugar coating the fruit and perhaps only make half of the topping.
Two days ago, I bought some more rhubarb at the farmers' market. This time, I decided to make a Rhubarb Coffee Cake. Also delicious! Once again, a few substitutions. I didn't have enough sour cream, so I used plain yogurt. And once again, I substituted lemon rind for orange. Finally, I didn't have turbinado sugar, so I just used regular sugar. I also used a bit more rhubarb than the recipe called for since I didn't want to be left with a couple of stalks. I used a food processor to chop the rhubarb finely.
I would recommend either of these recipes to anyone who has some spare rhubarb lying around.
Thomas was making asparagus-spinach soup/puree for dinner last night. After placing the cooked items in the blender, Max had to come over to investigate:
The parrots absolutely loved this dish. When Rocky really loves something, he keeps his top beak in the food and laps it up. We joke that he's afraid Thomas will remove the spoon if he doesn't lay claim to it by keeping his beak immersed. When Max really loves something, she uses her bottom beak to scoop out as large of a portion as she can. Both of these actions were seen in our house last night.
Everyone loves when the farmers' market is around again! How did we survive the winter?
I asked my friends on a forum that I frequent, and someone recommended a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. (Yes, I can use recipes other than those coming from my favorite cookbook!) It was quite delicious. I made a few substitutions -- whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose and lemon rind instead of orange (since that's what I had at home). The topping didn't cook all of the way, which was probably the result of me not mixing it properly.
It turned out a little too sweet for me; if I make this again I think I would eliminate some of the sugar coating the fruit and perhaps only make half of the topping.Two days ago, I bought some more rhubarb at the farmers' market. This time, I decided to make a Rhubarb Coffee Cake. Also delicious! Once again, a few substitutions. I didn't have enough sour cream, so I used plain yogurt. And once again, I substituted lemon rind for orange. Finally, I didn't have turbinado sugar, so I just used regular sugar. I also used a bit more rhubarb than the recipe called for since I didn't want to be left with a couple of stalks. I used a food processor to chop the rhubarb finely.
I would recommend either of these recipes to anyone who has some spare rhubarb lying around.Thomas was making asparagus-spinach soup/puree for dinner last night. After placing the cooked items in the blender, Max had to come over to investigate:
The parrots absolutely loved this dish. When Rocky really loves something, he keeps his top beak in the food and laps it up. We joke that he's afraid Thomas will remove the spoon if he doesn't lay claim to it by keeping his beak immersed. When Max really loves something, she uses her bottom beak to scoop out as large of a portion as she can. Both of these actions were seen in our house last night.Everyone loves when the farmers' market is around again! How did we survive the winter?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
