Conure Corner - Niblet's Blog

Ready to Reopen? I Don't Think So.

5/17/2020

The world is opening back up, but despite the economic concerns, people are still plenty scared of COVID-19. We know. We got a lesson on Thursday.

Thursday, mommy didn't feel well. Sinus symptoms that felt like they were going into an infection: she knows the drill. She's in between doctors right now because her old doctor retired abruptly in April and the new one can't see her until later this month to "set her up," so she decided to take advantage of telemedicine. Her insurance offers two apps to visit doctors online, and she decided to try a new one that came online this year.

That was a mistake. It's free. Translation: you get what you pay for.

So she enters her information, maintenance medications and vitamins, and symptoms, and waits while things wiz and whirl. The diagnosis comes back:

YOU MAY HAVE COVID-19. YOU NEED A TEST IMMEDIATELY. IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT YOU SELF ISOLATE UNTIL A TEST CAN DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE COVID-19. DO YOU CONSENT TO A TEST?

She clicked "no." Another screen popped up that read:

or you might have a sinus infection. use a nasal spray and feel better soon.

She's already using a nasal spray. They told her to do something she's already doing. In other words: no help there. It all seemed a bit dramatic for her. She went to the other app that she's used for years. Sure enough, they diagnosed her with a bacterial sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics.

When the customer service survey came from the first (new) app, she told them they were a bit hasty to jump to the worst case scenario, and forced her to go to a more reliable resource. When they wanted to know who she heard about them from, her reply was "somebody I'm not taking advice from anymore."

Ready to reopen, my tail feathers. You humans need to stop playing so tough. That was all the proof this parrot needed to tell me that you guys aren't ready to reopen! You all need a hefty dose of common sense first!

She is slowly improving, by the way. In fact, she and daddy had their 22nd Wedding Anniversary yesterday (May 16), and it was a very nice day. Low key, of course, with things as they are, but nice.

That's all today. Take care, stay safe, and don't let the crazies get you. Have a great week.

Luv,

Bubbles

Clean Bill of Health

4/30/2020

Bubbs and I got a clean bill of health at our well check today. That's good. But the bad news is that the vet clipped one of Bubb's toenails too short, so mommy had to stop the bleeding and clean up the mess. Everything is ok now, but it was stressful. Mommy says she needs to re-evaluate her decision making paradigm in this "new reality." She feels bad about making the vet visit now.

It was stressful. They wouldn't let her go in with us. A technician came to the car and took us in. And, of course, we wanted our mommy, so we gave the vet hell. I don't care about COVID-19: I want my mommy, and so does Bubbs! Now they know.

At least we're healthy, and it went quick. Now we just have to recover from the visit, and the mishap that happened. But this is life. These things do happen. Fortunately, we have parronts who love us and take good care of us. But now I have to calm these two upset hens down. Goodness, a sun conure's job is never done. Especially when one of the parronts is working at home all the time now!

That's all today. Take care. Have a happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Luv,

Zack

A Unique Easter

4/9/2020

It looks like this will be a unique Easter for the flock, now that we're under a "Home or Work" order. For example, mommy found out that Amazon has delays on non-essential deliveries right now when she ordered my seed, so getting new Easter toys before Easter isn't happening. Oh well. So instead, daddy rearranged our playgym, and mommy is going to see if she can find some toys from Christmas that we haven't used too much. She was joking about parents pulling old toys out of the attic when she was a kid to "surprise" them when things went sideways. It seems she's resurrecting a trick used on her!

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services will be live streamed. I'm kind of excited because I'll finally get to see what the parronts are doing at church, especially on these high Holy Days. I know it's supposed to be about community, but community isn' t happening right now. And dinner will be grilled steaks and potatoes. But that's ok. Mommy makes ham all the time around here, so we aren't missing anything.

Honestly, I'm ok with the whole work-at-home thing, and I wish it would last forever. It's kind of fun to be a working bird again! Mommy's work laptop is interesting, and that power cord is tempting.

Yes, it will be a different Easter, but we'll be ok. Who needs the Easter Bunny? What's up with that anyway? It doesn't make sense! Oh well. That's just the musings of one blue mutation Quaker.

That's all today. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow, a wonderful weekend, and a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

Luv,

Bubbles

Working From Home With Mommy

3/26/2020

Well, it happened. Mommy is working from home. They finally gave her a laptop and send her into quarantine last Friday. And I have to say, she was right about one thing: I find her work excessively dull. How boring! She sits at the computer, processes stuff, and answers messages all day. It's no wonder she rarely has insomnia. Good grief!

It did get exciting yesterday, because she had a conference call and a webinar. I participated in the conference call. Mind you, I wasn't invited, but I screamed my two-cents worth in anyway. Did you know that speaker phones are more entertaining than regular phones, because you can hear both sides of the conversation? I won't lie - I did answer some things. I believe they were surprised, but it was fun. I enjoyed that.

I set Bubbles to oversee the webinar while I took a nap, but she reported that it wasn't as much fun as the call. There was no interaction there, because they muted the lines and ran a presentation with us only able to hear the speakers. The nerve! And how boring! It sounds like I came out on the better end of that deal. But we both got rewarded when daddy was home and she "logged off" for the day, because we got to sit on the front porch in our travel/outside cages. The weather is warming up, the rain had taken the pollen down a notch, and it was nice. We don't often get to do that on a weekday. Maybe there are some perks to this quarantine and working from home.

That's all today. .Be sure to be a good assistant to your parronts if they're working from home, and a good comfort to them if they're "essential" and still must go in (like daddy). Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend. We've earned it! Anipals are working with their humans these days!

Luv,

Zack

Scary Times

3/18/2020

Things are getting scary with this quarantine! Schools are closed for teachers and students, churches are closed, no social gatherings, all community events are cancelled, restaurants and bar are take-out or delivery only, shops are limiting purchases of some items (if they have them), and they’re establishing “senior citizen hours” for safe shopping of the quarantined population – but they need to restock their shelves so they have stuff to buy!

But mommy and daddy still have to work. That’s not cancelled. Meetings are cancelled, but work is still open.

Oh well. The world has gone crazy, but the truth is that we aren’t seeing many changes. The parronts did take us to the Sonic Drive-In last Saturday for dinner. That was fun! But since then it’s been work, and home, and normal routine. Scary news reports, and pollen and Zack and I fighting spring hormones. I don’t think we’ll see much change until the weekend. THAT’S when we’ll be affected.

Then again, they’ve always been overprotective of us, especially since Chloe died. That’s a good thing. We have the best parronts, and they take good care of us. They just need to take good care of themselves, too.

And so do you! If you’re quarantined and looking for things to do at home, check out mommy’s latest blog for suggestions. If you’re still out there like our parronts are, take care. You know what to do.

That’s all today. Stay safe, take care, and have a great week.

Luv,

Bubbles

Silly Humans

3/12/2020

Panic! Pandemics! Quarantines! Oh my! You humans are in a mess this time. But mommy says this happens every few years. Heck, the flu vaccine doesn’t even work like it used to. It’s inevitable, she says. With your big, nasty bodies, things are bound to go wrong.

Oh my goodness, I’m glad I’m a bird. But it’s spring and we’re hormonal, so I can’t really say that Bubbs and I are off the hook. At least we have parronts who understand us and are committed to our care. That’s good to know. It’s also good to know they won’t take it personally if I bite them because they tried to snuggle me when I've decided it is not snuggle time.

But we have to understand them too. For example, mommy was excited this morning because she finished a big cross-stitch that she’s been working on for 3 years, 1 month, and 3 weeks (I know, because she made me help her count on the calendar). She even got up early so she could iron and starch it before work, and share pictures of it all over social media.

Now she’s gabbing about getting back to writing and starting the next book in the scifi/mystery series she’s writing. Bubbles is excited. This will be the first book series she’ll “help” mommy with from start to finish, since she was in the middle of writing The Earthside Box Set when we adopted Bubbs in 2016. Me? I listen to her talk about characters and settings and plot ideas. Then I joyfully take credit for being her muse when all I did was listen and try not to nod off while she talked and cooked supper, or cleaned, or did whatever mommies are doing all over the house.

I don’t think mommy is very worried about coronavirus. In fact, I think mommy was hoping the President would tell everybody to stay home so she can get back to reading and writing. After she drops off that cross stitch at Hobby Lobby, of course.

Oh, humans. We do love you, even if you are weird and silly.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Luv,

Zack

Pissed Off Parrot (or: Humans Aren't Smart)

3/4/2020

Well, they got her. Mommy got the flu last week, and Bubbs and I were helpless to do anything but watch her lie in the chair, sniffle, sneeze, cough, and snort on snot in her sleep. She’s better now, thankfully, but now they’re going to have to listen to her with postnasal drainage for a few weeks.

Thankfully, daddy is smarter than the average human. He got TamiFlu as soon as mommy was diagnosed to stop the spread of this viral parasite. Because that’s what the flu is, folks. It’s a virus, just like Coronovirus. The nature of a virus is to spread so it can continue to survive and mutate in other healthy hosts. We learned that from watching Star Trek Discovery with the parronts over the holidays. You can learn it by reading this article.

I’m going to venture a guess that most humans didn’t see that series, or read the article. Or aren’t nerds like our parronts. Or either don’t know or care about educating themselves on infectious diseases. They’re very good at panicking when there’s a pandemic, and don’t realize their own negligence is what caused it in the first place. You should have been washing your hands, covering sneezes and coughs, and staying home when sick BEFORE the flu and Coronovirus spread all over the nation, and the world.

Humans aren’t smart, are they? Mommy says no. Mommy says this is inspiring her developing book series. Mommy says the fate of humanity doesn’t look good, in either fiction or reality. I tend to agree with mommy.

I’m glad we can’t catch things from humans because our RNA is less complicated than theirs and the virus can’t bind to me and Bubbs, but I still don’t like that human stupidity has bred something that’s killing people. The pathogens on our planet are certainly taking advantage of stupidity! They don’t need a brain to act on their nature, and take advantage of human negligence.

Yes, I’m a pissed parrot. I don’t like my parronts being sick. I don’t like them having to worry about what other igits are spreading all over creation. One thing is true: this panic over Coronovirus is coming about three months too late. You should have worried about it when it was contained to Wuhan. That can of worms is open now. There’s no stopping it.

Yes, I’m a pissed parrot. I don’t like my parronts being sick because other people are too stupid to do what they’re supposed to do. We’re not asking you to have complex knowledge about viruses. That’s not how this pandemic happened. It happened because people are inconsiderate and don’t do what they’re supposed to do. Now you’re busted. Just leave our parronts out of it.

That’s all today. Take care if you can, and have a good rest of the week.

Luv,

Zack

A Nasty February

2/20/2020

Our friend on the NOAA Weather Radio said we might have snow mixed with rain tonight. Snow! What’s that? I’ve never seen it. Mommy said she’d turn on the back porch light and let me look at it, but we’re not allowed to go outside in it. She said it’s cold, wet, and nasty.

I wouldn’t know. I’m five, and we’ve never had snow around here.

I’ll tell you what we have had, and I don’t want to see again, and it rhymes with blue. Yep, mommy and daddy have had
issues with coworkers coming in with the flu lately. I’m not sure how they managed that particular trick. The parronts were laid flat out with that when they got it a few years ago. There was no “step up” out of them for about a week. The did have their flu shots, and learned the hard way last year with that bout of conjunctivitis not to EVER touch their face unless their hands have been sanitized. Colds, sinus infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia are also making the rounds (fortunately, mommy had a pneumonia shot. She said that sucker hurt, but is worth it. Plus, it’s once every 10 years). They’re also burning through the Clorox wipes and Lysol on the job. Heck, mommy won’t even touch doorknobs with her bare hands. She gets a paper towel or a tissue to do it. She says viruses and bacteria are evil, and she wants no part of either.

Snow, and the flu. Heck, nobody’s got time for that. Maybe bears and snakes have one thing right. Perhaps we should hibernate through the winter to let all of the nastiest pass us by. Oh, I forgot the Democratic primaries and other political kerfuffles! Egads, February is a mess! I’m glad I’m a bird, watching the human shenanigans from the comfort of my home. Everything I love is right here.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Luv,

Bubbles

What Season Is It?

2/3/2020

It’s been a strange winter here in SC. For example, last week, it was in the 40’s-50’s all week. We needed heat, coats, gloves, and warmers all around, especially on Friday when it was a cold, dreary rain all day. Now this week, it’s going to be in the 60’s-70’s. Rain at the end of the week, of course, and it’s supposed to dip back down into the 50’s on Friday. So this week, we need fans and lighter stuff.

What season is it?

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve never seen snow, and mommy says that’s alright because it’s cold, wet, and unpleasant. It’s just confusing to be cold one week, and warm the next. Our weekly forecast looks like throwing out winning lottery numbers: 47, 58, 63, 72, 55. There will be rain one day. Wind one day. Partly cloudy the rest. People were saying not to count on a rodent to tell you if we’ll have 6 more weeks of winter, but our own meteorologists can’t tell us what season it is today. I remember Halloween when the weather dude said to go to a bathroom with a bike helmet on during a tornado warning. Thanks for that.

Have we had winter? Yes, and every other season as well! That’s probably why Zack and I had such a bad molt this time around. It’s crazy here! As if these humans don’t have enough crazy to go around with coronavirus and Brexit and Democratic primaries and impeachments and such. Whew, I sure am glad I’m a bird. I didn’t even care about the Super Bowl. I snuggled Zack and daddy, and was a happy girl.

That’s all today. Keep warm – or cool, depending on where you are and what season it is today! Take care, and have a great week.

Luv,

Bubbles

Planning a Proper Snuggle Test

1/22/2020

Life is so boring these days that we got excited over new cage covers. That’s right – cage covers.

It started Monday, when mommy told daddy that he needed to order a new throw blanket for his recliner. Bubbles and I keep pooping all over it, and she said that he really needs a second one to change out with it so we don’t wear one out washing it all the time. It’s true. Those throw blankets are soft, and snuggly, and of course we mess them up. We’re birds!
It’s what we do!

Daddy went on a place called Amazon, where he discovered that the covers were not only on sale, but came in a variety of colors. He decided that Bubbs and I needed new covers to replace the old, worn out sheets we have. He carefully selected them for us: gold for me, and baby blue for Bubbles. They arrived last night, and we were so excited! They’re wonderful! They’re soft, warm, bright, and best of all, they match us! I love mine, and I think Bubbles loves hers too. I’ll have to plan a cage escape tonight when mommy changes my water so I can give it a proper snuggle test.

So that’s the big adventure in our home these days. We went from Christmas, Santa Clause, and my birthday to getting excited over cage covers. January sure does suck. But mommy pointed out that at least the days are slowly getting longer.
It’s not dark when she gets home from work anymore, which is good. That was starting to wear on her nerves. Now if something could be done about our awful roads to help alleviate traffic. Yea, right. If they worked as hard at fixing the roads as they do at making excuses not to do it, our road system might be in the twenty first century now.

Oh well. That’s what happens when humans run things. They’re messed up!

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.

Luv,

Zack