Conure Corner - Niblet's Blog

Holidays Make It Brighter

12/4/2019

Thanksgiving is a great holiday! An entire day dedicated to giving thanks, and filling your tummy. It doesn’t get much better than that. We had a great Thanksgiving in our home, and it was nice to have the parronts off work for a while.

Zack says it does get better. It’s Christmas, and that Christmas Conure is super excited. He loves it to much. The decorations, the presents, the tree, the treats, and best of all – Santa! I have to admit that it’s exciting. Everybody is happier, and it’s nice to have the lights to brighten things up when, as mommy puts it, “it’s dark at 5:15 already, which is unnatural.” Sorry mommy, you can’t control the planet’s tilt or orbit. But at least we have lights, and decorations, and lots to brighten it up until it lightens up for longer into the day.

I might not get as outwardly excited as Zack does over Christmas, but I do love and appreciate it. Then again, I’m a happy girl. I have a good family and home. It really doesn’t get better than this, and the holidays just make it brighter.

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

Luv,

Bubbles

It's Almost the Best Time of the Year!

11/22/2019

I think mommy tempted fate yesterday when she blogged about it being the last normal week of 2019 yesterday. That’s what she thought – until she turned on our radio station for today and discovered that they’ve already transitioned to “the Christmas music station” and are playing all Christmas songs, 24 hours a day, until 12:01 a.m. on December 26.

I think it’s funny. It also delights me because the holiday season is my favorite time of year!

And why not? It’s cheerful and happy. Santa brings the good birds toys and treats. The lights and tree come out soon, which is a relief given that it’s dark when mommy gets home from work. Mommy wants to enjoy the last few days of fall, but I’m ready to bring on Christmas. I’m a Christmas Conure! I was even hatched after Christmas – my “hatchday” is New Year’s Eve!

To each their own. I love Christmas, and I believe Bubbles is learning the joy of the season. She seems excited too. We just have to get a cute Santa hat on that pretty blue head of hers. Or maybe an elf hat? I think Quakers would make great elves. They’re spunky enough for it!

It all works out. If you want to take it all in turn, that’s ok. So we’ll stuff our tummies and give thanks next week, and then it will be holly-jolly time. For now, we give thanks. I’m thankful for everything – great parronts, a nice home, health, happiness, family, and you fabulous friends.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for being great friends and followers!

God bless,

Zack

Time to Hibernate?

11/7/2019

Mommy thinks that we should hibernate in November – December, or at least have a sabbatical where we do nothing but sit at home, sloth around, and eat.

I think she doesn’t like driving home from work while it’s getting dark. Going back to standard time seems to have hit her hard this year. We agree that it’s nice to have the sun coming up earlier (which is particularly agreeable to daddy, since he goes to work an hour earlier than mommy does), but she really doesn’t like that it’s dark once she gets home from work.

Hang in there, mommy. It’s only a couple of months. You just need to escape the office for a while each day to see the sun.

I do agree that there something about this time of year that lends to laziness. Maybe it’s the cooler weather. It’s so nice that it finally feels like planet Earth instead of Venus at last, so you naturally want to slow the pace of life. Maybe it is the shorter days. It seems you should be “clocking out” earlier than you do in the warmer, sunnier months. Maybe it’s that fall “fluff” – you know, the weight gain we typically have? I know I’ve put on a few grams, and so has Bubbs (she’s still pretty, and doesn’t show it). Or perhaps it’s all of the above, and the natural winding down of the year seeps into our souls, causing us to take stock of what we’ve accomplished, where we are, and where we want to go in the future.

Geeze, I sound like mommy. That type of broody introspection is very un-parrot like!

Whatever it is, we roll with it the best we can each year. I’m just glad we live in a lighted, climate controlled home to help us adapt to the cycles of the world around us.

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

Luv,

Zack

Vacation!

10/22/2019

Mommy and daddy took us on vacation! We had a long weekend at Surfside Beach, which is south of Myrtle Beach, SC. It was mostly nice. Tropical Storm Nestor did dampen things on Saturday, and it was windy on Sunday, but we made the best of it. It was nice to sit outside with the salt air blowing through our feathers (in the safety of our cages, of course) and to have some time with the parronts that wasn’t disrupted by work, chores, and errands. I even relaxed enough to let mommy pet me! But just a little. I have to keep her straight and on her toes.Gotta make sure she knows the Quaker is the boss. But I do love her and can be a pleasant parrot.

Zack is used to these trips, but I’m still getting accustomed to them. The parronts went on a cruise last year, so it’s been a while since we went on vacation with them (we went on vacation with the grandparronts while they went on the cruise). Vacations are nice any way you get them, but they’re especially nice when you all go together!

Now it’s back home and back to our routine. Most importantly, that means catching up on our sleep! One thing we noticed is that life in the woods is quiet. Life everywhere else – isn’t. Geeze, we wonder if the world sleeps! We didn’t realize how good we had it until we left home. People - and dogs - are noisy!

All in all, it was a great trip, and we enjoyed it. But it’s also good to be home.

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

Luv,

Bubbles

It's Fall, Ya'll!

10/10/2019

Fall weather has finally arrived in South Carolina! Well, the highs are in the low to mid 80’s, which feels like a cold front after months of temperatures in the 90’s, and higher. I heard on mommy’s news app earlier this week that we’ve had the hottest July, August, and September on record since they started recordkeeping for weather. That’s amazing! And they say global warming is a myth. I don’t know. It seems real enough the closer you live to the equator, eh?

Mommy says fall is a fun season. It’s true that it seems a lot happens in the fall. State fairs, festivals, football, and loads of fun. Plus, the cooler weather and Halloween inspire the mystery and horror fans with plenty of fun fare on TV, along with new seasons of our TV shows. The year might be winding down, but everything else is more active as we shake off the summer heat and revive in cooler temperatures to a world that feels like planet Earth again (instead of Mercury or Venus, which we might be if it gets any hotter during the summer!).

Yes, fall is a fun time. The only thing throwing us off are the shorter days. It’s dark at 7:00! That still seems weird for us. I guess we better get used to it. Daylight Savings Time ends in a few weeks, and then we really will be tucking in for the winter (such as it is in the south).

But until then, Zack, the parronts, and I will enjoy the relief from the heat. It’s about time! It was a long, hot summer, and kind of tough with the parronts getting sick and so many home repairs. Here’s hoping the fall gives way to blessings and a better season ahead.

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

Luv,

Bubbles

Awards

10/4/2019

Mommy got her 20 years service award yesterday. Her job gives a certificate and pin to people when they reach 10, 20, 30, and 40 years. They have a 50 year one too. That pin has diamonds in it – or so they say. Most people beat a hasty path to retirement somewhere between 30 and 40 years. Who can blame them? That’s a long time to be in the work force.

Mommy thinks I think I deserve an award, too! I hatched and was adopted a few months after she started this job, so I’ve been a companion to her pretty much her entire career which, she says, is nearly half her life. I’ve seen her through every reorganization, move, and change over the past two decades. She says it’s always great to come home to my bright face greeting her. Look at that picture. Don't we look happy together? I love my mommy and my daddy. Daddy especially, but she's alright. She's silly. We laugh a lot.

Bubbles deserves an award, too! She’s been a cheerful presence over the past few years as well, and her feisty nature keeps us all motivated and going, especially on days when it might be going slow (like today). Her contribution to our flock and nest is invaluable. We love Bubbs! She keeps us on our toes and makes us happy.

But mommy isn’t alone. Daddy got an award earlier this summer for going Above and Beyond. It’s up in the study, and mommy will probably put her award next to his. How precious. Our parronts are appreciated, and so are we.

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

Luv,

Zack

Phooey on Politics!

9/25/2019

OMG! They’re going to impeach the President of the United States! Well, if it doesn’t blow up in their faces, and lock in a second term, anyway. Who knows where things will go in the current political scandal? It’s impossible to get unbiased news reports, so it’s impossible to know what’s really happening and where. Who will tweet what next?

Do you know what I think? I think the politicians and media create all of this chaos because they’re bored. It’s the truth, folks. Most of us are bored. Bubbs and I stare out of a window all day waiting for the parronts to come home from work. An exciting day is when mommy comes home from lunch, or Amazon pays us a visit to drop packages on the porch. That will be more common in a few months. For now, it’s pretty random. We see cars. We see bugs, and cats and dogs and wild birds and maybe an occasional raccoon outside. We listen to whatever radio station the parronts leave on for us during the day. Then when work is done, we hang out with them and help with or watch what they do at night. Right now, we’re watching Shameless on Netflix. That show is hilarious, but it also makes me appreciate our boredom.

Mommy says that most of day to day life is boring, if you’re lucky. Drama usually means trouble, and nobody’s got time for that. I quite agree. This conure has enough to do. Mommy put a brand new ladder in my cage, with plenty of potential. Phooey on politics! I must reduce that ladder to wood chips! And then, there will be human snacks to steal.

Politics will be what they will be. But this ladder is on borrowed time now. I’m a conure! I MUST CHEW! And then, I must have a snack. Chewing is hungry work!

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

Luv,

Zack

Baby of the Flock

9/17/2019

Sometimes it’s tough being the baby of the flock. Daddy, mommy, and Zack share so many memories from days before I hatched. Apparently, they lived in a different house before they built the one we’re in now, and Zack remembers it. It was in a neighborhood and they had trick-or-treaters that Zack liked to bite. Zack also remembers where mommy and daddy used to work, friends and family members who have passed away or moved on, other cars they’ve had, a time mommy only wrote non-fiction (I can’t imagine that), and events like 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina. They also had a budgie once upon a time. Who’s Ollie?

It’s tough when they take a trip down memory lane, and it’s “that was before you hatched” or “that’s before we adopted you.” I’m 5! I’ve experienced a lot. But they’ve experienced more because they’re (obviously) older than 5. The first real changes I’ve experienced with them was mommy getting her new car last year, them getting sick with that virus in February – March, mommy getting two new bosses at her job over the past few months, and daddy’s school change in July. Everything else was B.B. (Before Bubbles).

Mommy says not to fret, because we’re building memories with each new day. Zack says I should also be glad, because some of those experiences, like living in an apartment while they built this house, were ones he wished he could have skipped (he hated that apartment). It’s true that life has ups and downs, and I’ve already seen some of those. I suppose more will come as we continue to experience life together.

Still, it’s tough to be the baby and “beta bird.” But I have a great home, so it’s well worth it. They’re so good to me.

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

Luv,

Bubbles

Snacks

9/4/2019

I got busted. Mommy caught daddy sneaking me cheese recently. I don’t know why I can’t have cheese. She went on about me not being able to metabolize it properly, but thankfully daddy still slips me that pinch every night. I love cheese! It’s great!

Actually, I love all human snacks. They eat the good stuff. We’re well stocked now with Hurricane Dorian on the way. I’m not sure if mommy realizes that daddy, Zack and I have been eating those hurricane snacks since she brought them home last weekend. Hey, she overstocked! We have plenty, and it won’t even be that bad. She needs to calm down and have a cracker. With us. You must share with your birdy-babies!

I’m not alone in my snack quest. Zack joins me in the adventures. He has a keen eye for the pantry, while I watch the fridge. It’s a great system we have going. The parronts don’t sneak any food past us. Seed, smeed. We know they’re holding back the good stuff, and we’re gonna get it! Mommy thinks she’s “sneaky snacking” by eating those chips and crackers in the pantry, but our hearing is better than hers. We hear her crunching, and screech accordingly.

Do you have an emergency plan to sneak snacks? If not, you should make one. Don’t let the humans hold back the best stuff! Seize the day and get those goodies for yourself!

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

Luv,

Bubbles

Happy Birthday Daddy & Mommy!

8/20/2019

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday daddy and mommy!
Happy birthday to you!
And many more!
You better have many more!

It's both parronts birthdays! Daddy's birthday is August 21, and mommy's birthday is August 26. We hope they both have a great birthdays! Yay! They're great parronts and we love them! They're the best!

Luv,

Zack and Bubbles