Conure Corner - Niblet's Blog

I Love My Mommy

5/7/2019

But shh, don't tell her. I have to keep her on her toes!

See, I'm a daddy's girl. Daddy adopted me from his work in June 2015, and he was so good to me. Then I came home, and there was a mommy who loved me too. Wow! She set up my cage beside her chair, and we chatter and do things together all the time. I even helped her write and publish her last ebook. It was fun to help! Still, I try to play it cool. I'm not a "girly girl. That's not our style. But it's ok. We get along great. I even sample her food for her at dinner every night, just to make sure it's good enough for her (and it's usually better than what I have). She says I'm a girl after her own heart. She also calls me pretty and says I have a sweet face. Aww! I love my mommy.

But let's keep that between us. Gotta play it cool, you know. Still, it's great to have a mommy who loves me, at Mother's Day and always.

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

Luv,

Bubbles

Neat Freaks

4/24/2019

Good news! Bubbs and I got a clean bill of health at our annual checkup last week. The vet said we’re looking good, and are good to go for another year. It seems that air filter beside my cage is helping my sinuses, too, as the vet said my nares look good. That’s good to hear. Did you know that they suspect more birds have more sinus and allergy issues than they realized, especially conures? It’s interesting. The parronts have sinus issues too, so they do a good job of keeping the nest clean, fresh, and tidy.

Then again, the parronts are neat freaks anyway. Part of the reason mommy gets up earlier than she needs to in the mornings is to make sure the bed is made, the coffee pot is washed out, the breakfast dishes are cleaned up, and our water is fresh before taking off for work. Sometimes, she actually does some writing stuff before work, too. I’m surprised she isn’t exhausted by the time she gets to work! Maybe that’s why she needs coffee in the mornings.

It seems a bit silly to be a neat freak with birds, but I guess humans, like birds, come in all shapes, sizes, and types.

That’s all today. We hope you’re doing well. Take care, and have a great rest of the week!

Luv,

Zack

Nobody's Got Time For That!

4/10/2019

Spring is a lovely time of year except for one thing: hormones. It’s not easy being a hen, especially a domesticated one! I’d make a suitable mate and a wonderful mommy-bird. Only thing is, I’m a “companion” to these big, stinky humans. So instead of frolicking outside, I’m inside with the parronts hiding from pollen and watching Game of Thrones reruns.

Then again, those outside birds are looking inside at me and Zack like “how did you get lucky enough to have a home, human servants, and Internet?”

Good point. And they are good humans, even with their nasty sinuses. Why the Lord put so many holes in their human heads is beyond me (and it’s more obvious that those holes are some heads rather than others!). And with the new season of Game of Thrones in 4 days, I need to focus. Nobody’s got time for hormones when there are dragons and an Iron Throne at stake!

I might be hormonal, but I’m still feisty and silly.

I suppose Zack and I have a good life. Birds haven’t been domesticated for long, and we’re lucky that our parronts love us, care for us, and educated themselves on the life and needs of avian companions. They try to respect us and do what they can to ease our suffering. And at least it’s only twice a year. Poor mommy has to deal with stuff once a month, and many months it gives her vicious headaches. Nobody’s got time for that!

Yes, it’s a good life. Zack and I have it made. Our hormones just need for evolution to catch up with life in a technological society. But don’t tell mommy that. She’s a scifi writer so you do not want to get her started on evolution, technology, and the state we’re actually evolving to in the future! She’s already cranky enough with writer’s block, runny sinuses, busy season at work kicking off, and dealing with stuff headaches. There’s a third thing that nobody’s got time for that!

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

Luv,

Bubbles

How Many Humans Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?

4/3/2019

One thing about humans is that it takes a lot of them to get things done and keep life moving. For example, the parronts had one service person come to the house Sunday to hook up satellite TV. Then tomorrow, there will be another person to do pest control service, and another one to clean up the yard. And in two weeks, two more service people will come to check the HVAC unit.

It's crazy! Heck, mommy had to see two different doctors when she was sick. She had to see the eye doctor for the conjunctivitis, and her general care practitioner for the other “mystery” infection she got with it.

I guess being human is confusing, since they need so much to function that they have to have specialists in everything. Different doctors for different body parts. Different service people for different systems. Different places for different things. Good grief, no wonder they need smart phones to keep them straight. It’s all over the place for them!

It also makes me glad I’m a bird. Can you imagine what it would be like to scurry around like that? I can’t. Heck, I’m not sure how the outside birds do it. I see them bouncing around at the feeder outside and think hmm, a food dish and mommy-maid sure is nice to have. I think I’ll keep her. Daddy too. They do good, and we love them.

Yes, it’s great to be a companion parrot. I just wonder how many humans it takes to change a light bulb.

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

Luv,

Zack

Happy Birds

3/27/2019

Zack and I are happy birds. The parronts are healing up and back to their normal routine, spring has arrived, and the days are longer. It sure is nice for all of that gloom to be over!

The first quarter of 2019 has been tough for our flock, but thank the Lord that Zack and I have done well, and things seem to be looking up. Here's hoping we're on the rebound, and that the rest of the year will go well. It's never too late to start over, and what better time for a fresh start than spring!

Now if only there were some help for spring hormones and molts. But alas, that's the life of a bird, and it's nothing compared to the big, nasty illnesses that humans get. Thank the Lord for healing.

So we're happy. It's great to be back to our normal routine.

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

Luv,

Bubbles

On the Mend

3/21/2019

Good news: the parronts are healing. Mommy went back to her doctor for a checkup on Tuesday. He put her on new eye drops, and she’s improving drastically. She’s back to work, doing her chores and errands again, and overall back to the old schedule. A bit slower, of course, but she’s so glad to be on her feet again that she doesn’t mind. The doctor said that complete healing will likely take a few weeks, but she’s on the mend and that’s good. At least she’s functional.

At least we get our “free” time while they’re at work now, and our radio stations rotated each day again. Did Bubbs mention in the last post that mommy brought the radio downstairs and we had to listen to the Bible Broadcasting Network (BBN) for THREE STRAIGHT DAYS! She called it a “spiritual retreat.” I call it ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a believing bird. But three days of preaching. Hmm. Once a week is ok. A marathon – let’s not do that again! I mean, would you sit in church for a sermon that lasted three days? I think that makes my point.

One interesting thing is our reaction to the parronts. I was concerned, of course, but I’ve seen them get sick and well again so many times that I don’t perceive it as a mortal threat to our flock. Mommy especially. Let’s see: her broken foot was 9 weeks, her stomach infection was 8 weeks, her tendinitis was 6 weeks – yea, she gets the lengthy stuff from time to time. But Bubbs got nervous. She stood and stared at mommy. Squawked if mommy fell asleep and was still too long. Whistled and called her back in the room if she was gone too long. Lots of squawks, calls, blowing kisses and "step up." Bubbles is definitely new to the sick human phenomenon. I tried to explain that they’re big, nasty creatures that get big, nasty diseases sometimes. Thank goodness we can’t catch things from them. They’ve got problems that we don’t need.

I’m just glad they’re on the mend. Let’s hope this is it and they’re on the road to full health and restoration soon. Keep them in your prayers.

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

Luv,

Zack

So Much For Clean Bill of Health

3/15/2019

Hi all, sorry we've been MIA for so long. So much for a clean bill of health. Mommy and daddy both got knocked flat out with viral conjunctivitis just after the last entry. It's been vicious. Daddy had to have pseudo-membranes removed from his eyes several times, and mommy went into another, second virus that knocked her out. It's been vicious. They've had a long, hard road with this. Daddy got cleared on Tuesday and is healed, but mommy is still on the mend. We would appreciate your prayers for healing and restoration. Pink eye sounds like kids stuff, but let's just say we see why people fear it. They got a bad, vicious version. They'[ll fear this virus for the rest of their lives.

So that's where it's been at. We definitely spoke too soon in that last entry. Here's hoping that healing is finally coming to our home.

Happy Friday to you all, and I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for being great friends.

Luv,

Bubbles

Clean Bill of Health

2/19/2019

I’m happy to report that mommy and daddy both have a clean bill of health. They’ve both been proclaimed healed, and are good to go again. No more excuses now for being tired, being slow, or not being on top of their game. Yay!
In know they’re glad, and it’s just in time. This wacky weather has nature not knowing what to do. There’s pollen out there already! The outside birds are crowding the feeders, and daddy had to put a board at the bottom of the workshop because he caught a cat under it stalking the birds last week. They’re going to work in sweaters one day and short sleeved shirts the next. Goodness, we don’t know if it’s winter or spring anymore!

Mommy said she’s going by the fact that Easter is late this year, so she’s not making bets on spring stuff just yet. She wants to plant more rose bushes, but is waiting until later in March because, as she put it, “I’ve killed enough plants.” True that. Grandmommy had to give us a new bamboo cutting for the house plant after mommy accidentally overpruned ours last year. My bamboo! I remember it as a young twig in our old house, sitting beside my cage. I’m glad grandmommy could save it. I’m also glad that mommy is giving gardening another shot. She was so discouraged last year when the rose bushes died right after losing Chloe. It’s good to see that determination and emotional resilience coming out of her again.

She’s also planning to release another book in April. It’s the last book in her Earthside series, and she’s excited to have it almost done. She’s a little sad too, because she’s been working on this series for five years. But she already has ideas for a new project that she hopes to start in the summer or fall, after taking a brief break to rest, work on short stories (as if that ever works out for her), and do some research to “give the project direction.” Writers are so weird. But it’s good to see her happy, motivated, and embracing life. And it’s great to see both her and daddy well again.

So that’s life in our corner of the world. I hope you’re doing well. Take care, and have a great week.

Luv,

Zack

The Yuks, Part 2

2/10/2019

We're trying this healing thing with the humans one more time. As you saw in the last post, the parronts got sick with some mystery sinus virus that knocked them out for a week. It turns out that something is going around this area. It's not a cold or, as Bubbs said, that thing that rhymes with BLUE, but it has many of the same symptoms, and it hits fast and hard. Such was certainly the case with the parronts. Then daddy had to have an emergency endoscopy last Monday, and the doctor discovered that he has an infection in his esophagus.

Well, darn!

So two sickly parents, and this is an "again" for both of them. Mommy had a sinus infection the week before Christmas, and daddy has an infection in his esophagus a year ago. The problem is, both of them are so busy at work that they couldn't take off (except when daddy had the endoscopy Monday, and they both heard about that in full, surround sound stereo on Tuesday). Well, they heard about it until people started catching the "mystery virus" from them. They tried to warn people, but nobody listened until their own sinuses started to swell shut. Yep, it wasn't an exaggeration or being dramatic folks, it was all too real. Viruses don't mess around. Neither does mucus. Boom, there it is.

Sometimes you try to help people, and they just won't listen. That's what mommy says, and I think she's right. Add that to my list of reasons why I'm glad I'm a bird.

Bubbs and I are being super sweet and trying to help the parronts heal. It isn't easy when they have to keep going despite needing the rest, but we do what we can. Mommy at least is getting better. She's spent the weekend cleaning and stocking the house, and trying to get things back in order. Daddy just finished his medication, so we hope he'll be on the path to recovery soon. Keep them in prayer. The 'yuks' seem to be stuck on them lately!

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

Luv,

Zack

What Rhymes With Blue?

1/30/2019

Mommy and daddy have been sick with a mystery sinus aliment the past week. They aren’t sure what it is. At first, they thought it was a bad cold, but it was more severe than that. Then mommy wondered if it wasn’t the cold’s evil cousin that we don’t mention for fear of a panic outbreak, but rhymes with the color that I am. But then it cleared up quicker than that would, but they had the vaccine so maybe it could clear up that fast? Mommy knows you can still get that thing that rhymes with BLUE even with the shot because it's happened to her before. All we know is that they were awfully sick, but they seem to be on the road to recovery now. I sure hope nobody catches it from them. That would be a shame.

I’m sure the extreme cold hasn’t helped. It isn’t as bad here as it has been in the Midwest, but it’s been colder than usual. And, of course, extremes of weather aren’t good for anything. We’re praying for our friends in the path of these winter blasts, and hope things get back to normal soon. Winter sure does suck!

So Zack and I have been healing parrots once again, but we pray they get well and stay well this time. Goodness knows they need it. When it comes to humans being sick, enough is enough!

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

Luv,

Bubbles