Category: Birthday

A Refreshing Reprieve

8/16/2013

Zack, Chloe and I had some good snoozing weather today! It was in the mid to high 60’s and raining all day. That’s about 30 degrees below our normal temperatures this time of year (and 40 degrees below our typical heat index!). What a pleasant day! Most people would say “oh how gloomy,” but we enjoyed the break from the scorching heat of summer. It was a refreshing reprieve. Plus, some time for “power naps” did all of us birds some good. We have some visits and celebrations
ahead.

Daddy’s birthday is next Wednesday. Last night, mommy and Chloe disappeared upstairs for
a little while to order his present from us. So much for Chloe being mad at mommy about that bath on Wednesday. Those giggling girls never really get mad at each other. They go together like mashed potatoes and gravy – or macaroni and cheese, if that’s more in line with your idea of a culinary delight. But the gift is ordered, confirmation received, and daddy should receive it Wednesday. I can’t say what it is because he reads this blog. I’m no dummy. I’m a smart bird. We’re all smart birds.

And now it’s the weekend! Yay! Mommy and daddy’s friends are coming to visit tomorrow – a couple from the lower part of the state. They’re happy about that. They haven’t seen Joe and Elizabeth in a couple of months, so I know they’re all happy to have a chance to hang out again. We like them, too. They’re good folks, and they’re always nice to us.

I think the visit will be good for mommy and daddy too. It’s daddy’s busiest time of the year and he’s been stressed out this week. And mommy’s been busy with book edits for her sci-fi novel coming out in November, so it will do her some good to get out from behind the computer, between that and work. She finished the edits and turned them in Wednesday, but I think her brain’s still a little scrambled. I guess it takes her brain a while to get from the moons of Jupiter in the year 3001 back to Earth in 2013. She’s so funny in “writer mode.”

I hope you’re all doing well and had a Happy Friday today. Have a great weekend.

Luv,

Ollie

Happy Birthday Oliver!

6/24/2013

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Oliver
Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday Ollie! We love you and hope you have a great day!

Love,

Daddy, mommy, Zacchaeus, and Chloe

Busy Times

6/15/2013

June is usually a busy time for us. Daddy goes on his summer schedule of working longer days Monday - Thursday and having Friday's off. That's been a big adjustment for us this week, because now both of our parents get home around the same time four days a week. We're used to daddy getting home before mommy. But they're having to adjust too, as supper is usually later in June and July while he's on this schedule. But we manage. We always do.

And changes at work mean that mommy and daddy have to adjust their schedules. Daddy works longer days four days a week, and mommy said that for some reason, the meetings take off especially in June. She has 4 meetings this month and 2 on schedule for next month. It's ironic, because you'd think this would be vacation season and people wouldn't want to meet, but they squeeze it in, somehow.

Mommy says that going out at lunch is also more of a challenge. She sometimes runs errands on her lunch break, and places are more crowded because the kids are out of school, and parents and caregivers and trying to keep the kiddos entertained and stimulated during the long, hot days of summer.

It's also busy with celebrations. That actually starts in May and it typically runs through the 4th of July. It isn't just the "parenting holidays" (as mommy refers to them), but it's also anniversaries, birthdays, and the natural uptick of invites to "get out there and enjoy summer!" And shameless plug: my birthday is June 24th. I'll be 3!

Yes, summertime is a busy time, but we always manage to enjoy it. Thankfully, we have longer days. And boy do we need them! Well, there's still 24 hours in a day, but more hours of sunlight just make it seem like you have more time to get out there to do things and enjoy life.

So we're busy, but good. I hope you're all doing well. Have a great weekend and I hope all of you daddy's out there have a Happy Father's Day tomorrow.

Luv,

Ollie

Yay for Summer!

5/30/2013

The calendar may say it’s the spring days of May flowers, but the weather in South Carolina is already singing summer. The temperatures are already warming up to the eighties and low nineties, the pollen has slacked off, and most telling: the wind and rain have stopped. Mommy always says the air dries up and stops moving when it gets hot here, and darn if she isn’t right.

It’s alright with me. I like the sunshine, and I find the longer days pleasant. We have air conditioning, so the heat and humidity don’t burn or droop our feathers (although mommy is known to give us more frequent baths when the weather warms up – now why does she do that?” Mommy moves my cage to the big window every morning when we get up since the sun is coming up then, and I get over 3 hours of time when they get home from work. I love it! There are always birds at the feeder, and squirrels hanging around under it trying to catch some wayward seed. Chloe’s up on all the hot gossip with our outside buddies. The bluebirds are raising their young in the house out back, and there are even a couple of Carolina wrens that perch on the picnic table and back stair banister and sing to me several times a day. Ah yes, summertime, full of life, activity and fun!

I say hooray for spring and summer. It’s the best time of the year. There’s a lot going on and much to enjoy during this pleasant and festive season. And as a bonus, my birthday is on June 24th. I’ll be
three and if Chloe’s recent birthday is any indication then we will have gifts, celebrations, and partying again soon. Yay!

I hope you’re doing well. Have a happy Friday tomorrow and a great weekend.

Luv,

Ollie

Celebrations!

5/19/2013

Our house is full of celebrations these days! Mommy and daddy celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary on Thursday, May 16. We decided to call it "flock formation day" so we could all join in the fun. They took a couple of days off work, and it was so nice to have them at home. We're getting spoiled! It's going to be tough when they go back to work tomorrow (maybe).

Then on Friday our friend, Disco the Parakeet, was on The Today Show. We all sat in front of the TV and watched. It was so exciting to see him on TV, and to see his fine flock too! He has a lovely family, he performed superbly, and best of all, he said on Twitter and Facebook that he had a lot of fun doing it - which is the most important thing.

Mommy and daddy went to see Star Trek Into Darkness on Friday. They liked it so much that they took some friends from out of town to the theater to see it Saturday. They won't shut up about that movie. Really, they were impressed. It must be good. I can't wait to see it when we can get it on our Apple TV. Mommy said she'd buy it on iTunes just as soon as it comes out. But her walking around the house saying "shall we begin?" is a bit creepy. That must be one heck of a villain they have in that movie. She said there's another scene that will make it obvious who in the theater was a Trekkie and who wasn't. But I can't say which one it is because I don't want to throw out any spoilers for those that haven't seen it yet.

Today was church. It's the first Sunday in Pentecost, which is a celebration of the day the Holy Spirit came to us. Big festival service - mommy and daddy were at church longer than usual. Then it was time for mommy to get back to work to get ready for the week. She bought groceries, cleaned the house, and checked her work email. I'm glad she got groceries early, because we had a nasty storm around 4:00 that dumped 4.5 inches of rain on us in 45 minutes. It just went on and on and on. The driveway flooded, but thankfully we have a gravel driveway, so it's already drained off. I think there's more chances of rain tonight and tomorrow. I sure hope our friends in the mid-west are safe. We saw some scary things about tornados in there on The Weather Channel earlier! If you don't have a NOAA weather radio, it might be a good idea to get one. You can also set your smartphone to get weather alerts through The Weather Channel app too. As for us, we're fine, and the house is clean too.

Tomorrow is my birthday! Actually, it's a celebration of the day mommy and daddy adopted me. I'm already 10, but we celebrate on May 20 because that was my "gotcha day" in 2010. It's hard to believe it's been 3 years! I love it here. This is a great home and my mommy and daddy are the best.

Speaking of that, mommy did finish the rough draft of her sci-fi novella, Incursion, last Monday. She knew it would be busy for the rest of last week, so she finished it in a big push at the beginning of the week before everything else took off. Good planning on her part, I think.

So that's what's happening in our corner of the world. I hope you're all doing well. Stay safe if you're in the path of the bad weather, and take care. I hope you have a good week.

Luv,

Chloe

What Birds Like

4/26/2013

My goodness, have you seen mommy's latest entry on Things More Interesting Than the Royal Pregnancy? I must admit, I find many of those things interesting. We do share interests with our human parronts but let's face it, birds and people are different - and so, we'll find different things interesting. For example, here are some things we birds find more interesting than the royal pregnancy:

1. My birthday is May 20th! I'll be 10 years old! But really, I'm already 10. May 20 is my adoption date. It will be 3 years since they adopted me.

2. Ollie's birthday is June 24! He'll be 3. Actually, that's the date daddy first brought him home, but he was a baby when daddy found him, so the age is pretty accurate.

3. Mommy's roses have buds. She'll be bringing in pretty roses for the bud vase soon!

4. Longer days. That means more time for Ollie to sit in the window and sing pretty songs for us. It also means more sunshine, and more birds at the feeder with all the hot gossip from the woods!

5. Warmer days. That means daddy will grill. Maybe mommy will make more French Fries as side items! Yummy!

6. Fresh fruits and veggies. Nom nom. Just gotta be careful not to bite it so it squirts in your eye.

Oh, happy days! Who doesn't love spring and summer? They're the best time of the year. Surly, there's much to enjoy to bright, wonderful world - and so much of it is more interesting than that stuffy royal gossip from across the pond ;)

That's all today. Happy Friday to you. Have a great weekend.

Luv,

Chloe

Happy Birthday Zacchaeus!

12/31/2012

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Zacchaeus
Happy birthday to you!
And many more!

Happy birthday Zack! You are our sunshine and we love you. Have a great day.

Love,

Daddy (Rick), Mommy (Sherri), Chloe and Oliver (Ollie)

So Excited!

11/30/2012

I'm so excited! Mommy and daddy are going to put up the Christmas decorations tomorrow. We'll have the tree. We'll have the stockings. We'll have presents. It's Christmas Time! Truly the most wonderful time of the year. Santa will be here soon! I sure hope he has a sack full of goodies for us all.

And not only that, but December 31 is my birthday. I'll be 13 - a big teenager! Oh boy, this season is full of fun, festivities and best of all, presents!

I'm so excited, I'm about to pop. Don't you just love the holidays? It's a great time for parrots too!

That's all today. I hope you have a Happy Friday and a great weekend. Enjoy this great season!

Luv,

Zack

Fall Festivities

11/2/2012

Fall is usually a busy time for our flock. Mommy is going to the annual Craftman's Classic, a big craft show, with her mommy today. She took the day off work. Tomorrow daddy and mommy are going to an oyster roast. Then they start to get time off for the end of the year. Daddy has Election Day off (send in the clowns), mommy has Veteran's Day off, then, of course, there's Thanksgiving (which is also my granddaddy's birthday), Christmas, my birthday on December 31 (I'll be 13) and New Year's Day. And don't forget football season and bowl games!

Yes indeed, it's a busy season. I'm glad mommy and daddy get some time off. It seems most of their holidays from work come in November - December. We enjoy having them around and we LOVE celebrating things!

I'm glad there's some good stuff coming because Halloween was uneventful. It used to be a virtual finger feast for me when we lived in a neighborhood, but since we moved to the woods - nothing. Nobody comes by. Mommy says it's because we're too far off the road and it's dark back here. Chloe thinks it's because the woods at night are spooky to people not used to it, and they're probably afraid we'd chase them with chainsaws (I don't know where she got that silly idea). Ollie doesn't care. He watched "Arrow" Wednesday night and was perfectly content.

Yes, it's a busy season and we enjoy it. We'd better take naps every chance we get! I hope all is well with you. Happy Friday and have a good weekend.

Luv,

Zack

P.S. - we want to wish everybody participating in National Novel Writing Month good luck and plenty of inspiration with your writing. Mommy isn't participating this year because she's already working on a novel that she started last spring, but she enjoyed NaNo when she did it in 2010 - in fact, that book is getting published next year. So writers,

Happy Hatch Day Oliver!

6/24/2012

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Oliver
Happy birthday to you!

Happy "hatch day" Ollie! We love you and hope you have a great second birthday!

Luv,

Daddy, mommy, Zack and Chloe

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