Category: Time

Bright Eyed and Fluffy

1/9/2014

One advantage of mommy and daddy going back to work is that we're so well rested. We love to have them at home, but I have to admit that it's nice to get back on our regular schedule. It's good to have time to play, eat, chat back and forth with one another and (best of all) take naps without parronts hovering over us all the time.

Don't tell them I said that.

OK, truth is, they've noticed our increase in energy when they get home from work, and I suspect they already know this. I'm snuggling daddy more than ever, Chloe is stuck to mommy's shoulder like Velcro, and even Ollie is perking up and more energetic than he has been in a couple of months. Well, he was already perking up, but his recovery seems to be progressing well (especially since that polar vortex is gone and it warmed up to our normal January mid-50's today).

No doubt, the extra rest is helping us birdies. Unfortunately, mommy and daddy are worn out from working, so we try to comfort them as best as we can. That's what we do! We're such good birds. It's all about being happy together, which we are.

At least the weekend is almost here, and that's good. Weekends are always good.

That's all today. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a great weekend.

Bye!

The Best Way To Start a New Year

1/3/2014

Is hanging out with my flock. I'm glad mommy and daddy had this week off, too. It's been nice. Of course, mommy had the flu and is just starting to recover - but still, it's nice for them to be home. It will be strange when they go back to work next week. We've enjoyed having them here these 2 weeks.

But we'll adjust. We always do and frankly, I need the extra rest I'll get while they're working. Healing on these leg injuries is slow - the strained muscle is improving and I'm getting more strength in my right foot. That nerve inflammation in the left, however, has been a yo-yo, right along with the weather. It rained the past 2 days and now it's freezing cold (in the 30's, which is pretty cold for us in SC) and that doesn't help. Plus, I tire out easier. Mommy says she understands that! She does too. So we're both trying to regain our strength. She'll be back up before I will. These darn nerve injuries take SO long to heal. It could be another month or longer before I start to see any progress. Phooey!

Well, I'll manage. I beat the kidney infection, the right foot is improving, I'm eating more, my energy is slowly increasing, and I'll get through this. I just need plenty of rest and unfortunately, that has been somewhat of a challenge with the parronts home. I love having them here, but humans don't need as much sleep as birds so, and since mommy's been sick, they haven't been going out. Naps are a lot shorter. But mommy did let us all sleep until 11 this morning, so that was nice.

Anyway, we have enjoyed having the parronts at home despite the shorter sleep schedules. We've managed, we've had a lot of fun, and we intend to enjoy this weekend with them. It's going to be back to the same old routine again all too soon.

I hope you all had a Happy New Year and a Happy Friday. Enjoy your weekend.

Luv,

Ollie

Back to the Routine

1/13/2013

So last week was the first full week back to work for my parronts, and they made it. Their sinuses are acting up - not sure if they picked up something or if this wacky weather did it, but they've been sneezy lately. Zack, Ollie and I have been too. I think it's a combination of factors. But we'll make it. We always do.

Mommy said it was kind of hard to get back to working all last week after having so much time off. It was odd for them to be gone again, but I think we all adjusted to it ok. No problems on our part. We warmly welcome mommy and daddy home from work every day and appreciate all the time we have with them. I think they just didn't like getting up at 6 a.m. last week! Well, who can blame them? It's still dark out then. Even the birds know better than to be up that early! Silly humans. Why do they do this to themselves?

I don't know. Who knows how people figure things, right?

We are settling back in our routine, through, and things are fine. In fact, mommy and daddy have a bit more free time because mommy is off her church committees now, and daddy's term on council ended last month and he's off his committee too. Tonight will be the first month daddy hasn't had to go back to church for a meeting in 3 years. He'll be home with us! Hooray! I don't know what he'll do with his time, but mommy is talking about taking up cross stitching again. She hasn't done that in a while and said she'd like to get back to it. This should be interesting. We'll see how it goes.

That's all today. Take care. I hope you have a great week.

Luv,

Chloe

National Bird Day

1/6/2013

Did you know that yesterday was National Bird Day? We did, and we celebrated! Mommy and daddy bought us some things for our cages. I got a new perch to replace one that recently broke and a new swing, Ollie got a cage skirt for his new cage, and Zack got another chew kabob (which is already destroyed). We also had extra play and nap time. Not bad!

It was a nice surprise to find another day to celebrate, especially now that the holidays are over and we're all struggling to get back into "life as usual." I think everybody is having trouble with that. Mommy and daddy went back to work Wednesday, but they've been having trouble getting back in their schedules with sleeping, keeping up with chores and errands, etc. They did spend some time yesterday and today trying to "catch up" on stuff. But it was good to have one more thing to celebrate. Mommy said we probably needed a pick-me-up since so many people are down in the dumps over the holidays (and time off from work) being over.

Well, tomorrow starts our first full week back. No doubt, we'll find a way to get back into the old routine. We're adaptable. I just hope our humans do a better job of adapting back this week too!

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

Luv,

Chloe

Getting Stuff Done

11/12/2012

Hi everybody, I'm sorry it's been a while since the blog was updated. Mommy has been working on edits for her mystery novel the past few weeks, and she'd been making a push to get it done. Fortunately, she's off work for Veteran's Day today, and was able to use the weekend and this morning to finally finish this round of edits. The fourth draft of Move is done (after 4 weeks of efforts!) and the second draft of Feathered Frenzy is done. Hopefully, she will complete both of these writing projects by the spring of 2013.

Now it's housecleaning time. Thanksgiving is next week, and it seems that everybody wants to come by for the holidays. Mommy and daddy usually do a major housecleaning twice a year anyway. They're trying to spread it out so it won't be too stressful. Come Thanksgiving, this place is going to be squeaky clean!

I'll tell you - we have the cleanest house on the east coast but thank God others are cooking for Thanksgiving. I love my parents and they are great at keeping things clean and organized, but they aren't chefs. Not by a longshot. I guess we all have our talents, but that also means we all have our weaknesses.

Thankfully, some time is opening up for them. Mommy is off her church committees (they were starting to propose activities on weekdays and she can't do that with a job, so she had to quit) and daddy only has one more meeting on church council before his term ends. Yep, elections are coming up to replace him and the other three members rotating off. They've done a lot these three years.

So our flock is getting stuff done, and things are rolling along. Progress is always good. Hooray!

That's all for today. Take care. Thanks to all the Veteran's that have fought for our freedom.

Luv,

Ollie

Our Parents Are Too Busy!

9/19/2012

Mommy and daddy are too busy! What's going on? It's always work, work, work. Meetings or other things that need doing. Mommy's been trying so hard to catch up at work since she got back from San Francisco, but it's been hard because she's had 3 meetings in the office since then and had to plan for 2 more over the next 2 weeks. And daddy is at church having to rebuild one of the computers because every attempt to fix it has failed.

Oh, humans. You have way too much going on. It makes me so glad I'm a bird!

I had a busy day Monday. Mommy and daddy bought me a new toy, and I got right to work shredding it. 24 hours later - done! I was so proud of my handiwork. I had to let them know I appreciated it by playing with it intensely until it was gone.

I wish mommy and daddy were busy playing. Well, maybe later. Mommy said she's close to getting caught up, and hopefully things will settle down for daddy soon too.

That's all today. I hope you're all doing well, Take care.

Luv,

Zack

A Conure's Top 5 Favorite Things List

7/13/2012

As mommy is preparing a weekend blog entry on 5 things she's looking forward to in the coming months, I'd like to share my own Top 5 things. Wondering what us birds love? Well, here you go:

1.    Snuggle/flock time! I love to snuggle, and even though Chloe and Ollie aren't snugglers they also love spending time with our parents. We get so happy when they come home from work. I love to snuggle daddy, and Chloe loves to hang out on mommy's shoulder. We do love our flock and spending time with them is the best.

2.    Feeding time! Well, duh. Who doesn't like meal times? And the more snacks, the better. Bring on the bread, popcorn, peanuts, and Lafabers featuring Popcorn treats. Yummy. Tummy time is great.

3.    Play time! We love chewing toys, preening toys, tearing up cardboard papertowel roles and empty tissue boxes - anything we can sink our beaks into. I show those toys who the master of this universe is on a regular basis. And Happy Huts - oh, those are Heaven on Earth. They're the best!

4.    Helping our human parents with their tasks. Whether it's folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher, housecleaning, cage cleaning, playing games on the computer, or blogging, we're here to help. We make great supervisors.

5.    Sleepy time. Humans aren't the only ones that need to recharge. It takes a lot of energy to be an adorable snuggle bug, after all, and we do need our rest to stay at our best.

So that's a conure's top 5 list. See, we aren't that complicated!

Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.

Luv,

Zack

Easter Eggs?

4/7/2012

I don't understand the practice of dying Easter eggs, or of hiding them and expecting children to look for them. What's the point?

It's not that I find it morally objectionable. It's just that eggs are kind of like bathrooms - they're designed for specific functions, so decorating them is kind of pointless because you aren't going to be there any longer than you have to. Think about it. God created eggs for two purposes: to protect and nourish growing baby birds or, if there is no baby bird inside, as food and nourishment for others. Eggs are meant to be broken eventually, so why in the world would you boil them and dye them colors, or hide them and expect children to look for them?

Note: mommy said she never liked Easter egg hunts growing up, and daddy wasn't fond of them either. They said it was an exercise in futility. I don't know what "futility" is, but I think it means that they thought it was a waste of time.

Maybe I'm being a silly hen, but it seems that if you want to color something then dye your hair, or paint your nails. Something that will last a bit longer. As far as eggs go scramble them, fry them, use then in a cake, devil them - whatever as long as you eat them like you're supposed to. But dying them is kind of like buying an expensive painting and hanging it over your toilet, where it will look silly and nobody will see it under civilized conditions. Why would you do that?

I don't know. They're your eggs and it's your time to spend as you please. If you want to color eggs and hide them just to break them and eat them later, have at it.

That's all today. Happy Easter and remember that faith in our Risen Lord and Savior is beautiful, smart, wise, fundamental to our spiritual survival, and the cornerstone of our faith. We love Jesus!

Luv,

Chloe

Home for Lunch

4/4/2012

I like it when mommy comes home for lunch. Her office is about 10 minutes away, so she tries to do it once a week. And she had her annual physical today, so she had a little more time to spend with us. Hooray!

The only bad thing is it interferes with our mid-afternoon naps. But we always enjoy spending time with mommy and daddy, so it's worth it.

Speaking of mommy and daddy, they're planning to make an addition to the birdhouse village in the front yard. I don't know if Chloe or Ollie mentioned it, but mommy had the idea to build a "rainbow row" of birdhouses along edge of the front yard. She's doing it because daddy is from Summerville, which is close to Charleston, and she thought it would be a nice tribute to us (birdhouses) and him (Rainbow Row). We'll have to post a picture when it's done. Mommy painted 3 more housed and they bought 2 more last weekend - a church and a general store. I hope the weather is good Saturday so they can get them up. I think it's a great idea and it will look good. They already got several compliments on what they've done already.

Well, mommy says she needs to get ready to head back to the office to work this afternoon. I guess we'll settle in for that nap now. Mommy's planning to clean our cages tonight so we better rest up.

Take care all! Remember it's a good life. Enjoy it.

Luv,

Zack

President's Day Weekend

2/19/2012

So it's President's Day Weekend. Daddy was watching something on the History Channel earlier on the Book of Secrets and conspiracy theories. I got a good laugh out of that. I love humans but somehow, I doubt they're clever enough to pull off half of the conspiracies they suspect! Skull and bones clubs turning out presidents, senators and world leaders eh? Imagine what we parrots could do with a "Beaks and Feathers" organization. We could take over the world. Well, it would be a happier place anyway. Birds just want to live in harmonious flocks where all the members are happy. And we are in this home, as long as everybody respects ME as alpha bird!

So daddy had Friday off and mommy has tomorrow off. That didn't work out well! I guess it's good for them to get things done on their own, but they prefer to have the same days off so they can spend them together. We prefer that too. It stinks when one parent has to work and the other doesn't. We want both of them home! Oh well. The world is a crazy place.

Oh look at the time! It's almost 5 which means apple time. Mommy has to quit typing for me now and get our apple ready. I hope you all have a good weekend and a great week next week. Take care and be happy. Life is too short not to play and be silly from time to time!

Luv,

Zack