Happy Surprises

I've received some wonderful gifts and happy surprises in the past week. I'm so very fortunate in life to have many, many wonderful friends! First up, from Parsnip in Tucson:

A care package for Ginger and George! They love the chicken crisps (she's sent them to our lucky canines before) and George loooooooooves new toys. He's been hoarding both of these in the dog bed and he barks like mad when Ginger grabs one of them. Which she does strictly to annoy him; she's never been big on toys but she delights in anything that bothers George. (As you've probably surmised, she's feeling much better!) Thank you so much, Parsnip. You're a thoughtful and dear friend.

Next: I won a book giveaway for the first week of October from the delightful Rue! Her Great October Book Giveaway is an event to look forward to each year. Pop over to her blog if you're interested and leave her a comment for a chance to win a magical/Halloween/Samhain themed book! This is what the package that arrived looked like:

And here's the book I got, which is very serendipitous considering a craft project that I'll be starting next week (more about that later!!)….

What fun!

On Sunday morning I texted Marla just to say hello, since what with one thing and another we hadn't seen each other in a couple of months. We decided to have a little impromptu visit that afternoon and she showed up about 4pm with this little cutie-pie:

Isn't she precious? I love those pink cheeks and big brown eyes. It was so good to see little Carsen, who's already walking and talking. Man, that happened fast!

She's been fascinated with our aquariums since she was a tiny thing. Speaking of Carsen and tiny things...…….we had a small house sparrow that lived with us for over a decade named Chip. After Chip died a while back Marco stopped saying his name....until Carsen came along. He's always (and consistently) called her "Chip". Every time he sees her, he says, "Hey Chip! Heeeeyyyy Chip Chip!"  I guess in his mind Tiny Bird = Tiny Human. How cool is that?

After Carsen spent about 30 minutes here, her daddy came and picked her up and took her home so that Marla and I could have some baby free time to hang out. It was so much fun! We got caught up and we even had wine together for the first time in two years! Marla didn't drink while pregnant, of course, and after that she was too cautious to even have a small glass of wine while breastfeeding. I totally respect her for that, but I'm glad we can finally have drinks together again! My new back porch was just made for wine and conversation. It was so very good to see her. :)

All of these happy surprises really helped lift my spirits after several weeks of stress and unhappiness. Things are feeling much lighter around here!

The flock

I've mentioned before that we have three little rescue birds living with us. If you haven't read about them, here is a link The Rest of the Flock.

I'm sad to say that Peeps and Pogo have both recently passed away. Chip is alone now, and lonely.

A few weeks ago, Peeps had started flying around the house sometimes (exploring?) and wasn't content to stay in the "bird room" all the time. Which was fine. She would always go back after a while. One evening it was getting late and she was perched on a curtain rod in the dining room, and so we decided to let her stay in there for the night. We figured she would find her way back home once the sun came up the next morning and we didn't want to freak her out by chasing her down and catching her. Well, that was a mistake. I'm not sure what happened, but she must have freaked out in the middle of the night and started flying around in the dark. When I woke up the next morning, I found her dead in a pan left soaking in the kitchen sink. It was horrible.

After that, poor little Pogo just seemed to lose the will to live. He had major problems to begin with. When Gregg rescued him from the pet store, he only had one leg and was blind in one eye. He would have been killed if he had spent another day in a cage full of finches at the store. We brought him home, gave him a roomy cage of his own in a sunny room with a window view, and he started to improve. He also seemed to thrive with Peeps and Chip as roommates. Like all birds, he needs social interaction desperately. Peeps would hang out on top of his cage and they would sing to each other.  It was super sweet. Once Peeps was gone, Pogo lost interest in eating and drinking, and he quit singing altogether. Yesterday I found him dead in his cage. It wasn't a big surprise, but I sure felt bad for him.

Now there is Chip. Although he is a totally different species from the other two, they made up an unlikely flock and kept each other company. Now the poor little guy is all alone in the bird room. We need to figure out some way to make him happy. There is a huge flock of house sparrows outside his window that eat at our bird feeders and live in our back yard. Although it may be a bad idea after all these years, we're considering opening his window and giving him the option of learning to be a wild bird again. When we tried that last time, he wouldn't leave, but now that he's all alone it may work out. He's been with us since he was a little hatchling and has never had to fend for himself, but if he went out to live in the backyard he would have access to feeders full of seed....and a flock of his own kind. It may be the best option for him. We want to do the right thing and give him a chance to be happy.

The rest of the flock

By now, anyone reading here knows all about Marco, the crazy eclectus parrot that lives with us. His antics are a never-ending source of entertainment, and although he drives us nuts sometimes, our life would be a lot less fun without him. But Mr. M isn't the only bird that lives with us, and it's time to introduce the other little feathered friends that make up our flock!

First and foremost, there is Chip.

Chip is a house sparrow that was brought to me as a newly hatched orphan. The tree his nest was in got cut down, and a kind soul found him and brought him to the local "bird lady" to take care of. I hand fed him, and eventually he grew up enough to be on  his own...only he never left. After he fledged, he lived outside for awhile but still came to us in the evenings for supplemental food (as young birds raised in captivity will do). The crazy thing about Chip was, he never quit coming to us for attention....long after he should have disappeared into the wild. He would fly down to our shoulders when we got home from work, and we would allow him to come into the house to sleep at night. Eventually it got to be winter, and Chip didn't want to go outside anymore, and after that winter was over, we had a permanent house guest. He's never wanted to leave since, and we don't know if he would make it outdoors after all these years of being taken care of.

Baby Chip, 2006

Growing.... 

Newly fledged!

Today Chip lives in a spare bedroom in our current house. There is a large ficus tree in there, as well as some houseplants, and a window that looks out onto the bird feeders in our backyard. We let Chip fly free in there; we keep newspaper down on the floor for easy cleanup, and he as an open cage for sleeping and to hold his food and water dish. He loves perching in the ficus and watching the birds at the feeder outside. He's a sweet little guy that loves people food as treats, especially bread. Chip lives the good life.

All grown up!

Around the time we got Chip, my soft hearted husband brought home a young zebra finch from his pet store that was being mistreated by the other birds. She was too young to fight for her share of the food, and for some reason she would sometimes fall down, end up on her back, and then would be unable to right herself.  She came to live with us, and soon was a healthy, happy girl. She keeps Chip company. We call her Peeps:

Peeps flies free in the "bird room" with Chip. They get along great, which is surprising considering how different they are. Their instincts to live as part of a flock have made them friends despite the differences. We've had both of these birds for years now.

Last month, a third small bird came to live with us. Once again, there was a baby zebra finch at the pet store that needed help. This time it was a little male, and somehow he either lost (or never had) one of his legs. GB couldn't stand to see him trying to survive in a crowded cage at the store, and obviously no one wants to buy a one-legged finch. So this little guy came to join Chip and Peeps in the bird room. We call him Pogo (get it?).

Pogo is doing quite well, and is getting fat and sassy! Since he was small and weak at first (and only has the one leg) we decided to keep him in a cage for awhile to be sure there wouldn't be any trouble with the others. Also, despite his having one leg, we're afraid that he might be able to breed with Peeps, and the last thing we need is more finches! So for now at least he lives in a cage in the room where Chip and Peeps are allowed to fly free. His cage is placed to allow a great view of the bird feeders outside the window, and is roomy and clean. Peeps and Chip often perch on top of his cage, or beside him in the ficus tree, and they all chatter to each other. They are a happy little group.

Part of the reason we keep the little birds in their own room is to ensure that there is no trouble with Marco. Marco likes them, though, and will sometimes call out, "Chip! Peeps! Whatcha' doin'?" Occasionally he will fly into their room to see what they're up to, but we keep a close eye on any interaction between them. A medium size parrot could hurt little birds without even meaning to.

So that's the rest of the flock! Everyone has heard of crazy cat ladies. I guess I'm a crazy bird lady!