More fun than a playstand

[cnyguy]

Ralph has discovered how much fun it is to play in the silverware drawer in the kitchen. Every day, he wants to climb into the drawer and pull out all the spoons.

He moved all the spoons out of the drawer and put them on top of the cabinet:

I could spend hundreds of dollars on parrot toys, and Ralph wouldn't enjoy them nearly as much as he does my stainless steel tableware.

 

[starrynightxxi]

So is removing the spoons a mark of approval or disapproval?

 

[miloslave]

Lol, they can be such interesting little buggers, who knows? Mine would drop it to the floor, watch it hit and then, while eyeing it with one eye, tell me to look! At least yours gets packed on top of the counter! [emoji3]

 

[Allee]

Gary, I'm ROFL at the expression on Ralph's face! Ahem, I shouldn't mention it, but I think you may be confused about who owns the stainless steel tableware. Does Ralph allow you to use it?

 

[4dugnlee]

That's hilarious! So, does Ralph just remove the spoons? What about forks, etc?

 

[Grraarrgghh]

Haha that's fantastic!

I'll see if I can find the video, but my friend has an Eclectus that unloads the dishwasher for her!

 

[thekarens]

Too funny!

 

[cnyguy]

Ralph definitely approves of spoons. He knows what the word spoon means, but hasn't tried to say it yet.

I am allowed to use the spoons, as long as I wash them and return them to the drawer before Ralph is ready to take them out of the drawer again.

I decided to remove the forks from the drawer, just to make sure no one gets accidentally stabbed with one (most likely me). The butter knives are still there, but Ralph discovered that they're a little too clumsy and heavy to carry around.

Ralph likes the dishwasher too-- I have to leave a few clean things in there because he expects to find them there and is disappointed if they're gone.

Today was Ralph's Gotcha Day (five years!) and one of his gifts was a set of 8 stainless steel teaspoons.

 

[thekarens]

Awww happy gotcha day Ralph!

 

[Allee]

Ralph, Happy Gotcha Day! You gorgeous boy, and your dad gave you a set of spoons of your very own! You must have been a very good quaker!

Gary, Congrats! You are an exceptionally bright pupil! Ralph's training skills have really paid off, he must be very proud.

 

[RavensGryf]

Happy Gotcha Day Ralph!

 

[cnyguy]

my friend has an Eclectus that unloads the dishwasher for her!

I now have a Quaker who unloads the dishwasher. Tonight, Ralph remembered that there were some clean spoons in there, and he needed them for his latest project. So we made several trips between the dishwasher and the drawer, taking another spoon each time. It may be just as well that the dinner plates and coffee mugs are too big and heavy for Ralph to carry; I can't really afford to replace all my dinnerware every few weeks.

 

[Birdman666]

Actually, and I have a picture of this somewhere...

My red lored amazon used to do the opposite. She'd get quite upset if you emptied the dishwasher without her. You would take the silverware tray out of the dishwasher, and she would "sort" the silverware INTO the tray, putting it away with her foot...

I didn't teach her that. She was watching me, and figured it out on her own. After that it was "her job." And she got quite upset if you didn't let her do it... I guess it was like a puzzle toy to her. Sort the silverware, stack the spoons and forks by size... steak knives go over there. Butter knives go here.

So, yeah, it's not as uncommon as you might think.

 

[cnyguy]

After spending 40 years with an Amazon, I know how smart they typically are, and that they can come up with some pretty remarkable things, as your special kitchen-helper RLA did.