Today is Gotcha Day for Sunny. I haven't done anything special for her today. Yesterday we went out for a drive - took a while to coax her into her carrier. Probably because we hadn't been out for months, due to winter. OR maybe because her carrier often means Newburyport to walk along the river, or else just a neighborhood walk here, and its definitely still too cold & windy. Instead we just drove around, and then stopped at at Stateline Pet. Which was a little crowded, so she got almost as much attention as she would in Nbpt, and she enjoyed.
Today I'm not working, but instead continuing work on my apartment-reorganizing & spring cleaning project. I've been at-it about a month - converted a bedroom to a walk-in closet; changed a bed into a futon and got rid of the previous sofa; etc etc. Took almost the whole month before Salv Army could pick up the sofa. When the middle room suddenly gained a futon, and old green lsofa went under the windows... this Terrified the Budgies! Other changes? They were fine. Change the rugs, move other furniture, move green sofa elsewhere? They just sniff their little beaks at me. But sofa under middle-room windows? Oh my, their whole world just changed apparently, this was terrifying! Well, they are happy now, it is gone.
Calliope has gone back into chewing-mode. During the winter she had calmed down. I provide her with fresh carrots to chew every day. During winter, sometimes she would not even chew one all the way. NOW now she finishes one large carrot and if I don't get another in there for her quickly enough, she takes herself to the windowsill and goes after the windowframe again. I'm contemplating hammering some wood chew-things from petstore Over the windowframe, with hopes that might satisfy her.
Part of what prompted my re-organizing projects, Sunny loves to look out the Back bedroom window. Had to move that bed to hang a perch there, moved a few other things... suddenly I'm re-doing the whole place.
Anyway, in fall I hung a suet block frombackyard tree, and watched a squirrel devour it in two days. Two weeks ago I hung a bird feeder. I thought the wind had emptied it, went to put more, and the seeds all poured thru. Mr. Squirrel had Chewed Away the plastic perch-and-openings at the bottoms. Theres still a tiny bit seed in the bottom, the birds keep landing there and try to get it. I'm pondering whether to get a different feeder, but I think I'll wait. The seed I got has hot peppers in it - which the squirrels don't like. I had made mistake of mixing it with some other seed in the feeder, which must've attracted the squirrel.
For now I'm just putting seed on the ground every few days. Regular seed here, hot-pepper & capsaicin seeds there. Squirrels happily go for the "regular" seed. For now, squirrels are even leaving the new suet block, which is being enjoyed by a little woodpecker with a black-n-white striped head. The other birds all love the hot-seeds. Only small birds allowed, apparently. Sparrows, finches, cardinals. A blackbird was about the biggest. A dove tried to visit but was quickly escorted away by sparrows.
Sunny loves to watch all this activity. Unfortunately I am required to be In the Room With Her Sunniness. Sometimes, I'm required to stand attentively at the window with her. That perch puts her at face-height when I stand, and she seems to really like this. She has her Own perch, does not have to stand on my shoulder, and her servant is right there with her.
Two years ago in January I got the budgies. Then in March, two years ago today, I brought home Sunny. What a couple years it's been! So much changes. Seems like forever ago.