Heartbroken

My sweet parrot Simon passed away early this morning.  I will miss that boy even more than I am able to express in words.  I am so grateful for the many years that he was in my life.

I brought him home with me in September 1976 when I was just 22 years old.  I had wandered into a local pet store and was casually walking by a cage he was sitting on top of when he suddenly grabbed at my shirt and climbed up onto my shoulder.  The pet store employees were all upset and nervous as they were trying to figure out how to safely remove him.  He apparently didn't like the guys, and it was the guys that were afraid of him.     The next day I went into my local credit union to ask for a loan of $500 to take him home with me.  As you can imagine, the loan officer didn't think she heard me quite right and dropped her pen on the desk when I repeated my request.  The next day she called and told me to come pick up my check.  I immediately called the pet store and asked if they still had the bird named "Buddy," and if so, would they do me a favor and start calling him Simon as I was on my way to pick him up.

Me and Simon during our younger years.  

Goodbye my sweet bud.  Thank you for all the love you gave me.  I know you're with Grandpa right now eating peanuts out of his hand once again.  You know my love for you will never end.   

My Funny Valentine

[Overheard at our house today. ]

"Is this someone's idea of a joke!?"

"You're kidding . . . right?!"

What happened to the chocolates?

"Don't I get any chocolate?!!"





"You know, you're really killing me with this!!"

"It's not easy being green."

[Most of this conversation was imagined.]

Three's A Crowd

Simon spent some time in the studio with me today,

where I found a spot for this pair that used to live outside.

This is the first time Simon has seen them.

He seems intrigued by what they are doing,

and moves in for a closer look.

Clearly unable to get their attention,



I think he's decided to give them their space.

All The Little Birdies Say Cheap Cheap Cheap

Finches love Nyjer thistle seed but it's really expensive when you are buying a bag a week for them. So we decided to just start buying the less expensive sunflower seeds.

To our surprise, it's like they didn't even notice the difference.

Some pets get to go to pet day care, but some have to stay home and pretend.

Actually, Henri and Simon were watching t.v. while I was trying to solve a major eyesore problem in our basement studio. This is an old freezer that we keep our bait in for our lobster traps in the summer. It's the only spot we have room to keep it, so I had to figure out how I could incorporate it into the studio.

I had some leftover metallic copper paint and a few wooden letters that spell out raku. Problem solved.

And during the winter months when we leave it unplugged, we will use it to store our clay.

How Christmas Traditions Get Started

Our perch potato

on Christmas night

watching

Elf

for the very first time

It sure beats getting him to pose for a parrot in a pine tree Christmas picture.

Nutcracker

Why is it you only see nuts displayed in shells during the holiday season?

And why is it nutcrackers only get displayed at Christmas?

Doesn't anyone ever get a craving for an in-shell nut any other time of the year?

I think maybe some people do.

So we leave our nutcracker out year round.

Bird Bath

Simon prepares for bath time.

He only needs to see the spray bottle filled with hot water to know what's next.

The wet mist darkens his feathers in swirly patterns as it mixes with his oil preened feathers. When birds preen they use the oil from their preen gland at the base of his tail, to coat their feathers to keep them from drying out or becoming brittle.

Covered with water droplets, his wing looks iridescent.

After bath Shabby Chic impression.

Simon focused on his after bath pizza.

At least one of us knows how to focus here.

2 Apples, a Stick of Driftwood and a Piece of Lavender Sea Glass

A few things I picked up today during our walk.

The apples went to Simon because he prefers them to store bought ones.

I added the driftwood to my collection of sticks.

And the lavender sea glass was a heart shaped gift from the shore

that I just happened to find right after I picked up the driftwood stick.

Rainy Days Are For The Birds

I really needed this rainy day to finish up my latest project. Here is the before of a pink flamingo I handknit in wool. I love to knit with wool because it shrinks when you wash it in hot water and this big bird needs to wake up from his nap, don't you think?

Here's a link to the pattern for this felted pink flamingo.

There, now isn't that better?

Strike a pose!

Strike another pose!

It seems someone is just tickled pink about all this rain.

Yep, still raining!

Road Trip

There sure is a lot of commotion around here

I see some yummy snacks being packed

This can only mean one thing . . .

Road Trip!

Stay tuned . . . I saw my mom pack her camera . . . are we there yet?

MEET SIMON.

One of us is showing off here...

Simon is my blue crowned amazon that for some reason decided to leap onto my arm and climb to the top of my head as I casually passed by his cage in a pet store. If that's not a clear sign for someone to take action and alter the course of their life, then I don't know what is. Simon, known then as "Buddy" became mine a few days later after I successfully convinced my credit union to loan me the $500 that I needed to take this amazing creature home with me.

That was 33 years ago...

Here's a close up of him grooming himself, he has a unique white ring around his eye.

This close up shows off his "blue crown"

Oh, he's getting very sleepy here. When you are originally from a tropical climate and are transported to a place where the view outside your window for most of the winter resembles "cold" . . .

and, you're a bird... someone may be inspired to refer to you as a Fearless Nester.