6 months in the blink of an eye... almost

I hadn't really realized that it was 6 months since I last updated my blog. The whole time is a blur. There was mourning for the loss of Shu. There was the scramble to get classes finished for school (finished, passed, but it was right up to the line.)

My grandmother died in February, and it's been a blur there too. She was the last of my living grandparents and was 101 years old.

Some of her things were sent to me and I found that one of my counted cross stitch designs that I had made for her years and years and years ago (about 1994, apparently) was one of the things she kept until the day she died. That makes me feel good, but at the same time confused. This was the woman who was so horrid to me so often, and then would tell people how much she loved the calendars I made every year for christmas gifts and would keep this cross stitch I did for 23 years.

I can only shake my head and try to accept it as it was and move on.

At the beginning of July I took another step and stopped back at the bird shop where my monster bird had been boarded so often, and where I bought so many of his things. They had mentioned that they had baby cockatiels in and I had never really gotten to see young cockatiels. I've known that I wanted another bird for ages. For years in fact. I knew that while I still adore Quakers, I can't get another one right now. It would be unfair. I would never look at another Quaker (at least not right now or for the foreseeable future) and not see monsterbird. The Quaker would forever be being compared to Monsterbird and would never come out ahead. I wouldn't do that to a baby bird. I have the same reaction to Green Cheek and Black Cap conures. They are very similar in size and personality to Quakers. It wouldn't be fair.

So I was thinking of looking into a Cockatiel. I've worked with them before, I've fostered 3 in the past years. (I would have kept the first one I fostered, except Monsterbird had an absolute meltdown and would have never let it live. I found an adopter for that one and they lived very happily ever after.) But now I was thinking I might talk to Joan or Mike about how to take care of a cockatiel as opposed to a Quaker.

I walked out the owner of a Baby Cockatiel. A baby so young I wasn't allowed to touch it. He is a lovely yellow with brilliant orange cheeks (I'm guessing it is a boy, but I haven't heard back on the dna test to be sure.) He has a lovely fawn/grey pattern over his wings and back. He is a Cinnamon Pearl Lutino, apparently, and is really cute and sweet.

I've been back to visit several times over the last few weeks and he has gotten to know me and recognizes me when I come in. He also remembers that me visiting means he gets to go outside which is extremely exciting to him. He's also a complete butt and a strong flyer already. At 5.5 weeks old he nearly managed to clear a 5.5 foot fence. At 6.5 weeks he flew over 50 feet across the backyard of the shop and hit the other fence. After that, he has to wear his baby harness and a leash. These were both with fully clipped wings. Joan says that this whole brood are some of the strongest flyers she's ever seen and all of them are trouble incarnate with regards to flying and getting out. (Okay, maybe she just said that they are extremely strong flyers, some of the strongest she's ever seen, and are all trouble, but still... :)

Since it's late and I still need to go put laundry away before I go to bed, I'll just leave some pictures: