Rainbow, Myrtle & Cockatiels

[liz]

Sorry about the double post. I had another one but lost it.

One good thing that has come out of this is that Charles is starting to enjoy the sounds of my birds. In my home he called it outrageous racket.

The cockatiels are in his guest room and dandering all over it. Most are still caged. I put a half platform in the cage to allow for more walking space and feed them at the bottom. This was a hardship on Gimpy since he could not climb to the other platform and only saw the others when they went down to eat. I put him back in the original cage I had him in before he grew his wings. Phoenix cannot fly and would visit with him in it so I put Phoenix in with him. I leave the doors open and they hang out in the cage or around it.
I just caught Flutter who was with the others that came out when I left the door unlatched. Amos is still with Phoenix and Gimpy but all the others are back where they belonged.

They have been on a stricter light schedual since Charles has curtains closed on the windows. I don't know why but I am finding eggs laying around in there. I put two boxes in the bottom of the cage in hopes that they keep the eggs inside there instead of just laying around. As far as I know there has been no mating. I can usually hear when they are entertaining each other. The hens are quite noisy during sex. The two pair are not mating and so far since being here Flutter has not had his way with the single hens.

I haven't posted in this thread for a long time so it is all spilling out. Sorry, I will close even if there is more to tell you so you can go on to read the posts of others.

[Pajarita]

I am getting all confused, Liz. Who is the bipolar man you mention? Charles? Is he your son? And what do you mean that Rachel has left?

I am also very concerned about your fall, Liz! You really REALLY need to start slowing down with all these 'young people' chores you insist on doing, my dear! I remember when you had to dig a trench so the water would not go into the barn or something... We are too old for these things, my friend! Think of your animals! If anything happened to you, who would take care of them?!

[liz]

Sorry for the confusion. Not all of what I was trying to say made it. Twice my posts were lost.

My son, Charles, is bi polar but fights his way through it to help me. Rachel left for a week over the holidays. She is never here or does not respond when I need help. My son is fighting himself to take care of me and my critters as well as Aunt Betty.

I am pushing 67 in years. My body has been through it and is like it is 90. My problem is I have a 35 year old spirit that keeps trying to come through.

I was trying to save my son's bathroom from Myrtle. After the fall Charles told me not to worry about it that he will just put in a new wood strip to fix it.
He has become attached to the birds and even checks in on the cockatiels when they make an unusual noise.
Myrtle and Rainbow are doing well. They are actually getting along and have gone back to eating out of the same plate. It is like Myrtle is unsure of where she is and is leaning on Rainbow.

I know I should not try half the things I get into but I hate always asking for help.

[Bird woman]

Good morning Liz, I see your up early . I've been at work since 2 am so right there with you. Isn't it amazing how the older we get we don't sleep and our bodies don't work as fast as our minds. I wish my birds could be healthy adopting my schedule, life would be too good. they love it at the Resturant and they could have the run of it in the early hours. I'm sorry you've been having problems, life can suck sometimes . Just thought I'd say good morning before all your little monsters are awake. bird woman

[Pajarita]

I HEAR you on the not asking for help! I have always been like that, too (my husband calls me 'The Atomic Ant' because I think I can do anything ) but I have had to train myself to ask for help lately because, at the end of the day, it's better for everybody if I don't get sick or hurt. My mother was like that too and she died because of it. She would not consider moving in with any of us or to have live-in help and, when she got a bad bronchitis and the emergency room doctor told her she needed to stay in the hospital, she refused. Consequence: she got a real bad pneumonia and, because of severe heart condition, they couldn't medicate her properly and she died! So, please, do ask even if it irks you! We all love you and would hate to hear something happened to you!

[alienlady]

That is so sad Pajarita . I agree that you should ask for help Liz as hard as it is. Like you and Pajarita I don't like asking either , stubborn Aries .My family aren't local so I have to ask neighbours because they tell me off when they see me struggling. My body is my enemy now, I used to do things before !!
I'm sure you will agree that when you have spent your life helping others it is so difficult to become one needing help. However, it's just your turn for others to give to you and if you ask I'm sure that people will be willing to help. Take care of yourself.

[liz]

Thank you so much, Paj and AL, things are taking me a lot longer to do.

My night meds wear out by 5 am so I have to get up and deal with this old body. I would rather sleep until 7. By getting up this early I sort of fizzle out about 2 pm and get clumsy. Charles is nocturnal and wakes up at about that time. He then goes from 0 to 60 so he can help me and give me a rest. I, like everything else in the house have down time between 2 and 4 pm.
I don't come back as good as I do in the morning but it does help me get through the rest of the day. At 4 I take another Hydrocodone with a cup of coffee to get going again.
It does give me quiet time between 5 and 9 when Myrtle wakes up and wakes everyone else. She is trapped in the bathroom with Rainbow so she can't fly around to wake everyone up. So she gets Rainbow to join in calling "HEELLLOOOO" until I serve them. (I don't understand but I am grateful that the two have starting getting along again. Rainbow gave her an attitude adjustment right before they were put together.) They have joined forces to control their human. When my kids did that I let them get away with it by ignoring what was going on. Their bonding is more important that the clean up and cost of their distruction.

When I worked at Southern States Co op I remember a co worker laughing at a customer for breaking her hip in a fall the year before. I immediately stepped in to stop him and console her when he said "she broke her hip when she fell off the roof". She was 76 and was patching a leak in her roof.

It was just a few years ago that a Vet Buddy talked me through putting laminate down in my sun room. It had carpet but bugs just loved to live in it. I miss that old man. He showed up for coffee at 10 am each day to find out what I planned for the day. He repaired anything I got to the dining room table and backed me up with any project I got into. Since I was house bound he ran any errand I needed. He was 100% disabled but still tried to help me in every way. (We played poker one evening and he took all my nickles. He passed that night and I will always miss him.)

I have really gotten off topic.

Rainbow and Myrtle are now eating from the same dishes at the same time like they used to do and saying "da da" while they do it. So something really good came out of my problems.

I did not latch the cockatiel cage good enough a couple of nights ago and there were a few escapeeze. They would eat and drink with Phoenix and Gimpy so they did not go hungry. I had to go in after dark to find them and put them back. Flutter was a real challenge. I managed to get all but Amos back. At least they are in a closed door room so nothing can hurt them. Phoenix (with the chopped wing) has been jumping off the top of the cage and trying to fly. He does not get hurt because he lands on the bed. He is not able to fly back up but has learned to hold still so I can scoop him and put him back. I really love these little birds.

It is 7 am and I will really have to hussle to do what I need in my quiet time.

[Wolf]

I am right there with you Liz, I have done for myself and tried to help others all of my life, I have always found a way to do whatever needed to be done on my own, but now my body is breaking down and I find that I can not do the things that I am accustomed to doing and even if I find a way, I still can't do them the way that I would have wanted to. Asking anyone for help is one of the most frustrating and difficult things that I have ever had to learn to do and I am still not very good or comfortable with it.

Perhaps, I am just fooling myself or trying to, but I have had to come to the conclusion that my needing help and learning to ask and accept help is part of the natural order f things. How else are we to learn to help each other if none of us need the help or will not accept the help when it is offered? Perhaps we need the help as irritating as it is so that we can give others the opportunity to experience how it feels to help someone other than just ourselves. Just some of the things that I think about in an effort to be more accepting of help that is offered or that I must ask for.

[Rmoses]

Liz, Pajarita, Bird woman, Wolf, and all you others that don't like to ask for help. Not asking for help is selfish, remember how good you felt when you helped someone? Give some one else the chance to help so they can get that feeling too. No one knows what you need unless you ask.
Ya'll come on down and help me, I want you guys to feel needed and I'll share all the good feelings
Rick

[liz]

Wish y"all would put your location in the info boxes. At my age my memory is not that good and I can't remember where you are.