Rainbow, Myrtle & Cockatiels

[liz]

The woman never answered me about Max. I guess someone else claimed him or she decided to keep the sweetie.

I have been very busy. I am tired physically and mentally. I have all the animals and Aunt Betty because Rachel has not come down yet. There are piles and piles of paper work to get through because I have to do Aunt Betty's too.

The 14 year old cat, Za Za, disappeared for a few days and came back in a bad mood and had bald spots all over her. At first I thought it was fleas but none of the others have them. I managed to catch her and trap her in Rachel's apartment. She was so skinny. She has been trapped for a couple days now and has calmed down. I can actually feel food in her belly now. I have to take time to visit with her since she is alone in there.
I can't stand to see an animal in a cage and as far as I am concerned even a big kennel is a cage. I get up around 5:30 for my coffee and meds so I will be able to go out and run Jake in the yard. I loose about an hour every morning with Jake.

The cockatiels don't care if I ignore them. They keep themselves busy playing "I'll knock you off the perch". The room is only 10X10 but they love it.

Rambo is enjoying his personal window. Cars and joggers entertain him. When I go in the front yard he calls me to him.

Myrtle is with me or around me all day but I have not been giving her play time one on one and she is really acting up. She screams just to scream and won't hush when I tell her. She will not come to me when I call which she always did. She loves my son and he comes over a couple of times a day but is busy fixing something and not playing with her. She has been doing the little pointy beak nips and he gets angry with her. Then she screams and he can't take loud noises.

What on earth can I do about her misbehaving? She is not the sweet little two year old she used to be. She is more like a monster two year old.

I think I need a "mother's helper".

[Wolf]

Quite a bit on your plate right now and all you can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other until you finally wade through it al.

[liz]

This is my life.
Things change but the stress stays the same. When it gets this bad I start yelling "THESE ARE MY GOLDEN YEARS, DAMN IT". Nobody listens.
My son has taken maintenance work off me. He has taken over with all the electrical, car maintenance and yard work, though he really hates yard work. He is "the nester". His home is already set up the way he wants it but I still have full boxes setting around. I really don't like it but I have to depend on him.

Should I just say "hell with it" and make time for my Myrtle. I miss our one on one time too. She likes it here. The floor plan is open and she can get up a faster speed. I have shower curtain rings hanging over the sliding glass door and she spends a lot of time on them. It looks funny to see a parrot swinging. We eat our meals together. For the first time in many years we are now eating at the dining room table. Myrtle has her own end and her own plate to catch hand outs from our plates. At least she is not stealing anymore.

I know she has not fully claimed this house. She has not decided where she should sleep. Being an old house it has all the little extra spaces that she can fit in. She is sleeping in a different place every night. One night was in the top of my closet.

Myrtle used to fly to me when I said "c'mere" but does not do it now. I am afraid there will come a time when I really need her to and she won't.

[Wolf]

I don't know if " Golden Years" is referring to my enjoyment or the cost, maybe both. While putting your house in order is important, so is the interactive time with your bids and you need to allow for both. This is a new place and Myrtle still has a lot of investigating to do before she knows the best places. Moving is time consuming and stressful for all of us and she, like you is still getting accustomed to the new place. She will come more readily once her inspection is completed.

[Pajarita]

Yes, please take the time to spend it with Myrtle. She is growing up and becoming sexually mature and this is a very important, confusing and stressful time for her -and the move did not help things, if you know what I mean.

[liz]

I am still pushing hard right now to get enough done so I can take a break and put my feet up this afternoon. I am going to spend at least one hour playing and cuddling with her.
She is always right with me so it must be the cuddle and play she is missing.

[liz]

Myrtle is doing well with cuddles while I try to get enough coffee in me. We are the first two up so the house is quiet. I make time to play with her before peanut time. We also do kisses every time we pass.

New development: One bird will scream and the other will match it from a different room. There is nothing I can do about it. It goes on and on until they get tired. I tried hush, quiet and shut up. If I shake a fly swat at them they will be quiet until I turn around. If my son is coming over and hears them he will just turn around and walk home. I really don't mind the noise but it is starting to shake the plaster off the walls. I have had to keep Rambo's window closed.

Myrtle is a thief. She has always stolen thing she could see but it is out of control now. She has learned to unzip my purse. Nothing is safe anymore. So not only do I have to hide my meds but now my purse too. I am blessed that when I ask her what she has she will show me.

I am ashamed to say cockatiels got their first shower since we have been here. Some of them must never have had a shower before. Shadow, Tammy, Tommy, Lola and Cagney did their acrobat thing to get every feather drenched. After a while the others started moving in for whatever they were getting. All but Flutter who is white and the dirtiest.

Rachel is bringing Gimpy down with her tomorrow. He has been quarantined for a month so I will just let him get used to the others while still in his cage. I will open the cage door if he wants to come out he can but he was picked on in his last home because he was different. From his cage he can communicate with the others without fear of harassment. He can't climb or fly so I will leave it on the floor in the corner. There is still enough space in a 10X10 room.

I want to do the hanging perch like someone put a picture in the forum. That is really neat and I do mean neat. It would be a lot easier to keep the floor clean.

Any hints how you keep the bird room walls clean. The wall behind their feeding tray is covered with wet food slung against it. When it dries I have to scrape it off.

[liz]

I don't know who Becky is... Liz, I really cannot believe you are doing all these trips back and forth and not one of your kids! And, of course the zons are suffering - too much upheaval and too many changes without you been there all the time.

Becky is the wife of a Veteran friend and is closer than either of my sisters.
Chuck cannot deal with Rachel and Rachel has her father way of fighting (blaming things on anyone but her). No matter what happens it always ends up being Chuck's fault according to her. I can't leave those two together. At 43 and 44 they just can't get along.

[Wolf]

So this is the last run between Florida and NC?

[liz]

I have two more trips. One to put the house on the market and another to close. I am really looking forward to having all my stuff in one place. Right now whatever I am looking for is always at the other house.

I need a flight cage down here for an emergency. There is no cage in the cockatiel room. My plan is to put an open door flight cage in the room and most will go back to it to roost at night. If there is a fire I can just grab the others and put them in then shove the cage out the front door. Rambo would be easy to get and put in the car. When Myrtle is scared she comes to me and digs her toe nails in for dear life.