March 10, 2010 by Patricia Sund
I got the nicest surprise the other day that was almost as gratifying as watching my Greys suck down about a pound of “Chop” right after I make it:
I was zipping through my email while simultaneously slurping down coffee and putting on makeup for work when I came across this email:
blog: Parrot Nation
Your blog on blogville.us has been approved.
Your listing can be viewed here:
http://blogville.us/parrot-nation-address73712.htm
Your blog has been made an editors choice pick! (less than 1% of blogville blogs are editors choice).
I almost dropped my makeup brush into my coffee. So I hurried on over to “Blogville” and took a “look-see” at what was going on. Whoaaaah! This is what “Blogville” is all about:
“So how is blogville different than other blog directories? Keywords. Your blog can appear on many different pages throughout blogville based on the keywords used in your blog listing. Your blog does not have to fit into a cookie-cutter category structure used by most blog directories, you can choose whatever keywords that are relevant to your blog.”
Turns out, these people hand-select blogs to include in their directory. In other words, they actually read the blogs before they decide to include them in their lineup of featured blogs. Talk about some work! Jaysus! I was very happy and very gratified. I was surprised because “PN” is really a rather specialized blog that may or may not be of interest to your average reader. After all, I’m not Helen Philpot, the 84 year-old brilliant blogger who began blogging on “Margaret and Helen“ during the last election and got a huge following based on her outlandish, brilliant and very colorful posts about Sarah Palin, Anne Coulter’s big feet and posting letters to her family about Thanksgiving:
Nevertheless, the staff at “Blogville” seemed to like what they saw. And they not only accepted my blog for a listing, they gave it “Editor’s Pick” status. So it was a huge honor, (Well, to me…) and a confidence boost as well. But I had other stuff to do, like, well, fly to Ecuador. So I moved on with my day and got to the next thing. But it made me happy just the same.
Posted in Patricia Sund, Uncategorized | Tagged Bird Blogs, blogging about parrots, Blogville, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, Patricia Sund | 4 Comments »
March 9, 2010 by Patricia Sund
My neighbor Sheila stopped by yesterday. She occasionally helps me out around the house when I get so overwhelmed with things, I can’t keep up. If it wasn’t for her I’d never get through my “Job+Job+Job” situation. She and her best guy, Jon are also kind enough to look after the birds when I have an overnight trip.
Writing for “BIrd Talk,” “The Bird Channel,” keeping up my blog, “Parrot Nation,” and flying full-time takes time; lots of it. I once had to explain to my birds that while it appeared that I was simply sitting and staring at my computer, I was actually doing something called “writing.”
It’s not easy. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that when you have birds, you are popping up every five minutes to either clean something, move something, or chase down a bird that has decided to amble down the hall or get into a waste basket. I cannot sit down for five minutes without having to get back up to do something; like get Parker back up to his stand when he’d rather screw around with a water bottle:
This does not work well when I’m writing because by the time I get back to my laptop, I forgot what I was writing about.
I was showing Sheila my blog and while she liked it just fine, she mentioned that she wanted to start a blog as well. That’s all fine and good and I asked her what she was going to write about. Sheila was a little vague. I’m not sure she even knew.
Now I’m all for people beginning to write. I happen to love writing and encourage people to write all the time. It doesn’t matter what you write about, the more you do it, the better you tend to get. I see blogs lying around the internet that haven’t been updated in ages and it’s sad. They usually begin so strong and people are so enthusiastic. Then they tend to run out of steam along the way or they lose interest. Or don’t have the time. Or can’t figure out what to write about. Or they just don’t want to do it anymore because it’s too much work. Gee, it sounds similar to people who get a parrot and then realize what they’ve gotten themselves into. This is an interesting article from the N.Y. Times published June of 2009 about abandoned blogs:
Many people begin a blog but soon realize that in order for it to be a viable contribution to the world, you actually have to work on it. Writing isn’t easy. The only easy thing about writing is that you pretty much have to be seated in order to accomplish anything.
Patrick Dennis is one of my favorite authors:
I just love most of his work and he was quite an interesting (read: colorful, vivid, and brilliant) person. After he retired from writing, he became the butler for McDonald’s Founder Ray Kroc. If the name rings a bell, it’s because he wrote Auntie Mame. He also wrote my all-time favorite book, The Joyous Season. Written from the point of view of a ten year-old boy, (We probably dressed similarly…) this book never really made it big, but it is so clever, so smart-ass, and so witty that it captured my heart when I was a kid and I never got tired of it. But Dennis must have run out of gas because he just simply stopped writing. One of my all-time favorite quotes about writing was from Patrick Dennis:
“Writing isn’t hard. It isn’t any harder than ditch-digging.”
I like to think he might have kept writing if he had a blog. Writing is hard work if you do it diligently with a purpose. It’s also difficult to do every day when you have to come up with a subject to write about out of thin air. But the more you do it, the better you become. But if you start a blog, be prepared to stick with it. And it helps to understand that it’s not as easy as it looks.
Posted in Patricia Sund, Uncategorized | Tagged abandoned blogs, Beginning a new blog, Bird Blogs, blogging, blogging about parrots, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, Patricia Sund, Patrick Dennis, writing a blog | Leave a Comment »
March 8, 2010 by Patricia Sund
A lot of people “know” about Ecuador. This means they’ve read about it, or saw it in Geography class. I was in the same boat before I actually flew there. About all I remembered was that it was mountainous, the Equator ran through it, and they had a lot of Llamas.
I got the trip many years ago by default. I had just moved to Miami, and I wasn’t at all organized. I had no bid sheet to bid from for the month of June 1993, and this was before home computers were used for bidding. We had to go to the airport to put in our bids because you had to use one of the Company computers. It was all “stone knives and bear skins” in those days, believe me.
Now, I can look at the bid sheet online and I have to bid online. And I can do it from my home computer. But back then? Forget it. So I never got my first bid in flying out of Miami. As a result, I was awarded a bid by default. And it wasn’t a bad trip: On a Boeing 727 we flew to Tegucigalpa, Honduras and back, and then switched to a 757 and flew to Quito. We layed over the entire next day and on day three we flew one flight home. Three days on, three days off.
Here is a map of Ecuador. We fly in to the Capital City: Quito where the altitude of the airport is about 9000 feet above sea level.
And yes, there are llamas. Lots of llamas! And the people are all really beautiful, especially the kids. Rather short in stature as a rule, Ecuadorians are also rather Barrel chested. I write this off as due to the altitude: With a larger lung capacity, they can breathe more efficiently at high altitudes. I loved it from my first day there and had visions of retiring there one day. With a climate in Quito swinging wildly from 68 to 72 degrees Farenheit year-round, it’s a comfortable climate. The altitude is a bit much, but you get used to it. Now back to the llamas. This photo came from website called “Llama Drama.” It’s actually a hilarious website!
I’ve seen a couple of llamas around during my layovers in Quito, but this particular trip has me flying there in the afternoon, and arriving after it’s dark. So I don’t get to see much other than the Hotel and the airport.
I was bumming around the airplane before we boarded because it was a newly reconfigured Boeing 757 and although I was qualified to fly it, it was like someone had come in and rearranged the furniture. It took some time to figure out where to stow my luaggage:
I spent some time messing around in the newly redone Lav:
While they were catering the airplane, I got some shots of the ground crew loading the baggage.
I got a great shot here of a Ramper who was kind enough to give me a minor thrill:
I had a great crew and met some interesting people on the flight including a group of students from Yale who were going to see some birds in the Andes Mountains with Professor Richard Prum, the Department Chair of Ornithology at this esteemed institution. And yes, I got to talk to him briefly, got his business card and hopefully I’ll be doing an interview with him. Now wouldn’t THAT be a cool addition to “PN?” I asked him if he knew Irene Pepperberg at Harvard. His eyebrows shot up and he said, “We’ve known each other for twenty years!” So I briefly explained our connection, (Not about the part where she was coming out of the Ladies’ can…) and we had a nice chat and he readily agreed to an interview. So that was fun. You don’t often see Yale Professors lounging around in coach with a bunch of students. The flight was fun, I was in rare form, and I think everyone had a good time. The airport had been rebuilt and it was a nice surprise. It’s a very nice airport! But as I said, it was dark, so the photo opportunities were limited:
Load ‘em up!
And during the 15 minute drive to the hotel, we engaged in a little banter and made our way to the Crew check-in room…
I hung back and shot some photos. This is a newly renovated cocktail lounge. Well, new to me, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Quito:
Nice Floral arrangement:
Nice Staff!
Nice room!
Which is sad really, because I got to my room about 8:30 at night, had to get up about five in the morning and had no time to enjoy it. But despite the altitude I slept well and my eyes popped open at four-thirty ready to rock. I repeat this performance tomorrow and the next day. So if you’re going to Ecuador tomorrow out of Miami, look for me; I’ll be the one in coach on the beverage cart.
Posted in essays and articles | Tagged Bird Blogs, Bird Talk Writer, blogging about parrots, Ecuador, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, Patricia Sund | Leave a Comment »
March 6, 2010 by Patricia Sund
I’m in dire need of a haircut. I hate getting my hair cut because it’s boring. I cut all of my hair off about 1995 because I’d had it up to about here with messing with it. Now I’m so glad I did because with my dog, my “Dudes,” (parrots) and my job + job + job, I just don’t have the time to be messing with my head every minute. And I don’t like the idea of needing blueprints to do my hair. So, it just made sense to cut the stuff off and be done with it. I warn you: If you ever do this, you will never go through the pain of growing it out again unless it’s for “Locks of Love.” Then you actually have an excuse as to why you look like an alien.
And at this point, I’d like to make a confession and yes those are my sneakers:
When I’m not working, or at a meeting, or somewhere where I have to look like someone, I dress like a ten-year old boy. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what my “casual style” was until I saw an interview with Rachel Maddow. She originally made the statement about how she dressed like a ten year-old boy when she wasn’t on the air. Eureka! THAT’S IT!
I felt much better about things once Rachel put the label on it. Good to go!
But I still had this pesky hair situation going on. So I made my way to the local “Hair Burner” and sat down. And I waited. And waited. Good safety tip: Don’t wait until Saturday morning to get your hair cut. While I was there I thought I’d look around and see what I could see. And I saw this:
I can tell you this-Anytime a hair product costs more money than a good scotch at duty-free, it’s time to cut your hair. I’m just not into hair products for my minimalist head. If I told you what I used to wash my hair with you’d die. Oh, I also saw this which reminded me of an old boyfriend. He used to use this. He was really into hair products and he had less hair than I do:
I also saw this:
If I were blonde, I wouldn’t purchase this product. If I was dumb, I wouldn’t purchase this product. Are there really people who would buy this? Or is the name of this product the reason it was marked down to 7.50? So many questions…and I’m sure I’ll never get an answer. Finally, my Hair Burner, Clara called for me, and it was time for me to hop up into the “hair burner” chair:
Clara combed through my head and looked at me and my camera suspiciously when I told her it was for my “Blog.” I’m not sure she knew what I was talking about, but she put up with it. She knows I have a column in BT because I brought a couple of magazines in for her to see the haircut she gave me that graces the magazine on occasion. She was very proud. Clara has been cutting my hair for about eight years now and knows every inch of my head, even that cow lick I have in the back. She puts up with me and my wacky schedule. I tip her heavily. We get along. She proceeds to spray me down like I had fleas and sets to work:
I usually hear a little grumbling in Spanish because I put off getting it cut until she practically needs a weed-whacker to get it cut back. Do you think she does stuff like this on purpose?:
Probably not, she’s probably just trying to get at that cow lick. But this part always makes me nervous:
Yes, getting my bangs cut. If you knew what I used to look like in the first grade, you’d understand. Think long pony tail and bangs cut up so high in front you could roller skate on my forehead. My Mom used to trim them herself and could never get them even and so she just kept cutting. I looked like a freak. Now that I’m “All Grown Up,” (well, other than dressing like a ten year-old boy…) I revel in my long shaggy bangs. Don’t YOU tell me to get my hair out of my eyes! Me likey!
So after about eight minutes I was out of there. Clara is a good Hair Burner and she’s fast!
I always try and remember not to bring a baseball cap to jam on my head as I’m leaving. You can only take this “ten-year-old boy” thing so far. And I don’t like to hurt Clara’s feelings. But all in all, I like the results:
Posted in Patricia Sund, Uncategorized | Tagged Bird Blogs, blogging about parrots, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, Patricia Sund | 12 Comments »
March 6, 2010 by Patricia Sund
Yesterday was a chilly, chilly day for south Florida. When I took Mattie out yesterday morning it was probably only about 40 degrees outside. Laughable for those of you in the frigid parts of the world, but nevertheless, this is cold for the “Northernmost Outpost of the Caribbean.” This isn’t exactly Canada you know. (Except when the tourists come. Then it might as well be Montreal.) Believe me, I understand your pain. I lived in Minneapolis for twelve years before going to New York with the Airline. My experience there however, did not exactly measure up to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” It was more like “Northern Exposure” but not nearly as entertaining.
I brought Mattie back upstairs, uncovered the birds, “bombed” them (They all poop on cue.) and fed them breakfast. While they were eating, I tidied up the living room, vacuumed, and spot cleaned the floor before settling down to do some writing.
Normally, Parker finishes his breakfast before Pepper and Nyla and he begins looking around to see what he can get into. He’ll hop on over to Nyla’s house and mess around on the top. Nyla practically has a stroke when he does this. She gets a little upset because she likes her house and I’m sure she’s not the least bit interested in Parker messing around with her stuff and pooping in there. If anyone is going to poop in her house it’s Nyla. While this is going on, Pepper is minding her own business and busily dives into her food like it was her last meal.
This is the way it usually is. However yesterday, Parker was quiet, polite and almost a perfect gentleman. A few whistles. clicks and some “Whoo-ooooo,” now and again, but for the most part the little boisterous guy with a stack of CDs for a mouth was subdued, quiet even. He was a lovely bird when he was growing up; a sweet little guy who adored attention and he was very polite. A real sweetie:
How could you not find this little creature with the skis for feet to be anything but captivating? I’ll admit, baby parrots kind of have that “dinosaur” look going on, but nevertheless, a baby is a baby:
Then, he grew up and went from being a baby to being a bird. Somewhere along the line he became a parrot:
So you can understand how this “I’m a perfect little parrot.” jazz was making me suspicious yesterday. Hmmmm….this is not the little hellion I have grown to love. Could it be the chilly weather? Was he not feeling well? (Sure, he acts like a perfect parrot and it has to be because he’s coming down with something.) I was stumped. Perplexed. Then it hit me:
He’s acting normal again after two months of being in breeding condition. My birds are normally pretty quiet little dudes. They don’t scream, throw hissy fits and act like little brats. Well, most of the time. When it’s “The Season,” all bets are off. But yesterday I simply basked in the knowledge that I have my old Parker back. At least until next season…
Posted in Memo to Parker and Pepper, Patricia Sund | Tagged Bird Blogs, blogging about parrots, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, Patricia Sund, taking care of parrots | 6 Comments »
March 5, 2010 by Patricia Sund
I vaguely remember why I began this blog. I was going to go to the Cincinnati Zoo to work as a “Guest Keeper” and I was writing about working at a zoo for my book in progress called you-know-what. (Yes, it’s called Parrot Nation.)
I was going to be gone for three weeks and I thought it would be a good idea to post photos and write about my time there. While I couldn’t accurately express the way I smelled, people did get the idea when I posted photos of stuff; like my work boots here:
Little by little, people began to catch on to “PN” and more people began to be aware of my ramblings about life with birds, life on the road, my total adoration of good food, and writing. They started reading about my recipe for “Chop:”
(Baignoire avec de la nourriture pour les perroquets)
They began reading my monthly rant “Memo to Parker and Pepper” in Bird Talk Magazine. In short, things began to pick up around here. I began this blog not quite two years ago and it has since taken on a life of its own.
I am by no means an expert on blogging. (Is there such a thing? I suppose there is, these days there are experts on everything…) I just try to write about what in God’s name is going on in the world around me in a fun and interesting manner. The best and most interesting blogs I’ve found have been the honest ones, the ones that actually give you a peek into someone else’s world. My world happens to contain a lot of parrot poop on the floor and carrot bits on the walls. But readers understand this because they have their own worlds full of carrot-bit laden walls. I think they visit because they can relate to my poopy floors and my occasional outbursts of “Parker! Get the flyin’ hell off of that chair!…Good bird!” But they are all very good birds when I make Chop:
The most common comment I’ve gotten on some of my posts have been in the vein of, “How did you know?” People who have birds can relate to my daily dilemmas and challenges. That’s easy to understand because we face the same ones every day. They have become my pep squad and my confidants. I feel better because I have come to realize I’m not the only one who has birds that climb on the furniture, wander around their home like they were taking a walk in the park, toss stuff onto the floor like they were throwing plates in a Greek Restaurant, (Opa!) and methodically chip at the woodwork.
Somehow, when you know you aren’t alone, it makes it better. Naturally, this knowledge doesn’t clean the poop off the floor, and you still have that woodwork that looks like a goat has been at it, but it just seems easier to take, don’t you think? I also sometimes feel as though I’m just sitting around the pool with you guys talking about stuff, even though you are all over the world, actually. This is a photo of my friends, Barbara and Nan. We were sitting down at the pool when it began raining. We stayed there. In the pouring rain. It was fun!
This is what it looked like in the street after this rainstorm:
I’ve been looking at what I’ve posted and some of the avenues I’ve been down. I’ve branched out from where I began in 2008, and learned from the experience. Along the way, I’ve gotten so many suggestions, comments and emails on the content and I so appreciate your input. I just want to thank you all for helping me find some direction. I’ll try and work on the content to make sure it’s something that we can all find interesting. Or fun. Or really inane but very entertaining.
Recipes for your birds seem to be a hot item, so I will try to include more of them. And pictures. Don’t we all love pictures! Here’s a photo for you. These are some parrot toys I was washing:
Isn’t it an exciting life I lead? Thanks for stopping by…
Posted in Bird Talk Magazine, Cincinnati Zoo, Memo to Parker and Pepper, Patricia Sund, Posts About the "Chop" Recipe, Uncategorized | Tagged African Grey, African Greys, Bird Blogs, Bird Talk Magazine, Bird Talk Writer, blogging about parrots, Cincinnati Zoo, Parker the Grey, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, parrots, Patricia Sund, zoo work, Zoos | 4 Comments »
March 4, 2010 by Patricia Sund
I don’t mind vacuuming. Really I don’t. I just didn’t know it would be a full-time career. I have a good vacuum cleaner and it’s rather soothing to be able to run my Dyson vacuum cleaner around the floor and pick up all of the crap my birds felt like tossing around that day. I should also point out that I’m on my fourth vacuum cleaner since I got my first bird, Parker. African Grey dander is absolute hell on a vacuum cleaner.
Perhaps you aren’t aware of it, but my birds are pigs. Instead of “Psittacus Erithacus erithacus,” they really should be classified as: “Psittacus Erithacus Suidae.” Sorry, just a little “scientific classification” humor.
Good God. I like a clean house and rarely ever have one. Allow me to clarify this. This is not the level of filth you will find on “Hoarders.” My level of tolerance isn’t very high. I really can’t handle much of a mess for very long before it begins making my skin crawl. My idea of a mess is very different than others. To me, this is a mess:
This the way I want it to be:
The way I like the play stand floors to look:
This is the way it is after breakfast:
I mean really…
Does it have to be that way? Poop, I understand. The effect of gravity on poop? I totally get it. Poop drops. That’s a given. But what’s with the beans, the carrots, and the pasta? So I have come up with some things that make my constant roaming around and picking up after my winged pigs a little easier.
First of all, I can’t sit down for ten damned minutes before I’m up and messing with something. Stuff on the floor screws up my “eye line” and it bothers me. This explains all of the vacuuming. I’ve even vacuumed their play stands. In order to cut the milage down on my roaming and randomly cleaning as I’m wandering around, I’ve strategically placed some things within reach:
This is the vertical post of Parker’s play stand. That’s a little mini-dust pan and broom hanging there within easy reach to tidy up the stands. See?
Also within easy reach is a spray bottle of “Simple Green” Cleaner and a damp cloth; perfect for those spontaneous bombs. And on the other play stand?
Same scenario, but I added a roll of paper towels. Sure beats running around and looking for the cleaning stuff every time “Somebirdie” takes a dump on the floor. I tell you it’s the little things that add up to an easier life with these guys. Got any good tips on keeping up appearances? Let me know and I’ll post them. The best idea posted wins a “Ring-Around-The-Rainbow” bird toy. All “cleaning and tidying” ideas will be posted. So look around and see what it is that you do that makes your life easier, and put them here! Deadline is Noon on Thursday, March 11th, 2010. Just send me a comment on this post and include your best “Keeping Up Appearances” tip. Pictures would be great if they help explain your tip. I have to go now; Parker just “bombed” on the wheel caster of his “House.”
Posted in Patricia Sund, essays and articles | Tagged Bird Blogs, Bird poop, Bird Talk Writer, blogging about parrots, cleaning up after parrots, cleaning up parrot poop, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, parrot mess, Parrot Nation, parrot poop, Patricia Sund, taking care of parrots | 15 Comments »
March 3, 2010 by Patricia Sund
I’m in Caracas and will be leaving shortly. I had a long day yesterday, flying from Philadephia to San Juan and on to Caracas. Above is a photo of my hotel room. Here’s another view:
And here is the crushingly gorgeous view outside my window. The Hotel is five minutes from the Airport terminal, and it’s not even a remotely pretty area. It’s also not even remotely safe:
After resting for a bit, I went to have dinner with Daniel. Daniel is the Purser and we’ve known each other about 20 years. Jackie and Ruth weren’t hungry so it was just Daniel and I. We were starving! The waiter took our photo of us waiting for our dinner. And the restaurant? “Mr. Grill.” I don’t know who Mr. Grill is, but he made a couple of pretty good meals for us:
It wasn’t too bad; only three power outages and a heinous walk up three flights of stairs to get to the airport from the plane. So this is wrapping up my four day trip to Philly, San Juan, Caracas and back. I’ll be glad to be back home tonight so I can see my Family: Mattie and the Parrots. I just wanted to touch base to let you know I’m on my way home. I’ve been gone four days and will be glad to be back!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bird Blogs, Bird Talk Writer, blogging about parrots, Flight Attendantss, Hotel in Caracas, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, Patricia Sund | Leave a Comment »
March 1, 2010 by Patricia Sund
I found this fabulous ceramic thing as the Reading Terminal Market. I loved it. I wanted it. It was 189 dollars. I didn’t get it. But I named her “Tempest” just the same, as in “Tempest in a Teapot.” I spent the day at the Reading Terminal Market because it was just so much fun. I’m on a layover in the middle of a four-day trip and the Market is right across the street from my Hotel.
If you know me, you know I love good food and I love to cook. So the Reading Market and I have been old pals for a while now. I took the opportunity to shoot a few photos. Like oh, I don’t know, 150 or so. I had a wonderful time and I got some great stuff for the rest of my trip. One of the things I got was some great butter; a 1/4 pound of “salted roll butter.”
It’ll go great with this:
I got a small loaf of bread; a “boule.” Third shelf, far right.
I also thought a bit of cheese would be good:
I like flavorful cheese, the stinkier the better, but I had to be thoughtful of my Crew and selected a nice gouda instead of some heinous blue cheese, or wild goat cheese that might make them want to ban me to the coach galley. That’s okay, I like gouda! I also got some apples. I love Cameo apples:
I would have loved to have gotten more items, but I have no fridge and I won’t be getting home for two days, so buying a lot of stuff would have been difficult at best. Like this:
This is a pork loin stuffed with, among other things, spinach, provolone and roasted peppers. I also didn’t get this:
I only have one stomach. But the eye candy was wonderful! Speaking of candy…
These are “Gummi Fried Eggs:”
I thought they were hilarious, and very different from real eggs:
More candy and some baked goods:
Being a writer, I’m not too thrilled about the spelling here, but I’m sure the product is delicious:
Under the lights, these cupcakes just throbbed with color. They’re alive!:
I think these look too good to be true:
Makes me want to go home and grease a bread pan:
This gives me a great idea for my next baking project:
Isn’t this a great song by James Taylor?
The cutest little carrot cakes that ever tempted a bunny:
There was just so much to choose from:
It was difficult to make up my mind:
But I managed to select a few things.
And that’s all I can say about the baked goods. Okay, I lied, there’s a lot more to say about baked goods. But there were so many other things to see. Like this:
And this:
And this:
I was befuddled:
I also noticed a pretzel theme going on:
Unusual “Regional” Stuff happening:
Is “Regular Souse” like getting “regularly soused?” And when is pudding made of meat? When it’s “pan pudding!”
But corned beef is universal:
I must say I did see some rather unusual things:
Like this:
This was rather different:
But they were next to some white chocolate-covered pretzels.
And if you buy some bread, make toast and want to make it interesting, you can always get one of these things and call the “National Enquirer.” You’ll be famous and so will your toast:
I have many more photos and very little time left before I have to get packed for tomorrow. It’s getting late. So I will continue my observations of the Reading Terminal Market very soon. Thanks for flying by!
Posted in Patricia Sund, essays and articles | Tagged Bird Blogs, Bird Talk Writer, blogging about parrots, food, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, reading Terminal Market | 2 Comments »
February 24, 2010 by Patricia Sund
My birds are travelers. They enjoy going on”walkabouts” around our home. Occasionally, I have to do a” beak count” to make sure I have them accounted for. I’d do a roll call, but Parker is stubborn and keeps mum if he’s out checking out the back forty. Once in a while, one goes missing. I have a sudden, quiet anxiety attack, thinking of horrible circumstances: electric shocks, drownings, smothering etc. I do worry. But I don’t like to keep them locked up every minute and deny them a life.
Like children, they are going to wander and explore. I’ve “Parrot Proofed” the house pretty well, so there isn’t a whole lot they can get into that will cause them harm. I keep the toilet seats down for the most part, and I don’t leave any running circular saws lying around. But nevertheless, I worry. Parker has developed the nimbleness of a Ninja when it comes to sneaking past me and I’m sorry to report, that Pepper is developing a sneaky nature as well. But, I have learned where to look for them. Here is one of the first spots Parker discovered and I used to find him there often:
Parker usually gives his location away by pinging Mattie’s water bowl with his toenails.
Here is another spot I’ve occasionally found him:
I don’t know if he’s checking out the photos or what, but both Parker and Pepper like hanging out in the guest bath. I am at a loss as to why. Here is Pepper’s favorite spot in the guest bath:
I think she’s nesting back there. She gets very broody and does a lot of “clucking around.”
Parker is more of a wanderer than Pepper. Sometimes he just strolls around the living room:
But Parker’s all time favorite spot to go to when I’m not paying attention is here:
Sure, it doesn’t look like a big deal from this angle. But look at the entire scene:
I have absolutely no idea how he gets up there because I’ve never been able to catch him doing it.
Good God…
Posted in Memo to Parker and Pepper, Patricia Sund, essays and articles | Tagged African Grey, behavior training, Bird Blogs, Bird Talk Writer, blogging about parrots, Cincinnati Zoo, Parker the Grey, Parrot Blog, Parrot Blogs, Parrot Nation, Patricia Sund, taking care of parrots | 12 Comments »
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