My Office at 35,000 feet.

While I try to keep up with the forums and blogs about what the heartbeat of the avian world is up to, (meaning the average parrot owner just like me) I have a tough time keeping up with them all due to my schedule. I’m either flying for work, or flying to get somewhere to do a presentation or do research or some such reason for the journey.

And there is the ever-present floor that needs a mopping. But I do get to meet really cool people:

Concetta! (Concetta DellaRocco- Ferragamo)

But I think it’s terrific the forums are busy because that means you are all yakking up a storm, exchanging information and helping each other out.

Paula Rossow, Irena Schulz and moi at the Midwest Bird Expo

Occasionally I run across a post about the Chop Concept. And I found one particularly interesting. When the Chop Video link was put up, someone saw all of the stuff I used to make Chop and stated the following:

“wow that is like 80+ bucks in ingredients.”

The original poster responded this way:

“When I picked up the ingredients for my batch of chop, I spent about $30 and didn’t use everything….I made the batch back around the 1st of October and I still have at least half left. I feed 8 parrots and 9 parakeets with it. I don’t feed it everyday, but several times a week.”

It was posted on the 30th of December which means she got through half of her Chop in three months.

The Real Quaker Oats

Now it sounds like making Chop or Teenie Weenie Beanies is expensive. It is- the day you make it. But once you bag it up and freeze it, you won’t be making it for quite a while, so you have to look at it as “cost-per-serving” or cost per day.  I never really figured it out to the penny, but I knew I was feeding three African Greys two meals a day for less than a buck.  And because I have never fed bulk seed on any real basis at all, I have no idea what it would cost to feed my birds the seed. But I can almost guarantee it’s less than 3 plus bucks a pound you probably have to pay for seed.

Have any of you figured it out? Does any one really know how much it costs you to serve Chop as opposed to the higher-pried model? I know it’s different every time, but perhaps some of you have done the costing out? I’d love to know what you’ve come up with.

If you ever run into her, (You will eventually. If you attend any avian related events, ask Janet how she met me. She has a very funny response.) My point is, people are actually making friends and acquaintances using social media to connect. With that, they share and exchange information, swap ideas, photos and also help, encourage and console each other during the rough times. Due to this, many friendships are developing as well as a more “family-like atmosphere.” Consequently, you just might run into your “Online Uncle Max” at a bird event. You’ve never met him before, but you feel like you already know him because you know how many birds he has, their names and the fact that his African Grey can recite Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Me, Robin Shewokis of Leather Elves, Lisa Bono of Platinum Parrot, Jessica Pineda, Editor- BIRD TALK Magazine and Dr. Susan Orosz

Photo supplied by Lisa Bono

But of course, along with this are the feuds that seem to pop up in even the closest of clans. Yes, you end up with blood in the water occasionally as misunderstandings occur, differences of opinion pop up and flat out disrespect for another’s point of view roars through the pixels*.

(*Fun Fact #1: Pixel: ORIGIN 1960s: abbreviation of the phrase, picture element.)

There are the “junior high school Mean Girl” moments as well as the warm and fuzzies. But that even happens in the closest of families, so this is to be expected, I guess.

 Despite this, the information exchange has done wonders for the companion parrots of the world. As people join this ever-growing, “Global Family,” they are learning that it’s better to adopt than buy, that an all-seed diet simply blows, and that foraging and enrichment are important for our feathered buddies. And avian nutrition? Well, let’s just say that I’m working my keester off trying to ensure that Chop is the “New Black” in a parrot’s diet. I want to ensure that Chop is a standard element in feeding a healthy diet to your parrot.

Michelle Elle’s Chop: Photo by Michelle

As I keep my head down and go on typing, more and more people are learning that this is the way to go. I have other ideas and I’m trying to develop new methods and more ways to deliver the nutritional goods. And overall, I’m really focused getting that information out.

But as people become more aware of the needs and requirements of companion birds, interest in more information about how to care for them has grown exponentially across all areas of companion parrot care. Because of this, the demand for website content, more research and answers to the growing questions about caring for the little buggers has increased. The realization and insight people have gained through the internet about the subject of Avian Husbandry has had a positive impact on everyone.

These folks who never really grasped some basic elements of the diet requirements for parrots before, are now beginning to wake up and smell the quinoa. They are beginning to ask questions and search for information as they run into others who seem to have a better grasp on how to care for their flocks. They are starting to understand that while an all-seed diet might be easier, it sure as hell is more expensive, more dangerous and will lead them and their wallet down that ugly road to Avian Vet hell.

Michelle Elle’s got it down! Photo by Michelle.

Pictured:  flax seeds, rolled oats. barley and wheat baby cereals, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, sesame seed, wheat germ, chia seeds

Enter the Chop Concept. Good news: It’s spreading like STDs at a Florida senior citizens social center. If dietary requirements are met, foraging opportunities are presented, training is done, and a clearer understanding of the needs and prerequisites of keeping birds is acknowledged, the birds are going to get a better shot at staying put. The bird is happier and healthier which certainly plays into their behavior. And if their behavior is easier to deal with and their needs are met, we’re less likely to want give up our birds.

This certainly would ease the strain on the shelters and the adoption and rescue organizations which would free them up to present educational seminars and social gatherings; a far more positive pursuit.

But me being me, it seems as though it’s not enough. When I was at lunch with some of the attendees after my presentation at the Phoenix Landing event on January seventh, I called for a toast. I thanked everyone for coming and helping me out. I then stated that I simply couldn’t wait to see Phoenix Landing go out of business. They laughed and held up their glasses. Because I don’t think they can wait for that day either.

Actually, I think that’s what we all want.

I got back from the D.C. area after an incredible time last weekend with the Phoenix Landing Organization. A little background is called for here:

I’ve known Ann Brooks since 2005 when we both attended the Natural Encounters Companion Parrot Training Class, or “Birdy Boot Camp” as I called it.  Ann’s a tad on the quiet side and I was sick as a dog having come down with some truly heinous bug I picked up from some guy who coughed on me on the way back from Haiti. Despite my feeling like ten miles of bad road and due to Ann’s ability to put up with this virus monster sitting next to her for days on end, we got along just great. I just had a feeling that she was going to accomplish something amazing. And I was right.

Ann has a fascinating background. Ask her sometime time about drinking Norwegian Glogg somewhere near the North Pole. I found Ann introspective, shrewd, extremely dedicated and very, very sharp.  Ann knew that she wanted to work with birds and well, she did it. And that’s a pretty tall order.

We managed to maintain a cyberspace relationship through the years and I would help Phoenix Landing as much as I possibly could. Being the southernmost outpost of PL didn’t give me much opportunity to help, but I did what I could here and there. I wish I could have done more, and hope to do more in the future.

Not long ago, she asked me if I wanted to do a presentation on Chop for the January Phoenix Landing get together. “Sure! Why not?” was my response.

So this past weekend, I flew up there with my “Got Chop?” T-shirt and hopped around in my “5 seasons-ago Non-Prada  boots” talking about Chop. Please forgive some of the photos, but when you’re talking and someone shoots your photo, invariably a few are going to make you look like a goldfish:

I made a slide show for you about the event.

Behold:

Needless to say, I had a blast! I haven’t had that much fun since traveling to Raleigh Durham to do my Chop Presentation for the Raleigh Durham Caged Bird Society.

The people I got to meet and the new friends I made was amazing. And I also got to meet people I’ve known on the internet and finally got to meet in person! Here’s Eileen:

And here’s Melissa!

I also met a ton more people I knew here and there and also got to see people I already knew, so it was just a wonderful gathering. We talked, we had lunch, we made plans…it was all good. (Vicky:”Up the stairs and to the right.” Is that correct?)

If you live in the area of D.C. or Virginia, or are around the Ashville, North Carolina area, you should really get involved with this non-profit. It’s a great group of people and they are making a HUGE impact on thousands of people and thousands of parrots. They are smart, savvy, incredibly well versed in applied behavior analysis, all things parrot and above all, they get the job done.

And it’s not about a lot of sitting around talking about their birds. They bring in speakers, organize projects and are proactive in the community with education about aviculture, training, adoption and of course they help people who are in need of assistance.

Please join these people for their wonderful warmth, their love of birds and their dedication to adoption, education and the welfare of birds. We can all learn from them. I loved my visit to Phoenix Landing and hope to come back soon. You can visit the Phoenix Landing website here. Just click on the PL logo. And if you can, please get involved. It’ll make you a better person. And I know that from experience.

The revolution I’m talking about is what’s going on in the average parrot’s diet. Yes, I’m talking about the “Chop Revolution.” It seems to be spreading far and wide and I couldn’t be happier. And if you’re in the Springfield, VA area this Saturday, January 7th, you have an opportunity to attend a Phoenix Landing event at ten a.m. in the morning. I’ll be talking about “Chop” and the entire concept and story behind it.  Here is the information:

Click on the Logo for more information!

NOURISH TO FLOURISH: CHOP CHOP! with PATRICIA SUND

SPRINGFIELD, VA
SATURDAY
January 7th
10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Grace Presbyterian Church
7434 Bath Street

I’ve been invited by Phoenix Landing to give a bit of an overview on “Chop;” how to make it, how to store it, and the benefits. I know it’ll be a ton of fun. Lots of people I haven’t met but have communicated with will be there and I’m very excited to be able to meet them. And I’d love to meet you too. I mean really; this is going to be fun.

First off, I can talk about Chop until I’m blue in the face:

I love talking about something I believe in. Ever notice when you take a photo of someone who’s speaking, their mouth is always open?

Phoenix Landing is a wonderful organization that was founded by Ann Brooks. And she got behind the Chop concept as soon as she saw the benefits and its efficiency. So I’m quite happy to come up and answer questions, fill in some blank spots and encourage people to make some Chop. So if you’re in the neighborhood, please, please swing by and say “Hi!” I hope to make sure it’s entertaining. See you there!

Oy! I’ve been meaning to post again for a week now, but I’ve had my hands full. I’ve been doing a lot of flying. It’s all been out of Miami Airport so the drive is kicking my keester. It’s been fun flying out of there but driving on I95 twice a day has been a killer.

I made this ginormous batch of Chop that’s going to last me until hell freezes over, or five months. Whichever comes first. I got a bit carried away at the market where I shop for Chop ingredients and ended up with enough Chop to fill my Big-ass stock pot twice. I was bagging the stuff for five hours. But I got some pretty cool ingredients in it:

Wheat Grass anyone?

I found some pretty kinky stuff to put into it. Can anyone tell me what this is?

It’s a black radish. And it’s about the size of a tennis ball. I thought it was cool, so I got one for my Chop. It’s chewier than a red radish and spicier. I really liked the flavor and I thought the “woodiness” of the texture would appeal to my Greys. And get a load of the collard greens I had to chop up and throw in!

It was like trimming  a hedge, there was so much of it. But collard greens are REALLY good for the birds, so I didn’t mind doing it. And it all went in, stems and leaves alike.  But I wasn’t done with the weird stuff:

Yup, that’s okra. If you live in the south, that might not be weird to you, but I grew up in an Irish-Danish household in the suburbs of Chicago. In the 60′s. Okra might as well have been sushi to my family. No okra, no grits, no raw fish. I grew up in a typical white-bread, middle-class family. We ate broiled chicken, potatoes, roast beef, oatmeal for breakfast and peanut butter sandwiches. But my parents did manage to have some fun with food. I am embarrassed to report that we had an orange fondue pot with those idiotic long forks.

My Mother enjoyed making the old Jewish standby, Chopped Liver and sending that along with some matzoh in my school lunches so she could freak out the nuns. She loved getting a rise out of the penguins.  I also recall beef tongue sandwiches. On white bread. With mustard. I think about eating that now, with white bread and mustard and I want to heave. But at the time, I thought it was just fine. And of course, the nuns would have a coronary. So that always worked out.

My father was a bit of a food elitist, and ventured out with some fairly outrageous food items for the time. I remember him making stuff like pots de creme, which is a chocolate pudding-like desert, and he liked cooking roast goose on the barbecue outside. Dad had a recipe for Danish brandy cookies he would make at Christmas. We always knew when they were done because he put so much brandy in them, the oven door would blow open:

Ka-Blam!

“Dad! The Cookies are done!”

So the idea of putting okra in my chop is a fairly novel idea to me. But I digress…

Let’s see, let’s see. What else did I throw in this el mondo-grosso batch of Chop? Oh yeah!

Radicchio

Yup. Radicchio. It’s colorful, a member of the cabbage family and it has a snappy taste, so what the hell…

And this? This is swiss chard. Leafy, colorful and crisp, this stuff is a must have in Chop. You want to look for really colorful, leafy stuff to throw in there.

And by the way, almost every vegetable I bought was organic. I have no idea how I managed that, but I did. So it was a very successful batch.

I got lentils, quinoa, brown and wild rice, spelt, whole wheat pasta, cooked up and tossed in there. I also have a new find:

Isn’t this whole grain cereal cool? And it’s got 4 grains in it. Anything to add variety as far as I’m concerned. It goes in uncooked. And these?

These are the tops of the red jalapeños that I added. I told you it was a big batch! I also found the organic dandelion greens again. I’m always happy to see that go in.

And another standard I like to include is zucchini:

All in all, I got 280 meals for my three birds. It cost me about 34 cents a meal. I can live with that. And my birds are going to be eating well for months.

Baby Picture of Parker

Why am I such a freak about diet? Well, let me explain something. You can take your bird to the Vet 90 times a year, but until you make sure their diet is healthy, no Vet is going to be able to do a thing. And it always comes down to the same thing, doesn’t it?

“What are you feeding your bird?”

Well? What are you feeding your bird? If you’re feeding it nothing but a seed mix, you’re down the road to Vet hell. Seriously, diet has a huge influence on a bird’s overall health. If you feed her crap, she’s not going to feel good, and I think we all know what a pain in the keester a cranky parrot is.

There’s tons of information out there. If you’re reading this blog, you are sitting in front of the best teaching tool ever invented. Use it. Listen, I know I’m a nag. I know I harp on this crap over and over again. I harp about a lot of things. And I nag about this particular thing because it’s worth nagging about. Quit. With. The. All-Seed. Diet. And try and spread the word. Share your Chop. Share the concept at your bird club.

Time and time again, I have heard from people who have made “Chop” and seen vast improvements in their flock’s health appearance and demeanor.

 Robert, who writes the blog, Confessions of a Crazy Parrot Person, wrote about a batch of chop he was making:

” …it is without a doubt ingenious because it almost guarantees our birds will get a smattering of everything, it really is a great way to get diversity of fresh foods consumed. I been making Chop now for a few months, and again, I have seen significant improvement in my birds health—significant!!”

Irena Schulz at Bird Lover’s Only  stated that she noticed improvement in a bird’s health when she introduced one of her rescue birds to chop. The bird in question had slightly abnormal values on bloodwork that were spot on after being given the CHOP for about 2 months or so. While there is no hard conclusive evidence that the introduction of chop was responsible, Irena had a hunch:

” …someone could argue that over a year’s time, everything balanced out on their own. But I feel differently…I think it’s the addition of CHOP. Unfortunately, there is no conclusive evidence that it was the CHOP. It’s just my own gut feeling that it had something to do with it.”

Jacque Johnson at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has birds at home as well as a hundred or so she’s in charge of at the Sanctuary. After my visit to Best Friends, she tried making chop for her birds at home. When she was finished with her second batch,  she sent me an email:

“Made chop again this afternoon. This time the kids knew what I was doing and were dancing in anticipation as I dished up their bowls. I will never, ever feed my kids any other way.”

I’ve heard stories like this over and over. On forums, chat groups and in private messages, it’s the same story. “Chop:” It’s worth the effort.

I have received dozens if not at least a hundred emails from people who have tried making Chop for their birds. Some were kind enough to include photos. There’s even a forum in the UK that posted step-by-step photos of their Chop with a beautiful result and of course the money shot at the end of an African Grey perched on the side of the big bowl of Chop, contentedly chowing down.

One guy I’m really proud of is Brandon. Now I don’t know that much about Brandon, other than he has a Grey, he lives somewhere in Washington State, I think, and that he wants to learn everything about training and nutrition. The guy is a sponge. And with Brandon, as far as I’m concerned, when he wants to know the best source for learning how to train, I come running with the links. I give him the resources, and then he actually goes out and buys the books and DVDs! Then, he actually works with his bird!

Brandon wants me to help him tweak his “mini-chop” as he calls it. I dutifully answer, because I know this guy’s actually going to make his “mini-chop.” Not only does he make it, he sends me the photos and wants feedback. Now that’s what a call good parrot caregiving. Brandon not only wants to learn, he does the work. With Brandon’s permission, here are some of those photos:

Here is Brandon’s Quinoa ready to cook. I just love how he took the time to take the shots.

Here’s the beginning of his dry pile at the bottom of his Chop pot.

Cooking up some quinoa!

And on to adding his vegetables for the “Big Toss.”

Final result? Take a look see at his zip-locs. They’re beautiful!

I just love how his photos almost match the exact way I make chop. Brandon probably knows how to make Chop in his bones by now. I’m so happy when I see this kind of a result from a first-time “Chopper.” Yup, this was the first time he ever made it and look at his result. It’s absolutely beautiful. And that’s a lot of food for one African Grey. Most people start with a smaller batch like Brandon’s and then work their way up to a larger batch. That’s actually a good way to start because you get a feel of the proportions you feel you want to use in it.

I’m really proud of Brandon and his efforts to give his Grey a wonderful diet. Thanks go to Brandon, for letting me use his photos and write about his Chop.

Over the years, I have tried different types of bird supplements for my birds. I think it’s smart to add a vitamin supplement to a bird’s diet. Even though my Greys have  a very nutritious daily menu, I still sprinkle their food with a vitamin supplement a couple of times a week. I do it because “I want to make sure I get the corners when I’m cleaning the window.”

It certainly won’t hurt them, and it might offer their little feathered keesters a mineral or an amino acid I may have missed when I was preparing their food.

I’ve switched back and forth between supplements, but I’ve finally settled on one that I like: Prime by Hagen.

And I use it for one damn good reason: Parker, Pepper and Nyla will actually eat whatever it is I’ve sprinkled it on.

Now this sounds like a strange reason to select a particular supplement. But if you think about it, what good is buying a supplement if your birds won’t eat it? There are other reasons I selected Prime, but that’s the primary one. I’ve tried other brands and the birds won’t touch the food it’s sprinkled on.

First of all, it also doesn’t smell like a bad chemistry experiment; in fact it smells pretty good. I never knew why until I began looking at what Prime offers.  Or in this case, what it doesn’t offer. According to HARI, “Some other supplements use yeast as a carrier. Yeast has a strong smell which many birds try to avoid.”  I’ve always wondered what that smell was in other supplements. Yeast.

And yes, I actually tried it. It’s pretty tasty stuff.  It’s tangy and it tastes like a crushed Sweetart. It also doesn’t stiffen up and turn into a cement-like consistency in the Florida humidity. And at that point, you simply have to toss the bag because, well, ewww! And here’s why the other supplements turn into a brick after time: It comes down to sugar; or rather, the lack of it. This subject of sugar according to HARI:

Nutrient Carrier vs. Sugar

Several supplements use sugar as a carrier. They try to cover this up by using technical descriptions of the sugars such as glucose, dextrose or fructose on the product label. These sugars tend to cake up over time making accurate measuring of dosages difficult. Another problem with sugar bases is that they provide an excellent food source for unwanted micro-organisms in the drinking water. These harmful bacteria may cause an imbalance in the normal gut flora – exactly what Prime is trying to correct.

Prime uses a required nutrient ingredient as a carrier, namely calcium gluconate.

Of course, I had no idea what calcium gluconate is. And of course, because this is a full-service blog, I saved you the trip to Google:

“Calcium Gluconate is the calcium salt of gluconic acid, an oxidation product of glucose, and contains 9.3% calcium.”

I’ve purchased different brands of vitamins, but this is the only one I’ve found that doesn’t stink to high heaven, doesn’t turn into a brick in the bag and actually makes its way into my birds.

But wait! There’s more! According to HARI, (The Hagen Avian Research Institute):

“The result of our research is a unique formulation in the form of a water soluble concentrated powder of 14 vitamins, 9 minerals and 2 limiting amino acids which birds cannot manufacture themselves. Additionally over other supplements beneficial bacteria, acids, electrolytes and enzymes were included in the formulation. Prime however is not a dumping ground for every nutrient known to man – ingredients and their quantities were selected on the basis of need.”

In other words, Hagen didn’t just throw a bunch of vitamins in there; they thought about what was necessary to the bird. Here’s another fact. Not all supplements contain vitamins, minerals and amino acids. But Prime has all three. For more information on Prime, Just click on Parker:

Information on Prime here!

Dry Ingredients for "Chop"

“Less Work For Mother”

I’ve always liked that phrase. The first time I ever saw it used tongue-in-cheek was by the writer and now director and producer, Nora Ephron. She wrote a very witty book back in the 70’s titled Crazy Salad.

Ephron called her book Crazy Salad, I think because it was a series of essays that had absolutely no relation to each other whatsoever. She did one essay on the star of the movie, Deep Throat, the infamous Linda Lovelace and other various subjects. But my favorite essay she wrote was about the Pillsbury Bake-Off, titled, Baking Off.

I don’t have the book any more but I can remember this essay very well. Ephron went to the Pillsbury Bake-Off and talked about how strange it was to be there as a reporter witnessing this popular yet strange competition. Anyway, Ephron is a Foodie, which is why the food shots in her movie, “Julie and Julia” were so maddeningly beautiful. But when she went to the bake-off, it was all cake mixes, frosting, sugar and refrigerated dough. I remember the line where she was smelling all of the sugar and cinnamon and dough baking. She wrote something like, “After about three hours in there all I could think about was a steak.”

But she seemed a bit disgusted by the use of “instant” this and “powdered” that. To paraphrase, and this is reaching back in my memory three decades, “Why chop fresh onions when instant minced onions will do?

This was ‘Less work for Mother time.””

There is a time and place for this. I agree that in the day-to-day, “Less Work for Mother” is the way to go. But in many ways I refuse to bend to the “instant” way of life. I like soup but I can barely tolerate the canned variety. So I make my own in about a half an hour. It’s usually delicious and lasts me a few days carrying it to work in a tiffin. After 24 years, I can’t stand the food on the plane any more. Until South Florida comes up with some better food vendors in the airports that serve up something other than barbecue or rice and beans, I’m stuck with hauling my own grub or swinging by a place to buy lunch on my way to work.

A bean, vegetable and feta cheese salad in a tiffin for work

Think about it: How long does it really take to make a batch of Chop or frozen bean mix relative to the amount of time it would take you to make fresh every day? The issue is, you probably can’t make it fresh every day. And that’s a big issue.

Doing a "Chop" Demo at the Midwest Bird Expo 2011

Before I thought up the  “Chop Concept,” I thought some of those “cook and serve” products were going to end my daily “slave to the chopping board issue.” And they were great! Problem was, Parker wouldn’t eat them, which I suppose defeats the purpose. So I had to come up with another time-saving solution that served the same purpose as the “Cook and Serve” variety. And that’t how I came up with “Chop.”

The "Chopettes"

I’m really big on the “Less Work for Mother” concept. But not if it compromises my birds.

I’m all for efficiency. The trick isn’t knowing how to feed your parrots well. The trick is how to get the damned food into your birds. And I’m not talking about actually making the food. Look, most of us are running at breakneck speed. It’s tougher to make a living, employers are cutting back on their employees so more work is being done by less people and most people are just really tired when they get home. I know, I know. I’m beat too. The trick is finding the time to actually dish up good, nutritional food and placing it before your birds.

But there are some things you can do to make life easier for you when you get up in the morning.

I used to have to get up at about four in the morning to get to work. I don’t have to now, but I never know when that ugly little mutt is going to rear its head again.

It was tough and grinding getting up at that hour, but it was what I had to do.

The upside was that I got home about one in the afternoon. However, there was that little matter of feeding the birds and taking the dog out before I left that made life a little harried at that time of the day.

Let me preface this by saying that I can’t ever be late for work. Let me repeat that.

I. Can’t. Ever. Be. Late. For Work.

Cindy Crawford’s agent once said, “Her body is her office.”

Well, my office takes off and hits a cruising altitude of about 35,000 feet whether I’m on it or not. And it’s not going to wait for me. Consequently, I’ve been late for work twice in 24 years. My company tends to take a rather dim view of those who can’t make it on time. So I had to come up with some tricks that made getting up at 4 a.m. a little less horrifying.

I figured out that when I got home from work at about one in the afternoon, I should immediately jump out of my uniform,  get comfy in my jeans, sneaks and t-shirt and then get set up for the next day while I still had the focus and the energy.

First, I would set up the coffee and lay out my clothes for the next day. (I wear a uniform so that’s kind of a no-brainer…) Second, I’d retrieve their bowls off of their play gyms from the morning, (that’s where they eat) and wash out the bowls.

Next, it was time to set up for their meals.  I would set up two plates for my three Greys. One for dinner that night, and one for breakfast the next morning. I would make their bowls of food with “Chop,” a bean mix, and various toppings to make that meal somewhat different; I’d top their dinner bowl with a nut mix and sprouts. On their breakfast bowl, maybe I’d add some bee pollen and sprinkle with sprouts, but I’d add some pepper flakes or celery seed to their dinners.  Anything to jazz up their meal a bit. The bowls would be set on their respective plates (breakfast or dinner), wrapped in saran wrap and placed back in the fridge.

Then I would make my “lunch” for the next day. Lunch to us at the time was usually breakfast to you. I ate my lunch at about nine in the morning, so it could have been anything from a pre-made grilled cheese sandwich wrapped in foil to heat in the convection oven to a taco bar for the entire crew. The point is, I would set it up when I got home from work the day before, place in my tiffin or wrap it up, bag it, and put it in the fridge ready to go for the following morning. All of this took about twenty minutes.

Once all of that was done, I could relax. It wasn’t hanging over my head. I knew that when dinner time swung around in a few hours it was all set to go. Even if I took a nap on the couch that afternoon (which happens frequently when you get up at 4 a.m.), I wasn’t thinking about having to prepare their meals when it was dinner time for the Greys. I could just take it out of the fridge, let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes or so to take the chill off and serve it to Parker, Pepper and Nyla. While I was at it , I’d change the water on their play gyms. No muss, no fuss.

When they were through eating,  I’d wash out their bowls and put them in the drainer, ready for their next set of plates the following day. We were all usually down for the count by 8:30.

I’d get up at four a.m. and snap on the coffee, remove their breakfast plate from the fridge, take shower and get dressed while it was brewing. I’d take Mattie out, come back, pour a cup of coffee and put the bowls in their gyms.

I’d get the birds up get them eating, feed Mattie, and sit down to put on my makeup while they were eating.

From getting up out of bed to sitting down to do my makeup was about 20 minutes. They had a half an hour to mess around with their food, play a little bit and stretch until it was time to place them back in their cages. Once they were in their respective rooms, I’d “bid them adieu,” give Mattie a scratch and I was out the door and on my way to the airport by five in the morning.

Mattie with her friend, Bodhi

The beauty of it is doing what you have to do before you have to do it. I found that it was easier for me to put together all of our meals the minute I got home: two of theirs and one of mine. I mean, if you’re in the kitchen, as long as you’re in there banging some bowls together, you might as well group together some meals.

It worked really well for a long time. Maybe something like this could work for your schedule.