Working

It’s been a very busy week. My person has been busy writing and I’ve been busy helping her. I’ve been spending many hours every day sitting on her shoulder while she writes. I’ve also been helping remodel the bathroom. I know, I know, that sounds strange after my previous post about how scary remodeling is, but a parrot can change her mind, can’t she? After I got used to the idea of remodeling, I got a little curious about it. Then one day, the big tall guy asked me to help him out with the drywall. So I sat on his shoulder while he worked on the drywall. It was really fun, so when he asked me if I would help him again the next day, I said “Yes!” Unfortunately, the first thing he did the next morning was carry a scary-looking ladder into the bathroom. Then he thinks I’m going to go in there with that predatory ladder sitting right in the middle of everything? No way! Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. So now I’m back to helping my person write. It’s not quite as interesting as drywall, but it is a lot safer.

Remodeling

Here’s something scary: remodeling. In case you don’t have any experience with remodeling, here’s how it works:
Every morning, a big tall guy comes to your house. He spends the day making all kinds of whirring, buzzing, pounding, and scraping noises. Sometimes the noises are outside, sometimes they’re inside, sometimes they’re in the basement, sometimes they’re in the bathroom. You never know what kind of noise will happen or where it will be. Also, there are all these strange things lying around the house, things like long cables and a monstrous vacuum cleaner, you know, predatory-looking things. Then at the end of the day when the guy leaves, there’s always something different in your house. For example, we had a bathtub, then there was this big space where the bathtub used to be, then suddenly one day the bathtub is back. Only now it’s bigger and shinier. No matter how much I stare at it, I can’t make it look like it used to. So I’m not sure why people are so interested in remodeling. Maybe they like noises and long scary cables and bathtubs changing their appearance, but it is all very unnerving for a little green parrot like me.

Laundry Day

There’s nothing like laundry to brighten things up. Doing laundry is filled with delights every step of the way. First of all, there’s the washing machine with its fascinating rushing water and spinning sounds, and sometimes it even bumps and clunks. Then my person hangs the wet clothes up to dry. As soon as I see the drying rack standing so invitingly in the middle of the living room, I fly right to it, perch on the top bar, and squawk and whoop with joy. While my person is busy hanging the clothes, I am busy squawking and whooping, walking all over the clean wet clothes, and taking a few nibbles here and there. When the laundry is dry, my person folds it. I just loooooove folded laundry. There’s nothing like climbing up piles of folded laundry (and knocking a few of them down along the way), then settling down on top of one for a good chew. Doing laundry is definitely my favorite household chore.

Robin Sightings

I’ve heard that there have been a few robin sightings around town recently. Talk about dumb! How do they expect to find any worms to eat around here? The ground is still covered with snow. If I were ever foolish enough to fly thousands of miles south so I could be someplace warm and wormy while it’s cold up here, I would still be smart enough not to return until it really was spring. We could still have another blizzard or two. Believe me, I’m as anxious as any robin for spring to arrive. I’ve been dreaming about walks outside in my carrier all winter. But I’m sure not going to do anything dumb like go outside while it’s still cold and white out there. Uh uh. I’m staying inside, warm and cozy by my food dish.

How to Train Your Person

Any parrot who lives with a person knows how important it is to keep your person trained. While most people love their parrots and want to keep them happy, sometimes they need a little help in understanding the best way to do this. Here are some tips for keeping your person well-trained:

- If your person is holding tasty-looking drink or snack, giving it your best beady-eyed parrot stare will usually convey the idea that you would like to have some, too. If this doesn’t work, a quick nip to the ear should do the trick. Be careful not too nip too hard, though, because that will just make your person mad and yelling might ensue. Of course, that will give you the opportunity to start squawking, so it’s not all bad.

- Sometimes a bite is called for. If, for example, your person hits a pin feather while petting you (and you know how painful that can be), a hard bite should get her to stop. Bite hard to keep your person away from anything you don’t want her to touch, such as your favorite toy or your mate.

- If your person should happen to sleep late some morning, a few loud squawks will let her know that it’s time to get up and pay attention to you.

- It’s a good idea to preen your person often. People enjoy this as much as parrots do, and it lets your person know that she is important to you. Stand on her head and preen her hair or sit on her shoulder and preen her face and neck. This will probably result in lots of petting and praises for you.

If you have any more tips for training people, let us know in the comments.