Birdie Girl

 It's a terrifying reality to love something so small and vulnerable. 

A week in the west

I took a trip out to Utah to spend time with Mom. I snagged bonus visits with Ethan and Kassie as well as a fun trip to St. George to see Kaira and her family and her cute puppies!

The first night there, we went out to one of Ethan and Kassie's favorite spots, Chubby's. It didn't disappoint! 

Mom had a sick day, and I used the time to sit down and catch up on months of budgeting. But the next day she was feeling better and we took the opportunity to hit the grocery store and avail ourselves of the fine spread of Utah "salads" at Macy's. In all seriousness. I'm impressed. 

We got to see Ethan and Kassie's apartment and have a little chat. I love that they are making those newly wed memories! 

The next morning, mom and I headed down to St. George. I got to spend lots of time with the three wiggly pups. They were so cute! And their teeth were so sharp. 

Cinnamon, Stubbs and Silvie

A few other highlights....spending time with my nieces!

Scootering in Snow Canyon. So gorgeous and strangely meditative, even speeding along. The red rocks and desert just give you a solitary feeling. I'd love to bring Mark and the kids back here to do this again. 

We got to sink our toes into the red sand, softer than any beach I've been to, and we spotted lots of lizard tracks

A trip out the the adorable Frei's Fruit Market

And then the Taffy Shop....Kaira know all the best places. 

7 bucks to fill a bag. The only rule is it has to be able to close. 

Oh. It's on. 

The best part was the taffy identification chart. I'm all about the proper organization of my candy. 

Dinner with the Tuckers, even Charlie! Mom's treat.

Before you know it, we were driving back up to Spanish Fork, had one last visit with Ethan and Kassie and I was flying back to Utah. I briefly considered getting another almond croissant from my favorite spot in the airport, but even I know that's excessive. 

 Until next time!

We are, in fact, "bird people"

We simply adore her. 

 

The Times and Adventures of Winnie P. Winifred

She's a busy bird. 

Garden Birdie

I'm so nervous that a hawk will swoop in and grab her up. But she loves the garden! And I can't really blame her, can I?

Those Johnny Jump Ups are so.....munchible.

So I'll stand at the ready and guard my garden buddy from hungry hawks. Because she deserves to enjoy this little patch of heaven!

Winnifred the Wild

I don't think it's an overstatement to say that Winnie has sunstantially altered life in our household. 

She is a part of everything we do. 

In short, she's a nosy neighbor living on my shoulder. 

She wants a bite of everything I eat. I mean, she probably wants ALL the bites, but we are working on sharing. She particularly loves bread and eggs and is desperate for cheese (did you know birds are lactose intolerant?) She goes completely mental if she hears a bag of chips being opened in the house. She doesn't approve of selfish humans that don't share doritos. 

She hates the feel of food on her beak, but will let it slide if she has a ripe strawberry all to herself. She will thoroughly wipe her beak all over your shoulder as soon as she gets a chance. 

She is obsessed and infuriated by UNO cards. She loves they way her beak can so deliciously puncture the crisp edge. We have donated this one in an effort to save the rest of the deck.

I clipped a branch off of my ugy lilac bush and brought it inside for her to climb on. She quickly stripped off the leaves. 

Miraculously, it spontaneously sprouts strawberries for her to discover and fling all over the walls.

She can't resist the allure of the dishwasher. So climbable! So full of food tidbits that those greedy people didn't bother to feed her. 

She is not afraid of the blow dryer. In fact, she prefers being right in the eye of the storm all warm and fluffy. 

I've been taking her out in the garden with me, but covering her with the top of her cage to keep her from being snatched by a hawk.  She made short work of my very first asparagus.

She is most at home on my glasses. She uses them as a perch for easy access to my eyelashes, a beak scratcher and a napping place. I don't really mind. 

She keeps things hoppin around here. 

Winnie the Blue

So I guess I'm a bird lady. 

After a month of missing Phoebe, we decided to get another little parrotlet. 

And let me tell you. She's her own little bird. 

She fluffs up when she's sleepy or tired. She loves a good scritch...but only when it's her idea. 

She's wild and curious and busy and loud. She loves eyeglasses and will doggedly attempt to climb on them to investigate how they are held together....and how she might take them apart. 

She will give never ending kisses. 

She will physically move your finger away if she isn't interested in having that finger in her face. It's a clear "No, thank you"

She is a total sass.

She's excited to see her people in the morning and really doesn't ever want to sleep in her cage. 

She is so sweet and snuggly when she gets tired. 

Which is a good thing, because at the end of the day, we're tired too!