The One Hour Vacation

I finished the ruffled collar necklace and wanted to share a photo of the finished piece. Now I can mail it to the person it was made for. Finishing projects is MAJOR for me.

Well tonight I took another One Hour Vacation. Every now and again I do this....designate a small bit of time and energy to escape the ordinary. I drove to a beach in La Jolla and sat on a bench to listen to the sounds of the ocean. Below where I sat were harbor seals sleeping for the night. It was like being a tourist.

Tonight I took the remaining three baby birds out of the nest box to hand feed (here on). The youngest two are much smaller than I like to hand feed, but one had a big injury on his tummy that may have been caused by the mommy and daddy birds. If this happens it is best to take over the parenting for the bird....because even birds get overwhelmed as parents. An overwhelmed parent bird has potential to harm or even kill the chicks. This I know from tragic experience. I am grateful I have these six healthy babies this year and relatively few losses bird-wise.

I am grateful for my one hour vacation to the beach tonight.
I am grateful for my bird babies.
I am grateful I finally washed my car today.
I am grateful my new car has air conditioning.
I am grateful for my phone chat with my friend tonight.
I am grateful for plans to visit a new restaurant tomorrow with another friend.
I am grateful the weather cooled down a bit.
I am grateful for pay-as-you-go telephones.
I am grateful for big ideas, little ideas, and all ideas in between.

GratefulJoy

Sunday blessings

This picture shows a beaded ruffled collar which I am just finishing up. My bead stuff has been sitting dormant for a long while. Now that I have a car again I can resume some of these projects that have fallen aside. I love finishing things and finally getting them to the people they belong to.

Today was sweltering hot here in Lemon Grove. It got as high as 105 degrees outside. It was like a ghost town here since everyone was indoors. I didn't hear the sound of a car or truck all day. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same. Whew! Thank God for WATER! Thank God for COLD WATER!!

This morning I saw one of the Painted Conure babies poking his head out of the nest box door. The Parrotlets are still being great parents, but the box is just too small for all of these babies. So I pulled the 3 Conures out and will be hand feeding them full time now. It was too hot in the nest box too and I was worried the babies might die of heat stroke. So, now I have a little plastic bin with three little birdies sitting here next to me. I feel like a mommy bird.

I hope this week is productive. Last week was a bust all around...I was fatigued and feverish and foggy headed. Now I am a bit better and hope tomorrow I will feel like hopping out of bed and getting caught up. Prayer for this much welcome.

Right now I am grateful for the three frozen grape pops I found in my freezer today.
I am grateful none of my birds had heat stroke.
I am grateful for ICE.
I am grateful for left over pasta.
I am grateful for shoes that fit.
I am grateful for cotton shirts.

GratefulJoy

No earth-shaking news here

I took this picture of my friend's cat ages ago. Kitty's name is Chula, isn't she pretty? I don't have any new bird pictures to share so I am pulling out other animals...even ones that are not mine.

Tomorrow I get to see another friend of mine which I have not seen for a few months. She had a baby girl this summer and I look forward to meeting this little one.

That same friend just got a chinchilla too. I am almost as excited to meet the rodent as I am the human baby. What's wrong with this picture?

My plan to see my friend does my soul good. Fellowship is vital to my health and well being. When I have a lack of it I wither and when I am blessed with good fellowship I thrive.

I am grateful for my friends.
I am grateful for dish soap.
I am grateful for my telephone.
I am grateful for activities to look forward to.

GratefulJoy

The second baby bird

Last night I found some old bird leg bands and decided to file off the obsolete year on them and use them for my 3 Picta Painted babies. Today this one, the second oldest, got band number 3.

Right now I am grateful for the windows in my apartment.

GratefulJoy

First picture of all 3 Painted Conure babies for 2010

Here they are. This is the first photo of my 2010 Picta Painted Conure babies all together. They share a nest box with my 3 baby Parrotlets. The parrotlet babies are too tiny to take out of the box yet. Gloria and Wally (Pacific Parrotlet pair) are taking good care of all 6 babies even though the oldest Painted baby is bigger than they are.

Today was another really uneventful day. Wish I had some energy.

I will be grateful despite a disappointing day:
I am grateful I got the pictures of the 3 Painted Conure babies.
I am grateful I found a bag of good bird food I forgot I had.
I am grateful for nice phone chat.
I am grateful for plans to try a new Thai restaurant this week with a friend.
I am grateful I got all of my bills paid this month.
I am grateful that there is food in the refrigerator and gas in the tank.
I am grateful for the unwavering love of my Heavenly Father.

GratefulJoy

Grateful for spinach and most of my teeth

I took this picture today of my oldest Painted Conure baby. It's eyes are still shut and he/she knows nothing at all about anything yet.

Some friends of mine are doing that "Thrive" workshop I've mentioned a few times here in the past. We are learning to reprogram out thought process so that instead of living in primarily emotional pain....we are able to go back to a place (mentally and spiritually) where we feel safe with God even if our circumstances are difficult.
The difference between the two is that the negative place puts us in Trauma and the positive place lets us "suffer well" rather than cause further damage to ourselves or others. It's not as freaky as it sounds and it's based on scientific study of the brain as well as the Love OF God.

At this moment I am grateful I was able to email my friend Sylvia in NYC today.
I am grateful I held the baby Painted Conure and got a photo or two.
I am grateful for phone chat with my brother Ted and his wife Nancy.
I am grateful for fresh spinach.
I am grateful for my hearing.
I am grateful I still have most of my teeth.

GratefulJoy

My naughty Zoey bird

I took this photo this afternoon of my current bird babies. The two tiny ones on the top right are Pacific Parrotlet babies (2 and 3 days old) and the bigger three are Pacific Parrotlet babies (3, 6, and 9 days old, approx.)
Gloria and Wally, Pacific Parrotlets, are caring for the babies. I am so proud of them.

Today I noticed one of the three remaining Parrotlet eggs had a grey color, not a good sign. I candled the egg and realized the baby inside had died. My habit is to open the egg in such a case and figure out what went wrong. The baby was fully formed but seemed to not be able to get out of the shell, or, suffocated trying. I am sad for the loss. There remains two eggs yet to hatch.

Last night I had a horror. I took my Caique Zoey to my local bird club with me. She was funny and cute....enticing others to want to hold and kiss her. But just as I uttered the words: "Careful, she has potential to bite"
Zoey grabbed hold of club member Ginger's bottom lip and clamped down hard.
Ginger had to pry Zoey's beak off her face. The resulting wound was not pleasant at all.

I spoke with Ginger's husband this morning and found that Ginger had gotten 6 stitches last night. OMG! Dave and Ginger were the utmost of good sports about it saying they have birds and know what can happen. I still feel bad that I hadn't said something faster to prevent the injury. I won't be taking Zoey to the bird club again...at least not without a large warning sign.

So last night was very distressing. When Dave and Ginger left our meeting to go to the ER I felt it hard to breath and had an asthma attack later that night in bed. Dave's phone call this morning helped me feel not so horrible. Thank you Dave. Yet I want to do something nice for Ginger for the agony my bird has caused her. I am still thinking of ideas.

If any of you are considering a pet bird, be aware that they are indeed wild animals and all have potential to bite (hard). I have many scars on my fingers to prove this fact. For me the benefits of living with my birds out-weigh the risks. Birds do not bite to be mean, they just get startled or have a rush of wild excitement. One cannot punish a bird, such would be fruitless, except for the occasional "time out" which has been effective in my home.

Right now I am thankful that Ginger has had the medical care she needs.
I am grateful for Dave and Ginger's kindness toward me and my naughty bird.
I am grateful for the baby birds here.
I am grateful for fresh figs.
I am grateful for computers.
I am grateful for a new friend named Phyllis.

GratefulJoy

Gratitude to my Joyful friend

This is a picture I took in the garage of my Joyful friend's house. A few years back she and her husband did a grand renovation of their home. Now, their friends are reaping the benefits through the kind hospitality in this home. Thank you to the Joyful One for the love you put into your dinners for us. Thank you for sharing your space with us. Thank you for making your life about more than yourself only....so many people (including me)feel a lot more loved because of you.

Well, today I had a Pacific Parrotlet hatch. I'd forgotten how tiny and frail they are that first day. The two Painted Conure babies are doing well and Gloria and Wally (Pacific Parrotlets) seem not to care that their own baby is sharing the nest with those foster birds (Painted Conures).

I looked at egg incubators online several times. They are quite expensive and then if chicks do hatch...I would be required to feed them around the clock, every two hours for the first week. I am not up to that yet.

Yesterday I had grand plans (again) but never left my house nor did a single one of the things on my list. I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon and evening. This is a constant frustration in my life. That is why I challenge myself to find joy in what IS rather what ISN'T.

I am grateful for my dear friends.
I am grateful for a new baby Parrotlet.
I am grateful for my bed.
I am grateful for my bath tub.
I am grateful for ice.
I am grateful for apples.
I am grateful for easy access to clean water.
I am grateful for comfortable shoes.

GratefulJoy

Two Painted Conure babies now hatched

This picture is of me holding my two day old Picta Painted Conure baby. Another Conure hatched this afternoon and the foster parents birds are treating them well and feeding them. Sort of a miracle.

It is still Thursday for me, but not for long, I will go to bed after I type this up.

Right now I am grateful for my two hatchlings.
I am grateful for Gloria's good nature.
I am grateful for a nice dinner.
I am grateful it was a cool day.
I am grateful I am feeling hopeful.

GratefulJoy

I've got a Grandbird in Pennsylvania

This is a picture I got by email today from Connie in Pennsylvania. The baby bird is my grandbird. Actually, if I consider Treasure, Noah's mommy, my baby and Noah, this little bird's daddy, my grandbird...that would mean I have a Great Grandbird.

Gloria and Wally (parrotlets) are still taking good care of their foster chick. They don't seem to realize the baby isn't their own and not of their species. I am ever so glad for this.

My day was unproductive (unless you consider sleeping all day productive).
I think the last couple of weeks were a push and my body needs to catch up.
Even the good stuff makes me tired. At least there is GOOD stuff!

Last night's meeting at my Joyful friend's home was nice. It's the "Thrive" workshop that deals with retraining our brains to return to the natural state of Joy.
For many reasons most of us don't know how to go back to joy because of addictions, abuse, trauma, or some other thing. For me, gratitude is a good exercise to get me to Joy. Even gratitude doesn't always do the trick, so I am glad for this little group and the videos we are watching and all of that.

I got my old Mazda yesterday from the mechanic, did I say that yesterday here?
When I got to the car I said: "Hello old friend."
I had a rush of memories of how I got the car in early 1994.
Buying that Mazda was the miracle that saved my life during some of the hardest trials of my life. It was so surprising that I got the car based solely on good credit....I was unemployed, homeless, new to California (fresh off the mission field in Asia), sick, and didn't know anyone here....and, I didn't have any money.

Back during those hard times I held to the belief that if God could drop a car out of heaven to me like that then He could do anything else I needed.

I have such assurance that this new Toyota is the right car for me for this time. It will be a financial stretch to pay the lease, though that is how it was with the Mazda so many years ago. Last night my friends gathered around Ruby Caroline (new car) and asked God to bless her.

I did feel a little idiotic on Tuesday when I couldn't figure out how the windshield wipers work on the Toyota. I was driving with front and back wipers moving (no rain) and still didn't figure it out after reading the owner's manual. The car makers didn't put "ON" or "OFF" words anywhere in the car. My Mazda didn't even have intermittent windshield wipers, so the many options on the Toyota (without clear labels)is still a riddle. I suppose the lack of words is to make the car as international as possible without needing to change anything. Unfortunately the idea in Germany of "ON" and "OFF" may have a different symbol. Even Canada differs in it's icons from the United States.

I am trying very hard to get to bed at a proper hour these days. Even if I am wide awake and reading, my goal is to be in bed during normal sleep hours. I do this mainly for the sake of my downstairs neighbors who have little kids that go to bed early. Downstairs they can hear every footstep I take and it sounds like stomping to them. Gotta keep the neighbors happy.


I am grateful for my Grandbird
I am grateful for my "Thrive" workshop
I am grateful for the Mazda that served me well so many years.
I am grateful for my parking spot.
I am grateful for my home.

Well, to bed by way of getting clean water for my birds and saying good night to each one.
GratefulJoy

Just say "NO" to Blumpy

I got a great surprise this morning when I found that a Painted Conure baby had hatched....while my Parrotlet, Gloria, was sitting on the egg. I had given three of Treasure's eggs to Gloria to incubate and hopefully raise since Treasure and Berry had destroyed most of their eggs this year and killed all of their babies last year.
Somehow I didn't really think little tiny Gloria would be able to keep those bigger eggs warm enough. I also thought she may kill the babies if they did hatch.
Fortunately it looks pretty good so far.
This is a photo of Gloria while she is NOT being a mommy.

Today I rescued a friend from a day of lonely boredom. She was feeling "blumpy" (her word) so I thought I would lend a hand.
I picked her up in my new car (Ruby Caroline) and took her on a surprise drive to the Stephen Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. She had never been there even though she has lived in San Diego her whole life. It was just the ticket.

Then we drove to Pacific Beach and ate Curry for dinner. We made it extra special by ordering frosty mango drinks with our meal.

Lastly we watched a video together. A day well spent.

Nobody should be left alone to feel Blumpy.

I am grateful for time with my friend.
I am grateful we had good adventures.
I am grateful for my first live bird baby of the year.
I am grateful Daffy was cuddly tonight.
I am grateful that tomorrow I can pick up my old car and begin the sale process.
I am grateful the weather was perfect today.
I am grateful I figured out how my windshield washers work on the new car...or did I?
I am grateful for the love of God.

GratefulJoy

Remembering Palley Cat

This was my cat over 20 years ago. I loved that cat.
One day he just walked in the door and decided to stay.
Since I couldn't find an owner I decided to keep him.
I had never had a cat before and thought this was a girl cat.
I named (her) Polly...then the vet asked why I named a boy cat "Polly"?
His name changed to "Palley" (short for Pal plus "alley cat").
Palley loved ping pong balls and would come to me whenever I called his name.
I was just thinking of him and will always remember him as the perfect cat.

Today I spent pretty much all of the day and evening resting in bed.
My last couple of weeks were very tiring and I needed to catch up on rest.
What I wanted to do was scotch-guard my car seats, clean the living room, vacuum my rugs, wash my dishes, throw away junk mail, finish my laundry, and then spend the evening with friends. Ha!

Right now I am grateful I could rest today.
I am grateful the mechanic fixed my old car so that I can now sell it.
I am grateful for a good time with a friend last night at dinner.
I am grateful for phone chats with a couple of friends today.
I am grateful for clean sheets on my bed.

GratefulJoy

Photo of Pixie that I did NOT take

I did not take this fabulous photo. A professional photographer in the L.A. area took it of Pixie, one of Treasure bird's babies, who belongs to a nice couple there. Isn't Pixie gorgeous!

My friend and I went to eat Thai food tonight. Very nice.
We were going to work on my bird room this morning but I wasn't feeling up to it then. Maybe next weekend (I hope).

I am grateful for time with friends.
I am grateful my old car is getting fixed and I will be able to sell it.
I am grateful for air conditioned rooms.
I am grateful for cold water.
I am grateful for hot water.
I am grateful I lived this day.

GratefulJoy

Another day of easy joy

My bird Dooby loves the manzanita play gym...but he has already chewed up the bottom part that was decorative. Dooby complains loudly when it's time for him to come down from here.

Today I needed rest! I was able to have a nap and felt much better by evening time.
Got a few errands accomplished. Resolved some questions regarding dash signals for the new car (a.k.a. Ruby Caroline).

It's so easy to be full of joy when something wonderful happens - such as getting a new car - but much harder when in pain and times are tough. The euphoria of new car will wear off and I need to be able to maintain joy when I remember all the other things in life that I need to accomplish and get through.

Right now, with "easy joy", I am grateful:
For some rest this afternoon.
For answered questions.
For the kind people I encountered today.
For my shower.
For working A.C. in my car.
For the anti-theft device on my car that I didn't know was there.
For pleasant weather today.
For a visit to the horse race track with my friend yesterday (never been)...
....don't worry, I'm not a gambler.

GratefulJoy

Been busy busy busy...

Today's picture (for me it is still Tuesday) we see Franchesco and Shasta enjoying today's shower. They like getting all wet and then shaking water all over the place just like dogs do.

Today was so very busy! I am exhausted.
There is a lot to do when one gets a new car: Update insurance, get seat covers, get misc. accessories, tint windows (necessary in Southern California when parking outside all the time), get the right sun visor for the windshield, share all excitement with neighbors and friends, etc.

Tomorrow (Wed. for me) is another busy day. I have plans to spend the afternoon with a friend.

I am grateful for today's accomplishments.
I am grateful for the rest I am about to have.

GratefulJoy