Welcome to the bird cage...

We drove to the pet store this afternoon (112 degrees today).... and we picked out a feathered partner for Houdini. There were lots of parakeets to choose from, but being that Houdini is green and yellow, we chose a blue and white bird to share his cage. I thought of naming the new bird Blueberry, but he really isn't that dark a blue.... my husband thought of "Bluebell" and that seemed to fit....... he's a delicate powder-blue shade with a very pretty face. (And of course, Bluebell ice cream is the be-all and end-all here in the Hill Country.)

So now we have two male parakeets in the cage-- we had bought a large cage last week, big enough to hold two birds more than comfortably. The cage looks like a two-story Victorian house. The idea crossed my mind last week to buy a parakeet to keep Houdini company, but after all, we thought-- Houdini just showed up in the yard... he was free, so why pay for another bird?

Why indeed. Houdini just seemed to need company, and the book suggested another bird would really be best unless we wanted Houdini to learn to talk and become a 'show bird.' He would chirp his little heart out when he heard the chickens outside, and also when he heard the birds singing out in the yard. I reminded Houdini from time to time that we rescued him from the 100+ degree heat.... according to my book on parakeets (found it in the thrift shop) birds can over-heat very easily, and when that happens, they just stop breathing and fall over. (As in dead.)

Bluebell and Houdini are chirping together in the cage... they share the little swing... they hop from branch to branch on the little tree I made them from small branches that fell from the pecan trees. They're both males, but in the bird world, that's okay... the lady at PetCo said that there would be no territorial arguments, no pecking order in the cage. And being that Houdini has been here for just a week, he's a new-comer to the cage himself, so he can't claim that much seniority.

The neighbor's cats...... I'm still feeding them.... bringing fresh water and food twice a day and feeding them on their own porch down the hill. The girl who owns them is supposed to be back in a couple of weeks.... she said she will take the cats with her and bring them to where she'll be living for the next year. I'll believe that when I see it..... but even if she does move them to her new place (in another state), I'm betting that she will just plop those cats outside her back door and expect them to not be stressed, to not be upset, and she'll neglect them there just the way she's neglecting them here. Stupid girl. She has two kids, four dogs, and these three poor little cats. She can barely take care of herself and the two kids, in my opinion....... so it's the seven pets that aren't getting the attention they need and deserve.

It is what it is...... people don't change... they are what they are, no matter what state they're living in...... and while this particular girl is in la-la land with her new beau, I wish she would just call the neighbors here and let us just adopt the cats out to people who really will love them and take care of them. Stupid dippity-doo girl. The more I think of how she walked away from these cats (in this heat! no fresh water! no regular feedings till I realized they were alone down there!)..... stupid, stupid, stupid.

Give me a blessed break........ and deliver me from people who do not love and care for their pets. Don't bring a pet into your home if you don't want the responsibility, damn it!!