Wet stuff.

As I type, rain (RAIN!) is falling from the sky. Not just in little drops, but in buckets, with nasty winds that are blowing the rain sideways onto the porch. So nice to see... I hope it rains all night long..... then stops in the morning so we can go for our walk before the sun comes out and sets the temperature to broiling.

I went into town today in search of a metal stand for Houdini's cage. Surely, one of the thrift or resale shops would have just a sturdy holder for a bird-cage...... and indeed they did. I found one in bright shiny brass that was too new-looking, and too expensive for a previously-used item. At the second store, I found just what I was looking for-- a vintage wrought-iron stand that had been painted white at some point but was fading and chipping just enough to give it character. Perfect size, perfect angle for Houdini's cage-- and a perfect price. The hardest part was fitting it into my little car, but that worked out just fine as well.

I thought that having the cage on a stand would be safer-- up higher and away from the cats. Well, think again. After I had the bird cage all set up on the holder, I let the cats into the kitchen. Mickey and Gatsby walked up and looked at the cage, then walked away to the other part of the kitchen. Sweet Pea, however, that cat is another story-- so determined to get anything that flies-- moths and butterflies and birds and crickets... he chased everything when I used to let him outside (even the chickens, who quickly let Sweet Pea know who was in charge of the yard). So there was Sweet Pea today, sitting on the floor and looking up at Houdini in his cage....... and there was Houdini, looking down at Sweet Pea. Within three seconds, Sweet Pea had propelled himself right off the floor and aimed his body at the cage....... I tried to grab him in mid-flight but couldn't get him till his front paws hit the bottom of the cage.

Of course, Houdini went swinging back and forth/back and forth on his little swing-- he must have been dizzy by the time I was able to stop the swing from rocking so quickly. The stand held its own, though-- even the direct hit from Sweet Pea didn't topple it over, so now I know the wrought-iron holder is sturdy. However.... I just can't trust Sweet Pea, no matter where the bird-cage is..... he is too determined to catch that beautiful green/yellow Houdini. No more chances. Houdini seemed to take it all in stride, though...... I wonder if he knows that the cage protects him from the cats.... but still... I can't have Sweet Pea dive-bombing himself into that cage.

Houdini seemed to love being higher up than on the side table near the windows...... he was chirping and singing this afternoon as I was talking to my friend J on the phone. As J and I talked, I was facing Houdini's cage, so I'm sure that little bird thought I was talking just to him. Houdini is also letting me pet him now... one finger on his little green chest.... he just sits there and lets me pet him.... so he's getting to trust me more each day. (I also apologized to Houdini for my misjudgment of the good manners of the cats.)

I discovered that Houdini likes green grapes..... the parakeet-care web-sites suggested treating the bird to fresh fruit..... so I tried the grapes first (peeled, because I don't know if they can digest the skin)..... and Houdini sees those bits of green in his dish of seeds and eats them up quickly. Maybe that's why he was chirping this afternoon-- a sugar-buzz from the grapes.

My friend J up the road has a bird also (a cockateil) and she suggested putting a small shallow bowl of water in the cage so Houdini can splash around in it if he wants to bathe. (The bird web-sites said the same thing.) The little dishes I had were either too deep or too small, or too antique-y to use as a bird-bath, so I looked in the thrift shop for the perfect little dish. Talk about perfect-- I found a fifty-cent blue dish that's about one inch deep, puffy blue porcelain with colorful painted fish along the outside of the bowl.... with a flat bottom so it doesn't move around if Houdini decides he wants to get his feathers wet. I put about half an inch of water into that little blue dish and put it into the cage.... I swear, it looks like a miniature swimming pool is in the corner of Houdini's cage.

So far, Houdini hasn't used his cute little 'swimming pool,' but it probably won't be too long before he gets into it and asks me to peel him a grape while he's busy splashing and preening his cute little feathered self.