It's been colder than...well, not sure what, but cold...recently, but suddenly today it's mid-70's, so that means it's time to decorate the outside for Christmas, before it gets disgusting again. Got up most of the driveway lights (need to buy some more) and the lights for the retaining wall. Need to create some lighted trees for the yard area, making a forest. The front porch, door and columns we can do any time since it's covered, maybe tonight...hmm, maybe not. Then I need to figure out what to put up for the walkway from the driveway to the porch. Hmm, well, I need to go get more lights for the driveway, maybe I'll see what else they have and pick up new lights.
Let's see, what else...doing laundry, decorating inside, got to drop off dry cleaning, prep for dinner, get the adorable little bird up. Hmm, I am not, though, going to drag the Christmas tree down until Karen's home. We have to have an artificial tree as I am very allergic to real ones, but 2 years ago we bought a tree we really like. It's 9 feet of awesomeness, and heavy. I'd like someone else home who call call an ambulance if it takes me down the stairs on a ride with it and tries to kill me.
Merlin (our cockatiel) is having a rough patch. He is normally not bothered by the cold, but this year has hit him hard. Basically, he eats as fast as he can then snuggles up on me to keep warm. a week ago he started his major molt, which means he is dropping feathers like crazy. Every time he fluffs, a few poink out. When I scratch his head, he loses half a dozen. When he preens, feathers drop like rain. In the morning when I get him up the bottom of his cage is littered with feathers. So, now he's really tired. When the new feathers start coming in, he'll be really grumpy and tired, and look like a feathered version of a porcupine. After all the feathers come in he'll be bored cause then he'll have all sorts of energy. That last is still a month off, so in the meantime, he's having a tough, cold, time. And he's getting older. Birds don't show their age until they get really old. Until last year he was super spry and active. This is the first year that we've seen him start to slow down. Having just lost our other last year right before Christmas, we are a bit worried. She was 24, and Merlin is 24 in January. Well, no need to worry about that now. For right now, I can just enjoy the snuggling.
Okay, off I go. I hope you all have a fabulous Monday and a great start to this week. For those of you in the US, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?
Love and hugs.
