I often marvel at how Piper has a sense of time, given that he lives in a human home. Sure, he can see out the window but he is not out in the world, in nature, and able to use that as a measure of the hour. Even when we change the clocks twice a year, he adapts. I could set my clocks to him. In a way, I do.
In the past year, Piper has begun to do something new every evening. My husband and I eat dinner in the living room, he at the coffee table and me at a TV table in my chair positioned close to the TV to give me the best chance of being able to see whatever we are watching. We usually eat at 6:30 pm.; while we do this, Piper is preening himself on or in the mansion (we never call it a cage), winding down before bedtime. Like clockwork, at 6:50 pm, whether I am finished my meal or not, Piper will make his way to his favorite toys on the coffee table, choosing one to push off onto the floor. Before I can even pick it up, he has run back up the ladder connecting the coffee table to his snack table (that happens at 3 pm), located close enough for me to touch, waiting for me to retrieve the toy and then him. I will spend the next hour holding both him and the toy, alternating hands as he directs. Sometimes he will sit on my shoulder facing backwards. If I attempt to put the toy down, somehow he knows even though he is facing the other direction, prompting him to climb down the front of me so that I will bring the toy back.
Around 8 o’clock, Mister Rain will clean up Piper’s area and sweep the floor with a broom, vacuuming up the pile he’s made with a hand vac. And then it’s time for Piper to retire to his mansion for the evening, where he will eat a little before he goes to sleep.
6:50 pm. Every night. Whether I’m mid-bite of my meal or not. It’s Piper time. I’m just living in it.
#SisterRain #ALittleSightALotOfHeart #Piper #BirdMom #Conure #Parrot #AdoptDontShop
