I should be sleeping...

...but I'm not. Christmas Eve is less than 48 hours away and the clock is ticking. I'm trying to finish up a dozen projects I hope to have ready for the big night. As the clock ticks, some of the projects will fall away. What's left standing on Wednesday morning will most likely be it. The rest will have to wait until next year. Or not at all.

In the case of Christmas, my crafty eyes are bigger than my crafty stomach. Pardon the analogy. It's just that I have so many ideas spinning around in my head, and not enough time, energy, or hutzpah to complete them all. Even if those ideas start forming in August, somehow, it's the night before Christmas, when all through the house, only crafters are stirring, of course, not a mouse. But why? Whose fault is this anyway?

Mmm...I blame my mother. The woman who somehow did it all come Christmastime. She somehow managed to make sure everyone was included. She was heaven-bent on making sure each child got the same amount of gifts, in one way or another. She found ways to include friends, relatives, pets, even. Christmas stockings were full, gifts from Santa underneath the tree. When we awoke in the early hours to dump out our stockings, and tear open the gifts from Santa, the tape was still fresh on the boxes, the ribbons just curled. My mother, exhausted, had barely fallen asleep when we trotted down the stairs in the early morning light. By the time she arose, to start preparations for Christmas dinner, we had made our way through fresh oranges, and chocolate, and several Christmas cartoons, maybe even Scrooge.

I wonder what I would be like with a house full of Children at Christmastime. A lot like her, I suppose, if my crafty expeditions are any telltale sign. I don't have children of my own. But I do have four darling parakeets. And I know this...come Christmas morning, their stockings will be full.

Caroling, Caroling...

Christmas is almost here...it wouldn't feel like Christmas without a little Christmas music. Since I don't really want to go out caroling solo (it would be comical, though, would it not?), I've decided to put up a few of my original Christmas tunes on my blog to spread some holiday cheer. It's been a tough year for many, and I think we could use a little positive musical karma.

There are two songs posted here that were recorded just this past week. My skills at the 8-track mastering board are lower than novice, so I apologize for the less than perfect mix. I do hope, despite that, you will enjoy the tunes. Check out the menu in the player above, select a song, and enjoy.

Update: clearly something isn't working with embedding the player. So, here is a link to click on that will take you to the online playlist.
http://www.box.net/shared/2k43jzufjt

Merry Christmas to all.
May you have a Healthy and Happy New Year, too!

HO HO HO and Here We Go....

Here it is again, Christmastime. Seems hard to believe, how fast the year has gone by. But here we are, putting up trees, bustling through shopping malls, shoveling snow, writing letters to Santa, planning get togethers, singing Christmas carols.

Christmas carols. Aside from the fact that the local radio stations literally started playing Christmas music ON Halloween this year, I love Christmas music. I'm a fan. Dedicated. I have amassed a large collection of tunes throughout my 45 years, and I make a point of sharing my favorites with as many people as I can.

Back in the early 90's I started assembling a Christmas collection as a vocal Christmas card. I oftentimes included original productions as well. But culling the CD's, visiting the different record stores each Christmas season and picking out new titles to add to my collection has always been a treat. And, with music, a great deal of the joy is in being able to share it.


This year's theme will include birds. Hey, I'm Parakeetgirl; it figures, doesn't it? It's been a bit of a trick to find Christmas/holiday/winter songs that make reference to birds. Given that birds are a well referenced theme in Christmas cards, ornaments and decorations, you would think that songs featuring them would be plentiful. Not so. I've done my homework. I've scoured my CD's, gone through songbooks, visited many a website about birds, and have only come up with about a dozen. And that counts an original I'm producing this year with a friend of mine. That's okay, I'll fill in the disc with several new discoveries.


And speaking of discoveries...here's a new Christmas collection worth checking out - "The Hotel Cafe' presents...Winter Songs". It's got some brand-new holiday tunes, and very original productions of some tried and true favorites. The title track "Winter Song" by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson is beautiful. "Frosty the Snowman" by Fiona Apple harkens to a bygone era. "The Heartache can Wait" by Brenda Carlile is haunting and melodic. Definitely worth a listen. A portion of the profits goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to fight breast cancer, so there's good will attached as well. Check it out here: http://www.hotelcafe.com/wintersongs/


Over the years I've searched high and low for obscure Christmas tunes. My main complaint about holiday radio is that they play the same things over and over. When you're trying to fill 24 hours of air time, you'd think they would welcome something a little different. That said, there are a few artists I've never found Christmas/holiday tunes for. Wouldn't it be grand, or at least interesting to hear holiday music by: Bob Dylan, Bjork (the only piece I've found is instrumental, and amounts to the "sound of snowflakes" falling), Billie Holiday (something besides the classic "I've got my love to keep me warm"), Patti Griffin, Lucinda Williams, The Killers. There are more, but it's late and I'm starting to fade...more on this subject matter later. In the meantime...

I'll fade out...cue the jingle bells...

Wild Beauty

So, it's nearly Thanksgiving already. My the year has flown. Last year, on the day after Thanksgiving, I was at work and my husband stopped by the shop I work at to surprise me with lunch, and to show me some video he had taken in the backyard that morning. A local feral cat had shown up with two kittens in tow. They were romping around our backyard, playing amongst the worn out garden and leaves. They were adorable.

We were on the lookout for them after that, and eventually discovered there were four kittens in all. We would put out food and it would disappear, but they managed to come by when we weren't looking, or weren't home.

When winter came, we wrapped a big tarp around a swing we had in the yard. One day we discovered that Momma kitty and her kittens were enjoying the shelter inside the tarp. I had hopes of trapping them and getting them to a shelter, but I've never done that before, and they were rather inconsistant in their visits. And, being winter, I didn't want to set a live trap and have them out in the cold all day without any decent cover.

So, I enabled them instead. I got two big wine crates, some old fleece blankets, and set them up on the cushions of the swing inside the tarp. They made themselves at home. Trouble is, any time we got close, they took off running so fast, there was no way we could catch them. So, we just kept putting out food, and watched for them.

One sunny winter morning I looked out the bedroom window to see a couple of them playing, peeking in and out of the tarp. I quickly grabbed my camera and started snapping pictures. I got some great shots and posted them on flickr. When spring came we took the tarp apart, washed all the blankets, and dismantled the swing. It needed new cushions anyway. Some friends of ours took the swing and rehabbed it for themselves, and we got a new swing with removable cushions.

Earlier today I looked out the bedroom window and discovered one of the kittens, now a full-grown cat, napping on the new swing. I'm sure he's done it before, just not when we've been around. I called my husband, Joe, to come and see, and we both snapped some photos of our guest. That adorable kitten had grown into a beautiful, wild, cat. Eventually, a neighbor walked by and the cat ran off to some other spot.

Watching him rest on the swing, it was clear he was truly enjoying himself. Basking in the sunlight, and the softness of the cushions.

We dismantled the cushions today, got the yard winter-ready. But I'm worried about that cat. And his mother and siblings, too. Clearly they've made it this far on their own. But winter is coming again. I'll have to come up with some kind of shelter for them for those cold, cold nights. Maybe this year I'll be able to rescue a furry friend.

The Kids are Famous Now

Well, relatively so. Tori, Pumpkin, and Miss Pixel are featured in a video montage of pet birds on Ultra Kawaii.com. Featured a total of three times, in fact. Alas, Texter didn't make the scene, perhaps next time. He's got some catching up to do. He's certainly screen worthy. Anyway, just a little fun to brighten up our day. If you get a chance, swing by the site and check it out.

In the meantime, I think they're just about due to make a Christmas video of some kind. I have a feeling they won't be receptive to the Santa hat thing, though.

The Great Pumpkin

It was two years ago, this week, that we brought Pumpkin home to join the family. He and Tori were instant friends, and have been constant companions ever since. Watching them hang out together, playing, chatting, sitting so close you can barely discern a line of space between them. It's an incredible thing. Sure, they've had "jealous sibling" issues, like brothers vying for attention, or first dibs at toys or treats. But, all in all, they are the best of friends. Brothers in wings.

When we were looking to find a friend and companion for Tori, I visited Kay and Ralph at the pet shop many times before making a decision. It had to be the right match. The first time I saw Pumpkin he was wrestling with his brother bird in a cage in the store. They wrestled so boisterously that they both fell off the perch and were rolling around at the bottom of the cage. Not fighting, but wrestling. No harm done. I was amazed. When Kay told me that Pumpkin's brother had been sold and that someone would be taking him home in the next few days, I knew that I couldn't let Pumpkin go lonely. He would be missing his companion. His buddy. His brother. So, the decision was made, and we made plans to bring him home.

When we got him home I spent a bit of time with him, hoping to keep him calm, and not stress him too much. Then we introduced him to Tori. Within minutes they were both sitting on my hand together. Like they'd been friends forever. And, now, it seems, they have been.

Pumpkin has always been a true "boy" in all things. Always on the move - places to go, toys to play with. Flying to do. Except, not too long after he joined the family, he was a bit over zealous and somehow wounded one of his blood feathers. I panicked, and ended up taking him to an emergency vet clinic about 20 miles out of town. I hadn't been through it before, and I wasn't taking any chances. For those who haven't had birds, it's important to note, they are small creatures, so even a little blood loss can be harmful. It's very important to make sure that any injured feathers are treated, or removed as the case may be. That any bleeding is quickly stopped, and any chance of infection staved off. Fortunately, everything worked out fine and Pumpkin was okay. But he had more than a few blood feather incidents in that first 6 months or so. It just seemed like he would start to heal and he would get just rowdy enough to injure himself again. I had many an urgent conversation with Kay during this time period. She would look him over, make sure all was well, and then proclaim him "all boy".

Pumpkin is doing very well these days. It took some time for him to really come around and want to hang out with me. But he and I are good friends now. Though, Tori wins the number one spot.

My Flock

My flock. Aren't they something?! I was offering a treat and they were all "Don't mind if I do!". Some people might cower at the prospect of having four birds climbing on their heads, and shoulders, arms and hands. Not me. This is pure joy. It rarely fails to make me laugh with glee. Such a simple thing, and yet, it can turn a really bad day into a much better one.

Try it sometime.