If you happen to follow me on Facebook, you have likely noticed that I have become quite "vocal" over the past two weeks. This particular burst of activity is unusual for me, as I am generally wary of utilizing social media as a platform for political engagement and social activism. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using social media in this way. However, I tend to shy away from this approach for a few reasons, not least of which is that it is difficult to initiate/engage in/sustain a discussion colored by any kind of nuance on a platform like Facebook.
Lately however, I have felt compelled to vocalize several different views and concerns on Facebook for a few reasons:
1. My lack of various pain meds and autoimmune meds (see previous discussion on temporary suspension of health insurance and lack of income, which has been very, very rough) has made me WIRED. When I am awake, my senses are on high alert. Literally everything in my body hurts, it feels like my eyeballs are swelling out of their sockets, etc. As a result, it feels like I have been injected with heavy doses of caffeine at all times that I am not asleep. I therefore find it very difficult to keep any thoughts to myself, as my mental and emotional filters seem to have disappeared along with my pain medications.
2. The news cycle has been particularly challenging lately. Orlando, the gun control sit-in, Brexit, Supreme Court decisions, and on... and on... and on... I react with an abnormally deep emotional pull to these kinds of stories at the best of times. At the moment, I am so worked up that I think I am seriously freaking Mark out on a regular basis.
3. (MOST IMPORTANTLY) I am deriving sincere energy and strength from re-engaging with social and political causes that I care about. Ever since I was a freshman in high school and joined debate, mock trial and forensics, I have read newspapers on a daily basis. My unique majors in college were designed with a life of engagement in mind. And I went to law school to focus on international human rights law and constitutional law in theory and practice. Engagement is a very significant part of who I am as a person. Since I got really sick this past autumn (and have yet to recover... sigh), my practical political and social engagement has waned significantly. While I have continued to watch political and socially relevant programming and have continued to read both newspapers and other specialized publications regularly, I have felt removed from the world around me. I didn't actually realize HOW removed I felt until the "old me" came flooding back to me over these past few weeks.
Not to be a total downer, but if I am being honest, I have felt pretty useless as a human being since my mega flare began about 8 months ago. I have felt that I am not contributing very much to my household, I have had to stop working and I have had no energy to write, perform pro bono work or otherwise contribute to society. I spend so much time in my giant, mega-comfy bed that my life has begun to feel... well... stupid. I could never feel that my life is meaningless due to my faith and my loved ones. But I certainly have felt useless and that my life has lacked direction, focus and much of a wider purpose since I turned into one of the grandparents in Willy Wonka. Engaging in my "old" habits of research beyond my everyday publications, voicing my concerns, writing my legislators and PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE in regards to my political and social activism has made me feel that I am waking up from a deep, deep sleep.
I have long understood that my voice is a unique one. The thought that I am feeling cognitively capable of engaging with the political and social realities of the world on any significant level is incredibly empowering. I was deeply crushed when I had to wean off medications that aid me in my pain management and the management of my disease due to financial necessity (NO ONE should EVER have to do that), however the single silver lining of that challenge is that my mental acuity is slowly returning. And while I may be an emotional nut ball right now, the decrease in my medication-related cognitive challenges has allowed me to return to the world in ways that I have missed so very, very much. And for this, I could not be more grateful.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Once Upon a Time
When my Samantha says, "Mama, you HAVE TO watch/read/listen to this!" it is impossible to ignore her recommendations. Miss Samantha and I are two peas in a pod. And although her tastes are evolving so that they no longer COMPLETELY mirror my own, our tastes in virtually every art form are so similar that ignoring her recommendations would be folly.
Most recently, Samantha insisted that I begin watching the ABC hit show "Once Upon a Time" which is streaming on Netflix. At first, I was a little thrown by some of the forced acting and the somewhat clunky ways in which the plot is initially developed. But, sure enough, by a few episodes in, I was absolutely hooked. It certainly helps that I have a broad imagination and regularly read kids lit for fun... so fairy tale plots intrigue me, rather than annoy me. But what has kept me riveted is the same basic truth that links all books, music, dance, visual art, television, film and plays I am attracted to and inspired by. "Once Upon a Time" places the challenges and beauty of the human condition at the heart of its storytelling.
I am specifically drawn to the ways in which this show portrays relationships... both with the self and with others. It is difficult to write much about any of the story's particulars without articulating spoilers. But I can discuss one relationship in particular without giving virtually anything away. The audience learns in Episode One that two of the show's three talented female leads are compelled to grapple with a common challenge. Snow White is forced to miss her daughter's childhood due to a curse. Emma Swan has given her son up for adoption in order to give him his "best shot" in life and must mourn the time she has lost with him as well.
As my faithful readers are aware, I had to spend large chunks of my darling Samantha's childhood away from her due to great physical distance between her father and myself. While I had her almost exclusively until she turned 5-years-old, circumstances led to a change after I graduated college. My law school was located in San Francisco and her father's graduate school was in Irvine. We split time fairly decently during my three years in law school... but the economy completely collapsed only months after I graduated in 2008 and I could no longer afford to live in San Francisco after graduation. Due to economic necessity, I moved back to the Midwest. You can understand how it would be difficult to ensure that both parents receive significant time with a child when more than 2,000 miles separate them.
Samantha returned home for good one year ago... and it has been HEAVEN to have her home the vast, vast majority of the time. But I find that even now, I am still grieving the time that I have lost with my girl. Time that I cannot get back. However, the fact that inspiration comes from the most unexpected places at times, is both a hopeful and hilarious reality. "Once Upon a Time" has become an unexpected source of strength for me as I work through the grief that does not yet seem to want to let go of me.
As Emma navigates the process of bonding with her son, her focus is almost laser-like. Although it is obvious that she is processing grief for time and opportunities lost, she chooses to be profoundly present. Rather than allowing her relationship with her son to be defined by the time they have lost, Emma pours her energy into whatever time they are allowed to have together in the present day. This approach boggles my mind in the best possible ways.
And magically, Snow White impresses and inspires me even more than Emma does. Like me, Snow White is a sincere and deeply, deeply emotional creature. This temperament can be a challenging one when emotions like grief arise. Yet, as the series progresses, it becomes staggeringly apparent that she is brave and strong in virtually every way that a woman can be. She feels the loss of time with her child profoundly. And yet, she does not allow those completely justified emotions to make her bitter, to make her insecure or to swallow her whole. (While I have always identified most strongly with Belle and Rapunzel in terms of Disney Princesses, Snow White is my new favorite. It makes me wish that I had a picture of when I dressed up as Snow White for Halloween when I was a kindergartner... come to think of it... Samantha did too, and at the exact same age! Spooky...)
I try to embrace the world with an open heart and a willingness to accept inspiration in whatever form it appears. It is quite lovely that even as an adult, I can find true power in stories that begin "Once upon a time..."
Most recently, Samantha insisted that I begin watching the ABC hit show "Once Upon a Time" which is streaming on Netflix. At first, I was a little thrown by some of the forced acting and the somewhat clunky ways in which the plot is initially developed. But, sure enough, by a few episodes in, I was absolutely hooked. It certainly helps that I have a broad imagination and regularly read kids lit for fun... so fairy tale plots intrigue me, rather than annoy me. But what has kept me riveted is the same basic truth that links all books, music, dance, visual art, television, film and plays I am attracted to and inspired by. "Once Upon a Time" places the challenges and beauty of the human condition at the heart of its storytelling.
I am specifically drawn to the ways in which this show portrays relationships... both with the self and with others. It is difficult to write much about any of the story's particulars without articulating spoilers. But I can discuss one relationship in particular without giving virtually anything away. The audience learns in Episode One that two of the show's three talented female leads are compelled to grapple with a common challenge. Snow White is forced to miss her daughter's childhood due to a curse. Emma Swan has given her son up for adoption in order to give him his "best shot" in life and must mourn the time she has lost with him as well.
As my faithful readers are aware, I had to spend large chunks of my darling Samantha's childhood away from her due to great physical distance between her father and myself. While I had her almost exclusively until she turned 5-years-old, circumstances led to a change after I graduated college. My law school was located in San Francisco and her father's graduate school was in Irvine. We split time fairly decently during my three years in law school... but the economy completely collapsed only months after I graduated in 2008 and I could no longer afford to live in San Francisco after graduation. Due to economic necessity, I moved back to the Midwest. You can understand how it would be difficult to ensure that both parents receive significant time with a child when more than 2,000 miles separate them.
Samantha returned home for good one year ago... and it has been HEAVEN to have her home the vast, vast majority of the time. But I find that even now, I am still grieving the time that I have lost with my girl. Time that I cannot get back. However, the fact that inspiration comes from the most unexpected places at times, is both a hopeful and hilarious reality. "Once Upon a Time" has become an unexpected source of strength for me as I work through the grief that does not yet seem to want to let go of me.
As Emma navigates the process of bonding with her son, her focus is almost laser-like. Although it is obvious that she is processing grief for time and opportunities lost, she chooses to be profoundly present. Rather than allowing her relationship with her son to be defined by the time they have lost, Emma pours her energy into whatever time they are allowed to have together in the present day. This approach boggles my mind in the best possible ways.
And magically, Snow White impresses and inspires me even more than Emma does. Like me, Snow White is a sincere and deeply, deeply emotional creature. This temperament can be a challenging one when emotions like grief arise. Yet, as the series progresses, it becomes staggeringly apparent that she is brave and strong in virtually every way that a woman can be. She feels the loss of time with her child profoundly. And yet, she does not allow those completely justified emotions to make her bitter, to make her insecure or to swallow her whole. (While I have always identified most strongly with Belle and Rapunzel in terms of Disney Princesses, Snow White is my new favorite. It makes me wish that I had a picture of when I dressed up as Snow White for Halloween when I was a kindergartner... come to think of it... Samantha did too, and at the exact same age! Spooky...)
I try to embrace the world with an open heart and a willingness to accept inspiration in whatever form it appears. It is quite lovely that even as an adult, I can find true power in stories that begin "Once upon a time..."
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Holy Information Overload, Batman!
Even though I am weathering some serious financial challenges and a debilitating chronic disease, I am still rapidly approaching my "start" date for the conception part of Project Jellybean. That's right, folks... in less than two months, I will have rid my body of toxic chemo drug after-effects, and will be medically cleared to start "trying." And given how insanely narrow my "window" is, this is proving to be a critical time period. If Mark and I want to have any biological Jelly Beans, we have to act really fast before the physician-approved window closes.
SO... I have been doing some research. And holy moly, was I ever under-prepared for the avalanche of information I need to digest with regards to this specific topic.
Mind, I am former Lawrentian and a former UCHastings law student. I research and write for a living. My pro bono work for the UN and other organizations revolves around research and drafting. I also read more voraciously for pleasure than anyone else I know. For God's sake, I spent the summer before junior year in high school pacing around the University of Michigan reading room trying to process Judith Butler and writing the world's most complex "Gender is Burning" policy critique. I am no stranger to reading piles of information, nor am I a stranger to seemingly insurmountable piles of research. However, I have NEVER been more intimidated or overwhelmed by research for a topic as I am by this one.
Here is what I have learned so far:
1. Every drug I am currently on is either Class X (absolutely cannot be used during pregnancy, as fetal abnormalities will almost certainly result) or Class D (Positive evidence of fetal risk based on data from human studies) or Class C (Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus; no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans in re: potential risk). Technically, I can use Class C drugs, but several of those I am on are risky enough for various reasons that it would be ill-advised for me to keep taking them. For example, my primary pain medications at the moment are high doses of Tramadol and fairly high doses of Percocet. Both drugs are category C, meaning that risk to a fetus cannot be ruled out. However, it seems that newborns can suffer withdrawal symptoms if their mothers take Tramadol in-utero and are likely at a heightened risk for neurological defects as a result of exposure. Similarly, Percocet can cause withdrawal symptoms due to fetal addiction and can cause respiratory depression. Therefore, even the "safest" drugs I am on are too dangerous to take. So, that's fun.
2. Conception is a hell of a lot more complex than it was when I was 17. Yikes. Apparently, I need to chart temperatures and fluids (gah!), cut out even more stuff from my diet (while adding all kinds of things I am not supposed to eat because of the lupus... being a whole-food vegan pregnant lady is going to be really challenging), exercise more than my body can handle right now and cut out stress. Sure. No problem.
3. Every single one of my fertility books is heavier than my Bible.
4. Trying to prepare for this narrow window while having to postpone my high-risk OB appointment because my health insurance has been temporarily suspended is a pain in the ass.
5. Did I mention that I need to cut out stress? Stress is enemy number one of conception and healthy pregnancies. I would be more than happy to cut stress out if my life would cooperate. (I know it doesn't work that way... but if anyone out there thinks they could live my particular life stress-free, I would SINCERELY appreciate some tips.)
6. Mark has it easy. I insisted that he conquer his Diet Coke addiction 90 days out... and he has done a beautiful job. He cut it out cold-turkey, despite a decades-old habit that had him drinking an INSANE amount every day. Now all he has to do is eat well and exercise and he will be good to go, theoretically. I love him tremendously, but I also hate him just a teeny-tiny bit for how easy this journey will be for him in comparison to how challenging it has been and will continue to be for me.
7. In order to access the forums on "The Bump" and other fertility websites, you must basically read a host of pages regarding forum rules, ethics and manners that rival the length of a car manual. People take talking about fertility seriously.
So, I am digging into research and mapping out a plan. It is an intimidating and overwhelming project, let me tell you. Samantha was the shock of a lifetime... the Jelly Bean will be planned out within an inch of its existence. Hopefully and God-willing, Project Jellybean will ultimately prove as successful as the "Holy crap, I'm pregnant?!?!?!?" episode of 2000.
SO... I have been doing some research. And holy moly, was I ever under-prepared for the avalanche of information I need to digest with regards to this specific topic.
Mind, I am former Lawrentian and a former UCHastings law student. I research and write for a living. My pro bono work for the UN and other organizations revolves around research and drafting. I also read more voraciously for pleasure than anyone else I know. For God's sake, I spent the summer before junior year in high school pacing around the University of Michigan reading room trying to process Judith Butler and writing the world's most complex "Gender is Burning" policy critique. I am no stranger to reading piles of information, nor am I a stranger to seemingly insurmountable piles of research. However, I have NEVER been more intimidated or overwhelmed by research for a topic as I am by this one.
Here is what I have learned so far:
1. Every drug I am currently on is either Class X (absolutely cannot be used during pregnancy, as fetal abnormalities will almost certainly result) or Class D (Positive evidence of fetal risk based on data from human studies) or Class C (Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus; no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans in re: potential risk). Technically, I can use Class C drugs, but several of those I am on are risky enough for various reasons that it would be ill-advised for me to keep taking them. For example, my primary pain medications at the moment are high doses of Tramadol and fairly high doses of Percocet. Both drugs are category C, meaning that risk to a fetus cannot be ruled out. However, it seems that newborns can suffer withdrawal symptoms if their mothers take Tramadol in-utero and are likely at a heightened risk for neurological defects as a result of exposure. Similarly, Percocet can cause withdrawal symptoms due to fetal addiction and can cause respiratory depression. Therefore, even the "safest" drugs I am on are too dangerous to take. So, that's fun.
2. Conception is a hell of a lot more complex than it was when I was 17. Yikes. Apparently, I need to chart temperatures and fluids (gah!), cut out even more stuff from my diet (while adding all kinds of things I am not supposed to eat because of the lupus... being a whole-food vegan pregnant lady is going to be really challenging), exercise more than my body can handle right now and cut out stress. Sure. No problem.
3. Every single one of my fertility books is heavier than my Bible.
4. Trying to prepare for this narrow window while having to postpone my high-risk OB appointment because my health insurance has been temporarily suspended is a pain in the ass.
5. Did I mention that I need to cut out stress? Stress is enemy number one of conception and healthy pregnancies. I would be more than happy to cut stress out if my life would cooperate. (I know it doesn't work that way... but if anyone out there thinks they could live my particular life stress-free, I would SINCERELY appreciate some tips.)
6. Mark has it easy. I insisted that he conquer his Diet Coke addiction 90 days out... and he has done a beautiful job. He cut it out cold-turkey, despite a decades-old habit that had him drinking an INSANE amount every day. Now all he has to do is eat well and exercise and he will be good to go, theoretically. I love him tremendously, but I also hate him just a teeny-tiny bit for how easy this journey will be for him in comparison to how challenging it has been and will continue to be for me.
7. In order to access the forums on "The Bump" and other fertility websites, you must basically read a host of pages regarding forum rules, ethics and manners that rival the length of a car manual. People take talking about fertility seriously.
So, I am digging into research and mapping out a plan. It is an intimidating and overwhelming project, let me tell you. Samantha was the shock of a lifetime... the Jelly Bean will be planned out within an inch of its existence. Hopefully and God-willing, Project Jellybean will ultimately prove as successful as the "Holy crap, I'm pregnant?!?!?!?" episode of 2000.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
My Birds of a Feather
Things have been heavy in my life for awhile now, so I thought I would take some time to write a light, fun post. One of the joys in my life that I have yet to write about is my brood of darling, adorable and crazy pet finches. So, I think it is time to introduce them to the world!
We technically are not allowed to have pets in our building. However, Samantha has been desperate for a pet ever since she could articulate that desire. So, for her fifteenth birthday this past December, I decided to get her a little pet. Initially, I thought I might get her a little turtle or two. However, when I walked into the pet store, I was drawn to the zebra finches as if by a tractor beam. Because finches are not at all loud, do not produce any sort of weird smell and are very clean animals, I reasoned that it would be okay for us to keep a cage of them in Samantha's room without bothering our neighbors in any way. Although we now have four little zebra finches (I will explain the arrival of the fourth in a minute) I initially took home three precious little birdies.
We opted to name the birdies after literary characters which match their personalities and circumstances. After several days of observing them, we settled on the following names:
1. Atticus - Literary connection: "To Kill a Mockingbird." Atticus is our only little boy. (Poor Mark. He is so incredibly outnumbered by females in this house.) Atticus was actually named by Mark's brother Grant... I don't know how none of the rest of us managed to stumble upon "Atticus Finch" but I am incredibly glad that Grant made the connection. Thankfully, his protective, chatty and loving personality work well with his literary reference. He is dark grey with distinctive zebra finch orange "cheeks." He is a complete spazmo at times (it turns out that all of the girls are braver than he is... which is funny, because he tends to be really protective of them when absolutely nothing is going on) and is the loudest of the bunch. He is also a stereotypical "guy" in so many ways, including the fact that he is a slob. And he tends to poo in both his food and water dish which never fails to make me shake my head in disbelief.
2. Tabitha, nicknamed "Tibby" - Literary connection: "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Tibby fits her literary name to a tee. She is completely stubborn, a bit bad-ass, a bit moody and ultimately as sweet and wonderful as can be. Tibby is my buddy... she likes to watch me quietly, even though she tends to jump around and show off for Mark and Samantha. The birds really like when I read out loud to them and Tibby seems to anticipate story time. It is a bit eerie. She is obviously crazy intelligent. I also think it is pretty awesome that when our always-randy Atticus is "jumping on" her too much, she pecks and squawks at him until he leaves her alone for a few days. I think Tibby is probably the bird equivalent of a feminist. She is pure white, which makes her orange beak and bright black eyes stand out beautifully.
3. Hazel Grace, nicknamed "Pip" - Literary connection: "The Fault in Our Stars." - Hazel/Pip is our little baby. She is the runt of our little litter and as a result, we humans are all very, very protective of her. She is the color of coffee with an absurd amount of cream in it and she is light, delicate and dainty. Unfortunately, a few days after I purchased our three little ones, Hazel got really sick. We could tell something was wrong when she started pulling her feathers out and Tibby started bullying her in an incredibly aggressive and violent way... and although she was only acting out of instinct, I was pretty crabby with Tibby for a few days as a result. I took Hazel to the vet and she was kept in isolation for about 8 weeks. She was fed a special diet to help her feathers grow back and was treated in other ways for whatever was making her ill. Once she came home, we had to put her in a separate cage (I'll explain in a minute). Her cage has a little swing in it and she chooses to sleep in her swing every night. Watching that little cutie in her swing is pretty great. She also likes to hop incredibly lightly from perch to perch without flying. We have dubbed her particular version of parkour "Pip-kour."
After Hazel came home from the vet, it became clear that Tibby and Atticus had paired off romantically and were not okay with having another roommate. Although Tibby did bunk out with Pip for a bit after Atticus got himself sent to the dog-house for being a sex fiend, Tibby ultimately turned on her when she was ready to return to her cage with Atticus. Finches are very, very social creatures, so we began to worry about Hazel being really lonely in a cage all by herself. All three of the birds began spending most of the day perched as closely to the edge of each other's cages as possible in order to be near one another. But this arrangement obviously did not allow Pip to have any physical interaction with other birds. She began to get very, very quiet... which is not a great sign for a finch. So, we took a gamble and bought Hazel a buddy. Enter...
4. Louisa, nicknamed "Lou" and "Lulu" - Literary connection: "Me Before You." - Lou is the most energetic, chatty and lovey finch we own. She absolutely adores Hazel (thank God) and they now sleep together up in Pip's swing (insert squeal of cuteness here). Lulu looks just like Atticus without the "cheeks" and is the biggest of our brood. She now engages in Pip-kour but is so energetic about it that she tends to knock everything in the cage over when she really gets going. Lou has made Hazel really happy... and has made us happy by extension.
Mark sometimes remarks that our birds are so temperamental that it is like living with four tiny teenagers. Sometimes I think I can even detect Tibby rolling her eyes when Atticus acts like a dork or Lulu gets too energetic in her Pip-kour. All three of us humans adore these little birdies. And though I have never been a pet person (growing up with a kennel and police dog training as the family business will do that to you), these little cuties make me happy every single day.
We technically are not allowed to have pets in our building. However, Samantha has been desperate for a pet ever since she could articulate that desire. So, for her fifteenth birthday this past December, I decided to get her a little pet. Initially, I thought I might get her a little turtle or two. However, when I walked into the pet store, I was drawn to the zebra finches as if by a tractor beam. Because finches are not at all loud, do not produce any sort of weird smell and are very clean animals, I reasoned that it would be okay for us to keep a cage of them in Samantha's room without bothering our neighbors in any way. Although we now have four little zebra finches (I will explain the arrival of the fourth in a minute) I initially took home three precious little birdies.
We opted to name the birdies after literary characters which match their personalities and circumstances. After several days of observing them, we settled on the following names:
1. Atticus - Literary connection: "To Kill a Mockingbird." Atticus is our only little boy. (Poor Mark. He is so incredibly outnumbered by females in this house.) Atticus was actually named by Mark's brother Grant... I don't know how none of the rest of us managed to stumble upon "Atticus Finch" but I am incredibly glad that Grant made the connection. Thankfully, his protective, chatty and loving personality work well with his literary reference. He is dark grey with distinctive zebra finch orange "cheeks." He is a complete spazmo at times (it turns out that all of the girls are braver than he is... which is funny, because he tends to be really protective of them when absolutely nothing is going on) and is the loudest of the bunch. He is also a stereotypical "guy" in so many ways, including the fact that he is a slob. And he tends to poo in both his food and water dish which never fails to make me shake my head in disbelief.
2. Tabitha, nicknamed "Tibby" - Literary connection: "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Tibby fits her literary name to a tee. She is completely stubborn, a bit bad-ass, a bit moody and ultimately as sweet and wonderful as can be. Tibby is my buddy... she likes to watch me quietly, even though she tends to jump around and show off for Mark and Samantha. The birds really like when I read out loud to them and Tibby seems to anticipate story time. It is a bit eerie. She is obviously crazy intelligent. I also think it is pretty awesome that when our always-randy Atticus is "jumping on" her too much, she pecks and squawks at him until he leaves her alone for a few days. I think Tibby is probably the bird equivalent of a feminist. She is pure white, which makes her orange beak and bright black eyes stand out beautifully.
3. Hazel Grace, nicknamed "Pip" - Literary connection: "The Fault in Our Stars." - Hazel/Pip is our little baby. She is the runt of our little litter and as a result, we humans are all very, very protective of her. She is the color of coffee with an absurd amount of cream in it and she is light, delicate and dainty. Unfortunately, a few days after I purchased our three little ones, Hazel got really sick. We could tell something was wrong when she started pulling her feathers out and Tibby started bullying her in an incredibly aggressive and violent way... and although she was only acting out of instinct, I was pretty crabby with Tibby for a few days as a result. I took Hazel to the vet and she was kept in isolation for about 8 weeks. She was fed a special diet to help her feathers grow back and was treated in other ways for whatever was making her ill. Once she came home, we had to put her in a separate cage (I'll explain in a minute). Her cage has a little swing in it and she chooses to sleep in her swing every night. Watching that little cutie in her swing is pretty great. She also likes to hop incredibly lightly from perch to perch without flying. We have dubbed her particular version of parkour "Pip-kour."
After Hazel came home from the vet, it became clear that Tibby and Atticus had paired off romantically and were not okay with having another roommate. Although Tibby did bunk out with Pip for a bit after Atticus got himself sent to the dog-house for being a sex fiend, Tibby ultimately turned on her when she was ready to return to her cage with Atticus. Finches are very, very social creatures, so we began to worry about Hazel being really lonely in a cage all by herself. All three of the birds began spending most of the day perched as closely to the edge of each other's cages as possible in order to be near one another. But this arrangement obviously did not allow Pip to have any physical interaction with other birds. She began to get very, very quiet... which is not a great sign for a finch. So, we took a gamble and bought Hazel a buddy. Enter...
4. Louisa, nicknamed "Lou" and "Lulu" - Literary connection: "Me Before You." - Lou is the most energetic, chatty and lovey finch we own. She absolutely adores Hazel (thank God) and they now sleep together up in Pip's swing (insert squeal of cuteness here). Lulu looks just like Atticus without the "cheeks" and is the biggest of our brood. She now engages in Pip-kour but is so energetic about it that she tends to knock everything in the cage over when she really gets going. Lou has made Hazel really happy... and has made us happy by extension.
Mark sometimes remarks that our birds are so temperamental that it is like living with four tiny teenagers. Sometimes I think I can even detect Tibby rolling her eyes when Atticus acts like a dork or Lulu gets too energetic in her Pip-kour. All three of us humans adore these little birdies. And though I have never been a pet person (growing up with a kennel and police dog training as the family business will do that to you), these little cuties make me happy every single day.
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