Things that Flutter and Rustle

This post is for my as-yet-unmet cat kin, Rajah, who wrote me from San Francisco to inquire about things that flutter, rustle, and go "cheep."

I actually live with two things that flutter and rustle, one of which also makes "cheeping" noises. The other one makes noises that go well beyond cheeping, but more on that later.

Isaac the conure and Pigeon the cockatiel are birds, and there's not a thing I can do about it while MB is breathing. (They were here when I got here, and MB has refused, somewhat rudely, all my offers to get rid of them.)

I'm used to their movements and their noises. Every now and then Pigeon will go flapping and "cheeping" around the room, but MB gets bent out of shape when I chase her. Pigeon never seems to know where her wings will take her, which keeps the chase interesting for both MB and me, but MB doesn't think it's funny. I think it's hilarious and can't keep my tail still.

Isaac isn't any fun to chase. He always knows where he is going and has no sense of humor about my interest. Sometimes I get the sense that he would like to harm me with his beak. Isaac never shrieks while he's flying, but every now and then he will get it into his head, usually about the time the sun is starting to drop, to cry out across the imaginary jungle to god-knows-what-obviously-half-deaf creature. He goes on that way until you think the Discovery Channel must be filming one of those nature-is-red-in-tooth-and-claw sequences. No wonder MB can't hear anymore.

One thing I like about the birds -- they throw food out of their cages. Every night after supper I beeline to the areas around their cages to scarf up brightly colored bird food yummies.

Sometimes MB, Clem, the birds and I hang out in the study. CLem draws, Isaac wanders as he pleases, and Pigeon stays on a perch and stares at MB while she plays at the computer. I lie there on the floor and think about the time the mice came to visit.

Mice are a lot more fun than birds. They can't fly, and MB can't figure out where they live without my pointing it out. She thinks the latest of these furry friends just "moved on" because she doesn't see signs of them anymore. Yeah, MB, that's what happened; they decided they wanted another place. (They just "moved on" down my throat ya ding-a-ling).