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Good morning, forum family! Just got back from Ireland, and *this* year, HRH and Joe (or Joes as she calls him) survived even better than last year. I love that after all this time, she and Joe have bonded so closely. My big trip last year as well as having been followed with a lot of out of town trips in order to help care for an aging relative put them both in the position to have to just deal. Best thing ever. She now loves dividing her time between the two of us. She was always friendly toward Joe, but now has a very true bond with him. She can't wait for him to come home from work each night, and will start flock calling for him at about 5:15-ish PM. ("If I Only Had A Brain" is her flock call for him 😆). Once he is home, she likes to sit with him while he has supper then she goes with him downstairs and perches on the exercise bike for an hour while he does his workout. After that, she's ready for lights out. In the mornings, she has breakfast with me, then enjoys one of her perches while I have cofffee. She then demands that we do "Exwork!" (aka exercise --- dancing to Walk Like An Egyptian) and refuses to allow me to slack off. Some days she walks back over to her cage and just hangs out there all day, others she wants to be wherever I am during the day. Whenever she decides to use a new word, she uses it incessantly for a week or two and this past week it has been "great," and/or "great-great" for emphasis! Examples: "I need a great cookie." "That's great." "That is a great tree out there." "Oh great." "You are a great great girl." "Get the birdy a great great cookie, with cheese!" (It cracks me up when she refers to herself as The Birdy.) She has such a "great great" grasp of language, but more importantly she has such a great great understanding of her place in our flock of the three of us, and how loved, respected, and safe she is. It just makes me well up with tender emotions when I see her excitement when Joe walks in the door, or when he and I are in another room and we hear the whir of her wings or the tap tap of her little feet as she comes to find us. My heart melts when I am busy and her little munchkin voice pipes up with, "Hey Sweetie? I sure love you." I think of how fortunate we are to have found one another, and all of the great great things I have learned from her over the years: 1) Always make sure that whomever is giving you food takes a bite first, just to be on the safe side. 2) Always make sure that everyone has plenty to eat by taking a few bites, then waiting until they take a few bites. Sharing is good. 3) Sleep and rest when things are quiet so that you have energy to be busy later. 4) Take time to call out to those you love and let them know you love them. 5) Keep one eye on the weather. 6) Greet each day for the brand new day it is -- with a cheery "Good morning." 7) Mischief makes life interesting. 8 ) A good shower never hurt anyone. 9) Spend time daily with each member of your flock. 10) Always ask for cheese, you never know when someone might just give it to you. Have a greyt greyt day, friends and fam! xoxox Jane and HRH Inara