Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: White Bellied Caique

(+2 insets) My fluffy little alarm clock let me sleep in this morning! I woke up at 7am for once and the extra sleep was so wonderful! I sprang out of bed so happy because it's WINTER SOLSTICE!! HOORAY!!! Now the days will finally start to get longer...THANK GOODNESS!! I was buzzing merrily around in the kitchen this morning until I got to the part where I opened the 'fridge to get Pumpkin's bowl of fruits and veggies...ACK! Sound the general alarm! There weren't any! I'd forgotten to cut up a new batch the night before. BOO!! "Ah well," I thought to myself, "no worries! Let's get this party started, shall we?" Reaching down to the veggie compartment, I pulled it open and grabbed the bags of celery, bell peppers, carrots and apples, turned around and plopped them onto the counter as the refrigerator door closed behind me. From her perch at the kitchen window I distinctly heard Pumpkin chuckling at me as she watched the latest episode of the Mama Bird Show... I stepped over to the other counter and grabbed one of our pretty bamboo cutting boards and pulled out my favorite knife. It's a 6" J.A. Henkels from Spain that Steve's had for many years. I just love it because the blade stays so sharp. Perfect for cutting up Chicken's fruits and veggies! (Pumpkin has a million nicknames but our favorite is Chicken . Others include Fluffball, Fuzzball, Fat Pants, Fluffy Butt, Chick-pea, Fruit Bat, the names go on and on!) Pumpkin whistled back and forth with me while I rinsed, sliced and diced two spears of celery, half an apple, a dozen baby carrots and half of a red bell pepper. Before I chopped up the celery, I cut off the ends and tossed them to Molly. She was ready and waiting with perked ears and bright eyes. Enthusiastic crunching soon filled the room, a sound which made me smile and elicited a bemused cackle from Pumpkin. I pulled out a sliver of carrot and handed it to her, who gronked joyfully and munched with gusto. Sweeping the pile of fruits and veggies into a metal bowl, I mixed them up, grabbed one of her blue food dishes and loaded it up as usual. Yay! Now Pumpkin had a brand new batch of fresh food. I covered the metal bowl, put it in the 'fridge and continued with my routine, finally bringing Pumpkin upstairs with her food. As I closed the door to the bedroom, Pumpkin was diving into her bowl and gronking with joy, "YUMMY BREAKFAST!!!" Oh, how I love that little girl! :) Initially I thought that it would be nice to share a snowy picture today to honor Winter Solstice, but instead I've decided to honor Pumpkin instead! I got Steve to hold her on her back, a position she loves--it's also so adorable that I thought you would all enjoy it too! I also included an inset to show the food I cut up for her and a holiday greeting to all of you. :) Pam, it was so wonderful to get such a lovely note from you yesterday on my latest picture! I am overjoyed that things are a little better for you these days. Let's hope for continued improvements in the following days my dear! *BIG HUGGGGGGGGS*!!!!!!

You can also find me on Facebook ! Our little parrot, Pumpkin, is the silliest, cutest, most playful companion I've ever had! She loves to run after little balls like this green one, grab them, and throw them onto the floor! As they fall, she turns her head at an angle to watch, and is always extremely delighted when Steve or I pick the ball up and toss it for her to chase again! Her favorite toys have bells inside of them. She loves to shake them furiously before flinging them through the air and hopefully...on the floor! Much cackling and happiness ensues! :D Pumpkin has a wonderful sense of humor and finds hilarity in so many things, but especially loves to watch the dogs as they are being washed. This activity combines a favorite sound, water splashing, and what looks like a wonderful punishment for those horrible creatures, and she spends the entire time laughing her head off and throwing pieces of bread at their heads! :D She's just too cute! I couldn't resist putting up a second picture of Pumpkin with her ball! It shows more of her goofy, playful personality and I thought you might enjoy it too! Explored on March 11, 2014. Highest placement, #2.

I got a lot of really cute pictures of Pumpkin playing with one of her toys today. Caiques are known as the "Clowns of the Parrot World", and it's true. I've shared my life with 3 Caiques now, and have known several others...they are all extremely playful, silly, goofy, and funny birds, all of whom have great senses of humor and are always up for something hilarious! :) Explored on March 12, 2014. Highest placement, page 5.

This is an alternate image for today that I thought turned out nicely too! :) Only a levels adjustment and cropping was done to this, along with a frame.

Today Steve borrowed my camera so he could take a few more pictures at Celebrity Pets, and though I could have used the Canon 5D, I decided to wait since I had other work to do during the day anyway. Time flew and I didn't get to my picture taking until about 8:00pm! Thankfully I have a macro lens, which means there are about 10 zillion cool subjects to photograph in every room! Steve and I collect feathers from our beautiful Caique parrot, Pumpkin, and store them in a baggie on the refrigerator, so I got some, put them on a mirror, and took some pictures! This was the second picture I looked at! The only thing I've done to it is adjust the levels, I cropped it, and added a frame. I found another version a few images later that I liked too, which is my alternate. One thing I found out tonight is that I'm going to have a lot of fun with her feathers...they are all totally amazing, and you're only seeing one of them!! Hooray for beautiful Pumpkin girl! :) Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence. Wikipedia: Emily Dickinson