Who's in charge here?!

I have to admit to occasionally being a bit of a pushover when it comes to accomodating Gussie. Well, I could upgrade that by  admitting that at times she is actually the one in charge.  

Because she is a good little communicator I can usually tell where she wants to go and what she wants to do.  Now remember that I told you in an earlier post that she doesnt ever try to fly because she thinks she's a people?  She waits to be picked up...sometimes not so patiently either. She flaps her folded wings against her body while she leans forward in a "dive bombing" pose and gets all excited until someone  comes to get her.  She will sometimes add some jabbering sound to her act and her face gets pink.  (That is a sign that she is excited.)  And we call that her "pick me up" dance.

So, what's a well-trained "Mama" supposed to do at a time like that?....go pick her up and take her where she wants to go, naturally.

If I keep her on my folded fore arm she leans towards whatever it is she wants to see better.  As we leave my office (her bedroom) we walk past a mirror in the hallway.  Oops, we don't walk past it, we stop to admire the pretty bird in it!  Then, if we move slowly enough, we vear into the bathroom doorway.  She knows there's a mirror in there as well so we have to visit her reflection before we can move on.

I often wonder whether she realizes that she is looking at herself.  Or if she thinks she is seeing another bird.  I told her to kiss the birdie one day and she actually kissed her reflection.  It was comical but to this day I have never seen it repeated even with frequent urging. She also tries to look around the sides of the mirror like she expects to see another bird.  

She has some favorite places to check out around the house and oddly enough, she could inspect them 20 times a day and still act amazed.  Do you suppose she does that for my benefit?  :)

We moved in to our house over three years ago and we have several doors with louvered panels.  I dont know if it's the fact that her depth perception is different than ours because her eyes are on the sides of her head, or whether she really believes that they are stairs to climb but she wants to climb up them.  They are always a source of amusement for her and she is always a source of amusement for us as I raise and lower her to inspect each slat on each door.  

Just tonight as we were watching a movie she called for me.  "Mama", she cried from the office. I told her I would be there in a minute. She was quiet.  I went to get her as promised and when she spotted the open window sill because the blinds hadn't been lowered yet,she got all excited and leaned towards the window.  So, being obedient and accomodating, I put her on the window sill to admire her "kingdom" outside.  She was content because she knew she was in charge.

All's right in the castle when the bird is happy! 

 

More Toys and Some Training

Now, as promised, I am going to share some silly tales about the two bigger bottles in the picture.

Gussie is a pretty mild mannered parrot but she does have a side that is quite excitable which is seemingly linked to something in her past. Evidently, spray bottles, like the one pictured were used for training and discipline. We innocently followed that "tip" from her previous owners but it didn't take long to determine that the practice was quite useless. To this day, after having her with us for more than 8 years, she still reacts to the sight of a spray bottle. But that's not all. When I ask if she wants to do laundry with me she practically jumps off her perch to get onto my shoulder. She knows it has to do with bottles!

We have bottles for spray starch, bottles for fabric softener, bottles for stain remover and most every other thing you might want to keep handy while you do laundry. The minute she gets on my shoulder she assumes "attack mode" as we step towards a very eclectic collection of bottles! I dare say I'd have to replace a good half dozen every time she "helped" if she had her way.

The reaction is the same every time without fail. I am still not sure whether she is retaliating for those times she was squirted after misbehaving, or whether she is just playing with intensity. Either way, it is always entertaining for me and besides the fact that I forget about her "passion" and occasionally get my fingers in between her and the bottle, I enjoy the exchange. It is always good for a laugh.

Now, if you go back and inspect those bottles in the picture you may notice some parts missing or some puncture marks. One has a canning ring around it to draw her attention because I shake it when I am playing with her. She responds accordingly and even though she is not much bigger than the bottle is, she can never be accused of backing down.

By the way...she also reacts the same way to rubber gloves (any color) AND, of all things, the ironing board. I don't think I will ever figure that one out!