They Grow So Fast, Don't They?

Although somewhat blurry, here are our little bird buddies... spawn of Stepladder Bird and her husband "Ergo Bird" - hence named for the ability to do whatever Stepladder Bird does only seconds after she does it. She feeds the birds... leaves... he feeds the bird... then leaves. She comes back... he comes back... she swoops my bike... he swoops my bike. Sigh!
You can clearly see they are getting much bigger and sprouting feathery bodies.
They are making lots of noise, too. Our cockatiel, Sunshine, seems to love singing back to them.

They seem to only have one mode at this point... that is "feed me cos my mouth is open". This is a rare shot when they aren't open mouthed. Cute, aren't they!

Awww..... Aren't They The CUTEST!

Poor Stepladder Bird. She has people who want to take pictures of her babies!
All I know is that they are constantly hungry and very wiggly. This makes picture taking VERY hard. These are from my mother-in-law!
Mom and Dad Stepladder Bird take turns bringing baby birds food. They seem to tolerate us fairly well. Except when I want to grill and when I want to move my bike.
To date, we have seen 3 baby Stepladder Birds. My Father In Law CLAIMS to have seen baby number 4. I'm not totally convinced. But, they are still TOTALLY cute!


The neighborhood feral cats think Old Country Buffet is our carport. I fear for their safety. But, what can we do? If we move them, Mom and Dad abandon them. If we don't, we either get eyeless feral cats... or we get no more baby birds. ADORABLE!!!

Stepladder Bird: A Unwavering Mommy

Poor Stepladder Bird. She has been out there and protects her eggs (and therefore our stepladder) fiercely. She hated the idea of my moving my bike SOoooooo strongly that I got swooped at. She hated the idea of my grilling for my Mother In Law's birthday that she hissed and gave a guttural rumble when I went out to cook. I won the grilling thing.. she took off briefly to watch me from a nearby tree. But I didn't win with the bike... she didn't hurt me. But there was no way the bike was going to be moved without bloodshed.

I decided to find out exactly how many days this is going to happen. The Gestation period is 40 days. Then about 2 weeks before they take flight. I personally am beginning to wish the neighborhood feral cat would stop hovering. I want to see baby birds hatch and get a start in life. The situation is not great... but poor birds!

Rick Riordan: IS He The Next JK Rowling?

Ever since JK finished the Harry Potter series with Deathly Hallows, everyone has been wondering which author will meet or even exceed her popularity. At one point in time, I would have ventured to guess Jenny Nimmo was the heir apparent. Her Charlie Bones series was not only entertaining, but very much a Harry Potter fan type of book. The main character, Charlie, is a boy who, as he is growing to become a young man, has to struggle with learning new skills (in his case, talking to people in photographs/objects/memories), while solving a major mystery based upon the book, find his father, and try to stop whatever evil plot his grandmother and her sisters have planned. I personally enjoyed the books, but I found them to be rather systematic. All the books, by the end, tended to blend together.

My next future J.K. candidate would have been the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. They are a great blend of magic, family, mystery, and adventure. However, as much as I love the series, Angie Sage is a talented author in her own right. She is different enough from J.K. that she isn't the next J.K Rowling... more like others are the next Angie Sage! I will keep buying Septimus books as long as Angie Sage cranks them out.

Which brings me to Rick Riordan. Different critics are touting him as the new wannabe J.K. Rowling. And WITH GOOD reason! He is an author from Texas who writes about a young boy (named Percy Jackson) who finds out that his father was an Olympian God. Suddenly, his life is turned around and he is at Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods in training. Like Harry, he is being forced to learn a whole new way of life while struggling to be a teenager with normal problems. Percy mets friends, enemies, people who want him to succeed and those who want him to fail. Like Harry, he has problems that exist in both worlds and he tries to come to grips with how the effect his life in both worlds. Unlike Harry, who is fairly likable from the start, Percy is a little less than likable at the beginning because he seems to not fit in anywhere and you learn that he keeps getting kicked out of schools because of his ADHD problems. So, my question is: IS Rick Riordan the J.K. Rowling wannabe that people think he could be? My feeling is a resounding "No". Mr. Riordan is a talented author. Not unlike the Jennifer Scales series (Alongi and Alongi-Davidson) or even Pullman's Northern Lights/Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass series, we have a protagonist who we can learn to like, even admire, for their adventures. He is a great author in his own right and does not have to stand in anyones shadow. If Mr. Riordan is a success, and his books currently are, it is not because he is J.K in waiting. It is because he figured out what kids want to read. And for me, anything that gets them wanting to read is a plus in my book!

I Have Two Predictions... It Will Be A Guy... And His Name Shall Be "David"!

Like the guy in the Washington Post this morning, American Idol's final two isn't getting me as excited as it normally would. I mean... after Carly left, there wasn't much doubt in my mind that we'd likely see dueling David's. Yes, Syesha COULD have pulled off an upset and knocked Lil' David out. Stoner Jason could have decided to actually look interested in singing and "wooo-ed" America. Didn't happen. As I said in my title line... I only have two predictions for the final. The winner will be a male... and he will be named David. I actually will take it one more step. He will have dark hair, too! And the teenage girls... alright... all the swooning women in the audience will scream and scream and scream when the winner sings. And then, our new Idol shall be crowned. Go, David!

Who do I really expect to win? Cook all the way. In this likely event, I hope AI is smart enough to have security both of Lil' David and his father Jeff. Jeff might decide to take his "hostility" out on the poor judges... using that broken Coke glass/bottle he smuggled in. And, keep him away from his son for at least 48 hours. That is how long I expect it will take for a record producer to sign him. Either way, both Davids should have good careers. At least one album will be made for both. Even Brooke, Carly, and Michael Johns got that!!!

Good luck to both David contestants in their run for the Idol glory. Oh, and let us wish Big Brown good luck at the Belmont. Go Brown!

Dumb Bird HAS 4 Eggs

My father in law went to go see if Stupid Bird has eggs. She has 4 blue eggs, according to him. I think he should have stayed away... but at least now we know.

Uhhhoh... Stupid Bird IS Nesting?

Oh, No! Our resident stepladder bird appears to nest sitting. Upon going out to get my bike on Friday, she was highly aggressive. This morning, she appears to be stepladder sitting and doesn't want to move for any reason. So, every time we want something out there, we have to shoo her away from the nest BRIEFLY to get our things. This morning, I thought I'd move my bike... however, I don't want to cause trauma to our nesting mother. I will wait until a nice peaceful time when she appear a little more friendly to move it out of her way. I mean, it will be raining tomorrow, so I don't expect to ride. So, I'll sneak it out tomorrow.

By the way, Happy Mother's Day to all my blog parents. I gave Jane a Mother's Day card, as I said I would try to do on Substitute Parent's Day. I think I may have not done a good job. She appeared to be "happy" with the card. But, she didn't get emotional in the least. Oh, well. I guess it wasn't as touching a sentiment as I thought!

Listening... Not A Spectator Sport?

The definition of listening, as defined by the Farlex free dictionary (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/listening) is as follows:

1. To make an effort to hear something.
2. To pay attention; heed.

Not listening is the number one spousal complaint among married couples... and in Singapore, it is claimed to be the number one reason why Singaporeans get divorced (alife.com). Marriage therapists recommend the following tips to communicating properly:

• Don't Interrupt. Let your spouse finish what he/she is saying.
• Keep an open mind. Don't jump to conclusions as it prevents you from truly listening.
• Make listening a priority. Let go of your own agenda. Make eye contact by not staring at the TV or flipping the newspapers.
• Use feedback technique. Let your partner know that you heard what he/she said by validating and saying something like, "I hear you saying..."
• Watch for non-verbal cue from both sides, like shrugging shoulders, tone of voice, crossing arms or legs, nodding, eye contact or looking away, facial expressions (smile, frown, shock, disgust, tears, surprise, rolling eyes, etc.), and mannerisms (fiddling with papers, tapping your fingers). 55% of the message is delivered through non-verbal signs.
• Blocks to listening. Avoid blocks like mind reading, rehearsing, judging, advising, sparring and changing the subject.
• Stay focused on the main points that your spouse is talking about. It's ok to ask questions to clarify what you thought you heard.
• Gender differences. Men often share because they want to give information or solve a problem. Women tend to talk to connect with someone or to get information.
• Show respect. Respect your spouse's point of view, even if you disagree with what is being said.
• Advice & Talking. Don't give advice unless asked for it. You can't listen and talk at the same time. Feelings are neither right or wrong.

It blows my mind the number of times I'm out in public, or even here in the Wenzel household, and someone says something important and you JUST know that the person or persons listening are missing vital information. I also hate it when, because these same people missed the vital information, they suddenly jump to "You didn't tell me" such and such. Drives me nutsy. I know I am not the perfect communicator. I tried to do way too much on my own and don't always like sharing. But, doggone it! If someone tells you to buy stamps today and get the "forever stamps", don't go and get a packet of stamps that won't be any good after next week when prices go up. The postal officials, as I noticed this morning at the post office, don't care what good excuse you have. If you were not listening to the person who told you to get the forever stamps and got the Mickey Mouse ones (cos we all know Mickey is adorable... who wouldn't want to open a letter with a Mickey stamp on it), don't expect the post office to make it right for you. The poor guy this was happening to was literally crying.... his wife made him immediately come back and try to exchange the stamps. No such luck, crying guy. You are stuck with the stamps AND you have to try to come up with a use for all those stamps OR buy penny stamps to make your "grave error" correct. I bet his wife is going to be oh so pleased when HE gets home!

What will solve this conundrum of the not listening revolution? Ideas, anyone?

Part Two: Idiot Bird's Guide To Nest Building

I think we are going to have to name our bird. It has no desire to move elsewhere.

Yes, I am referring to Stepladder Bird. I was hoping, with all the noise we made yesterday, idiot bird would move elsewhere BEFORE starting a family. I have little doubt that Stepladder Bird, which must be the same as "STUPID BIRD", is here to stay. Anytime we go out, she seems to throw a temper tantrum, squawk madly and hiss, then fly away until we go inside. Then Stepladder Bird returns and is all happy and joyous about her perch. You can tell from the pictures that it is not the most stable of perches. Nor is it the most safe. I have no doubt that the neighborhood feral cats are already circling waiting for the day that Stepladder Bird is on their menu. My only hope is the fool bird is enough annoyed by our presence (we are out there dozens of times per day) that (a) she moves on, (b) if she stays, she won't start a family, (c) decides to move the nest to a nearby location... one of which is not as bothersome as those idiot starlings we finally has convinced NOT to live in our ceiling in the basement (Go Insulation FOAM!). Will keep you updated!

The Idiot Bird's Guide To Building A Nest

My mother in law came in from our carport this afternoon and asked me we'd accidentally put a bird's nest on the stepladder. We most definitely had not. A few minutes later, we looked out and there was a robin in the stepladder nest. Some idiot bird (a cousin of my cousin Ashli's bird (B.B) perhaps?) had built its nest on our stepladder. When my husband and I went out to grill, we decided to take some pictures. Silly bird. Stepladders are NOT good bird nest resting spots!

Enjoy the pictures!