Focus on Life: Week 40 ~ Give Us A Smile!

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Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime is hosting a year long challenge which is... sublime... as you'd expect with such a studio name. The challenge is named 'Focusing on Life' and every week Sally is sending a prompt on what should we focus the following week.

This week she prompted us to 'Give Us A Smile!' - and I have a couple of them :) 

First - I missed like week... last week us comprised of one thing and one thing only: finishing the taxes! I actually closed the browser and the email clients, I only did the business emails 3 times a day (and even that took hours of work) and did *nothing* but taxes. Oh, and I went to a Rock and Gems Show on Friday - so that's my second reason for missing a week. I missed it emotionally too! 

But enough, that won't make you smile. However, I have something that will - or so I hope. 

First - a half smile from my ever-hiding child: he got to that age where he will not want the camera to capture him unless I explain it is for sharing with Grandma... and even then he's reluctant :) 

This is from a week ago, we had a wonderful Sunday, or one who started as (ended up chilly and dark and brrr) and we went hiking for a couple of hours. Yes, he needs a haircut :) 

The second smile - has a longer story behind. I think God just can't have us have only 2 pets: for as long as I know us we had mostly 2 dogs + one pet who doesn't need much attention. First, it was a fish, a goldfish. The first one we got when William was young, and it lived for less than 2 weeks. We quickly got a new one in the evening (to not traumatize the child), but that lived for less than 2 weeks too! We figured we'll give it one more try (third time is a charm, right?) and we got another one quickly. And that one was more resistant - he went on and on and on for years and years (5 or 6, I think, might be even more). 

Then the child wanted a bird - and he wanted one badly! But I stand up my position firmly - and the child was a tad disappointed, but understood (or he faked understanding). On his birthday he got a small aquarium with 2 African Dwarf Frogs: I thought I can manage a once-every-3 months change of water :) and the child is fine feeding them twice a week (he's even diligent about it).

Then in May we had to say a very premature goodbye to our German Sheppard - and now the father was "no way we'll ever get another pet". Which I knew not to take at face value, we can't *not* have pets, after all. But we were back to 2: one dog, and the frogs. All seemed calm. For a short few months. 

Last Saturday I went to Toronto with the child: to our 'cultural' trips: a visit to the ROM and a beautiful TSO concert. Right before the concert started I texted hubby that we are seated and all right... and back came an answer I didn't expect: "I found a bird, should I bring it home?!"

Huh? 

A few back-and-forth quick texts later I had the picture: a small bird flew to the range and the manager thought of William (she would have kept the little one, but she has cats - not the perfect combination). It has been a beautiful day, but the little bird was shivering and extremely friendly. Should we keep it? 

Err... hasn't been our life OK with just 2 extra souls (well, 3) to take care of? Do I needed a fourth one? And if we bring it home - would the owner suddenly appear a week later and leave my boy heart broken?! 

Yes, yes, and who knows?! 

So when we arrived home that night this is what greeted us: 

I won't fool you: somehow he just won me over in a blink of a moment. He doesn't only have the most beautiful colours (look at that turquoise beak and that perfect yellow and green), he has the loveliest chirping ever! 

He's been getting used to our house noises (after he ate like crazy for about half an hour of getting into hi new cage!) and he reacts to some of them in a way that actually makes me laugh out loud: the kitchen wall clock, which makes birds chirps at the hour (old story) ~ he seems to love (or hate?!) the noon sound the best: he'll chirp along and keep going for about a minute after! Or the TV and radio: he has songs he reacts strongly to and some he simply 'sings along'. He'll intently listen while we play piano. And if I'm too quiet for too long he'll come at the corner of the cage where he can see me and - can't put it any other way - call me! After I talk with him (yeah, it is 'with him', I talk, he answers and we go like that for a while) a little bit, he'll be fine for another long while. He got used to me walking around and he won't stop eating if I walk by (but he'll fly away as soon as anybody else is walking by). The dog still doesn't know what to make about the bird: we are talking about a Chocolate Lab here... I still think Lucky thinks that should be her dinner, or at least a yummy snack :) If I leave the room (and usually the dog follows) - as soon as we are completely out of his vision range he calls us back! 

But what makes me smile continuously is his happy chirp! It's very soft most of the time and has trills and intonations and I wish I understood what he's saying :) 

William named him 'Stevie' - I see him more like a 'Charlie', so the jury is still out on that one!

Oh - and the best part?! I am entertaining this strange idea of getting him a companion... yeah... I am crazy and this is just a small part of it :) 

This week promises to be a very uplifting one - thanks again, Sally, for the lovely prompts (I can't believe we are almost 'there'). 

Thank you for visiting - and please make sure you visit the rest of our wonderful group for more smiles!

P.S. Remember there is a giveaway going on: enter here if you haven't done so already :)