BELLA & PIP

It is now January 15th.

A gorgeous Saturday here at the nest.

The sky is stunning in it's 'blue-ness'

and the temperature outside has warmed a bit.

Most AZ dwellers would consider this 
a perfect day.

And in many ways it is.

But I would prefer the temps to remain 

a bit colder

to match my Christmas tree 
that is still standing.

Yes. 

It is still up and I am not even close 
to hiding that fact yet.

And I suddenly realize I have not shared something with you.

Santa ummm, I mean Mr. J., 

came in Christmas Eve 

after being gone most of the day

proudly carrying a birdcage.

Happily announcing "Merry Christmas!!" 
with a big smile.

My eyes bugged out of my head 

as I looked at the cage 

and then at him.

"WHAT?!"

and in his other hand, a box.

with strange noise coming from inside.

I may have said "What have you done?"

And in a flash my mind raced back 
to a tiny blurb of a conversation  

we had months ago

about the sad story 
of Lala and Petey Pie

a pair of finches I had when I first met Mr. J.

Sadly, I had lost Petey Pie first 

and the whole incident remains a mystery 

because I came home from

shopping one day to find their cage overturned 
on the patio where they were sunning......

and Lala was beside herself shreiking

...Petey Pie was ......... 

GONE.

Lala was never the same 

and when she got away from me 

while cleaning her cage 

one day many months later, 
and flew

off towards the neighbor's house...

well, she was not good at flying

and crashed into the chimney.....

perhaps in despair over her lost love.
It was sad.

Back to Christmas 2010.............................

May I introduce you to Bella

 and Pip
 a pair of Zebra Finches 
that Mr. J. picked out for me.

Look at those gorgeous stripped tail feathers on Pip!
 Pip is just that......a pip. 

He makes a lot of noise and is rather hyper

Bella is just the opposite.  

She is the poster bird for Calm & Collected.

Pip will jump all around...up and down...

squawking like crazy.

Bella just stands in one place watching him...watching me.  

They are quite fond of each other 

and began mating the second day here

so I set about building them a nesting box 
 
from a Trader Joe's quart container

of half & half.  

First going to YouTube for a tutorial.

And purchased nesting 'stuff' for them to arrange 
as they wanted inside.

This is the cage hanging with all the bells and whistles

The red contraption that sits in front 
of the nesting box is their new swing

Well, the 'kids' love their nesting box
and Pip was the very first to check it out
and he appears to be 'in charge' of making the nest
And each and every night as I begin the 'good night routine'
of lowering the lights and covering them up
they both fly up into the box and settling in
their tiny beaks, the only thing I see from within
and they sleep for 12 hours
a blissfully quiet 12 hours.
 Now today (Saturday) is Spa Day
for Bella & Pip

I hook on this birdy tub
and in they go and fluff around and bathe

It's quite fun to watch.  
Then it's time to clean the messy cage

because they are the messiest things I've ever seen!!!

 But the hardest thing 
is having to retreive these from the nesting box.
Bella lays them constantly.  
Probably about 9 since Christmas!!

And IF they were actually fertilized, 
I would have a bzillion baby finches 

before summer even got here!!

So out they come...........and in several days 
we will go through the same process.
 Right about now

you might be wondering how Pia is 
handling all this commotion???
Well, at first not too good...........
but now she realizes she cannot get them

since they hang from the ceiling.

And she barely looks up anymore 
when they start their squawking!!

But I still shake my head and wonder...........................................

"What was Mr. J. thinking????"


After such a long post you no doubt feel like
my little kitchen angel
 
exhausted!!!

but take a breath
or tiny break
and click on the little video
to watch and hear Bella & Pip
in action
but don't forget to turn off
the music playing up there on the right.
My favorite part is toward the end
when Bella pecks on Pip
Don't they sound like mini geese?
The good news is that they are not always 
making that noise.

They have a variety of sounds

But trust me, they don't sing.

13 comments:

Claudia said...

Oh my gosh, Rella, what a sweet gift from your husband. They are adorable. You will have so much fun watching them.

I find the little eggs so touching!

xo
Claudia

Marianne C. said...

What a delightful story, Rella...and you made it so funny, especially the end with the photo of your little kitchen angel.

I am sorry about your first birds, but it seems that Mr. J knows you very well, and was waiting for the right moment to make your heart sing again (along with your tiny, winged friends).

By the way, I like their names very much...I haven't heard the word 'pip' in a long time. My grandmother always used it (and my mom), but you are the first I've heard use it since).

Enjoy your lovelies!
Marianne (O)

Terri said...

Oh My! Two sweet little birds! They are really adorable. I love the names you picked out for them. So sorry though to hear about your other bird's fates.
They do sound like geese!
I enjoyed watching the video.
Hugs,
Terri

HI! I'm Tabitha said...

hi rella,
i lot the new additions to ur family. Birds are always a welcome gift. I hope these two behave for you and neither escapes.
hugs

Maija said...

How wonderful!! Enjoy your sweet birdies!!

Betzie said...

Oh my gosh if my husband ever did that, I'd faint. I love birds, but he isn't a fan. I've had them here though, but now I just feed them outside and watch from the windows. I love your finches though and how fun and sweet are they!!! Such a cute post Rella...and I do remember the messy cages so well...but they bring much joy and entertainment too! I have dogs and fish now...also quite messy but so it goes and they are all worth it...I think. :)
Great little video. I just got a flip from Mr. K for Christmas...have yet to read the darn directions! Enjoy your birdies...

pinkglitterfae said...

What a lovely gift from your hubby! He must have known how much your previous birds meant to you, I was sad reading about their demise :-(
I love birds so much, and had many over the years and I would be heartbroken to lose them like that.
Enjoy your new babies!

oh, and my Christmas trees are still up, lol! maybe next week or the week after I will finally put them away
:-D

vivian said...

how sweet they are. I have a bird too, an african grey.. hes my buddy.. but I did catch my cat on top of his cage today.. which is very concerning!
anyways.. I have your doll done and ready to mail. probably wont send her for a week or so.. thats how long it'll take me to remember to go to the post office!
LOL!
enjoy your sweet finches.. what a thoughtful gift from mr. J.
xo
vivian

The Feathered Nest said...

Hi sweet Rella....what a precious gift from your husband!!! I just love them!! I think I need to buy me a few of these wonderful birds ~ will they really reproduce for you??? Have a great week sweet friend, hugs and love, Dawn

Terri Gordon said...

Hi Rella, When I met Steve, we got some finches, we also built a large cage from wood a pagoda, two story, we worked for weeks on it. We still have it in the attic. We had finches for so long, I loved their peeps. But the girl kept getting egg bound, oh I did not like that. So when we had kids, we did not get anymore. But they are so cute. Thanks for sharing. Hugs, Terri

Wish on a Whisker said...

Oh I love Bella and Pip and Pia the kitty! Do the birds get to come out and fly around? ~Mandy

zuzu said...

-^--^- thinking of you
and pia, bella & pip. sigh. xo zU

Marfi-topia said...

how utterly sweet!
i love your blog.