Einstein's Tribute to Mother's Day

Mother's are truly wonderful!

I didn't get to know my Mother very well because I was taken from her at a very early age so that I would form a bond with humans. What I do know is that her name was "Smokey", she was a very good talker and very beautiful. She was a television star too! She was in the "Salty Dog" episode of the children's television series Wishbone.  You can watch the show on YouTube. (Be sure and watch parts 1 and 2)

She mostly rode around on the shoulder of a pirate.

She did a great job! Yea! MOM!

"Captain Flint", played by Smokey the Parrot on the shoulder of

"Long John Silver", played by actor, Sean Hennigan.

I don't call Marcia "Mom", because she's not my Mom. She's my human! She certainly didn't HATCH me!!! Just the mental picture of that makes me laugh hysterically!!!!!

She does take good care of me, and for that, I am very grateful! So, there needs to be a Happy Human's Day! For all those humans who take care of all the pets in the world!

In closing this tribute to Mom's everywhere, I'd like you to listen to a broadcast NPR did a few years ago titled,
"My Mother, My Parrot".

It's very touching and you might need a tissue. (Marcia did!)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

Einstein’s Road Trip

I like to travel in car with Marcia and Jeff. They often take me for car rides just around the neighborhood and to visit friends. Recently they decided to take me along on a trip to Austin Texas, about 3 ½ half hours away. They have friends in Austin and we were invited to a Party!

I Love to Party!!!

Here I an all loaded up in the car, ready to go! Jeff has my cage level and strapped in with bungee cords. Marcia has packed all the food and water I’ll need for the whole trip. She’s prepared for anything I might need. She says it’s like packing a baby for a trip. Here’s a list of what I require!
Water
Paper Towels
Bird Safe Cleaning Solutions
Cage Cover
Plastic (to protect floor)
Newspaper (to poop on)
Floor perch
Pizza Pan Perch
Sleeping perch from big cage
Ceramic Food Dish
Toys – (Can’t leave home with out ‘em!)
Food- Pellets, Frozen Bean/Grain Mixtures, Birdie Muffins, Treats
Round Play Perch
Stainless Steel Food Bowls for perch
Bowls for Travel cage

WOW! That’s a lot of stuff for a 1 pound bird!!! Where are Marcia and Jeff going to put all their clothes and stuff they need for the trip? Oh! Well! Not My Problem!!!!

AND…. WE’RE OFF!

Jeff is a good driver and if he anticipates having to put on the breaks hard or goes over a bump in the road… He will tell me, “Hold On”. I really appreciate that!
One time he was passing another car on the road. The other driver moved over to allow him to pass which was really nice. As Jeff drove passed he waved his hand at the driver as if to say “Thanks”. Well, I saw him do this and I said “Shake! Shake!” That must have been funny because Marcia and Jeff laughed at me and told me what a smart bird I was!

We arrive in Austin at our friend’s home. I quickly make myself at home.

Here I am on the counter getting hand fed...

and then I got to play on the floor with my toys.

Later that evening we all went to a party at another friend’s house. I had dinner in my cage and I had to stay in my cage most of the evening. I didn’t mind because Jeff and Marcia were busy talking with all their friends. I was never too far away from the “action” and I even talked a little! Making everybody laugh!

Our friends have a beautiful cat that came to join the fun later in the evening. I never met a cat before. So very carefully we were introduced.

"Puddin, meet Einstein. Einstein, this is Puddin.” Puddin was very nice, but kind of scared. Puddin didn’t stay around very long.

The party was fun and the next day after breakfast we left our friend’s house and headed for Marble Falls Texas / Lake LBJ. Marcia’s brother has a vacation home on Lake LBJ, which is about an hours drive from Austin. I’ve been to this house many times before. It has always been a vacation place for the family.

It’s fun to sit outside on the back porch.

(If I’m ever outside, I’m ALWAYS in my cage! It’s a rule! No exceptions!)

I watch the ducks play in the water.

Boats go up and down the Lake, (they make a lot of noise!)

The birds sing songs in the trees. There is a cool breeze and it’s so relaxing!

Inside the house I can perch, eat, and play on my round play perch.

Jeff made me this perch a long time ago when I was adopted by Jeff and Marcia. It’s really a neat perch. Great for travel because is breaks down into 2 parts. The bottom is just an unfinished wooded bar stool with wheels on the legs. The top is a VERY BIG plastic plant saucer. Jeff bolted some perches to it and Marcia found this cool toy hook and Volia! (By the way, the toy hook was made by a company that is no longer in business. So please don’t ask me where you can get one, they just aren’t available anywhere, a fact that makes Marcia sad!)

That night Jeff and Marcia went out to dinner and I stayed at the house and had dinner in my cage. They did bring me home a “Birdie Bag”. It was a yummy piece of Corn Bread from the “Jammin’ House Cafe”. If you’re ever in Marble Falls, it’s a great restaurant for Caribbean Food! Yea! Mon!
Ahhhh! What a nice time we all had! The next day we packed up and headed back home. I hope you enjoyed reading about my Road Trip. Maybe I’ll see ya around?

Einstein's Relationship with the Towel

When Einstein was young (about 2 years old) she was occasionally belligerent with me. (For example, wouldn't get on my hand when I repeatedly asked her to.) I would say to her, "Want me to get the towel?" I would then go get a particular blue towel, wrap her up and physically remove her and place her where I wanted her to go. In 1999 we were not familiar with positive reinforcement training. We used the towel to coerce her to step up. She hated it!

Then it came to pass that all I had to do was just ask her, "Do you want me to go get the towel?" and she would immediately comply to my wishes. No toweling necessary. I don't take this approach any longer, but now, sometimes when she is asking for something... and if I don't respond to her immediate demand... She will say to me..., "Want me to get the TOWEL!!!!"

Aside from the humor, quickly we learned this was not the right thing to do! Not only did it make her scared of the towel, it also made her distrust us. We learned our lesson! We began using positive reinforcement and offering treats when she would not step up for us. She did forgive us, and our relationship has mended. However, we are still working with her to feel comfortable being toweled. Parronts do make mistakes and I will forever regret making this one.

Moral of this story: If you own a parrot, please learn all you can about Positive Reinforcement Training!

I LOVE TURKEY BONES TOO!!!!!

At Thanksgiving I was given my first Turkey Bone!
OH MY GOSH! IT WAS SO BIG!!!!


It was also SOOOOO GOOD!


I wasn't allowed to eat all of it... I was told it would be too much protein.
Boy! I really liked it!
I CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT THANKSGIVING! I LIKE TURKEY DAY!!!

I LOVE CHICKEN BONES!!!

I don't know why I Love Chicken bones so much! Some may think it's not natural, kind of cannibalistic. I don't think so. I just love them!!!! Especially the drumstick!!!! OH YUM!!! Marcia has rules that must be followed before she will give me a chicken bone. First it must be from a natural, organic chicken. Second, it must be REALLY COOKED, THROUGH AND THROUGH! Third, it must be cool to the touch. (She is so PICKY!)

Then watch out.....

IT'S CHOW DOWN TIME!!!!!

Here's a movie of me eating the bone ...

Tribute to Alex

Alex, you will be greatly missed!

Spread your wings - fly free!

Alex, the African Grey passing away on Friday, 9/7/2007. I have been very sad since I've learned about Alex. It was because of Alex that my humans decided to adopt an African Grey Parrrot. They watched a show on TV about Alex and they fell in love! (Lucky for ME!)

Alex was a true pioneer and paved the way for the understanding of parrot intelligence, and I believe he is largely responsible for the better and more humane treatment that many parrots receive today because of that understanding. We still have a long way to go before all parrots receive the treatment they deserve, but Alex can rest knowing that he made a massive contribution to parrotkind.

The death of Alex is not only a great loss to the parrot community and the field of Avian research, but also for humans too! Dr. Pepperberg's research, which uses a training method called the model-rival technique, also holds promise for teaching autistic and other learning-disabled children who have difficulty learning language, numerical concepts and even empathy. So far, results using this learning technique with small groups of autistic children have been very promising.

Here is an excellent video produced by PBS about Alex.

Visit the The Alex Foundation for more information about the work being done.

So this is where we part, My Friend,

And you'll fly on around the bend,

Gone from sight but not from mind,

New pleasures there you'll surely find.

I will go on, I'll find the strength,

Life measures quality, not its length.

One long scritch before you leave,

Share one last look, before I grieve.

There are others, that much is true,

But they be they and they aren't you.

And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought

Will remember well all you've taught.

Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,

The feathers I stroked, the beak I kissed.

And as you go to your final rest,

Take with you this -- I loved you best.

~unknown author

The Drawer

This is my all time, new, favorite activity in the whole world! I LOVE TO PLAY IN THE KITCHEN DRAWERS! I will beg every day after lunch to go to the drawer! I get very noisy when I beg! Lots of bird sounds and I also say "I Love You!" ... Sweet-talking Marcia works every time!

Here is a picture of me begging!

When Marcia finally gets tired of me acting this way, she clears off the kitchen counter and empties a drawer next to the drawer where she keeps the kitchen towels. (She puts toys in the empty drawer for me to play with. You'll see what happens later!) I'm soooooo happy when I sit on the kitchen towel drawer! Then when she goes into another room, I crawl down and open the cabinet below. There's not much in the cabinet except boxes of dishes that she only uses at Christmas time.

Here I am, about to go into the cabinet! THIS IS SO FUN! When I'm in the dark cabinet, I pretend that it is a hollow in an old tree! A perfect place to build a nest if I lived in the wilds of Africa! I climb in and close the door behind me! Then I climb up and onto the side of the closed drawer that has a bunch of toys just for me. I perch myself on the edge of the drawer and have the best time shedding paper and all my toys! Then when Marcia comes back into the room, I crawl out of the cabinet via the towel drawer. In this picture, she opened up the other drawer to take a picture of what I had done! I'm so proud of my accomplishment!

I'm I building a nest? I dunno, but it sure is fun!

Watch this movie of me and my kitchen cabinet exploration:

I hope you enjoyed my drawer adventure as much as I do! See ya next time!

Samantha's 2nd Birthday Party

Samantha is my favorite little human. She comes over and visits me when she visits her GiGi and Pappa. I'm teaching her how to talk. Right now, I talk better than she can! Marcia and Jeff were invited to her 2nd Birthday Party the other day. From what I understand everyone had a great time.

The Cake was Tasty!

Samantha got A LOT of New Toys! Oh! I Love Toys TOO! Can we play????

I couldn't come to the party, but I was able to be seen and heard via the computer! Everyone enjoyed visiting my website at the party. There were many other boys and girls at the party! I made them all laugh while watching my movies!

Frisco was at the party!

Frisco belongs to Samantha's GiGi and Pappa. He is a sweet dog and Marcia LOVES Frisco! GiGi and Pappa used to bird sit me before they got Frisco. Now they don't because Frisco would like to have me for lunch! Frisco is a Coastal Waterfowl Herding Dog. I'm not a Coastal Waterfowl, but Frisco thinks I am! So I stay in my cage when Frisco comes to visit!!!!
Another reason... I was not at the party!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA

and MANY MANY MORE!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!