birds, birds, birds!

     I've been living at my dad's house for the past four months to help him care for his parrots' babies. They are hyacinth macaw babies. We now have two! The oldest is Angelina, a girl. The younger baby is temporarily named Carolina. We may, however, change the name, especially since we don't yet know if it is a boy or a girl. 
     When the babies are first hatched, they need to be fed every hour, around the clock. I have a sleep disorder and am often awake at night, so it made sense for me to take over the nightly feedings. My dad does the daytime feedings. We also have a woman who comes in a few times a week to take over one of the feedings. It's exhausting! 
     Between feedings, I've been keeping myself occupied with my usual hobbies (crochet, reading, and mail art). I've also been writing a fair amount of poetry. Last week, I wrote thirteen poems in about three days. It was fun! I'm still doing my volunteer tutoring "job" through Project Literacy. So, yes... the exhaustion is real!
     In the past few months, I've crocheted a large heart, a small heart, a large rainbow, a rock cozy, a stuffed toy pumpkin, a hat, a mason jar cozy, and lots of cat beds. The cat beds are mostly for the local animal shelter, but I also mailed some to friends and acquaintances. I'm currently working on a cowl and a drawstring pouch. My friend Joshua commissioned the pouch from me. Yes, I accept crochet commissions! If you're interested, please email me at ericalaurend on gmail. Also, please check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet!