Someone wrote to me today and said that in the wake of my last animal-centric entry they needed a bird update. Isn't that cute? It's a timely request, too, since I actually have something to report.

I woke up this morning missing Cassie awfully. I had been dreaming about her, I guess, and I woke up thinking about the sad way she died. So I was sad today about Cassie. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love Phoebe and Stupid, but neither of them will come over and hang out with me the way Cassie used to do. They're madly in love with each other, though, so I guess it works out.

I've been trying to get Phoebe to eat millet seeds from my hand again, but so far, it hasn't been working. She trusts me more than Pigwidgeon does, and I think that she might come around eventually, but it's a long, slow process. Next time (which will hopefully not be for a very long time) I am getting a parakeet that has been hand fed, so I won't have to go through this anymore.

But that's not the bird news.

Yesterday, I caught Phoebe trying to take a bath in the water dish. Neither Pigwidgeon nor Cassie has ever displayed any interest in taking baths, which is odd because my first parakeet Gumdrop used to take baths all the time. It was adorable: we used to sit a short, fat glass out on the counter and fill it with water. He'd hop up on the side of the glass, hop into the glass, paddle his little feet in the water, and use his beak to pull himself out on the other side.

(That's a bad picture of Gummy but I don't have many pictures of him.) So I went to the pet store and bought Phoebe a large water dish she can use for a bathtub. So far, she hasn't used it, but I just put it up and I don't even think she's noticed it yet. She's sitting on top of the cage playing with her bell toy right now and hasn't ventured near it.

Also, I love hearing Phoebe chirp. She's got this soft, contented twitter, and she chirps to herself and to Pidgie all day long. She also watches me a lot, and chirps also. It's quite sweet. I think she likes me, even if she doesn't fully trust me yet.

I've been productive today, and it's a nice feeling.

I've been trying to get in touch with Huck, who is supposed to be doing the cover art for my chapbook. Since I have a reading coming up, I want to have the chapbook done and available by then. It only gives me two weeks, but I should be able to make good progress on Thursday and Friday. If Huck can't get the cover art to me, I'm going to have to figure something else out, because I'm committed to this deadline.

I went to Starbucks today and brought the poetry that Joey and I workshopped on Monday. I revised a few of them, and wrote another poem while I was at it. I haven't been as diligent about revision as I should be, and I think I am going to make this a new tradition-- drinking a latte and revising my work. I work so much better when I'm not in the house-- nothing to distract me.

I added the new poems to my portfolio for the year, and I'm up to 73 poems so far this year. This is easily double the amount of poetry I've written in my most productive previous years, and I feel good about the quantity as well as the quality. Sure, some of those 73 poems suck ass, but a lot of them are good, and some of them are (she says humbly) even great.

I also have a few new things to read at my reading, which will be nice for the people who have heard everything I've written before. Only Joey might be bored, since she's workshopped all my poetry with me.

I also cleaned my bathroom today. My room is a nightmare from hell, and I plan to do something about that later, but at least I have a sparkling clean bathroom again. There's something very satisfying about cleaning for myself. I know nobody's going to come in and mess it all up again.

I mean, sure, I personally will come in and mess it all up again. But that's my prerogative, now isn't it?

Also, I have crossed almost everything off my most recent to-do list. I know that if I sat down and thought about it, I could create a new to-do list that is twice as long as the old one, but I am going to savor the moment. I am a useful member of my tiny little society, all of a sudden. It's a refreshing feeling.

"She said 'I know you're going to think I'm crazy when you see this, but you might need it in the future. Maybe after your grandmother dies, you'll find that you need it. So keep it with you just in case, and remember... if you get rid of it, God will be angry at you.'"