Warm winter

Even though it's the middle of December, it's not been very cold. What's the point of wearing a down coat and booties if it's hot in the winter?

Weeks ago, the first snowfalls of the season were a welcome relief. Our cages have slatted roofs, with a panel in one corner so the less-bundled birds can perch in a dry place if they need to. I usually sit out in the open, allowing the snow to fall on me in soft, cold pillows. For some reason, this makes the Humans laugh when they come to check on me in the morning. I don't understand.

More recently, the snow has been melting, and the daily temperatures have been up in the 40's. One upside to the warm weather is that my food doesn't turn into an icicle the moment room service leaves it in my cage. This way I get to spend at least an hour pretending it's not there, before giving in and swallowing the hunk of meat whole.

Today in particular was a very warm day, and the Human who came to clean my cage took me outside to "enjoy the weather". This is a Human I'm very familiar with, one who has been here longer than me. He knows what he's doing, so I don't have to spend the entire session training him. Instead I can sit on his glove and take the time to glare at every creature that passes within a hundred yards of us, like the sparrow that was taking up space in a cottonwood across the field.

I hissed and clacked my beak, making sure the sparrow knew I didn't approve of his invasion, bringing the Human's attention to me.

"You sure are pleasant today," he said in that tone of voice Human's call "sarcastic".

Insolence! I hissed in his face, making him gag.

"Ugh! Breath of death!" he croaked.

That's more like it.