I have been taking Phoebe and Tangent to fly in a big indoor space again, we're back at the gymnasium at the Armory in Kent, Washington.

Phoebe got right back into the swing of things, flying laps around the building and (so far) always landing on me to catch her breath.

I've been working with Tangent on flighted retrieve, and he's getting better at it every day. At this point if I toss a small whiffle ball onto a couch a few feet away he'll fly over, pick it up, fly it back, and put it into my hand.

I can't believe how long it's been since I wrote a journal entry. There came a time - around the holidays I think - when I realized I was spread too thin and needed to just focus on a couple of things: Tangent, Phoebe, my job, and my girlfriend. I'm starting to feel more on-top-of-things again so hopefully I'll have more time and energy to spend here again.

Tangent's blue is coming in quicker than I thought it would. He still has a long ways to go, but the on either side of his beak he's got more blue than he had just a few weeks ago. From the front he looks like... well, like a blue-headed pionus.

After a full crop of formula, Tangent is still pretty responsive if I just put down the syringe and offer safflower. That's encouraging... it seems it's the syringe he wants to stay away from, not me personally.

The idea of feeding Tangent after putting the harness on definitely backfired... I took a long break from it because it seemed to bother him, then tried again, just putting the loop over his head. He'd eat, then pull his head back and out of the loop as quickly as possible. After a few rounds of that, he got to where he'd pull back and actually fly away as soon as he'd gotten his dose of formula. Since I wanted to use feedings to train recalls (come to me, it's fun, you get fed! etc etc), this was very very disheartening.

I just returned from two weeks of sightseeing around Oregon, with a three-day stop in Ashland for the Shakespeare festival My parents took custody of Phoebe and Tangent while I was out, and I'm told that things went pretty well. Phoebe bonded to my mom fairly quickly, and Tangent enjoyed climbing all over my dad, so I guess everyone did OK in my absence.

Phoebe is just slightly afraid of Tangent, but Tangent doesn't seem to notice Phoebe one way or the other. I'm hoping she gets over her shyness, but I suspect that will take a long time, if it ever happens at all.

Quarantine should go on for another week, but I can't handle spending so little time with each bird...

I came home from work, brought Phoebe downstairs, made her a bowl of veggies & sprouts (just like we used to do every evening when I came home), then got Tangent from his room brought him into the kitchen where Phoebe was eating. They kept a close eye on each other, but there was no aggression. Phoebe pigged out, and so did Tangent as soon as I got his formula ready.

I put Tangent on the edge of the shower stall Saturday morning, and as soon as the water came on, he went right into the rain dance. He liked being directly under the shower stream, and enjoyed drinking from it while he held his wings out... Unlike Phoebe who only tolerates indirect spray. Then on Sunday we did it again.