Early Valentine's Day Dinner, a sad dream, and Kai loves asparagus

I don't know if it was because Kai was sleeping with me last night in his carrier, but I dreamt of birds.  I dreamt that we were in a weird psuedo modern, older house that was abandoned, and we were cleaning it up to make it livable again.  I guess we were moving in.  There were two cats who had been abandoned, and they had gotten into the house through some secret way we couldn't see due to all the junk and clutter.  I finally found the way they were coming in and fell through the hole into a whole new, secret part of the house.  There were several dead birds on the ground surrounding a tree, which had several sickly looking parakeets and cockatiels on it.  Some of them were blind, and they all looked as if they were starving.  There was a bag of seed nearby, and I started filling their food bowls, which were empty, then searched around looking for fresh water.  Some of them were beyond my help, and I held them in my hands trying to warm them up, and I tried to give them water.  Some of them started to eat on their own, but I was so sad...I didn't think any of them would make it, but I started calling up for help.

I woke up feeling so sad and depressed...I don't know if it's because I'm reading a parrot owner's guide to parrot illnesses and diseases, or something.  Kai also had his first vet appointment at East Ridge Animal Hospital.  The doctor was really nice, and we talked about his African Grey, but also about how Kai was doing.  He showed me how to palpitate Kai's pectoral muscles to make certain he wasn't starving, but Kai didn't particularly like it.  He sulked a lot when we came home, and I don't blame him.  He probably wondered what he did to deserve being man-handled by a strange man!  His gram stain came back negative, too, which was great news.

Hubby and I celebrated Valentine's day early, because we both figured it would be more enjoyable on Saturday than Sunday.  I cooked a rack of lamb spread with (mayonnaise, wholegrain dijon mustard, garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, cumin, coriander) and breaded in panko, fried golden brown, then roasted. Side dishes included steamed asparagus with browned butter sauce, couscous with caramelized shallots and onions, cumin coriander, and paprika. For dessert, I made extra chewy Ghiradelli brownies served with Starbucks cappuccino chip ice cream.  We also had Chaucer brand honey meade, which was absolutely delicious.  Hubby said it cured his neck soreness instantly!

I let Kai sit on the table, as it has an upraised lip, which although it's slightly curved, makes a great perch for a bird if they're balanced enough.  He was very happy to be brought between the table and his dinner perch for food and snacks.  Before I salt my food, I'm certain to set food aside for Kai.  He gets his own assortment of birdie veggies and fruits to try out, and I'm certain never to touch my mouth before I give it to him.  Kai was really excited about the asparagus stalks for some reason, so I gave him a whole one that didn't have salt on it.  

At first, he just pulled all the leaves off and made a huge mess, but then he got to the white core and he was delighted with the taste.  There were soon bits of outer stalk everywhere: me, the couch, the table, the cat, the floor....

Ollie didn't mind, he really loves steamed veggies.  Mia and Murdock will also eat veggies.

Ollie thinks he wants some of Kai's food.  The cats are all very comfortable with Kai now, and with the exception of Mia begging Kai for food, they leave him alone.  Mia will sit under his dinner perch and put her paw up next to him and meows, which upsets him a little, but she only does it to beg.  Mia also paws at me when she wants food, and she never uses her claws.

Kai even ate a little piece of center cut lamb! (I made sure it didn't have any seasonings on it)

Ollie got tired of getting food on his head, so he switched over to play on Hubby.

Sacha sleeps on the right side of Hubby, curled up so cutely!
Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening.  Hubby and I watched episodes of LA Ink, which got us excited about tattoos again, then he played MAG, and I cleaned and vacuumed.  He has promised me a brand new vacuum cleaner for Valentine's day!  I'm so excited!!!!  This old one is just so awful, I can't stand it.  Every time I want to use it, I have to stop it, tip it over, take the roller and belt off, then scrape all the collected, wound-up hair/fur off the metal part that the belt loops around, dustvac all the extra furbits up, reassemble it, then vacuum up all the mess I created.  Every time... It's so annoying!  Plus it's ridiculously heavy, is a pain in the ass to change, gets dust everywhere when I change it, doesn't seal completely, and leaves a trail of dust as I drag it around.  Grrr.... Anyway.


HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!! Gong hay fat choy!!  And Happy Valentine's day, too!