"Birds of a Feather, Flock Together"

Trouble in the flock. We have two cockatiels and the four of us (two birds, two humans), make up the flock. If one of us is distressed, under the weather, molting, flighty, etc. we all feel it. We share space in this 3 bedroom, hermetcally-sealed, capsule in Evanston, Illinois. We are four, unique, characters, who have learned to co-exist, who have mapped out a secret territory, an oasis, a citadel, a tiny paradise, out of the rush and tumult of the world.

Last night, we had to take the girl cockatiel, Miles, (we call her Girl-Girl) to Animal 911. Girl-Girl has been in an egg-laying frenzy, and it turns out she was 'egg-bound,' (we saw the x-ray). Yep, there she was, inside out, in vivid black and white, with one big, whompping egg, stuck high up in her fragile, bony body.

They put her in an incubator, shot her up with fluids (calcium, glucose) and told us they'd keep her 'under observation.' We left her there, hoping she'd just rise to the occassion and expel that eggy monster. This morning has been a trial. Satchmo (Boy-Boy) is distressed, he keeps calling out for his partner. It's quite sad.

But, there is a happy ending dear reader: it turns out, Girl-Girl, knocked that egg out, last night, (one egg makes a meager omelet) and we are to pick her up this morning. I must say I'm ...egg...static!
It turns out my partner and I are bird people. We really feel aligned with these strange creatures (descendants of the dinosaurs). This fragile, little flock lives, long live the flock!