Day 1790

I wish I had a decent camera with me this morning. While I was walking the dogs, at least thirty bright green parrots flew directly over my head. These weren't small pet parakeets that escaped from a birdcage. They were large, full grown parrots that looked like they belonged in a Central American jungle. What were they doing in Texas? Especially when a major cold front is headed our way. I vaguely recall seeing a few birds like these last year, but never in large numbers like this. Being the kind of guy I am, I did a search for the birds on Google and discovered that they're called Monk Parakeets by some, and Quaker Parrots by others. A large colony of these birds, which are common in South America, have been living in our city at least since 2009. The parrot colony makes their home in an electrical substation just a few miles from my house. Now I'm wondering why I haven't seen them before.

The parrots weren't the only animals enjoying this unseasonably warm Fall morning. Dot and Dash had a great time on their morning walk, pausing to smell every tree and bush along the way. We saw plenty of ducks, squirrels, rabbits, and of course lots of other dogs and their owners taking advantage of the mild Indian Summer day.

The stars must have been aligned today. Nothing irritated me at all. I listened to an interesting Ted Talk on the radio on the way to the gym. I had a good solid workout with only minimal shoulder pain, and when I went to get groceries on the way home, the store wasn't even crowded. Janet and I found a nice place to have Thanksgiving dinner and made our reservations. I even put a fresh hypoallergenic filter in the furnace, so the air in the house should be a little cleaner for at least a couple of weeks. I was originally supposed to shoot a video for a client today, but the job got postponed. These days, I'm never disappointed when work gets postponed. Lazy days with surprise parrots are much better.

I'll make a few phone calls tomorrow and see what it's going to take to get the new WiFi thermostat installed. I'm actually kind of intrigued to have a thermostat I can talk to. I never talk to Siri on my phone, because asking a phone to do things for me still seems a bit ridiculous for someone with my lifestyle. A talking thermostat I could use though. I'm always concerned about the temperature.

Maybe I'll make myself a nice omelet tomorrow morning. Janet tells me I think about food too much, but it certainly beats thinking about Photoshop, Dreamweaver, or where my next job is coming from.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day