I’m taking an extended vacation for the next 10 days, which means Phoebe will be home alone. Not “alone” alone, because his dog brother will be there and a baby sitter will be stopping by multiple times per day. Unfortunately, Phoebe will be deprived of shoulder time, outdoor time, playtime, walk-around-the-building time, friend visitations, and his sleep routine. But at least he’s able to stay at home with his big cage and his toys and his view out the window.

In the morning, I drove Phoebe to the Clear Creek Trail in Golden. There were a lot fewer people out walking on Memorial Day. We went early enough that Phoebe was still lethargic. He tried to sleep on my shoulder in the car, and then he was mostly content sitting and watching the water move.

After the trail, I took him to his cafe and we said goodbye to our friends for a few weeks. I gave him one final treat (a tortilla) and hung up his toys in the cage. We didn’t get to play too much because I was busy packing.

I won’t be giving daily updates while I’m gone. But I’ll still share Phoebe content and trivia.

For example, people sometimes do a double-take about a male bird named “Phoebe.” While that’s understandable, that’s the name he came with. I can’t change it now. I’m pretty sure he knows it’s his name.

It can be difficult to tell if a bird is male or female without doing a DNA test. So whoever named him might have reasonably thought he was a female bird. He gets misgendered a lot, but I don’t think it bothers him. Being called a “pretty bird” is a gender-neutral compliment anyway, in my view.