Yesterday I took Nani to my daughter's school to see all of the 2nd graders. Due to a few kids with allergies the teacher asked that we do it outside, which posed a few challenges. First off Nani loves going outside (and is accustomed to it) but is always "on the lookout". She spots hawks miles away and won't move a muscle all the while growling. She also does this to songbirds, squirrels, butterflies, gnats, and leaves blowing in the wind. Ok, so she's a scaredy cat. So she was not as relaxed as I would have liked but did amazingly well considering.

I talked to the kids about the two types of Caiques, where they come from, that they are a more rare species and they most likely would not see one at the local pet store. I also told them about what is required to care for not only Caiques but all parrots, and the sad truth about rescues filled to the brim with unwanted birds. The teacher chimed in and told them that it is important to think about what a big (and in some cases lifelong) responsibility it is to own a pet. Many of them had questions, some of them repetitive. It struck me as funny.

Although she refused to do her tricks (grrrrrr) she was very well behaved. I gave each of the 20+ students a sunflower seed and Nani gladly went around eating out of each hand. One girl put her hand up to feed her and Nani hopped right on. The teacher said that this particular girl was quite and animal lover and she believed animals can sense that. I agree. Oh, and Nani got spooked at one point by some annoying 5th graders that had come outside and flew on the back of one poor little boy. At least he didn't cry.

When my daughter got home she said everyone was asking if they could come over to the house. We have quite a zoo with 2 rats, a flying squirrel, two leopard geckos, and Nani which is of course very attractive to kids. So will my house be filled with children running around? Uh, yeah...not anytime soon.

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