Morning of virtue...

[fajrdrako]

Beulah's going to pick me up shortly after ten, to go to Greely - a village just outside Ottawa. Determined to get something done beforehand, I put in an hour of yoga, and then decided it was time to take care of the pets and their cages. Time to pretend I'm Archie Abernethy. He wouldn't neglect anyone in his care.

David had told me that Squeaker's guinea pig cage has to be cleaned and wiped with vinegar once a week, and yes, it was starting to smell. Meanwhile, though I clean the bird cages every day, I haven't taken them apart for a good thorough scrub in six months. This was the morning.

First step: I put the John Barrowman CD of Cole Poter songs on. (Can't scrub cages without music.) I put Squeaker on a towel by the armchair, with instructions to stay put. David had told me she always stays quietly on the towel.

On the towel? Only by a technicality. Quietly? Hardly. She was feeling lively this morning. She ran all around the towel, and when that seemed old territory, she started wandering off it to explore the carpet - but always kept at least one toe on the towel, just in case. Not necessarily always the same foot.

Meanwhile, as I should have anticipated, as I was working on the cage belonging to Logan and Gambit, Logan made his escape and flew straight to Pryde's cage for a visit. Gambit went to the curtain rods. Once they were out, I took advantage and rearranged the toys and perches and the hamster wheel in their cage. Exercise is good for them anyway, right?

I thought the whole dismantling-and-scrubbing process would take about half an hour. I should have estimated half an hour per cage... when you factor in the vaccuming afterwards of hay, wood shavings, and seeds.

Now everyone in the household is pristine clean except me, and I'm going to have a shower now.

I wonder if Logan and Gambit will ever return to their cage. The inside of it, I mean. They love climbing around the outside.