6-7-25 So, it’s been a minute. Max turned 14 on May 4th. He always get a special meal and this year he received a little hedgehog plush toy that has a ball inside. However, it has a nose that pokes out from its face and if you know Max as I know Max, he would chew it off. So, I pushed it inward. It worked! He carries it around mewing little noises and the little guy is still intact.

With a birthday donation from Patricia in Switzerland and Stephen in Oregon, Max’s area is getting a little overhaul. He’s marked the ground around the bench where I sit for our videos so much that the smell is overwhelming and also around the corner cubby and back panels. I removed all the winter straw recently and have been waiting for a decent day to start. Gee, it has done nothing but rain here in upstate NY every weekend. A few days when it wasn’t raining, it was wicked hot. It doesn’t leave much time working around my job and taking care of the homestead. Once I get a good day, I will loosen the soil, lime it, put down some new top soil and fresh mulch on top. After this, the covered area next to the garage where his bathroom is located will be next. My sister is coming up from Florida on the 11th for a two-week visit. This will be a perfect time to tackle this project because I’ll have a lot of time. She won’t miss me for a couple hours.

Another project is once again retrofitting his travel kennel. I don’t like the large wheels and will be going back to the smaller ones. I will need to use 6 of them but at least they lock in place. Poor Max would slide around the back of the car if I didn’t have him packed in tightly.

I would love to get new rough sawn wood cat walks but they need to be cut and painted. I still have rusted panels to treat and paint, so that project will need to be next year.

I’ve limited the number of programs for this summer. I’m slowing losing my mojo and I know Max is slowing down, too. I’ll be undergoing surgery on my left ring finger in August and recovery is a month. I won’t be doing anything physical during that time while it heals.

All the other animals are doing fine. Igor’s beak will never be normal again. The only spot that is growing is the very tip and its growing hooked. My poor little dove. I could kill Burt Parrot but she didn’t injure him on purpose. As they say, accidents happen. I continue to tube-feed him at night to maintain his weight. Some nights are easier than others and he is such a happy bird!

Here are some birthday pics of Max. Also, there’s a video on YT – Max 14th Birthday