We got the birds into their new home in the activity room without too much drama, the white one did fly out in the wrong direction and race across the room before landing on Activity Director Julie Smith’s hand. Julie just eased her inside the new cage, which they seemed to love immediately, riding the swings and staring in the new mirror.

Maria came with me and helped set up the new cage, the old one, on the right, has outlived its time an was a bit cramped and shabby.

The birds – named “frick” and “frack” at the moment, are important to the Mansion residents, they watch them, talk about them, sing to them and sit with them. They are a metaphor for the life they sometimes miss.

The cage moves around the Mansion, sometimes it stays in the Activity Room, sometimes it migrates into the hallways. The cage is part of my life project – the Geranium garden also – the people in the Mansion love to nurture and the animals keep a channel in their  hearts open.

I’m still talking with the residents about fish, but the negotiations are bogged down at the moment, everyone wants to see them but nobody is rushing to take care of them, and the staff has enough to do. We’ll keep talking. Maria and I got a second goldfish for her – they are named Frida and Diego. More later, we are off soon to meet the refugee soccer team coming to Pompanuck for the weekend.