Sometimes Harley can seem perfectly content sitting on one of his favorite perches, watching the Finsters, preening, dozing a little. Sometimes we'll talk to each other, or sing. Occasionally he'll want a drink of water, or a little snack, but mostly he'll just sit and relax.

Other times, not so much. He'll climb down from the perch in the kitchen twenty times in a minute, or call out to me in his voice that clearly says "You must tend to me now!" And then when I do, he's all "Well, that was interesting, but what will we do now?"

I'm not complaining. I knew when I started out this relationship that I'd have to work hard to keep him occupied. But I'll admit, there are some days when I run out of new ideas to hold his interest. After all, how many times can you reorganize your cookware (pops) — particularly when he gets tired of it after only three minutes?

So sometimes I'll just pull out one of his toy boxes, and (gently) dump him inside.

The verdict? Fun for about five minutes. Ta da!