Over in the category of Birds Who Don't Eat Anything, Much Less A Tasty Seed, Harley has officially broken his habit of climbing down from his perch in the kitchen to help himself to a Second Breakfast (or Second Lunch) from the Finsters' dishes. He won't even sample the food if I hold the dish up for him — so convenient! so tasty! His habit of actually eating food only lasted a couple of weeks.

I tried leaving the Finsters' breakfast dish out on the counter for awhile, to tempt Harley to climb down. But then I realized the Finsters weren't getting much of a chance to eat breakfast. So then I tried leaving the Finsters' lunch dish on the counter, but after a few days I realized their lunch snacks were sitting out for awhile, thus negating any preservative powers the refrigerator might have on the food. So now I pack everything away in their appropriate spots in the morning, figuring if Harley can't easily get to the snacks, they might tempt him more during the short time they're available. No such luck. He's apparently back to surviving on air, love and the couch — with a few illicit nibbles on my jeans.

Just when I'm at my wit's end, he surprises me by eating (really eating) raw sweet potato, or taking a bite out of not one but TWO cranberries in the same meal, or eating a grain (or maybe just a bit of cheese Bruce snuck onto his plate). Harley seems to know when I'm at a breaking point, and eats something just before I throw my hands up in the air and stop offering him any food at all. (What, I'm supposed to live without a couch?)

But I've decided to try to stop obsessing about what Harley eats. This is my only official New Years' Resolution. He isn't losing weight, and while he might not be eating the best diet possible, I'm offering him some pretty good food, and at least he's eating something. And if I have to buck up and learn to deal better with Red Days, so be it.

And in case you were curious, if he eats enough pomegranate, his poops turn purple.