We had a major development today in the neverending saga of Astro the sun conyer.

BJ still wasn’t feeling well this morning, and since it was about two degrees F outside when it was time to leave for church, I went alone. Afterwards, we had quartet practice, so it was close to four pm by the time I got back home.

While I was gone, BJ was talking to the bird, trying to calm him down from being as mean as a two-headed snake, his normal behavior over the past few days. It worked.

At some point in this one-way conversation, BJ happened to call him Baby. That’s all it took. He instantly seemed to recognize that word and began to coo. He stepped up onto a naked finger without drawing blood. He cuddled. It was weird.  Almost as if he had just received a shipment of wholesale fashion jewelry!

Make no mistake — AstroBaby is BJ’s bird, not mine. We still consider each other as evil incarnate. When I called him Baby, he still tried to pluck my eyes from their sockets. But at least now I guess there’s hope.