Birds of a Feather...
A lot of our Grandma's had parakeets. Some were green, others yellow, and let's not forget those blue ones. And those names...Tweedy, Pretty Boy...well, just fill in the blank for what you remember. Chances are that you didn't hear of a parakeet named Max or Alfonso.
And having a parakeet was kind of gay, except of course when your grandma had one. Then it was more or less natural. They used the bird for company.
So when I got a parakeet 10 years ago, I felt a little odd. I am a somewhat young male who loves women and the idea of having a small bird didn't mix with my last idea of a pet...my German Shepard named Captain.
With Captain, I could rough-house her and she loved it. We'd wrestle on the floor and when we both tired, would just lay on the floor and took it easy...until I would start pestering her again. Then we were back to wrestling. A wonderfully domesticated pal who was my best buddy.
So when I got this bird, I knew I was in store for a whole different experience. I told a friends 4 year old grandchild about it and the little boy asked what the bird's name was. "He doesn't have a name yet. You have any ideas?" I asked the little boy.
"Charlie". And voila, the 5 week old bird had a name...Charlie.
It has been ten years now since that day in April of 1996. Charlie is sitting in his cage taking a snooze and I am writing about him. It has been a wonderful 10 years with my pal. I almost lost him twice due to illness but he bounced back and has taught me a lot about life.
He taught me how to give. I have tried to make his life as fun and as spirited as I can. I turn on the radio so his hours alone are filled with music and talk shows. I celebrate holidays with him by giving him special foods and changing his "furniture" around in his cage...a new look to keep him from getting bored. I even took him on a road trip to Florida...him in his cage in the front seat...seeing the Atlantic ocean and sunsets over the Gulf. He's traveled over 3000 miles in the car and loves it. Just him and me cruising the open road.
It has been so cool to see that he has a distinct personality. If he does something wrong, I will yell at him...and he gets this really "Oh damn, I really screwed up" look on his face...eyes wide open, head crunched down, and feathers straight back.
Other times I'll be sitting at my computer and he'll fly over to me, land on my shoulder and talk to me. He is a great talker. He says all kinds of things, like "Hey Chico, pull my finger...or Aw-w-w shit, give me a beer....and what the fuck you looking at?" The list goes on and on.
Charlie has shown me that love comes in a small package too. He'll land on my chest or forehead when I lay down for a 10 minute nap...and just sits there and takes a nap with me. He follows me around the house just to be near me. I tease him and he plays hard. He shows me that I was wrong when I thought that birds were over-rated or just for old people.
Like we all know, our life can end in the next heartbeat. Whenever that day comes, he knows that I will be there for him...and him for me. We are buds...we are family...he's my little boy.
Maybe this union was a gift from God...putting us together so we could fill that empty void in each of our lives. In doing so, we both have been made better, stronger, and even wiser. And who would have thought that a tiny blue parakeet by the name of Charlie could have captured my heart.
I guess our grandma and grandpa knew that one day, if their grandkids were lucky, they'd be one step closer to realizing what life is all about..just by learning a life lesson from a tiny parakeet.
"Lesson learned."
And having a parakeet was kind of gay, except of course when your grandma had one. Then it was more or less natural. They used the bird for company.
So when I got a parakeet 10 years ago, I felt a little odd. I am a somewhat young male who loves women and the idea of having a small bird didn't mix with my last idea of a pet...my German Shepard named Captain.
With Captain, I could rough-house her and she loved it. We'd wrestle on the floor and when we both tired, would just lay on the floor and took it easy...until I would start pestering her again. Then we were back to wrestling. A wonderfully domesticated pal who was my best buddy.
So when I got this bird, I knew I was in store for a whole different experience. I told a friends 4 year old grandchild about it and the little boy asked what the bird's name was. "He doesn't have a name yet. You have any ideas?" I asked the little boy.
"Charlie". And voila, the 5 week old bird had a name...Charlie.
It has been ten years now since that day in April of 1996. Charlie is sitting in his cage taking a snooze and I am writing about him. It has been a wonderful 10 years with my pal. I almost lost him twice due to illness but he bounced back and has taught me a lot about life.
He taught me how to give. I have tried to make his life as fun and as spirited as I can. I turn on the radio so his hours alone are filled with music and talk shows. I celebrate holidays with him by giving him special foods and changing his "furniture" around in his cage...a new look to keep him from getting bored. I even took him on a road trip to Florida...him in his cage in the front seat...seeing the Atlantic ocean and sunsets over the Gulf. He's traveled over 3000 miles in the car and loves it. Just him and me cruising the open road.
It has been so cool to see that he has a distinct personality. If he does something wrong, I will yell at him...and he gets this really "Oh damn, I really screwed up" look on his face...eyes wide open, head crunched down, and feathers straight back.
Other times I'll be sitting at my computer and he'll fly over to me, land on my shoulder and talk to me. He is a great talker. He says all kinds of things, like "Hey Chico, pull my finger...or Aw-w-w shit, give me a beer....and what the fuck you looking at?" The list goes on and on.
Charlie has shown me that love comes in a small package too. He'll land on my chest or forehead when I lay down for a 10 minute nap...and just sits there and takes a nap with me. He follows me around the house just to be near me. I tease him and he plays hard. He shows me that I was wrong when I thought that birds were over-rated or just for old people.
Like we all know, our life can end in the next heartbeat. Whenever that day comes, he knows that I will be there for him...and him for me. We are buds...we are family...he's my little boy.
Maybe this union was a gift from God...putting us together so we could fill that empty void in each of our lives. In doing so, we both have been made better, stronger, and even wiser. And who would have thought that a tiny blue parakeet by the name of Charlie could have captured my heart.
I guess our grandma and grandpa knew that one day, if their grandkids were lucky, they'd be one step closer to realizing what life is all about..just by learning a life lesson from a tiny parakeet.
"Lesson learned."
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