Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Goodbye to an old friend...

For those who know me, know that I once had a little bird named Tabasco. After college, and moving around to different places, I could not take little Tabasco with me. So, he (at the time) stayed with my parents for a couple of years. When my parents could no longer keep him and I had a feline friend in my life, I turned to a friend of mine at work who was happy to take the little bugger in. For this, I am truly grateful that Ralph had opened his home to such a little fireball. Ralph had other birds at his house and here, we both knew that Tabasco would be happy. Tabasco lived happily with all the other avian friends at Ralph's, so happy in fact, that he started laying eggs. Yes, after all these years of thinking my sassy little cockatiel was a boy, he actually turned out to be a girl.

When my friend Kate and I purchased Tabasco, I was still mourning the death of my beloved parakeet named Chuck. Chuck was funny in his own respect, but it was Tabasco that we picked out at the pet store, let him hang out with us in the apartment, laughed at when he dive bombed off his cage, and gave head scratches to when he (she) asked for them. Tabasco was a one person lover, he hissed and squawked at anyone who would come CLOSE to his (her) cage. But when he (she) loved you, Tabasco would sit for hours happily nestled on your shoulder, occasionally peeping quietly for a little head scratch.

A lot of people thought I was nuts for keeping such a bird, but it's like that with any pet. Once you are "theirs", you love them and care for them all you can. Often times, after the world has come crashing down on your shoulders, your pet is the only one that seems to understand, and more importantly, makes you realize that it's just life, and that everything will be ok.

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