Almost two months to the day. It is hard to believe; simultaneously it has gone by too fast and too slow. There are days where I still cry but recently some of the tears haven't been only sadness. Over the last couple of months, I have been connected to some amazing groups who have helped me and my boyfriend through our grief. In addition to Avian Avenue, one of those groups I was connected to was Second Chance Bird Rescue (SCBR) in Oregon. When we visited about a month ago, we realized that our family wasn't complete without a feather baby in our home.
This last week, we increased our eclectic, mismatched family by two. Frankie, our 9-year old blue and gold macaw has adapted amazingly even after the traumatic experience of losing his human dad last year. He is so so funny, loves watching people out the window, and dances his little heart out. We love him saying 'hello,' 'step up,' and 'hi, Frank.' He is the life of the party and he has us wrapped around his little talon.
Now, we were only expecting to bring home Frankie. But while at the rescue, we were asked if we also wanted to give a home to Ricky, a 51-year old half-blind, half-deaf, and arthritic blue-fronted Amazon. I had gotten to know Frankie through posts regarding his story and meeting him the first time we visited the rescue. His resilience amazes me. He was kept in a tiny cage the majority of his life, abused and malnourished. He arrived at the rescue on the brink of death; they nursed him back to health. And yet he is still sweetest parrot you would ever meet, though he definitely has his little old man tendencies of being ornery and constantly napping. We weren't expecting to bring him home, he wasn't even up for adoption. But I know this was Kiwi touching the heart of the rescue and touching ours as well so we could give him a loving home and all of the attention he deserves. I'm sure she's there watching us and saying "see, I gave you an adorable grump so you wouldn't ever forget me."
The work that the team does at SCBR is so incredibly wonderful. It is clear that those birds are well loved for as long as they are at the rescue; they make sure the homes that are thinking of adopting are the best for their parrots. They do so much for abused, sick, old, or scared birds that come into their care; their birds have a second chance on life.
We won't ever forget Kiwi. Frankie and Ricky are not meant to be replacements. In fact, without Kiwi I don't think we would have another parrot. She taught us so much about the love and loyalty these creatures bring to our lives. I miss her so so much. I wish she was here to miss these guys. But now, our home is louder, full of fluffs and feather dust just like it is supposed to be.