Mama has a new baby.

We're getting to know this little guy in our household.  His (we think he's a he) name is Stuart.  He's just a baby, so it'll take a while before we're sure.  Isn't he just adorable?  Unless you're creeped out by birds, then, isn't he just so scary?

I've a long and partly sad history with birds.  I loved them when I was a little girl.  When I was 13 I got my first parakeet.  He was given to me from my friend Cass, who didn't like him anymore.  I felt sorry for his lonely existance and was so happy that my mom allowed me to bring him home.  I LOVED Petey.  He wasn't tame, and was getting up there in years, so I couldn't really touch him, but I still loved him.  Of course we had to be careful because we had cats.  So, my mom installed a new doorknob on my bedroom door, with a lock.  Not because the cats could open doors, but because of a certain cute, punky, blonde little sister who would sneak into my room when I wasn't there.  And who would never close the door behind her.  But who could blame her.  How could she remember such minute details when she had other things to worry about, like her growing collection of My Little Ponies, and catching up on her favorite episode of Jem.   

Well, the rest is a sad cycle of Beth waiting for me to spend the night at a friend's house, picking the lock, exploring my room, getting into my nail polish, pouring the nail polish on my favorite duffel bag, and leaving the door open as she crept out.  Of course I imagine her really 'creeping' out, all hunched over and on tip toes.  So Petey died, as did Pickles, Blue, and Louie.  Why didn't we get a better lock you ask?  I don't know, let's ask my mom and see what she has to say for herself. 

When I was in college I finally got a new bird.  His name was Hank, and he was my buddy.  When my husband and I first started dating, he met Hank, and was totally freaked out.  "He's going to land on my head!!" he'd say frantically when my little blue angel would fly around.  Of course, Hank would land on his head, but he got used to it, and eventually loved Hank just as much as I did.  When we got married we drove across the country from Oregon to Florida for my husband to go to flight school, all with Hank in the back seat.  He was such a silly bird, and loved to sit in his cage wearing one of his bells on his head like a hat.  One day when we were stationed in Oklahoma, I noticed that Hank wasn't feeling well.  We took him to the vet, and were told he had a bit of a cold, and a tumor on his belly.  We left so sad, and tried to make Hanks last weeks the best we could.  I was heart broken...over this little silly blue parakeet, who liked to wear his bell as a hat, and who loved to sit on his own plate at dinner time, eating corn. 

I wasn't planning on getting a new bird.  I just happened to see this little guy at a pet store two weeks ago.  He was making my girls and I laugh, as he hopped around with a feather in his mouth acting like a little punk.  When we got home he stayed in my mind, and I told my husband all about him.  Two days later, my husband said, "Let's go get your bird".  So we made the hour long drive to the pet shop to see if he was still there.  He was, and we brought him home.  He's settled into my sewing room, and is still getting used to us, but is beginning to show his funny little personality. 

Stuart is the most beautiful shade of aqua, he matches all of my favorite aqua fabrics!  So that's a good sign right?  Now I'm choosing fabrics to sew him a new cage cover. 

Does anyone have any good bird stories?  I'd love to hear them, even if you think birds are creepy.  :)  x

p.s.  I love you Beth!  I'll just be sure to install some better locks when you come to visit...xoxo

 

 

 

Comments

[Sabine]

Oh my......that´s a sign! Remember my email this morning? I don´t have to tell you a bird story, do I? You already know. So, if you need my help, you know where to find me. ;o)
Hugs,
Sabine S.-W. xxxx

[periwinkle]

No funny bird stories I'm afraid , I did have a budgie though called Chirpy when I was younger - not very exciting I'm afraid

[Clara Jung]

We had a two birds and then one day there were five little eggs in the bottom of the cage. We went to the pet store and asked what should we do for a nest and the man told us we would probably not be able to get the birds to lay eggs in a cage.
We said, no you don't understand, there is already five eggs in the bottom of the cage. He said they won't hatch. A few weeks or so later one of the eggs hatched and we had a baby bird. So tiny, you could not even tell it was a bird. We called him Scamper. It was a really neat experience for our three children.

[Thimbleanna]

It's Charlie Byrd!!!!! Stuart (fab name!) looks just like my Charlie Byrd that I got when "I" was 13 (we really ARE SWs!) I LOVED my Charlie Byrd. He sat on my head and shoulders when I would do homework and he was beautiful. About a year and a half later we moved and Charlie Byrd made the cross-country (Ohio to Utah) trek with us. Grandma had just died and we moved in with Grandpa for about 3 months. When we moved out we left Charlie Byrd with Grandpa so he wouldn't be so lonely. He and Carlie Byrd were good friends and I know my sweet parakeet was a big comfort to Grandpa.

Thanks for the wonderful memories -- you're the best. (Oh, and where were you in OK?)

[Susan]

Did this bring back memories!
We had a bird named Petey. He loved everyone, would perch on your finger and chatter away. He had the run of the house at times and would walk up and down my plant hangers to eat my houseplants! He used to fly past my hubbie, right past his nose. He did the same to my big German Shepherd so fast, that the big SNAP of dog teeth always missed him!
Thanks for sharing.

[Anna Beff]

Oh Lord did I really contribute to the death of that many birds? I was a horrible child. I do remember those locks though, easiest thing on earth to pick. They were straight across so I'd just saunter into the bathroom, grab a curling iron and use the plug to turn the lock and presto! I promise next time I come to visit I'll close the door behind me after I dump blue nail polish all over your duffel bag. Hehehehehehe, love you too. :)

[Shann]

I had a budgie named Molly. She was the same color as your sweet baby. She would sing and sing for me every day in our kitchen. Our kitty Simon would STARE at her every chance he got. Once we came home from church and found her cage broken on the floor. Seed everywhere. And...no Molly. My two daughters, hubby and myself ran frantically thru the house looking for her. The cat just sat looking all smug. We finally found her in the master bathroom on the shower curtain very alive and well. Phew!! I miss her. She was a lot of entertainment for us. And the cat. :)

[Jeannette]

Hi, a long time reader that just dont comment, lol. I love mines, I wanted one and my husband bought me three, well all i can say is they keep me entertained. they are the cutest and loveable. i have had them for over a year. i have the same color you have plus a green and blue. Enjoy your new friend and if you have any questions please dont hesitate to ask.

[gloria g.]

yes, I too have had a life time of sharing with birds. Too many stories to tell. But right now I have a beautiful yellow love bird, Sewfee - totally bonded to me.......she doesn't like men. I know she is a girl because she has laid numerous eggs. I have to take them from her. I'm hoping no eggs this spring season........she is beautiful....I love birds. gloria g. in South Carolina

[Tricia Anne]

I am so glad to be following your blog. I have spent the better part of my day, stealing away moments to read through your blog. :o)
Have a nice week.
Sincerely, Trish

[nanette]

I grew up with a birdie very much like this one. My mom would sing "Pretty Bird" to him. Yours is such a pretty bird.

[Gloria Martin]

Although my mom was not fond of having pets in the house, she let me have a parakeet that somebody was giving away when I was about 13 years old. I promised I would take care of Tweety. My little Tweety was so happy, he'd sing all day long. I changed his paper every other day and swept up his seeds in my room. I gave him fresh water and scrubbed his little feathered neck with my finger just to hear him coo softly. He was the sweetest little bird. I took him in and out of the house when the weather was warm and I'd hang his little cage in a tree so that he would feel like he was in the wild. He loved it. I had Tweety for a few years before he caught a cold and sadly, passed away. I have a bunny Spanky now and of course my precious dog, Dylan, who is 16 years old. There's nothing like the love of a pet. Enjoy your new little feathered friend!

[Connie]

Just discovered your blog from Fredas Hive! We had several parakeets for our daughter. When you get them as babies, we found that they can learn to talk, just like parrots do. We taught our 'Buddie' to say. . ."Hello Buddie", "want a cracker" and goodnight. Lots of repetitions but worth it. He even talked in his sleep, repeating the phrases we had taught him! You will have a fun adventure! May the force be with you!

[annie]

Oh, you hit a tender spot. Snowflake said 21 different sentences and sometimes mixed them up. Such as I love you, ja tem, ja alskar dig, ich leibe dich, then ja alskar dich, pretty boy, pretty bird, you get the picture. Give me a kiss after wards kissing you on the cheek with a kissy sound. I love you, I love you, I looooove YOU. You're so cute, cute, cute!!! You're so sweet. come here, and sounded like the squeeky drawers. Where's Michael? Katie!!! (guess whose name I always called?)
He lived 9 years and kept us entertained with his talking and antics. He loved to fly to the quilt I was trying to tie, pull out the straight pins, walk to the side and drop them on the floor, then cock his head and look at them with one eye. He also fought the sewing machine. I was always afraid I would sew his beak. He loved spaghetti, popcorn and most anything on our plate. He would go nuts if we didn't let him out to sample the cuisine. He scolded the bubbles on the 7-up, but still tried to drink it. He loved the bathroom mirror and would sit there for hours talking to himself, kissing the mirror. You're so cute!
It was a terrible day when he died. If your baby is young enough, try teaching him to speak. Snowflake was 1 week out of the nest (5 weeks old). Let him sit in his cage in a main room where everyone goes by, so he gets used to it. Then after a week, come up to his cage, put your face close and start out with something easy. "Pretty boy". Say this for 10 minutes, every day. It took a month for the first words, then he learned Happy Birthday in one day. I set my watch beside me so I could keep track of the minutes. He got so he would come over and stay really close as I gave him his voice lessons. He never mastered whispering, but this really got his attention. He got away TWICE into the great outdoors. Birds like to be WAY up high and that first time seeing him sitting 80 feet up in the poplar was so devastating. He was gone for 27 hours (I hardly slept a wink) and had flown a mile away. A little boy found him in the storage shed and caught him. I had warned the local pet shop if anyone came in looking for a cage and food, but no bird to call me if he matched the description. I love small towns. We would never have found him had this been a big metropolis with many pet stores. I gave the little boy a $25 reward so he could equip himself with his own bird. The second time we were taking my oldest son to the MTC (mission training center to prepare to serve an LDS mission). We had to say a prayer that he would be safe and headed north. When we got home, we made a chirping sound we used to call him and he answered. We finally trapped him by whispering. He flew closer and jumped in. We slammed the door, gave each other a high-five and took him back inside. I'm sure we looked so silly, all 7 of us standing under the neighbor's tree, holding a cage and calling to a tiny blue speck in the tree.
I miss him. Thanks for the opportunity to write about my beloved snowflake.

[annie]

Oh, and he also said "here kitty, kitty, kitty."

[Susan Ramey Cleveland]

Had a parakeet that looked just like Stuart when I was a kid. His name was Pete. He lived for 15 or 20 years, till my sisters and I were grown and married.

[Sarah]

I've just found your blog via "The Vintage Magpie" and have become a follower as it looks just my cup of tea!!

Stuart is what we call a budgie here in the UK and when my hubby was a boy he used to breed them.

When I was a girl we had a blue-fronted Amazon called Clara who adored my Mum (and hated men) and would lay upside down in my Mum's arms.

We now have an orange-winged Amazon who hates women but adores hubby and loves nothing more than sharing hubby's dinner!!

S x

[Sue]

What a gorgeous little budgie you have! I have two...Wanda Wigglebottom and Tim Birdton. Wanda is a lutino and Tim is blue. They are such lovely little pets, aren't they?