To the birds

About six months after Rob and I met and started dating, he had his 33rd birthday. I decided I wanted to get him something really special, something that would symbolize the intense love that I felt for him. I was also starting to volunteer at PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood, feeding baby birds, so I was a little obsessed with birds. I saw an ad in the paper for a pair of baby lovebirds and paid a visit to the seller. Despite Rob telling me that he didn't want a pet for a gift, I brought those two babies home and offered them up as his birthday gift.

From the very beginning, we knew these birds were a handful. Rob named the green one Spanky, because he thought she looked like she deserved to be spanked a lot for her naughty behavior. For the next few years, Spanky was the most productive little egg-layer I've ever seen. I tried everything to dissuade her from laying. One trick I read about was to give her a nest box, let her lay eggs, then take the box out after a week or so. I tried this, but failed to take the nest box out in time and that is how we ended up with Ickybird.

Sadly, Spanky's mate (Feebs) died about a year after the chicks hatched. But Spanky and Icky (mother and daughter) had each other for company and kept the walls of our house vibrating with their constant chatter. Yesterday, we said goodbye to Spanky. She was 12 years old, and had grown to be the "sweet one" of the pair (i.e., the one less likely to bite). She was an expert paper shredder, could be heard from across the street with all of the doors closed, and was our dear little friend. We'll miss you Spanky. You may not have symbolized love in the way that I meant all of those years ago, but you came to be a cherished member of our little animal kingdom. We hope that you and Feebs are flying around, enjoying the afterlife together.