November 25 ~ Today I am thankful for pets. I’ve had many pets throughout my life … dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, fish, and turtles. Our dog, Tiny, is one of my earliest pet memories from when I was little more than a toddler. I also remember a parakeet named Boomer.

During my teenaged years, we had many parrots. My uncle (who my Grandma and I lived with after my Grandpa passed away) wanted to become a breeder of exotic birds … Cockatiels, Macaws, Cockatoos, African Greys. We had one African Grey, Boogie (remember it was the 70’s), who had a condition that caused her to pluck out her chest feathers. From behind her plumage was beautiful … but from the front, she was pretty much bald. She became one of my favorite pets. African Greys are known for their ability to talk. She said all kinds of things … sometimes repeating things we wish she hadn’t picked up  (my uncle’s language wasn’t always what you would call G rated). One of my clearest memories is that my Grandma would send Boogie to wake me up in the morning. She would land on my head and pull strands of my hair saying “Get Up … Get Up … Get Up” over and over until I did just that 🙂 Continue reading →