talk me down here.

[mopinko]

so not sure if folks no that my kaya never made it back home. i suspect someone has her, and she might get her chip read some day, but……

so, while watching for greys to show up on the market i watched a young woman on a facebook group try to find a good home for her young timneh because she could not afford to keep it.
i miss kaya terrible, and sophie too. but i could put up a fairly long list of things i don't miss.

i think this is for real. scammers are everywhere in the "adoption" business. they have been all over her. she just wants him to have a good home. but so few people really ought to have parrots, while so many want them. and so many see them as easy money.

anyway, this has been going on for several weeks. i tried hard to resist.
i go to meet him tomorrow.
he has a cranky old man of a big brother that she would like to rehome, but is not hopeful. i have a weakness for cranky old men. usually vice versa.
we shall see.

talk me down.

[elleng]

1. Been thinking of you and kaya a lot.

Do what your heart tells you to do. You want a cranky old man? I sure don't, but go for it if you really want to.

Sorry not talking you down, mop; holding you in my heart.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. It sounds like you have made a decision already

whether you know it or not. But if you want to be talked down, why not do it yourself.....do the old two columns, one with pros and one with cons. Think it through rationally by remembering good and bad things, and you can decide whether this is something you are ready to do.

Talk you down?

I had a macaw, so I can list a lot of things that were a pain in the ass.
Expensive to feed
Expensive vets
Beak marks on everything
Chewed up woodwork
Holes in every towel, etc.
Poop, lots of poop to clean up, and it has to be scraped off
Seeds everywhere, always having to vacuum
Taking a trip is always an ordeal
Noisy

I will not list anything on the pro side.

[TorchTheWitch]

4. I bet I can guess the pro side...

You loved your birdie, and it filled your heart with love having it in your life.

There. That long list of cons is inconsequential in the face of that one powerful pro that all of us here are so fortunately afflicted with.

[mopinko]

5. right?

a small price to pay for intelligent creature that qvells when you sweet talk her.

[Curmudgeoness]

8. Well, there is that, but also

there was the time that I was in bed crying, and the only light in the house that was on was my bedside lamp, and she came into the room, climbed up onto the bed, and started to lick my tears. Talk about making you feel better!

[TorchTheWitch]

10. oh that's so touching!

Not the crying part but what your birdie did. Animals know... and they care.

[mopinko]

7. i really didn't decide till i met them.

and i pretty much didn't want to take just one. so, the temperament of the older bird, and whether he was actually going to need to be rehomed were real issues. i figured the stories about his woman hating bloodlust were bs, but you never know.

but i sure do know that i miss having a parrot in my life.
just hanging with them when i visited was so great.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. So it sounds like they both won you over.

That is quite a feat to have the woman-hater sit on you and eat a peanut. You know that a bird will not sit on you and eat if it is not completely comfortable with you. How cool!

So you are taking them both? But will let them keep the birds as long as they can? Their story is heartbreaking.

[mopinko]

12. they feel they must get rid of one.

even in the situation they are in. but the folks have told them they really do not want birds moving in, least of all blood thirsty woman haters.
they have been trying to get them to compromise and let them keep the "unadoptable" one.
so, whatever they need, now they know where they can go. hoping if i stall a bit they will have time to find some options.

to be honest, all they had to be was happy, healthy parrots. also, i had to know that my asthma wasn't going to explode. but she mists them with aloe vera that she buys by the gallon at walmart.
i have met some crazy parrots. these guys were both spoiled babies. cuddlers and all. completely manageable.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. OMG, spoiled baby cuddlers!

I really feel sorry for the family. It really sounds like they love those birds....really love them. And to have to give them up must be very difficult. What a terrible situation for them.

[TorchTheWitch]

3. I suspect you have the new birdie already

LOL! Nothing wrong with that though. Actually, I always believe that if it feels right the gods, fate or whatever are telling you to quit second guessing yourself and just do it. Rather sensible, I think to follow what your instincts are telling you. I think you've come to the conclusion that your dear Kaya is sadly not coming back, you feel an emptiness without her that needs filling and are needing/wanting a replacement birdie who of course you will love just as much since that's what us pet lovers do as we can't help it.

[mopinko]

6. well, i met the birdies. very interesting, and crushingly sad.

i had suspected from my conversations that they were rural, "redneck" folks, but with big hearts. she was trying so hard to find the right home, and had had a steady stream of the sort of people who should never own a parrot.
this is a blended family, folks in their mid-40's, his kids gone, her kid and their kid at home. her kid has mental health issues, 14, adhd.
mom was born with cerebral palsy, on disability. dad fell 40' on the job and is running out of benefits. (tho ladder falls are supposed to be covered by workers comp, but..) he just lost his healthcare.

so, i walk into the little tract house, neat and the walls lined with thomas kincaids. maury on the tube.
the little family room is dominated by cages that are 1 1/2 and 2 times a generous cage for a grey. there are so many toys, you have to look for the birds.
i didn't chase after the birds, just sat and talked, listened to their story. eventually i reached into the bag i brought and pulled out some peanuts.
now, the young timneh has to go. sooner than later. they are strained to the point that they fear he might get sick, and they will be dead. this is the wife's bird.
there is also a 20+ yo congo that may have to go before they move in with the folks. they feared they would never find anyone to take him, because he is a "woman hating biter". my real mission in visiting was to see if there was any truth to that. i have heard it many, many times. it is rarely true.
and of course, it is not in this case, either. the cranky old man stepped up for me, sat on my knee and ate a peanut. mom and dad caught flies in their mouths.

these are totally spoiled birds. both are rescues, as were their dogs, and with both disabled, pets and teevee are their life. it kills me to think they have to give this up. and over health care.

so, they decide i am the one. shockingly even the one to take the congo if he has to go.

i need to finish some projects around here before i can take him, and we are planning a trip in early january. so, i had asked if they would keep him that long, and they said they could. he wouldn't be that big of an addition to the menagerie, but i was looking forward finding a replacement zoo keeper without worrying about parrots.

i think they were sort of surprised when i told they they should keep them as long as they could. they are coming to a good home, but nothing like they one they are leaving.


so, throughout the conversation, i dreaded any mention of politics. but it was pretty amazing how quickly it was diffused when i knocked down their obamacare talking points. this was the crux of their problems, and they were terrified it would get worse. but they hadn't even checked into it. they were just going to accept the fee, because they were certain they couldn't afford the premiums. i assured them that in their situation there was a good chance it would cost nothing.
they were also worried about mental health parity, but had no idea about the guarantees already in place due to the aca. they both admitted that they did not pay close enough attention. not sure how much they believed me, but between that and the birds, i walked in on 2 stressed out people, and left 2 very relieved people behind.

tis the season.

[TorchTheWitch]

11. wow, what a story!

Those poor good people. Sounds as though you left them feeling heaps better in more ways than one.

And I'm so stealing that "caught flies in their mouths" line!

[mopinko]

13. in december, mind you.