Tuesday, April 15, 2008

For the birds...

Currently we have:

2 dead canaries buried in the front garden

and

1 live canary in the house

and

1 very unhappy,elderly bird woman who wants the live canary back now so that we don't "kill another one of her birds"

and

four children who are attached to the only bird that was robust enough to live and are afraid that if he goes back he will die and that don't want him to go back anyway because they are attached to him. (His name is Izzy by the way.)

and

two very painful phonecalls with a fair share of spiteful recriminations and tears thrown in

and

now I will be calling an air quality inspection place to come and moniter our air quality and send the results to her to try and mollify her

and

one woman who would cheerfully pack up the sweet little bird who is still alive and drop everything in the bird woman's lap and not look back except for the aforementioned four children

and

their eight fear filled eyes that are watching my every move

and the moral is, and of course there is a moral -
don't get animals from a possible animal hoarder, and if you ignore your inner warning bells about it, then be prepared to deal with the consequences which may be even bigger than...
dead pets, heartbroken children but may also include -

not attending your camera club because bird lady is a member

and

make your running club awkward because one of your running friends is how you met the bird lady in the first place

and

feeling like throwing up,

a lot.

9 comments:

concretegodmother said...

aw, hell, gawdess. that blows. but don't let her presence interfere with your own growth and enrichment and enjoyment. if she doesn't like it, she doesn't have to come. and if she continues to hang out, then perhaps she'll come to see that you truly are not a bird murderer nor an allower of birdie murders, and it can be something you both look back on a decade from now and laugh ruefully about. stick to your guns, girlie; you know you didn't do anything wrong. the discomfort will eventually pass.

my two cents.

Granny said...

I do hope she gets over it. Sometimes things just happen and no one is to blame. I'm glad Izzy is thriving.

Sunshine said...

Keep your bird. Your kids' feelings matter more than the bird lady's feelings.

What a mess! Hopefully you can look back on it a year from now and it won't seem nearly so bad.

Ampersand said...

Well, shit. That blows.

I agree with CG, don't change your activities because of this. You know what the truth is about the situation.

FosterAbba said...

FWIW, I keep birds, and it's not uncommon for a seemingly "healthy" bird to drop dead. Birds do a great job of hiding their illnesses until they are very, very sick.

We lost our cockatiel Beeper in that way. She seemed fine and died in a rather dramatic way during the night. We had a necropsy done since we have several large parrots, and it turned out she had a tumor and there was nothing that could have been done for her, even if we knew she was sick from the beginning.

It may be that your birds (especially if taken from a multi-bird household) may have had chronic conditions that finally got to them.

If you care enough, take the remaining bird to an avian vet for a checkup. Make sure you find a certified avian vet, because general practice vets that deal with mammals don't really know what to do with birds.

Also, be careful using regular household cleaners, air fresheners, your self-cleaning oven and Teflon cookware around birds. Their breathing systems are much different from ours, and small amounts of the chemicals released from those items can kill.

ipm said...

oh goodness!!!

wow, that's intense...

hmmm.... my my my....

and they say the life of a repo man is intense! not nearly as intense as that of a MUM!!!

thinking of you all....

KLee said...

Argh. That does indeed, blow. I'm so sorry. Hopefully, there is nothing at all wrong with your air quality, and that Izzy lives a long, healthy life.

Sorry that things are so awkward.

Gus&Otto said...

Just keep on truckin. Even though it sucks now, just think of the story this will make in years to come.

Scrivener said...

I agree with CG. I would also say screw the air inspection thing--you really don't have to appease her.