When
school was out we decided we ALL needed a break from the everyday routine.
We knew this was going to be a bit difficult to make arrangements for all
of the babies. Kim (our oldest daughter) and her family was going
to be with us on vacation so that meant Lori (our second daughter) would
be watching Sydney. Jerry contacted a pet store that he frequented
at the time. They were able to take Charlie and Smoki for the weekend.
They were very good with birds (having several of their own) so we weren't
at all concerned about their care. For the first time in a year we
were actually leaving the house without the worry of cleaning, feeding,
bathing, and all our other nightly rituals of putting our family to bed
for the night.
Maybe
we were not at home, but there wasn't a conversation that didn't include
Charlie, Smoki or Sydney. We concerned ourselves with just about
anything you could possibly think of...were they eating properly..were
they getting enough rest...were they getting too much rest (the store closed
at 6 pm meaning they would be going to bed at that time)..were they getting
covered at night..was it too cold..was it to hot..were they getting out
of their cages...were they eating...and of course the important one "did
they miss us"...were they plucking their feathers out of frustration....oh
my God what a thought our babies totally bald by the time we returned from
our fun vacation!!
Our
three days at Opryland was filled with it's up's and down's (no pun intended).
Jacob and Jerry loved the rollercoasters...for myself I liked the quiet
getaway to the country music shows and of course the fantastic food!!!
For me a great vacation means two things...not preparing the food before
I eat it and not making the beds.
We
decided to leave early on Sunday so we could get home before the pet store
closed. That way we could pick up the babies have some time to play
with them before their bedtime. They were surprised to see Jerry
a day earlier than expected. Charlie started with her "Hi boy" as
soon as Jerry walked through the front door. Smoki was a bit quiet
sitting in her cage. They said Charlie was great coming out everyday,
but Smoki was a bit contrary. She didn't want to come out of her
cage and wasn't eating as well as Charlie.
I don't
know what all happened that weekend but Smoki was never the same especially
to Charlie. Until that weekend Smoki had never bitten me for
any reason but she did that Sunday...and hard enough to draw blood.
I knew in her heart she blamed me her protector for leaving her.
To her I'm sure the days felt like years ...she didn't know it was only
a weekend...two days...in her mind she felt abandoned no doubt thinking
we were never coming for her.
She
was happy to see me but somehow it was just different. She seemed
to be more settled when I gave her a monkey biscuit before putting her
to bed. She was still getting the biscuits at night but now it was
out of a dish on her own. That night I fed her with her old spoon.
It seemed to relax her. Allowing her to feel the security she
missed during our absence over the weekend. After a few days she
settled back into her old routine, but something was different...something
was missing ...maybe it was her innocence she lost that weekend.
She
still amazed us with her witty intelligence. One day while Jerry
was cutting some wood pieces(for the play area) Smoki looked out the window
and plain as day said "Hey dad what ya doing". Jerry and I
both broke out into laugher..Jerry replying "Oh just cutting some wood
pieces smoki". Nothing more was said as Smoki wandered off to her
veggie bowl.
Over
the next few months Smoki started paying a little more attention to Jerry.
This tickled me so much knowing how Jerry loved Smoki, but it also bothered
me knowing she still was holding that weekend against me. I knew
she loved me that wasn't my concern and I knew there was NO WAY to ever
wipe away that weekend, but it did bother me not knowing what happened
to cause her this much trauma, against Charlie and me.
Smoki
and I still sat for our quiet time together at the kitchen table watching
television, while Jerry took Charlie upstairs. They spent their time
relaxing on the bed watching television. Smoki seemed to love to
learn things at this time. I tried to teach her or attempt to teach
something new each night. She loved this activity. I
might be a bit prejudice but I feel african greys are the smartest of all
the parrots...but then I might be a bit prejudice like I said. When
all the cleaning was finally finished watching tv with our babies was our
nightly routine. Shortly after putting them to bed Jerry also went
to bed. Me being a night person I usually spent some time reading.....about
birds of course.
