Sister Rain’s Note:
In July 2015 I began a series of posts about Piper, my now 17-year-old orange-fronted conure (a type of parrot) who adopted Mister Rain and me when he was 6. I don’t intend to republish previous content on this site but I think the story of Piper and me is worth retelling to all who are new to Sister Rain. During the next several Fridays I will repost the Love Story chapters I had written almost nine years ago. Rest assured, there is a lot more where these came from. There always is when you’re talking about the great loves of your life.
To read Piper & Me: A Love Story (Part 1-3), click here.
PART 4
Originally Published August 3, 2015
The next day after first seeing Piper’s posting on petfinder.com, I decided to email the woman who owns the rescue where Piper was living, A Helping Wing Parrot Rescue & Sanctuary. I told her about our household, as well as our experience in caring for our beloved cockatiel, Cato, from the age of three months until he passed away at 15. I explained that after his death it took us a long time to be ready to open our hearts again. Now I was inquiring about Piper.
It’s amazing the feelings you can get just from clicking the “Send” button. We do it everyday, many, many times, without thinking about it. This keystroke was deliberate, filled with excitement and nervousness. In my mind, there was a lot of weight behind the pressing down of my right index finger.
It was only a few minutes later that I received a reply from the rescue, but I kept checking my inbox like a lunatic during that time. The woman at the rescue asked if I would be available to talk by phone that afternoon and proposed a time to do so. I responded immediately, replying that, yes, I would love to chat that afternoon. (Thank goodness I am married because obviously I have no game.) Things were moving quickly and I’m sure, subconsciously, I thought this was a sign.
Now that a phone call had been scheduled, there was only one thing left to do. Let my husband know what I’d been up to.
PART 5
Originally Published August 10, 2015
The phone call with the bird rescue was scheduled, via email, for the afternoon of August 2nd, 2012, which meant I had better call my husband and let him know what I was up to. If I was seriously interested in adopting a bird, I needed to get him on board. Seriously.
I left my desk and went out to the parking lot. I called my husband on his cell, exchanging niceties in a voice at least twice its normal speed and a few octaves higher than usual. Although I honestly wasn’t 100% sure I was ready to bring another feathered friend into our family, my actions showed that I was pretty darn close. I am deliberate in everything that I do.
I got straight to it seemingly in one long breath. “I went on petfinder.com and found a young male conure at a rescue in New Jersey and although I’m not married to the idea I really like him his name is Piper.” There was silence on the other end of the phone line but this is not unusual when you spring something on my Mister Rain, even something as innocuous as should we have green beans instead of corn tonight? I am sure that anyone watching me out their window, pacing, would have been itching to shoot me with a water gun as if I were a carnival duck.
He finally replied, “Send me the link. We can talk about it tonight.” I sheepishly responded, my back and forth walking now exchanged for kicking a stone with my foot, never looking up from the ground, as if my husband was standing right in front of me, “I emailed the owner of the rescue this morning and she wrote right back to me and we have a phone call scheduled for this afternoon.” I was becoming an expert at cramming as many words into one long sentence as I possibly could.
More silence, followed by, “Oooooo-kay.”
We said our goodbyes after I assured him that I was just checking things out. I went back to my desk to look at Piper’s online posting one more time and to send the link to my Mister Rain. I couldn’t wait to speak to the rescue in a few hours, despite promises to myself to pull back on the reins.
To be continued . . .
#sisterrain #birdmom #adoptdontshop #parrotsofinstagram #conure #ahelpingwingparrotrescue #piperandmealovestory
