It was a hot sunny day. The temperature was in the low 90’s and the four children were playing out side in the back yard. Jerry was living next door and the two oldest children and my three girls were in school. That left the three youngest of Jerry’s children home with me to keep till he and his first wife got home from work. They both worked at the university and it was easy to keep the children. They were good to mind me and never gave a problem. They were really lovely children. Always wanted to help and would do any thing I asked.
My son, Vernon Jr. and Jerry’s two daughters, Alise and Denise were about five years old, and Jerry’s son, Jerry Jr. was four. Very smart and they all were super active. They never walked, they ran here or there and Alise is the one who could climb the tree to the smallest limb and not fall.
It was the day for washing the bed clothes and between hanging them up to dry on the clothes line or bring them in to fold, I kept an eye on the children often to see they were doing OK.
We had a bird house to keep the parakeets I was raising. Vernon built it for me when I started to raise them to sell. He made it so I had to go through two doors to get to the main room just a small area to I could get in and close the first door and then was safe to go through the next door in to the nesting area. I had quite a few nesting pairs and it required a lot of time to clean and feed them every day.
It was close to noon time and I fixed the children a sandwich and some chips with a glass of cool aid. Was almost ready to call them when I looked out the window, and what I saw was the children holding the garden hose and was going in to the bird house and hosing them down.
I gathered them up got the doors closed and looked at the children. They had bird dropping from the top of their heads to their shoes, along with seed hulls and feathers clinging to their clothes.
Alise told me they just wanted to bath them. It broke my heart to see how many I lost. I did get a couple back by putting a cage out with water and seed in it. One even came to sit on my shoulder.
I bathed them and got them all clean up. Then we had lunch. Then it was off to take a nap. They were really beautiful gentle children. So happy and ready to go run where there was something to do.
They did make some wonderful memories we can laugh about now.
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| Empty Cage |
1 comment:
Great story - it's one literally 'for the birds' ... but in a good way!
Thanks for sharing - great look in the rear view mirror at the kiddo's ... its always hard to recall the early days and you tell a great story of the youngsters having fun and being helpful.
Sad about the lost birds tho ...
where i live - in the gulf coast area - there are thousands of wild parrots that have escaped from homes and pet shops from hurricanes and such, and they have formed into flocks that roost on lamp posts and in tall trees.
A favorite seafood restaurant has hundreds staying above the patio dining area in the parking lot lamp posts... its a surprise when you see so many wild parrots and parakeets all bunched together squawking and squeeking and fighting for perches or room in the nest.
Good story !! thanks!
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