I have a mug with this printed on it, ” She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of woman who would own a parrot! When I read that it felt like I had been truly seen. The fact is, I have always wanted a parrot. One Sunday morning, Duane and I were sitting on the couch in the living room scrolling through our phones, when I saw a notice on NextDoor about a parrot whose owner of 20 years died and left him in need of a new family. Well, five minutes later, I was in the car a driving out to a small town on the South or Atlanta to go meet my new bird.
His name is Echo, which is the one and only word that he can say! Echo is an Amazon parrot. We can safely assume from his residency with two previous owners that he is at least thirty years old. But who knows? Parrots can live to 80 or 90 years old, we really have no idea about his actual age. The Avian vet said Echo was in good health but she couldn’t even tell how old he is. Whatever his age, I have a plan. I told my seven year old granddaughter, Amelia Rose, who after attending Zoo Camp this summer, is very knowledgable about ornithology, that she would be inheriting Echo, after I am gone.
In the meantime, Echo sits in my office and keeps me company while I paint. He doesn’t do much real flying. But, I shut my office door so the dogs can’t get in, and open his cage and he walks around, exploring everything in the room. It is very amusing.
