Happy Mother's Day--WHERE is Mikkey?

2020-05-10T20:51:00.003-07:00

The duties, the rewards, the worry, the joys and the memories of being a mother are often remembered and heightened on Mother’s Day. Today I came home, after spending the day with my mom for Mother’s Day. My heart dropped when I looked into the bird room and only saw two birds. Our newest addition to the flock, Mikkey, was missing. I happened to be on the phone with my parents to let them know that I had made it home when I made the realization and I quickly ended the call with them to call my husband, who was at work. While I waited for my husband to answer, I called out Mikkey’s name and heard nothing in response. It was eerily quiet and my worry began to increase. With my husband on FaceTime I am walking around the main level of our home calling Mikkey’s name. I’m calling for Mikkey‘s name, looking all over the place for Mikkey, thinking to myself, where is he, where is he where is he where is he and why can’t I find him. My dogs are in our bedroom barking. Meeko and Mimmic, our other birds are looking at me, I am asking them where is Mikkey and why did they let Mikkey roam all around the house? Some part of me is hoping that they will answer me and tell me what I want to know…where is Mikkey? But they are doing what they usually do up on top of their cages, minding their business, being the aloof creatures that they tend to be, acting like they are deaf to my questions. I walk around toward the front door, I called Mikey‘s name wanting to find him yet scared of where or how I would find him because he is never this quiet when I am around. I’m thinking and imagining all sorts of ways he could be caught in something, stuck somewhere or hurt getting into something he found. Then I look down, I stepped in my first clue…bird poop. So, Mikkey has been in the foyer. I look in the room to the left, no Mikkey, he wasn’t in the family room and then I think is he upstairs…no. I am trying to figure out how Mikkey even got to the foyer since there is no evidence that he was ever in the kitchen or family room.

Ok, so Mikkey was here in the foyer, but how did Mikkey get here is my question? I look back at the first clue. Mikkey’s bird poop and say which way did he go from here? I had looked up at the steps but I didn’t see Mikkey, so I had ruled out that he was upstairs. But after checking all the rooms on the main floor and knowing that the door was closed, which prevented him from going downstairs, I deduced that he had to be upstairs. I go up my steps from the foyer, perplexed, because I see black t-shirt on the steps that was not there before I left the house this morning. I walk up the steps to the first platform. I look down at the set of steps to the kitchen and up toward the bedrooms. Mikkey!! There is Mikkey at our bedroom door with tail feathers cocked up toward the ceiling. I can tell from the look on Mikkey’s face that he knows he should not have left the bird room. I call for Mikkey to come to me and all he does is go to the other corner of the bedroom door.

Now how am I going to get this bird back in the bird room? My husband, says to me—go pick him up babe and put him back on his cage. I’m like: “Nooooo I can’t do that”. Did I tell you that my husband is the bird enthusiast, I was introduced by marriage and I am very much a neophyte in the birds as pets arena. Now usually, Mikkey wants to be wherever I am so I walked back downstairs thinking Mike he’s going to follow me like he usually does, but of course this time he doesn’t. That just would have been too much like right. A

“Come on Mikkey, come on,” I say and I start to go back downstairs. My husband suggest that I go into the bird room and he will follow because he will not be able to see me. So I go into the bird room and begin the feed Meeko and Mimmic. When I go to check on Mikkey, he has stuck his head out through the railing but when he sees me, he retreats… 🤦🏽‍♀️. I’m start talking to Meeko and Mimmic, and give Meeko a walnut, and Mimmic an almond for being good birds and not stressing me out. We recently introduced pistachios to them during training, which they all love. I think to myself, maybe I could use the pistachios to get Mikkey to come down. So I go get some pistachios from the kitchen, which I knew Mikkey heard me do and give a couple to Meeko and Mimmic. When I went further into the bird room, Mikkey, came down the hallway toward the stairs. When I come out of the bird room, Mikkey starts to walk back up the steps almost like he’s telling me I want go into the bedroom where the dogs are.

Not happening Captain! Madden knows that there is something that should not be on the other side of the door and he is jumping at the bit to get out. That would be absolute chaos! I think to myself, pistachio do your thing! I hold a pistachio up in my hand and say: “Here Mikkey.” I put the pistachio on the step where Mikkey is. He walks toward the nut, gets it and walks away from me. Sheesh, this is going to take forever… I create a going a trail of pistachios toward the bird room for Mikkey. I showed Mikkey where I was putting the pistachios and he walked to get the pistachio eat it and then he would retreat back up the stairs. When it was time to get the ones on the floor, you could tell he was trying to calculate how to get it and not have to go back to his bird room. When he finally go the nuts at the bottom of the stairs, he stretched his neck out as far as he could to get the pistachio. I had a dog gate, so I put the gate so he could not get back up the steps. Then begins the temper tantrum. He starts to attack the gate. Fearing for his safety and mine, I get firm and use the gate to get Mikkey toward his cage. When he gets close enough to his cage, he climbs in the cage irate mind you but not mad enough not to look at me for a pistachio, which I did not give him. I put the three pistachios I had in my hand down to secure the gate to the room to prevent his escape again, so I could get the dogs out to go to the bathroom and when I can back, Mikkey was eating the pistachios.

The drama of Mother’s Day with my zoo doesn’t stop there. I take the dogs, Madden and Maxx, out. I always put man on the leash Madden, because he is a hard-head and acts first and thinks second. Maxx, I usually do not put on a leash, because he doesn’t push his boundaries. Unknowing to me, our backyard neighbor has a 6 month old pitbull puppy which Maxx runs toward. Madden tries, but I have him on a leash so he begins to pull me along for the ride. I had to tighten my hands on the leash because Maxx is barking; he wants to play, but Madden thinks he is in trouble and he wants to save his brother. I did tell you Madden is a hard head; he is also a hot head too. Madden tries to drag me across the backyard to get to the neighbors new dog. I had to stop 60 pounds of pure muscle, reign him in and get him in the garage so I could focus on Maxx. Maxx finally listens to me calling his name and he finally comes to my side. When I get them inside I have a conversation with them both about how they need to listen when I called their names the first time…

By the time I come into the house, I am spent, but I have to feed The Minions. I have very greedy algae eaters, Cory Doras, Discus and African Cichlids all of who have specific food needs.

I finally sit down, almost two hours after being home. The zoo is quiet; all are fed and safe and it is still Mother’s Day. Is this day any different from any other day of the year? Once a mother always a mother; you do not get to turn off being a mother. Because it’s Mother’s Day, I get my glass and fill it with ice and my favorite carbonated beverage and add a little alcoholic assistant to my drink to toast the day. Yes, it is Mother’s Day. A day like every other day it is fraught with actions, memories, laughter and things that make it a memorable day, an unforgettable day and uniquely a Mother’s Day. To all mothers, and nurturers, I wish you a happy Mother’s Day, whether you mother a child, an animal, or you are a part of a village raising kids to be their very best they can be, I celebrate and appreciate you! I know that you, like me, have lasting memories not just for one day a year in May, but of every day because you are a mother and as a mother you have extra-special interactions with your family that make you the flawsome, unique mom you are.

Zoo💜Mama

Zoo💜Mama-that's Me

2020-04-28T18:35:00.001-07:00

Everyone wants a pet when they are young. For me it was a dog. I got the dog, or rather my older brothers got the dog. Her name was Misty. Misty was an outside dog. She jumped the fence, but would always come back home. One time Misty came back and shortly thereafter, she had 9 puppies-6 boys and 3 girls. I liked playing with Misty but I was not allowed to play with her when she had the babies. What I remember was that all the girls had white fur and the boys had black fur with brown paws. In retrospect, they were Rottweiler physical characteristics. Did I mention that Misty was a German Shepherd Mix? But I digress. I came home from the babysitter one day and Misty and her babies were gone. My brothers said that my dad took Misty down to the country. I thought to myself then, that when I grow up, I was going to get myself another dog who was small and could stay in the house so she couldn't jump the fence and have babies.

Now here I am decades later in my home with 2 dogs, 2 fish tanks, and 2 parrots, (make that 3 going on 4 parrots). Oh and my husband (sorry for the late add, love 💕 ). I have named them all M because when I got the second animal, I though it would be cute to call them my M&M's and started down a path that I thought was ending with 2 dogs... Madden, Maxx, Meeko, Mimmic, Mikkey, and the Minions. Madden is a momma's boy but determined to do things his way, Standard Schaunzer, Maxx is my huggable, love-able Old English Sheepdog with eyes so blue that he hypnotizes you into giving him a treat, Meeko is my aloof Catalina Macaw that secretly loves me more than my husband but is too skittish to show it and Mimmic is the African Gray Parrot and my recorder, as if you could not have guessed that by his name, who loves to dance and imitate my whistles and beat-boxing (yes, I said beat-boxing!😄). Mikkey is the newest addition, a Blue and Gold Macaw, who looks at me like I am the best thing since sliced bread and he wants a piece, but it is the hormonal season for him 🙄. However, he will fight anyone and thing to get to me...husband included. The Minions are our African Chiclids (Tank 1) and Discus Fish (Tank 2). Whew, a lot isn't it? And when I think about it, 🧐I still wonder, how did I get here? Short answer: I got here, because I have the more that your average number of animals. Long answer: I don't really know, but I would not want to be anywhere else in the world.

So when people call me Zoo💜Mama, a name I would have never associated with myself, just three years ago, I have to say I agree. Zoo💜Mama-that's me.

I invite you to join me in my Zoo💜Mama journey.