This has been the year for us and we are tired. We have suffered through frightening storms, personal injuries, and several animal losses. I hate to whine, but dang I am sure enough tired of it.
However, today was the saddest loss of all. Our little cockatiel Bonjour is gone. We’ve had him for over 20 years and it will be a little hole in our happiness for a while.
We got Bonjour from the preschool I taught at many years ago. Bob and I went in one three-day weekend to work on the computers and found him covered up, with only shells in his food cup, and orange water! We talked to the director and she agreed to let us have him, cage and all, in lieu of cash payment for services rendered.
To say Bonjour had an attitude about fingers near or in his cage was an understatement! I mean, I ask you, wouldn’t you if you had over 70 children poking at you with tinker toys, straws, and their fingers every minute of every day? Why once, one little darling even tried to pull him out of the bars by his tail feathers!!! He was tailless for many weeks while it grew back in. The insult! However, in some evil way on my part, I silently cheered him on when he got the little culprit back by biting him on the finger and not letting go…
Sorry, I hope you don’t think less of me for telling you that, but if you knew the kid, then you would know he had it coming to him in spades.
So, we brought him home. He moved three times with us, and traveled all the way from California to Alabama, a three and a half day journey, keeping Bob company on the front seat of the car. He never became tame enough for finger perching, Oh-no-no-no! But bless his little birdie heart he could sing to you and was ever happy to see you when you were around.
He would cape his wings, tilt his head and just sing, like it was his only joy in life to sing you into utter happiness.
I will miss him, but Bob has lost a very dear little friend today.
Bonjour
Life on the Farmlet 
I am so sorry you had to say goodbye to your beautiful feathered friend today.
Hugs, Anke
Thanks Anke. It was one of those ‘didn’t see it coming’ moments… he seemed OK like always, and then he was just gone. He was relatively old for a cockatiel.
Lynda and Bob – I am so very sorry. I know all too well what it is like to lose a pet. A part of you is gone and a hole that takes time to close is opened.
BTW – Lynda- I had to laugh about the little kid who got his finger bitten. This is something I fully understand. 😀
Thanks Lindy, it is just too quiet in our home without him.
:((( Sorry about your little friend Lynda :(((
So happy he got a little revenge though, lovely story :))
Thanks Rich. I called Bonjour ‘our bird’ but the reality of it is that it was Bob’s little friend. He loved him from the start (hence the rescue)… Hence, it is hitting him hardest.
But, I’ll miss him the very most when I eat my breakfast because he always talked to me in the mornings Also, when I listen to Celtic music because he always got excited when they played the high pitched flute/piccolo! That would make him get all animated and screech to the music!
You’ve just brought back a lovely memory… I had a budgie (called Benny) when I was a kid, who LOVED Calypso music and would “dance” back-and-forth and back-and-forth on his perch whenever it was on. Thanks for the memory. 😀
😀
Oh dear. You two were wonderful to rescue him and bring him into your family.
He was a was our little Pavarotti and it is quiet around here without him. Thank you.