TBear's blog: "About me"

Just wanted to pass along the the sad news. I lost my best buddy today, Garfield has gone off to the big millet spray in the sky. He passed away this morning from a respiratory infection that came on suddenly. My theory is that God had a shortage of fine feathered friends, and needed Garfy more than I did. He picked a perfect day for flying into Heaven. I can feel him perched in the tallest tree, chattering & whistling and munching on his favorite - spray millet & boiled eggs! Some of you have met Garfy, many of you have listened to my stories about him. He has been in my life for 28 years and 2 months. My son Justin named him when he was but a boy of 8. It is the end of an era - as one of my friends has suggested. The first picture below was published in the Tennesseean, Nashville's daily newspaper, in 2002, in their first "Pet's Corner" weekly feature. True to form, I never miss a chance to talk about my little buddy! Of course, he is reflected in his beloved mirror containing the most handsome bird in the world. I have buried the mirror with him so he won't get too lonely. He has been an indomitable spirit, a friend, companion, and alpha male deluxe at my home, no matter where it happened to be. He has been with me in Oklahoma, New York, Illinois, North Carolina, a short stint in Virginia, and here in Tennessee. He loved to show off and was always a great source of smiles and laughter with his chronic zany behavior. He loved everybody, and everybody loved him. Not sure how he got it, but he had a penchant for long-haired women with soft breasts. It was perfectly normal to him, after all he was a people! He had been losing function in his legs for a few years, his only visible sign of aging. He had gotten to where he preferred the safety of his cage instead of getting into everything he could. He still loved to whistle & talk and loved treats. This morning I found him in the bottom of his cage hiding under his food dish. He was happy I got him out and held him until I could find a vet that was in the office and treated birds. It was his first trip ever to the vet's office. And he was none too happy about the vet, just too weak to make the Doc pay for his transgressions! I could tell he wanted to chew on this person very badly, especially after the injection! We came home after the shot of antibiotics, I held him while preparing some high calorie food to help him regain some strength. He licked my hand, then closed his eyes and was gone. It was his time to go. He will always live on in my heart & mind, and in the memories of those he touched through the years. I am sad, but also glad he will not be suffering anymore. He beat the life expectancy of a "normal" cockatiel by many years, there was nothing normal about him. I will miss you my friend! There are many others who will too. See you in Heaven. It is a much finer place today! Charley May 1981, hand feeding my new boy. He thought I was his momma all the way to the end. You should have seen him before the feathers! UG-LY!!! January 2009, got him to look away from the mirror for an instant. The house seems a lot emptier today.