Living with Pets – In Full Retirement

 

Most of us have had pets over our life time and have enjoyed those pets as much as those pets enjoyed us. Pets have a way of making us smile and enjoy life more while they become part of our family.

 

Ann and I have had dogs and cats while growing up, while trying to get through our work lives, but our Double Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot Josie is our first pet after we entered full retirement life.

 

Josie is a Parrot and Parrots need lots of attention, love, and just being with them.

 

Our Josie had two owners (Owner #1 three years – Owner #2 seven years) she found us, or should I say we found each other. Since Josie joined our family three year ago (Wow) all our lives have changed for the better.

 

Living with a pet or in our case, Josie allows us to live with her, after all after Josie entered our lives and joined our family, she like all pets took charge without us really knowing it but allows us to think we are in charge.

 

If those of you reading this have read other ramblings by me about the life and times of Josie, you know what a great pet a parrot can be and how much fun and excitement it is to have a pet that sings, talks, plays, and on occasion yells at you!

 

Josie has different routines with Ann and Me, she makes sure she keeps both of our undivided attentions any time we are in the room with her. Parrots can be happy in their cage and on their own if they must, but parrots love interacting with their owners and their owners’ guest. Remember a happy parrot is a happy parrot parent. Yep, having a parrot as a pet is like being the parent of a two or three-year-old child for the seventy-five years the parrot lives. We are all making our lives together fun and exciting since we will only have Josie for another ten years or so if we are lucky, that would make her twenty something when she moves on to her fourth parrot parent.

 

Josie is the center of attention at our home and when we travel, yep, Josie loves traveling in her parrot travel cage in the car and being out and about with us where ever we go.

 

I will continue to type more about the life and times of Josie, but for now I will type about waking up in the morning with Josie.

 

Every morning Josie and I have a wake-up routine, I enter the kitchen with is located across the living room area from Josie who sleeps on top of her parrot condo. Depending on the time of the morning, dark or light, Josie will be kind of napping or waiting on me.

 

Josie does not yell or go loudly crazy with calling the flock before or after I enter the kitchen, she waits patiently while making sure she watches every move I make. My morning kitchen routine is like one my father (RIP) had when he was alive, wake up, go directly to the kitchen, clean and straighten the kitchen, make coffee and then relax, in my case relaxing is having and sharing coffee with Josie. Ann usually sleeps in and Josie and I relax together quietly while waiting on Ann to wake and join us or maybe we join Ann in the master suite.

 

While waiting on Ann to wake, Josie and I write stories and make picture collages, watch Dinosaur Train and other educational programs for young parrots on public television, and Josie may even play with her toys or work on her cardboard box art project, have water and parrot fun food.

 

When Ann wakes Josie and I make more coffee, prepare a glass of cold water, and we all move into the master suite for our early or late morning calling the flock, eating, drinking, watching more educational television, reading (we all have light weight tablets to read our nook books).

 

Guess you all picked up on Josie having her own nook tablet for when she wants to read, but mostly once in the master suite she enjoys food, water, reading, watching us while we watch her, singing, whistling, talking, and generally just being loud calling our flock of three.

 

As the morning progresses, I get ready to get out and about for chores and other such fun things, while Ann and Josie get ready for some well-deserved one-on-one time with each other while I am out and about.

 

More fun and exciting moments with the Busby Flock to come once Josie proof reads what is typed and approves the release of Flock information – Smiles.