You could probably call me & Shorty "weird bird people"And, we would probably be ok with that. We always spend more time looking at the birds than anything else at the zoo....Shorty proposed to me with a Canary and a diamond ring...and we own two birds.
We have had 4 since we have been married.
And had one before we were married. His name was Uno.....
Anyway....we are sending our two birds to live in paradise.
If you are interested....here is the story......
Our birds Loro - the Mini Macaw and Verde the Mini Parrot have lived in our house for almost 8 years.
When our kiddo was a little over one, we moved to this house, it has a garage apartment....perfect spot for birds to live when you have little fingers in the house.
Loro's beak is powerful enough to take off a child's finger. And, even as overprotective of her as we are...we could never leave her in a room alone...or ever take our eyes off her. Not to mention parrots are a little loud...not fun during nap time.
Shorty and I had big plans to go up...and play with our birds...give them the attention they needed. That worked fine for a while...then our kid got busy...school, ballet, friends, playgroup, and me too. Cleaning house, cooking dinner, and just every day life really kept us from being able to play with our feathered friends.
And...we all know about the newest addition to the Shorty pet shop....Doodle the Poodle.
Doodle and the birds could never coexist in the same house...ever. To dangerous for both parties!
If we ever move...we would be in trouble.
So, for the past year, I have been brainstorming...thinking of a place for the birds...and with much resistance from Shorty. They live a very long time...and VERY hard to find a suitable home.
We went on an anniversary trip a few weeks ago - you know - the place with the muffins...
There it was - Bird paradise. The hotel has these beautifully manicured grounds...with giant flight cages with paired Macaws, African Grey's, Yellow and Gold Macaws, and so on....all surrounding an 18 hole bent grass putt putt golf course.
Ideas started rolling through my head. "What if the birds could live here?" "Heaven on Earth for them...."
Knowing it was a shot in the dark, I emailed the hotel and titled my letter "Donation Inquiry"
They responded within 10 minutes with a form letter asking what type of donation I wanted from the hotel, what my organization was for, and how much money I wanted.
Clearly...they thought I was asking THEM for money...when I was really asking them to TAKE something from me.
So I kindly responded and explained that we had just visited their property and were totally impressed by their bird sanctuary...and if there was a chance they would take our birds in.
In 10 minutes, I got another response....Yes, the "bird lady" at the hotel was interested.
I called her the next day...she asked me a few questions. Said "we never take birds, but you have something I am interested in."
They have a single mini macaw and a mini parrot...just like we have...so they will each be paired with a like "mate or friend."
Takes a blood test to determine male or female in most birds...that's why I use the words mate/friend. ;)
I offered to make the 4 hour drive to deliver them....she then asked where we lived and kindly told me she would be in our area in 2 - 3 weeks and would pick them up then.
We are delighted and sad all at the same time. Like I said...we are weird bird people....they have been with us for almost a decade...but they will likely live many many more decades...and we want them to be happy.
So, if you are ever in Marble Falls at the Marriott on Horseshoe Bay, tell Loro and Verde we miss them...
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