I have not been able to write this before now, and I'm having an awful time writing it even now, but I wanted to let you know that our beloved parakeet, Sylvester (Sylvy for short), had a heart attack on Saturday morning and I rushed him to the vet where they put him mercifully to sleep. He was 11 years old.

I really don't want to describe it any deeper at this time. I'm having a hard time staying together as it is. But suffice it to say that he was suffering, I saw it, I didn't have time to wait for John to get out of the shower, I had to go then, and I had to go alone.

I did okay, but it was a traumatizing experience for me, especially the trip to the vet, and we're only now trying to take things down and put things away in regard to him. Mom is coming over today to help me pack up the rest and put away his cage.

I know he wasn't a person, or anything, but I feel like I've been punched in the stomach, and every time I see a gap where something was or I see something of his, I feel punched again. The vet said we gave Sylvy a good life, inheriting him from Grandfather, and raising him, despite his attitude towards us at the start (believe me, he didn't like either of us much then.)

This is a huge loss to me and John, as we had made him part of our household, and considered him as our family. We appreciate any of your thoughts and prayers as we struggle to come to grips with this huge change in our household/family dynamic.

Thank you.

Brenda

It's still pretty hard, but I guess I'm coping. We put up some white storage cubes (they look cagelike), where his cage had been, and brought in some of our favorite stuffed parrots and cockatoos and 2 Lorikeets to put there. Some of them are Audubon birds and actually make bird sounds when squeezed, so that seems to be helping. We also have a silly Pete -Repeat- Parrot and we've been making him talk some too.

Today seems a little easier than yesterday but I was not alone today either, mom was here all day again and I was making graphics for her for VBS. Tomorrow John is off, and we were going to go to the zoo, but they are predicting serious storms, so we've changed plans and we're going to stay home and relax here instead.

So Thursday will be my first day alone all day without Sylvy. I was already pretty down about the church mess, and this hasn't helped it. But I'm trying to take a deep breath and take 1 day, or even 1 hour or 1 minute at a time.

Sylvy didn't talk, Grandfather never got a chance to teach him before he died, and once I got him, I had no idea HOW to train a parakeet. He kind of ruled us, so to speak, to some degree. But he did have very individual squawks and squeaks and chatters and I knew them all. Plus he had his own odd behaviors, like grabbing things on my desk like pens or pencils, and throwing them off on the floor. And he chewed anything in sight, so my dad built him his very own chewing gym with various wood things to chew on. He once chewed up the back of a railroad tie chair... I kid you not, and I never noticed what the little squirt was doing back there till he'd chewed it pretty good.

He was very unique, that's for sure. :)

Thanks again,

Brenda