We had many pets throughout the years - cats, birds, dogs, a goat, frogs, and a few rabbits - but the one that stayed with me the most was the male canary that I bought when I was 19 years old from the recreation center supervisor who raised canaries. He was still a baby. I paid the supervisor each week a small amount - on installment - until the bird was paid off.
Our male canary had a beautiful creamy chiffon hue and would fly around the house merrily, then he'd perch on a picture frame in front of the large mirror in the living room, singing to himself with a beautiful soprano voice. I think he liked to gaze at himself in the mirror thinking it was another canary. I remember taping him once. He was right on pitch so whenever there was music, he would sing along. Other times he would get on the floor and walk around with us, as if he was one of us. Just a thrill having him. We got him female companions, but he outlived them. The last one we got him, she died within the year, and he died shortly after. I guess he loved her the most! We were all sad to see him/them go.
Doritto was my mother's pet, and we sort of adopted him – he was a large, multi-colored macaw. He was a character and a bit ornery. My mom kept him in her garage (Florida), and he learned to speak her language. He loved tearing things apart with his beak. Sometimes she’d leave the cage open, and he’d go and sit on top of it looking pleased with himself. Whenever we visited her, I spent time with him and taught him how to ask for food and whenever he saw me, he would ask me for food, and I would feed him being careful to keep my fingers away from his strong beak. He rarely talked back when we wanted him to talk, no matter how much we talked to him. But he would belt out curses and swear words, screeching as if all hell broke out loose whenever my mom was on the phone. We would laugh so hard. It was as if he didn't want her talking on the phone! The whole neighborhood would hear him, and it sounded as if my mom was having an argument! But as she got older, she couldn’t keep him and gave him away a couple years ago. We sure miss him!
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