JeffNOK Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) Gracie's bird room happens to be my ex-dining area located a few feet from the living room where I spend most of my time. Although I removed all of the dining room furniture, I left some artwork on the walls. One cheap little South Seas print is affixed to the wall about 9 inches from Gracie's cage. Well Gracie just isn't very impressed with the print. In recent days she has made it her mission to destroy this "Tahitian Abomination"-as she mentally refers to it. Perhaps she would prefer a Congolese Tribal Mask or an ivory sculpture due to her African heritage. Now, she can only reach the edge of the print with her beak if she scales down the side of her cage and stretches her neck out as far as it will go. She can get a good grip around the bottom of the frame, but that's about it. Well, inevitably, she loses her grip on the cage, and I find her hanging from the bottom of the plastic frame, wings akimbo and flapping, and legs scrambling in the air as if she is peddling an imaginary bicycle! (Please don't worry that the print will fall on her and injure her. It is very light cardboard and plastic, and I have it securely bolted to the wall). Well, this is my signal to rescue her. I go over, put my hands under her feet, and she grabs onto my fingers for dear life. I place her back on her cage and she begins her demolition attempt again. Aside from the comic element to all of this, what I love is that I can rescue Gracie. I notice that before she grabs onto to the print, she glances over at me first as if to be sure "Emergency Services" are standing at the ready before she attempts her death defying feat! I love her confidence and daredevil personality, and I am seeing that she trusts me to be there for her as well. Parronthood is begining to get fun. Edited January 3, 2012 by JeffNOK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Too cute. Video would be nice, especially of the "rescue"! Hint, hint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 LuvParrots: I would love to get a pic or video of it. I will probably have to get someone else to film it though since I only have a short time to rescue Gracie before she crashes to the floor, and I'd feel terrible if I didn't get to her in time just so I could get the shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 That is too cute! What a trusting soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Parronthood is begining to get fun. Just beginning, I think you are in up to your neck, what a sweetheart Gracie is and you are her knight in shining armor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Today has been hands down my best day so far with Gracie. I could go on and on, but I'm afraid I'd bore you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawL Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Today has been hands down my best day so far with Gracie. I could go on and on, but I'm afraid I'd bore you all. FYI, I think I speak for everyone here when I say we LOVE to hear about you and Gracie, so don't ever think you are going to bore us. I loved this story, and you illustrated it so well, I could picture it all in my head! Thank you for a great read, and a great laugh. I am glad you had such a wonderful day with Gracie, and it will only get better as the days go on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life is Greyt Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Go on!! Go on!!! DO TELL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) Well, the reason today was such a good day was that I have been struggling lately and really doubting myself. Gracie has always been independent. She is not a cuddle bunny or overly affectionate. When I brought her home she always stepped up when asked, though, and rarely complained or nipped. As I posted before I may have pushed things too quickly and Gracie started to be suspicious of me. She didn't want to step up and she appeared wary. I decided to back off and just give her space to make decisions for herself. This approach seemed to work somewhat, but the last couple of days she was indifferent towards me and didn't appear to want to interact with me at all. Every time I asked her to step up she just pushed my hand away. This morning I uncovered her cage and invited her to step up, and she again pushed my hand away. I felt so awful. She had always wanted out in the morning, but this morning for the first time she just pushed me away. I thought, "we are moving backwards. I'm making a mess of this." I walked back to my bedroom and said a little prayer and asked God to help me be a good parront to Gracie. I went back and put my hand in the cage and asked Gracie to step up. She readily hopped up on my hand. I was so relieved. Then throughout the day she reached out to me. We did about five or six "rescues" from the artwork on my wall as I described above. We sang to each other. She even called to me four times today to take her out of her cage-which I happily did. She has never done that. Until today I had initiated all interaction, but today Gracie reached out. Today was great. Who knows what will happen tomorrow, but I felt something shift today. Maybe it was something in me. Maybe it was Gracie. I don't know. I only know that I went from feeling very very down to having more hope and confidence. Edited January 3, 2012 by JeffNOK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Not quite how you planned it, is it? Might help if you can think of the plan as chalk on the sidewalk. Or comic relief. Which ever. It happens when it happens. And it really is happening, even when you can't see it. You don't know it yet, but one of the best things about this time is that you aren't going to just expect Gracie to love you unconditionally like some parronts make the mistake of doing. Gracie's not easy. She won't let you take her for granted. Speaking for myself, I think that's an even bigger gift, anyway. Not like any relationship w/these creatures isn't something special. But you two have the potential to be extra special. You're doing greyt. Gracie's doing greyt. Don't worry! It really is fun to be a parront. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 birdhouse--You are so right. It's all just chalk. Today was very special precisely because it was unexpected and soooo welcome just when I was feeling low. It's interesting that you mentioned unconditional love. I had to ask myself this morning when I prayed, whose interest I was most concerned with. Was it my expectations or Gracie's happiness? I was measuring success by what I wanted. I was thinking about myself first. Gracie may not be in a position to love me unconditionally, but I can make the choice to love her unconditionally. She is a baby just barely five months old. How dare I have any expectations of her at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Gracie may not be in a position to love me unconditionally, but I can make the choice to love her unconditionally. She is a baby just barely five months old. How dare I have any expectations of her at all? Yep & that earns you a huge gold star. You just learned something that so many parronts never, ever get, even a little bit. I have no doubt you 2 are going to be just fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 JeffNOK: You two are doing just fine !!! Those tricky, intelligent Greys have a way to get from you what they want & need. Too cute for Gracie to look for her Knight in shining armour to be on stand-by for a rescue & then perform.. Just when I'm talking sweetly to my rehome -- he will, out-of-the-blue, say "Shut up" !!! Yes, it hurts my feelings but that's baggage he brought w/ him & I understand he pops up with things we don't say in our house!! What's hurtful (mentally & physically) is petting him & for no reason-----he bites me !! I've put him back on his cage & gone in the bathroom & cried. At that point, my feelings are hurt but I try now to not let it bother me: he didn't mean to do that or something I didn't realize triggered it... AHHHHHHHH..... Life with a Grey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life is Greyt Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Jeffnok, I suspect that things are going better than you think, but you are taking things too hard. It comes from a good place though, as you only want to do right for Gracie. My Chickie is a very independent little one too, but she does little things, like Gracie does, that lets me know that even though she's independent she notices when I walk out of the room, etc. It's so unnerving when you are trying so hard to get it right and they throw us a curveball, especially for us new grey owners. I call my breeder all the time and ask her things-the last time I called and questioned if what I was doing was right or not, she gave me some good advice. She said that my intuition about what to do with little Chickie was better than I though, so to just relax and enjoy the ride. I think your situation is similar. Gracie picked you for a reason, remember that. As far as coming out of the cage, not sure if this helps of not, I try to give Chickie the choice if she wants to come out. I open the door and ask " want to come out?". I try and ask her with most of what we do. She usually obliges, but not always. And, like you with Gracie, I get my feelings a little hurt if she doesn't want to do or want what I want, but, as you already said, it's not just my feelings that are to be considered. Please keep us posted and it does sound like you guys are doing ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 LifeIsGreyt: I also ask Gracie.."Wanna Come Out?" before offering my hand. For two days she basically said --"No I don't wanna come out buddy". But yesterday and today she seems happy to hop up. I know I sounded hard on myself, but I'm actually in a much better place mentally with everything. I'm learning that things will be up and down back and forth forward and backward --but eventually we are heading in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Just like with people, sometimes it takes others a little longer to come around to new ideas/experiences longer than we think they should. But, you know, we don't understand what's going on in someone else's head or heart--even (especially?) our fids. So to me it sounds like Gracie plans on coming around to you in her own time, but she is coming around... the waiting is the hard part but the rewards of our patience with our lovely birdie friends is immeasurable. And like someone else said, you are obviously a wonderful knight in shining armor for your girl, and she trusts you to rescue her as needed, which I think is a big step forward in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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