photo of blue and yellow macaw with blurry woman's face in the background

Birdcage, Well-Loved

Gandalf89,

Thanks for your interest in the birdcage. Yes, that green is the original color! I was going through a box of my mom’s things this weekend and happened to find this photo (attached) from when she bought it in 1969. The photo is b/w so you’ll have to trust me that it was green. The bird is mom’s macaw, Salvatore. That’s my mom sticking her finger through the bars, and it’s a family joke that this photo was taken seconds before she lost the tip of her finger, which actually happened about a week later.

The cage was small for a macaw, but Salvatore only came out on Sundays to sit on my dad’s shoulder when he smoked his pipe on the back porch.

Macaws can live for 50 years, but he died very young. My brother opened the cage, and Salvatore flew right through the plate glass window. He probably thought it was Sunday.

Then mom kept a pair of budgies in the cage. My brother taught them to say “Jane, stop this crazy thing!” and they’d say it to each other for hours. Then while we were at school mom taught them to say “Jetson, you’re fired!”

I know there are photos of mom with the budgies, but I haven’t found them in her things yet. I’m pacing myself.

Gandalf89, your offer is generous, but I’ve decided to keep the cage. I’m very sorry. Thank you for reminding me of these things I’d almost forgotten.


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