Josie's Budgie Tales

Everyone said I would never fly or do anything a normal budgie could. I would always have to stay in a cage for the rest of my life.

I didn’t buy that and neither did my new mommy. You see I am a handicapped budgie. I can’t stand for very long and only one foot works right.

But I wanted to fly so bad and be like my friend Josie. I had been abused by my former family and got badly hurt escaping from them

My new mommy adopted me and gave me a new home.

I slowly got better and she let me out, I wasn’t very nice to her at first. I would scream and bite her; she just never gave up on me.

Slowly my wing feathers grew out and I started to fly. But I couldn’t land very well; in fact I crashed more than I landed.

Mommy just never gave up, she would pick me up and praise me, and Josie would ring her bell every time I got a new wing feather. It took two years, but I can climb, fly, land, talk and play like a normal budgie.

I learned one lesson, never give up, keep trying and don’t let anyone tell you; you can’t do anything.

Love goes a long way and I can so fly!!!!

©  Ceol

Christmas Day, Josie and Kiko-san were in for a big surprise.

“Here she comes! Here she comes!” yelled Josie.

“About time,” said Kiko. “We would like our present now.”

In came the company and one very large box, with fur sticking out and lots of  mutters coming from inside.

I don’t like the look of that, thought Josie. I think I will go and hide now; Kiko-san agreed to this, it did not look promising.

The two budgies finally got their millet, lovely red millet just for Christmas, but that box, what next?

Suddenly the case opened and out came, OH HORRORS!! A CAT!!!!!

Miss Harley came toward them; she paused with one paw raised. Just looking very calmly at the two very cross budgies.

“Who invited that to Christmas dinner!!!!?” shouted Kiko-san.

Three pairs of eyes stared at each other, one red, one black and one green. Miss Harley, a beautiful brown cat, one yellow budgie and one blue/white budgie, just watched to see what would happen. Josie and Kiko-san certainly didn’t intend to be the main course for dinner.

She looked at the budgies and just walked away; deciding they were not that interesting and she was not hungry yet.

This happened at least twice more, the respective mommies kept watch just in case.

Finally Miss Harley was ready to go home, back in her case, protesting all the way.

“Thank goodness that’s over and if you don’t think we like what just happened!” yelled the budgies “Just you wait!”

It took two days and a lot of millet to make amends. Their mommy explained that Harley had to come as she was a very ill cat.

Josie didn’t buy that and oh great, she’s coming back for New Year’s dinner……..

©  Ceol

Some people like milk and cookies
Some people like cups of tea

My mommy really likes ice cream
But millet is what pleases me

Some people like to run races
Some people like to walk real slow

My mommy likes to garden
And watch things that grow

But I found the best way to travel
And watch the world rush by

All you have to really do
Is spread your wings and fly

©  Coel

“I wonder if I can sneak out really quietly,” thought Joey. “Maybe she won’t see me.”

Joey liked to play tricks on his Mommy, the best one was flying. You see Mommy can’t fly she doesn’t have any wings, or a tail for that matter.

Almost there, the open door was so close. One more step, there I’m out. I look all around the room, so far so good.

One skip, one hop and I’m airborne, I can fly so high.

Oh, Oh! Here she comes; just you wait now I’m going to show off. I swoop down so low I almost touch my mommy’s head, and then I start to climb. Where will I go next?

“I know the curtains; she’ll never reach me there”, Joey thought. Higher and higher, he flies, pass the table, pass the lamp, almost there. Made it to the curtain rod, now for the best part, Joey drew a deep breath.

“Mommy can’t catch me! Mommy can’t catch me!” he yelled with all his might.

His mommy stood down below, and waited and waited for Joey to come down. “Isn’t she ever going to at least try to get me?” thought Joey.

He was getting a bit worried, it was almost dinnertime and he was quite hungry from all that flying. Maybe I had better get down myself.

So very carefully, he edged closer to the edge of the curtains, he leapt and beat his wings so fast, they were a blur. Down he came, faster and faster straight at his mommy. “I hope she can catch me,” he said to himself.

Almost there, a couple of more inches, Joey started landing mode. Steer with the tail, he said, flaps down, rudder engaged. Almost there, Joey gently landed on her shoulder.

“What a clever budgie you are, Joey,” said his mommy. “You are so smart.” Joey liked that part the best, all the love and praise he got.

“Now have you finished being a naughty boy, it is almost time for your dinner,” said mommy. “You must be very hungry after your flight.”

Joey chirped “yes”. You know the best part of it all.

Mommy Caught Me!

©  Ceol

This is not a fun story to write. Nobody likes to go to the doctor, especially not Joey and Josie. However, Josie had some blood on her and their mommy was not taking any chances with them, so off to see Doctor Anne.

We could hear her calling the clinic telling that Josie had been bleeding but it had stopped. They told her to bring her to the office. “Oh great!” said Joey. He would have to go to, as the budgies did not like to be parted at any time. “Why couldn’t you have stayed out of trouble?”

“It’s not my fault, we were playing too hard and I slipped.” said Josie quietly.

“Well we are in for it now, that long car ride and then Dr Anne fussing over us”.

“I heard that,” said their Mommy, “Dr Anne is a very nice lady and a good vet, you should be glad to see her.”

“I’d like it better if she gave us a treat while we were there, we get hungry travelling.” stated Joey. Josie nodded her agreement.

“Alright, lets get ready, Joey into your carrying cage.”

“No, I won’t, I don’t want to,” chirped Joey. “You can’t make me.” He lost that argument in a hurry; his mommy picked him up and put him in the cage very quickly.

“That’s enough of that,” she said. “Come on, Josie you’re next.” Josie did not act up
as usual, she really was scared; maybe Mommy was right this time.

Into their travelling cases they went. “Everyone is already; we will just have to wait for the taxi to come.”

The taxi came quite quickly, mommy loaded all of them in and off they went.
The driver was nice to them, he asked about budgies and Mommy told him about
us, she told him how we can talk like people, and the fact we are context speakers with the Budgie Research Group and that we are mates for life.

She also told him what kind of budgies we are and how old, all that sort of thing. He seemed interested in us and the trip went quickly. We like it when she tells people about budgies; they respect us more after that.

We finally got to the clinic and went in, the woman at the desk said, “Joey and Josie Smarty-pants, how are you today?” Funny, she never asks Mommy how she is. We guess that budgies are more important than their guardians are at the vets.

She took us to the examining room and we waited for Dr. Anne to come in. Mommy took us out of our cases and sent the cages on the table. She said, “You will be OK, Josie.”

Josie did not say much, which is unusual for her; usually she talks up a storm and tries to get out of her cage. “Maybe she really is hurt,” thought Joey. “I sure hope she will be OK, we don’t want to stay here all night.”

Dr. Anne came in; she was a large lady, dressed hospital clothes with funny glasses on her head. She was a very kind person, who loved all animals, but especially the littlest ones. She said hello to us just as if we were grownups, we like that. She makes us feel very important.

Mommy explain that Josie had possibly hurt herself when we were playing and that she was concern and brought us to see her. Dr. Anne took Josie out of the cage, cuddled her and then looks in her mouth to see if she had cut herself.

“She seems to be OK, there is no sight of injury,” said the vet. She looks through the funny glasses and still could not find anything wrong with her. Then she took me out of my cage, hugged me (girl stuff), and looked me over too. She told mommy to keep an eye on Josie, but she seemed to be fine. As usual, she calls me double trouble, the funny thing is Josie is more trouble that I am and she is treated like a good little girl. Right, she is not that good.

After paying the bill and getting another taxi ride, Josie and I were very tired, hot,
hungry, thirsty and very, very glad to be safely back home. We really do not like to go to the vets, but maybe mommy was right in this case, what if Josie had been hurt. I think next time, we will not complain so much about going to see Dr. Anne.

“No we won’t, we still won’t want to go, just you wait and see,” stated Josie.

“Oh be quiet, you have caused enough trouble today, I just wanted to have a nap,” said Joey.

With that, Josie stamped her pink feet, put her head under her wing and pretended to go to sleep.

Mommy stood here watching us, we heard her say, “Thank goodness they are alright.”

Josie got in the last word as usual, “We could have told you that!”

© Ceol