HAVING FUN WITH ELLA, THE PIGEON, & THE PIGEON WHISPERER - PART V

                                                                                              “The Surprise”

So . . . one day I went up to visit Ella, and all the birds were gone!?!

It was a lovely sunny day and the neighbor next door was sitting out on his deck.  When he saw me staring at the empty aviary he told me the gals were selling their house and had boxed up all the birds and taken them away. 

I went home and emailed the girls, learning everything had come about quite suddenly.  For multiple reasons they had decided to sell their home in Twain Harte and move, with the birds, 125 miles back to their home in El Cerrito in the East San Francisco Bay Area. 

They had emailed me to let me know this was happening, telling me when they would be taking the birds away, but unfortunately my computer was down at the time so I never got their message and they never knew I hadn’t gotten it, so I never had a chance to say goodbye to Ella. The gals, however, assured me all the birds had made the move successfully and were happy and doing well in their new sanctuary there in El Cerrito. – ironically, the town where I grew up.

So my days of seeing my little Ella came to an end.  Maybe one day I’ll find myself in the neighborhood where she is now and pay her a visit.  I wonder if she’d remember me after such a long time?  It’s been going on three years since last I saw her.  But if she did – wouldn’t that be something?!! J

I’m just glad she’s in a safe place, together with her Prince Charming, and doing well.  I miss her, of course, but I'm not too worried about her.  The way she has taken charge of her life every step of the way tells me she'll be just fine, whatever happens! J

So goodbye for now my little sweetheart.  I’m so glad you flew into our yard that September morning!  What a lovely, fun adventure we were able to have together for a little while. Y

I’ll always wonder, though . . . was it coincidence that had Ella flying into our yard that morning?  Or fate?  Would ‘fate’ have somehow known that we would love her and help her find a safe place to be?  I believe so.  Actually, I’m not so sure there really is such a thing as “coincidence”. J    

:->

La Nightingail 

P.S.


.  Writing the sequel to my original story I felt so close to her again I decided I needed something substantial to remind me of her so I found this cute little cuddly stuffed pigeon on (where else – Amazon), and she is currently sitting next to me as I write this.  Ella had never let me pet her.  She liked to play finger tag with me, and cuddle up near me or on me, but she never allowed me to pet her.  Now I can hold and pet her all I want by proxy. J

I still have my adorable budgie bird, Shakespeare, whom I love very much.  But Ella will always hold a special place in my heart.

Y

This is the way I remember her best – walking out to the gazebo to sit with me.  If she was sitting on the plant stand by the front door when I walked out and headed down the path to the gazebo, she’d hop down and follow me.  We would have looked like a mini parade - me with my coffee and newspaper leading the way, and Ella pigeon-toe'ing her little way right behind me. 

What a bird!

J

Comments

  1. Barbara RogersMarch 2, 2024 at 6:09 AM

    Your relationship with Ella was definitely similar to having a wild animal becoming a pet, almost. Of course she stayed wild. And the care givers took her away suddenly. You really must have felt sad at that point. What a shock! I'm so glad you have a new Ella that's pet-able she's really cute too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. La NightingailMarch 2, 2024 at 8:13 AM

      I was most certainly sad when Ella was first gone elsewhere. I loved the interaction between us - it was so special. But she came to us allofaonce, as my Grandma Louise used to say,, and she left us allofaonce so perhaps that was the way it was meant to be from the beginning? Who knows? I'm just so glad I got to be part of her life for a little while. Better that than never. :)

      Delete
  2. Mike BrubakerMarch 2, 2024 at 6:42 PM

    This was a wonderful ending to a delightful animal/human story. I'm sure you've wondered if Ella might find her way back to you if she were ever to escape the sanctuary, but in a way this pigeon has come home again, I think, to roost on your new blog. Thanks for sharing Ella with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. La NightingailMarch 5, 2024 at 5:34 PM

      The only problem would be she would find her way back to our house in Soulsbyville and we no longer live there, so that wouldn't be too good. No, she'd better stay where she is. :)

      Delete
  3. Molly's CanopyMarch 3, 2024 at 3:31 PM

    This has been such a touching series. I'm sure Ella is managing well in her new life. After all, humans move around -- why not birds? But it's also hard to let go and the stuffed pigeon is a great reminder -- and so is your series, as Mike points out.

    ReplyDelete

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