Casey

This is Casey. She is performing her infamous Batbird trick.

She was hatched in April of '99, and she died this afternoon.

I knew she was sick. Mom told me she was taking her to the vet. She died on the way. Just lay down in the back of the box and closed her eyes. I guess that's the way to go, if you have to. Quick and easy.

Birds are quite a bit smarter than we give them credit for. Frankly, I've always suspected our cockatiels were smarter than our dogs. But that's neither here nor there.

Casey's personality can be summed up in one reference. Years ago, we briefly got my mother into the original Sims. She created a house and a family using us and our pets.

Casey was an angry black woman.

She loved my mother. Loooooooooooved her. She knew the way from the family room (where her cage was) to the den (where Mom worked on her projects), and if Mom didn't bring her in, then by God she'd get there herself. She'd hop to the floor and walk right down the hall and into the correct room, where she would scream until lifted up.

She never had much patience for me. Maybe she viewed me as competition. She had a love/hate relationship with my pet, Gabby (for whom my iPod is named) and maybe that transferred to me. If you think birds can't differentiate between people...Casey had a specific sound she made whenever she saw me.

It sounded a lot like ewwwwwwwwwww.

"Good morning, Casey."

"Ewwwwwww."

Walk by the cage: "Ewwwwwwwww."

She did not dig me. That was fine; I stayed away. She was a small bird, but to annoy her was to risk your own hide.

At one point, Mom was visiting her parents in Tarzana. We were speaking online and I told her Casey was moping.

"She needs to be cuddled," Mom said.

Ha, ha, ha. The hands of mere plebeians like myself would never touch the almighty Casey.

Then something changed.

The first time I came home after Gabby died, Casey actually leaped to the side of the cage to greet me. She hung out with me the entire week I was there - not a single ewwwwwww, just genuine affection. We puzzled over it, then and now. The only explanation anyone's come up with is that she simply associated me with Gabby, and maybe she missed her pal.

Or maybe she sensed I was upset and was just containing the ewwwws because she knew she had to repair her karma after years of terrorizing the parakeets. Who knows.

She never treated me with such friendliness again, but from thereafter there was a truce between us. She made the move down to San Diego, generally refrained from hissing at me unless I really bugged her, and even looked pleased to see me in the mornings when I uncovered her.

I think I liked her because she didn't like me. She was her own bird, plain and simple. Just a real personality.

Our other cockatiel, Sydney, is/was desperately in love with her. We have video of him attempting to woo her with his atrocious version of "Bette Davis Eyes." At points Casey looks at the camera, as if to say "Uh, help?" He never lets up. It's charming. Also, incredibly annoying.

Syd knew something was up this morning. He didn't bother her at all, which is unlike him.

There is another thing. My departed friend, Gabby, is the one who taught Casey how to speak (by "taught" I mean Casey mimicked her). Casey hasn't said much in recent years, but every now and then "pretty bird" slipped out, and I knew where she picked it up.

She was a link to Gabby, I guess. Gabby was my special girl. And now Gabby and Casey are gone.

Getting off-topic...

So. Our pack number diminishes yet again. It has not been a good year for my family. We've lost relatives and pets...it's just been...a lot...it always stings, to lose someone, but Casey is sadly the latest slap 2009 has taken at us. Lest anyone think I'm complaining, please note I'm not. It's just been a shit year for us. Thanksgiving is going to be bittersweet.

I'm off to bed. I hope she doesn't haunt me. The last thing I need is to wake up with a shadowy yellow figure whispering ewwwwwwwwwwww in my ear.

Rest in peace, pretty bird. Say hi to Gabby for me.