Joyanna Adams

The True Love of Rio and Lima

Nobody Cares

Last week, one day AFTER the loss of my dear pup Zippy, my parakeet Rio died. I have six parakeets. Three pairs of love birds. Corona and Sugar. Wikky and Cassie Manie, and Rio—Rio was Lima’s love. Light green. Demure, almost Arabian. Quiet and completely submissive to her mate. Her spot to sit was in the middle of the big cage, and she only moved from that spot to eat.

Believe it or not, watching her die was worse than watching our pup, who died a peaceful death of no pain. I really suffered the loss of our pup, but…a bird may seem meaningless, but no. Birds are very intelligent. They can’t bark and lick you. Instead, they CAN sing and love. Songbird chatter is the most soothing thing to listen too, especially when you listen to all the political news every day as I do.

It brings me back to God. Funny, but it does.

So, tonight, to get away from my usual political ranting, I want to write about the vast love affair Rio shared with her mate, Lima.

THE LOVE AFFAIR OF RIO AND LIMA

It was love at first sight for Lima. When he saw RIO, the first day I brought her home, he couldn’t stand to be more than a few pecks away from her. He would RUN to her, peck her, feed her, kiss her head, show off his grand feathers, and she would just…sit there, and enjoy every minute. When the other males came around, Lima fought, lost, and usually I had to pull them apart, fingers bitten, and dislodge them, but Lima never had to worry because Rio would have none of them. She was, in the words of Olivia Newton John, hopelessly devoted to Lima.

First thing in the morning, he would mount her, his beautiful wings always embracing her gently. She always looked like a small angel underneath his embrace. Despite the six years that she lived; she never laid an egg.

Then about a month ago, she got sick. I took her to the local vet who said she was a boy. “No, she can’t be.” I spoke.  And then he felt her and said, “but she must be a girl because she has female organs.”

Ooooookaaaaay. He’s not the brightest bird doctor on the block. He gave us some meds, and they NEVER worked. She stopped drinking water. So, every night, for a month, we’d try to catch her, which stressed her out. She was puffed up and stayed on the perch next to Rio. Even though we hated to bother her, we had to catch her to put some eyedrops of water into her mouth. I tried everything: water, honey, salt, Pedialyte, antibiotics— nothing worked.

Still, because of her deep love for Rio, she bravely fought every single minute to stay alive.

Here’s the thing about parakeets, and probably all animals. When one of the members of the “herd” becomes weak, the other birds attack it. (It also happens in nations, but I digress.)

In fact, I witnessed one of my former parakeets killed when it got sick by the other birds in the cage. So, Rio KNEW she had to stay on that high perch next to Rio, no matter how sick she was. It was killing me just to watch her struggle.

One night, while pulling her out of the cage, she broke her leg. She of course fought being caught.

The doc said she didn’t break it, but she couldn’t use it after that.  STILL, she stood on her other leg for another three weeks and limped around the cage. Flying every night back up to be with her Rio. Putting on a show, pretending she was okay.

Then the morning after Zippy died, I heard the flapping in the cage. I ran into the room where the birds were. There was Rio on the bottom, and I knew instantly that one of the other males had attacked her. She was weak, injured, and so I quickly got a smaller cage to separated her from the other four. I put Rio in the smaller cage with her. She was so weak that she went into the feeding bowl and laid down. (see picture) Lima stood next to her, and she seemed to go to her maker. At last! Sweet sleep. She was so tired from fighting for her life for over a month, that I was happy, almost hoping she would just go to her maker.

Funny, I remember feeling the same way the day my father died. He had suffered for so long, that when the cops finally came and tried to resuscitate him, my mother and I kept saying…Please…just stop. He’s been through so much, and to tell you the truth, so had we. His brain tumor had brown bigger than three oranges and we were told it would finally put pressure on the back of his brain where he breathes.

We had been watching for weeks for his end. But he had…a very strong heart. God took him. Let him go.

Now at this point you might want to know WHY I didn’t separate the two birds before this? I tried to put Rio in a cage all by herself to get better. But get this: Even though they were five rooms between them, they would SING at the top of their voices in despair. “COME BACK! COME BACK!” It drove me nuts.

I finally gave in.

I decided if Rio was to die, she would die next to her love, and her other friends. I gave up on that idea.

As I have seen too many times, when letting go of life, some humans, or animals will FIGHT. Rio, did not want to die in front of Lima that morning. She came over to the end of the cage and put her beak completely out, almost calling me to take her away. Begging. Begging me. So, I gently wrapped her up in a soft cloth and put her on my chest to die in peace. Most of my birds have died that way.

But not Rio. She was Lima’s love.

When I took her out of the cage, Lima went nuts. He wanted to be with his love. And then Rio wanted to get down on the ground, so I gently put her down, and THEN she went hopping around trying to find a dark place to hide. To die. A cripple. Hopping, getting her wings stuck, trying desperately to hide.

Zippy did the same thing. It’s instinct with animals. Somehow, she got behind an old book on the floor, and Lima was going so crazy I decided “Well heck, I can’t have HIM suffering…” So, I picked her up and put her back in the cage with him.

She couldn’t stand. She was bleeding from her other foot now. Blood everywhere. I got some meds to stop the bleeding, but it was too bad. She had somehow ripped her toe out.

She must have been in excruciating pain.

Rio stopped making noise. He could see her. She was there right below him. He was…helpless.

She went to the bottom of the cage. What could I do? What to do? What to do? It was her time.

I sat in that room for another four hours. She was still alive but laying peacefully.

I finally left and went to lie down from MY stress.

When I came back 5 minutes later, she had died. My husband came and wrapped her up in a soft cloth.

More sorrow. More tears.

So be it.

Right now, I’m listening to the songfest of my buggies in the kitchen. I don’t know how many days past have, I’m not keeping count.

I went out and bought another ‘green’ female for Lima, but he hasn’t taken to her yet. She’s still a baby. There is hope. I couldn’t stand to see him sitting alone, lost on his perch while the other two couples go on with their loves. He seems, a bit better.

Nobody should be alone in this life. Especially at the time of death.

 I read tonight that Madeline Albright died, with her friends and family all around, and it made me angry. When I think of what Fauci and our politicians did to so many families, for TWO WHOLE YEARS: NOT being allowed to be in the room with their sick and dying parents, or loved ones, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ALLOWED.

Excuse my saying this but”: BASTARDS.

I was able to be there for my pets, but what about all the MILLIONS of people that could not touch the hand, or kiss, or cry, or thank their loved ones at their time of death? They had to die alone.

How CRUEL. How utterly cruel. So, excuse me if I don’t rejoice that Albright got to be with her loved ones. Damn Fauci. I wonder just how many people suffered from that cruel and unnecessary tyrannical mandate. Be sure, you won’t hear anyone on the news complain about it.

But—on a good note: Rio and Lima were the Romeo and Juliet of birds. The love they had for each other one can only hope for in our own lives.  Better than any Jack and Diana, Richard and Liz, John and Yoko, Reagan, and Nancy.  

Lima and Rio. True love existing in little, tiny beating hearts.

And yet, how many movies do you see about true love?

Not many. Not near enough. And I bet I’m the first one to write about the love between two simple little parakeets.

Yeah, I’m weird like that.

 Thanks for reading.

March 23, 2022 Posted by Joyanna Adams | Uncategorized | Leave a comment