I’ve always had a fascination with parrots. Maybe it’s the name. I have heard, “Polly want a cracker?” at least a couple hundred times in my life. I’m telling you. It never gets old. Of course, the person asking the question never has the actual cracker. Or, if we happen to be in a restaurant setting, and a basket of crackers is near, they hold it up and give me the line. Their self-congratulatory laughter is slightly less than contagious. Back to parrots.
I like them. I think they are some of the masters of the Universe. The videos on social media are sometimes too much for me to bear. They are wizards. They are comedians. Most appear to love the limelight, but others are introverts like me.
Apparently, they can do a whole lot more than talk, sing, and dance. I just learned of a parrot named Lorenzo. He sort of worked for a drug cartel. Lorenzo, was in fact, their lookout. Whenever law enforcement was approaching the establishment, the parrot was trained to cry out, “Run, run, the cat is going to get you!”
After a whole bunch of failed raids, the police finally caught on to this scheme. Somehow, they decided to arrest Lorenzo. I do not know what the charges were but during the arrest, they also uncovered 200 weapons, a stolen motorbike, and a stash of drugs. Police in that same region of Columbia, have also caught more than 1,700 similarly trained look-out birds since. (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/parrot-taken-into-custody_n_733342)
Part of me has always wanted a parrot, but there is something about keeping a “bird” in a cage that seems really hard on the bird. I mean, fish gotta’ swim, birds gotta’ fly. Also, parrots can live to be 80 years old. Getting one now would require someone to commit to this endeavor after I am gone.
But there are a lot of birds to choose from, if ever I did. There are around 372 different parrot species.
Besides crows, parrots are believed to be one of the most intelligent birds on the planet. And, some of those species are known for imitating human voices.
When we lived in Charleston, I would take walks on a daily basis. Actually, I walked everywhere I went, only using my car to go to the grocery or the airport. I liked that about Charleston. Anyway. A couple of blocks over from us were a porch full of parrots on Legare Street. They were well versed. They knew a dozen different songs, including the intro for the Andy Griffith Show. I’d walk by and start whistling, and they all would join in.
They did major street work on Legare for about a year or more. They dug up the entire guts of the street, closing it to traffic. But there were a LOT of work trucks, in and out, all the time. The parrots learned how to make the beeping noise of a truck backing up. “Beep. Beep. Beep.” Exactly on pitch and timing. It was hilarious.
That’s why I like parrots, I think. They make me laugh. Big, deep, belly laughs.
And we all know that laughter is great medicine. The experts tell us that laughter strengthens our immune systems, and can diminish pain. It also boosts our mood and protects us from those pesky and damaging effects of stress. When we are children, we laugh hundreds of times a day. But something goes all serious when our big bodies take over. Adults only laugh, on average, 17 times a day.
Today, maybe we should try to laugh a little more. Just to see what happens.
Hey, what happens when your parrot goes missing?
Polygone.
Bye for now, Polly gone.
============
My wife told me to stop impersonating a flamingo. I had to put my foot down.
==========
I can’t believe I got fired from the calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.
==========
I didn’t think orthopedic shoes would help, but I stand corrected.
=========
