We have convinced Riley that the pet store is a small zoo.
(I tried to convince her to pet the fish, but she didn't take the bait. )
On this particular visit, we were there so that the children could close out their virtual photography class. I am so glad we had a camera (or two) out and ready when this lady walked in.
We were watching the cockatiel (I have always wanted a cockatiel... I gravitate towards their cages) when she strolled up.
She told us her name is Nancy.
She had brought her own pet cockatiel into the store to visit with the store's bird. Apparently, the store had only recently acquired their feathered friend and he's been a little glum.
So, Nancy brought him a little company.
Wait. Stop. Hold It. I should explain that I am using 'him' as a default pronoun. As Nancy explained, there's really no telling if the birds are male or female without a very expensive test or trial and error until eggs appear. This was not that kind of visit.
There was a good natured employee who came over to allow the captive bird some supervised visitation. It was a neat little random moment that we happened across in the pet store-zoo-photography class.
If you look closely, you will see both birds after visiting hours had ended- one imprisoned in glass, the other caged in metal. But if you look even more closely, you will see that the visiting bird rode in on a cat.
When I realized this small truth, the happy little random moment escalated to magnificent. Because- look at the cat... he's the right color to be Sylvester and the bird is almost Tweety colored... and they were being pushed around by Grancy... I mean Granny... no, no, Nancy is her name...but you do see it, don't you?
We got acquainted a little more with Nancy before going our separate ways (you knew I would, didn't you?). She explained to us that she had taken the cat when her brother in law found out he had cancer. The man and the cat had been good chums but cancer treatment and cats don't mix. Nancy had become the cat's caretaker until the brother-in-law's recent passing. They had stopped by the pet store on their way back to the cat's original home. He was being returned to the widow- or at least going to visit, to see if he wanted to come back home... which reminds me a little of something:
I just love meeting new people
(but, preferably on my own terms, if we're being honest... and why should we lie? .)
