Such a poignant memory of my Mom. Each year I heal more. Each year I still hear her voice.

Doc is still very ill, but doing better. He had quite the time with the almond I gave him. Brutus is doing very well. Looking healthy and happy and ever protective of Doc. She would come out when I would sing to them.

This 2012 visit was a bit different in that I was there at morning feeding. Plus a documentary video maker is here and we were being filmed. So, lots of commotion and not the intimate one on one time with Doc and Brutus as in the past.

Also, with my nephew, I wanted to show him ALL the birds, so we went into the macaw flight for morning feeding. Really amazing, really.

I will continue to hold healing thoughts for Doc. He is at 800 grams, up from 700…. so doing good! 6 months ago

He was feeling well enough to get out of his cage yesterday. Yay!

Pneumonia is so hard to whip. 6 months ago

Made. Yay! Not only is free really great on my pocketbook, but staying at the guest house is, well, right there.

The staff photographer nudged me via fb to make the reservation and the director responded quickly to my email. They invited us to dinner too. How cool is that? Perfect hospitality for my nephew to experience.

Yay! 6 months ago

for Doc, Brutus and the other birds. Some towels that are good for them. A porcelain box with a pink cockatoo on it and a fan with birds on it. Both can be sold at the annual auction and raise money to support the birds. 6 months ago

I have an update….Docs continues to do pretty well. We still have him on antibiotics but took him off the nausea meds. He hasn’t thrown up at all, so that is good.

He has an appt with Dr. Driggers on Friday at 2PM for an endoscopy. Dr. D will be looking at his heart and also will be able to see if Doc has a tumor. Dr. D says that the procedure will only take about 5 minutes but there is always risk since anesthesia will be needed. I’ll be right there with him the entire time.

Brutus will come up with us too. I am speaking at a club meeting on Friday night so the pair will stay at ChezLaRue for a week. I don’t want to drive them home late at night, but would rather give Doc some time to rest up. I’m going back up to Phoenix on the 13th for another speaking engagement and I will bring Doc and Brutus home them.

Dr. Driggers has only consulted with Dr. Yeager. He is going to do another xray to compare to the first one we did. He hasn’t actually examined Doc yet so of course, this plan could change once he actually spends time with Doc.

I’ll keep you updated once we have the appt. Hope you are well.
Hugs, 7 months ago

sent me a photo of doc today. =-( He looks sick.

I keep sending healing thoughts through the universe to him.

I hope he pulls through. It will be all the more heartbreaking to be there in November, with only Brutus to see. Although, maybe it would give Brutus comfort to see me. Brutus gave birth to Doc 27 years ago and they haven’t been apart since. I can only imagine the grief Brutus will have, after protecting Doc all these years. 8 months ago

grateful for the comfort of those that care for me sending Doc healing thoughts and prayers.

I know doc was born with scoliosis and that being crippled and sort of always sitting on his lungs is hard and him. i know he will likely have a shorter life than Brutus, even though Brutus is ten years older. gosh, if my math is right brutus is 37 and doc is 27. young for birds, i know.

they messaged me to call them today and then called me. they said about ten days ago doc started throwing up in his cage. so he and brutus both went to the doctor today. doc has an enlarged heart, but the liver is behind the heart and it could be that the liver is enlarged and pushing up on the heart. his lungs have dark spots on them, which could be tumors. the way doc can’t stand on a perch (his feet are crippled) he sits on his body and chest on a perch. this is, of course, unnatural for a bird so it has been hard on his lungs, making it harder for him to breath. lab work is being done, but we are waiting for the results to decide what might be able to be done. they are going to call me and keep me informed every step of the way.

The Oasis Sanctuary takes extraordinary care of doc and brutus, so I am not worried that anything less than everything will be done for him.

brutus had an exam and xrays today too and is doing well. that makes my heart rest a little easier. birds pair up, so i know that it will be hard on brutus to lose doc too.

At the Very Least I need Doc to stay well until my italian nephew (Mom’s italian grandson) comes at the beginning of November. We are heading over to see the birds as soon as he arrives. 8 months ago

a stop on Nipote and Zia Road Trip. That would be italian for nephew and auntie =)

I will be so happy to have him meet Mom’s birds, and the incredible people that care for them. Plus, I’ll have an opportunity to fix up the letterbox I’ve hidden there. 10 months ago

How cool would that be!! 10 months ago

I had an email that my doc and brutus letter box is in shambles. Time to make a new one and resecure it. 11 months ago

as I posted a box to Doc and Brutus. I sent their toys that hang in off their cage. A metal bell Mom brought back from her summer work in Greece that one year. And something else Doc always chewed on, but was impossible for his beak to break.

I also put in bird items I unpacked that could go in the open house auction to raise money for them too.

Oh! Drat! I forgot to get a mailing tube to send the two mola’s with bird paintings on them. Ah, well. I’m sure I’ll be out and about tomorrow. 13 months ago

sent to me today. He’s looking beautiful! 14 months ago

He is one of Nancy’s favourites. (Yippee!)

I’ll be able to go out and see the birds this year. In the fall. 15 months ago