For Tashi

Just a little fluff of feathers, white and gold in hue
We knew you just a short time, but fell in love with you

Sear across the great blue sky, around the golden throne
Anywhere in heaven, you are free to roam

We wanted to keep you with us, to be our very own
But now you play with angels, and you'll never be alone.

Goodbye, my sweet girl. I love you.

A Message From Tashi

I'm going to tell you the following, although some of you might think I'm crazy. I asked Tashi to come to me in my dreams last night. I had 2 dreams. In one, I was walking over a bridge and there were words in the sky on the left and numbers in the sky on the right. In the second dream, I was in a courtyard and there were 2 doors, both of which were supposed to be locked. The door on the left was locked, but the door on the right was not and I could open it.

I believe the first dream represents crossing over and the words and numbers signify the Bible (a higher power). I believe the second dream signifies a new beginning, when one door closes another opens.

I think my sweet girl knows what a hard time her mom has been having these past few days and she wants me to know she is safe and that I will see her again. Thank you for listening. My heart is not as heavy, but I do miss her so very much.

Dear God

Dear God,

Please remember these few things when taking care of our girl, Tashi, who left us 10/18/2005:

Her full name is Natasha and you can call her that if you say it in a really sweet tone of voice. Otherwise, for general conversation she prefers Tashi or Tash. If she really likes you, she'll let you call her Lady Bug.

Any flupzes in her water dish must be removed immediately. These include pieces of chewed wood and food. Any bugs, especially moths, must be removed much more quickly. She will let you know when there is something in her water dish.

She must be fed her bean and veggie mix at 12 noon exactly, not one second later. She will let you know when it is 12 noon. She prefers corn, so pick a lot of that out for her.

Please crack her almonds for her. She has a soft beak.

She gets an ABC block and assorted pieces of colored wood threaded onto the chain by her perch every morning. Also, make sure that her toy chest has some plastic foot toys and wood pieces in it. But don't worry, if you forget she'll remind you.

A light must be turned on by her cage at the very moment it starts to get dark, not one second later. She will let you know when it is getting dark.

She must at all times have a Nutriberry in her food dish. She will let you know if she doesn't have one. She likes both the Garden Veggie and the Tropical Fruit.

Music should be preferably the soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever or any Roy Orbison song. When playing the soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever, you must hold her on your arm and sing "You should be dancing..." at which time she will issue the typical 'too greeting (ooo tweet tweet, etc.) and bob up and down with her crest up and wings out and sway her head back and forth. Do this for about 1/2 hour. A word of caution. She will try to sing along with Roy Orbison, and it's not pretty.

She doesn't like to be alone, especially at night, so make sure someone is always with her. She will let you know if she feels lonely.

When she's molting, she likes to have the pin feathers on her head groomed. She can't reach them you know. Don't worry if you don't think of it, though, she will keep pushing her head into your hand until you get the idea.

She likes to play on the bed at night and hide under the covers. You can do this for about an hour or so. Make sure you find her under the covers, though, or she will stay there all night.

Don't be upset with her if she nips off her tail feathers. We think she is part chicken. When she lifts her wings to show them to you, tell her how pretty they are. She used to nip all of her feathers and now is so proud of her "angel wings".

Oh, and one last thing. Occasionally hold her in your arms and whisper into her ear, "Love, love, love, love, love". She will say "Love, love, love, love, love" back to you. Then please whisper, "I love you, sweet bird" so she doesn't forget us.

That's about it, God. Please take good care of her. We love her and miss her very much.