Nellie

Early this morning as the girls and I were lounging and trying to get motivated to get out of bed, I started telling them about my childhood pet named Nellie. She was a green and yellow parakeet. For the life of me I can't remember what triggered my memory of Nellie or why I felt the need to share it with them...even to the point of showing them how Nellie would dance on the window ledge when we turned music on. They were riveted to my description of this sweet little bird. Not only did she dance, but she had a favorite little bell that if waved on the ground, she would follow at a little jog but if waved around in the air, she would fly after it. We would take her all through the house chasing after that little bell. Nellie was an amazing bird. And she was loved to death. No, I mean it. She was literally loved to death. When my sister, Emily, was about 2 years old she squeezed Nellie a little too tightly one day while my brother and I were at school. The part that is always funny when we reminisce as a family is that my mom gave my brother and I a stern warning that we were never to use the fact that Emily had killed the bird against her in future arguments. For some reason, the fact that my mom had the foresight to point that out to us in the midst of our anguish and grief is hilarious to us all now.

Anyone want to share stories of their favorite childhood pet? Or show us the dance they used to do?