Pickles The Parrot: A Humorous Look At Life With An African Grey - Softcover

Abbott, Georgi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1482678128 ISBN 13: 9781482678123

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Synopsis

You can find the Ebook at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31179 Everyday life with an African Grey Parrot seen through the humorous and often twisted mind of his owner, Georgi. Her interesting perspectives on animal intellect and unique insights into nature take the reader on a thought provoking, entertaining and often hilarious ride. The star of the book, Pickles, takes his adventures in stride with wit and charm. Pickles is an intelligent parrot who constantly challenges Georgi to keep up with him, both physically and intellectually. His demanding, outspoken yet fun loving attitude places both himself and his owner in some very amusing, and sometimes embarrassing, situations. Georgi touches a bit on nature, as it pertains to Pickles when he is outside in his aviary - their beautiful yard, trout pond and wild birdlife. She speaks of the trials and tribulations of owning a parrot - diet, behaviour and bird intelligence - but for the most part, this book is about the antics of a parrot who thrives on attention and mischief. Follow Pickles on Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/georgiabbotts.picklestheparrot http://www.picklestheparrot.com/

About this title

From the Author:

Still though, there were days he was good about going in the cage and I had no problem locking him in so one day I had some shopping to do and was gone for about 45 minutes.  Upon my return, I thought it curious that I wasn't greeted with Pickles' usual "Mama's home!  Hello baby!" so I walked into the living room to investigate.
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach as I realized my very, very, VERY worst fear had become a reality.  I stood, dumbfounded, gaping at an empty cage.  Somebody broke in the house and stole him.
 
Then I noticed the cage door.  hmmm.  What kinda self-respecting thief would steal a parrot and take the time to lock the cage door in the open position?  Damn, I'd gone out and forgot to put Pickles in his cage.  My relief quickly turned to worry though because he wasn't anywhere in sight.
 
I began my search, looking for signs of a poop trail.  I'm calling for him and his silence conjures up images of an electrified bird lying in a smoking heap behind the couch (having chewed through an electric cord).  My grasping mind tells me "it's okay, you know how he clams up in impish delight while enjoying an impromptu game of hide-and-seek" but I'm uneasy non-the-less.
 
As I'm on my hands and knees, peering under a couch, I hear a VERY distinctive nose laugh.  You know the sound - when someone is laughing through their nose with their mouth closed.  I look up from my crouched position, into the kitchen about 6 feet away and there, smack dab in the middle of the dictionary stand, roosts a smartass little Grey.
 
"Pickles!" I exclaim. 
 
"What's up?" he queries with a twinkle in his eye.
 
"I've been looking all over for you!" I reply.
 
"Huh?" he asks.
 
"You heard me."  I said, which triggers more nose laughing and some gleeful head bobbing.
 
As I walked toward him he commanded, "Step up" as his little footsie was waving in the air in anticipation of my hand and a free ride home - or so I thought.
 
The moment he stepped up on my hand, he flung himself upside down exclaiming "Upside down bird!"  I told him to get back up as I righted him with my other hand.  After momentarily obliging, he promptly fell over once again.  He thought this a delightful little game and continued to fall over like some stinkin' drunk.
 
So there I am, walking around with an upside down bird on my hand, telling him to get back up and he's piping "get back up!" right back at me.  I carry this lippy, drunken bird to the cage and try to set him down gently on his back but he just lies there clinging to my finger.  I try to pry his talons off but they just dig in deeper.
 
I give up, sit on the couch and place him on his back in my lap, between my legs.  He lies there, trying to outlast me.  Eventually he says "ticko, ticko, ticko" so I tickle his belly.  He gets so excited that he releases his hold but is now stuck on his back like a turtle, waving his feet frantically in the air.  I don't help the little stinker.  Instead, I sit there and nose laugh.
All this time I had thought Pickles was getting his vocabulary from me.  As it turned out, he'd been reading the dictionary behind my back.

About the Author:

Georgi lives with her husband, Min Pin dog and African Grey Parrot, Pickles, in a small town near Kamloops, British Columbia.  They have a beautiful yard which they have transformed into wild bird habitat with extensive landscaping and small trout pond.  Georgi is semi-retired and likes to spend her time surrounded by nature and wildlife which includes camping and flyfishing.  Pickles accompanies them on their trips and also likes to ride in his backpack on hikes, walks or a trips to the store. Georgi has been writing stories about Pickles for Good Bird Magazine for several years and has also penned several flyfishing and nature conservation articles.  Look for her other two books - 'Pickles The Parrot Returns' and 'Pickles The Parrot Speaks: On Life, The Universe, And Sesame Seed'.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1482678128
• ISBN 13: 9781482678123
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 146