Usually we are careful to inspect and keep our nine Quakers' wings trimmed. In fact, we mentioned a day or two previously that Fluffy was due for a flight feather inspection and possible trim. Recently, she had begun to flutter down to Bill's shoulder from her play tree as he sat at the computer. However, a quick glance at her flights revealed only a borderline needed trim. There were two new feathers, but they were the shorter ones. The only long flight feathers were the two that crossed near her tail. We had never cut those two long blue feathers. It did not seem necessary since Fluffy is a short and stout Quaker that had never given us a problem trying to fly. So, we decided to wait a bit longer before doing the trim.
A couple of days later on a particularly cold Thursday evening in January, Bill stepped out into our backyard where he assumed I was taking a cigarette break. Actually, I was busy in a back room in the cabin. Fluffy was perched on Bill's shoulder where she loves to ride. Fluffy knows "stay" and she will remain on a shoulder if you tell her to "stay" while showing her the palm of your hand, just like you instruct a dog to "stay." Quakers are smart and can learn a lot more than many folks give them credit for. However, that evening Bill forgot to tell her to "stay."
Bill decided to walk about the yard for just a moment. As he glanced upward at the dark winter clouds, he remembered the previous cold North Texas night when the temperature dropped to 11 degrees. As Bill bent over to pick up a misplaced shovel, a startled Fluffy flew from his shoulder across the yard. Then she lined up with the center of the road and she flew a full block before taking a sharp left turn over some tall trees and disappeared from sight. All that time Bill was hot on her trail calling to her, but she was too frightened to fly back to him or to land. After she disappeared from sight Bill ran back to the cabin to relate to me what happened. Minutes later we were walking along the streets looking and calling for Fluffy. Some of our neighbors joined in the search. This became a most distressing three hours for us on that cold winter evening.
I was in a panic but kept my head while calling and whistling for her, since she will answer my calling and whistling. Eventually we heard her calling to us. We found her perched midway up a tall tree. She wanted to fly down to me but was unsure of herself. She was trying to keep her balance on the tiny limb while trying to get into position to flutter down to me, but that limb was too limber. She was visibly concerned about the distance between us. I borrowed a neighbor's ladder and intended to climb to her, but she was perched far from a sturdy branch. In the meantime, Bill ran home and retrieved a long rod and attached her small sleeping container to it in hopes she would step into the open door. But, Fluffy flew out of sight again before we could raise the sleeping container to her. We do not know whether the long pole or a passing truck frightened her into taking flight again.
Now, I know some men think women are a little daft about certain things, but I recognize that Fluffy's chirps and whistles are distinct from any other bird, whether inside or outside this cabin. There were dozens of birds chirping in the bushes and trees in our wooded community, but somehow I could hear Fluffy among the many others. When my son PeeWee was Little, his cry was distinctly different from every other child's. Call it motherly instinct, but it is true.
For an hour we walked, called, and listened. Then I heard it! Yes, that is Fluffy chirping to us! And, she was not far away! At first I thought she was on top of the roof over our neighbor's trailer. The trailer sits under a roof built about a couple of feet above it. Then I thought she was hidden from sight somewhere between the roof and the top of the trailer. I climbed the ladder and looked, but she was nowhere to be found! By now she had stopped her soft chirping. I was becoming really frightened since it was getting late, and the sun was sinking like our spirits. I wondered if Fluffy could survive the quickly approaching night and the below freezing temperature! She had never been outside by herself! I had adopted Fluffy four years ago, and she was my first Quaker. To lose her this way would not be fair!
We walked up and down several blocks looking and stopping every few steps to listen for her. By now Fluffy had been gone for almost two hours. Bill decided to drive around the blocks of homes looking and calling to her. My son and I continued to walk down the road from where we last saw Fluffy.
Suddenly we heard Fluffy chirping again! We could not see her, so I continued to call to her. Ever few seconds she would answer. Eventually we saw her perched on a lady's window ledge. My son climbed over the chain link fence and ran to her. She stepped up promptly for him, and we were very relieved that she was safe. But, our signs of relief lasted only a moment.
The lady in the house had chosen that very moment to open her back door to allow her two pit bull dogs to take their evening romp in the yard! The two big dogs were growling and baring their teeth while running toward PeeWee and Fluffy. PeeWee scrambled over the fence in the nick of time, but in the process lost his gentle hold on Fluffy. Away she soared again! We were so close to having her safe and sound with us!
By this time Fluffy had enough of her flying all over the neighborhood. Instead of flying straight and getting lost again, she flew in big circles around us. She would fly high enough to clear the tree tops, then drop to near our head level before she headed upward to clear more trees. One neighbor tried to catch her as she flew near him, but that only frightened her more. She was constantly chirping and her stubby wings were a blur.
The circles became smaller and smaller as Fluffy became more and more tired. Finally she landed about 100 feet away, but she chose a roof over a second story balcony on a vacant house. We ran toward her while wondering if she would stay long enough for us to reach her. Now, how were we going torescue her? We had no key to get into either the house, nor a phone number to call to get a key. She would not fly down from such a height no matter how much we encouraged her.
I decided to climb onto the carport then somehow make my way to the screened balcony. Bill decided to take another route to reach close to Fluffy in hopes she would fly to him. At least she would be calmer with him being closer. My climb was not going to be easy on such a large house with several roofs. That particular house has a roof above the carport that you have to climb up, then scale down to a small roof over a porch, then climb up to another roof near the side of the balcony. I had to dodge hot wires too!
I am afraid of heights, but at that moment that did not matter anymore. I was going to get my baby no matter what! While I worked my way under wires and along the edges of the porch roof, Bill climbed along the edge of another roof that stopped within fifteen feet of Fluffy. There was no way for him to reach the balcony roof where she sat, so he tried to keep Fluffy calm while I opened a screen to get inside the balcony just below where Fluffy was perched. Luck was with us that time. Bill told me exactly where to extend my arm and place my hand near Fluffy. We were all calling for her to step up, although she could see only my hand. Finally she stepped up on my finger and I slowly lowered her into the balcony. Fluffy was safe! Her eyes were so wide - I kissed her, cried a little, then scolded her a little, and then kissed her again.
Then I began to wonder how to climb up and down all those places again with her on my hand. Thankfully, my mother had given me a Christmas gift that I was wearing at this very moment. Yes, this loose fitting jacket had large zipper pockets! I placed her in one of the large pockets, zipped it shut, and started the long way down off this house without hurting Fluffy in my pocket. At this time, I did not care if I hurt a tail feather or two. She was safe with me, and I was not going to let go of her now after over three hours of hunting, hurting, and crying. She remained calm during the long time that it seemed that it took me to get off the roof.
After safely reaching the ground we decided Fluffy was not coming out of my pocket until we got her into our bird/living room. Soon she was safe and happy on her perch. Immediately she received a close wing clip.
We were happy once again at the little cabin by the lake. Bill and I sipped some Blue Nun wine that night to toast the special occasion of having all of our Quaker companions safe, sound, happy, and loved. It is a perfect moment now when Fluffy sits on my shoulder and rubs her soft cheek up and down against my cheek. Every day she looks at me with her soft, adoring, brown eyes and says those most wonderful, precious two words in the world, "LOVE YOU!" It doesn't matter that she says those same words when she wants a bite from our dinner plates; the meaning is the same to me.