The Other Day of Acknowledgement

I acknowledged Pierre on here not too long ago and here I am again blogging about my old boy. On Saturday August 4th, it was exactly one year ago since I last saw him.

Pierre had spent much of the day with me, as he had been doing so while I'd been off recovering from my accident. A blessing for sure having his company while I sat at home doing lots of nothing through these weeks. While no one could ever see my broken ribs, this brought enough horror to some and raises eye brows to this day with the scarring I still have.

I remember the day well. It was around 3 pm. The sky was getting dark as a thunder storm was rolling in. Pierre was having a feed from my hand and I knew he was about to leave, to take shelter (probably wherever he's lived all his life). I wished him to be safe and that I would see him later.

The next day he did not return. His missus was here, as were the rest of his flock. Something felt different right away. Somehow I knew. I held out hope for him in the coming days but it faded.

I was, and still am, sad about this. I know none of us will live forever. I miss him. He was one helluva bird and he was my friend. Pierre spent a lot of time with me over those last 5 years and 2 weeks. I saw him more than I did my wife during the weekdays. He was a wild and free bird, but he chose to be with me. It wasn't always about getting a handout either. He'd spend hours hanging out, occasionally sitting on my lap or shoulder.

He had a lot of trust in me as some of you may recall the day I brought him into Toronto Wildlife to get the thread off his toes. I never patted him but I could easily stroke my fingers down his chest and belly. He would sit on my hand as I walked the backyard. Other times he would race me to the backdoor. He was awesome!

I remind myself of all this when I do get sad about him. He was a "gift" and I will never forget him. In a world full of selfish humans, he was a comforting friend. When people disappointed me, he was always there. I've said it before and I will say it again, "I will always know where I stand with an animal, it's people I'm never sure about".

Pierre Forever!

This is the last selfie I took of us, just days before he disappeared.