A Snapshot for The Blissful Adventurer

Rita, The Green Chicken

Yes, Michael, Rita is real.  She lives with me and my three dogs and Che, the chinchilla.  She’s been with me for ten years or so.  I swear she is not an imaginary friend.  I haven’t had one of those since I was too little to remember.  Here, I’m holding her on my hand and trying to photograph her with no access to the focus ring.   As I often do, I set the focus before I picked her up and hoped for the best.  She’s normally patient with my camera although I don’t think she’s ever much interested in it.  She’s seen it for almost her whole life.  I guess she thinks it’s something I wear sometimes, like eyeglasses.  I must have hundreds of Rita snapshots.

23 Comments on “A Snapshot for The Blissful Adventurer

  1. Rita sounds like a great companion to have around the house, even if she is a little on the opinionated side. I am really enjoying your cupboard discoveries, so many treasures to feast my eyes on.

    Like

    • I’m glad you like the photos. I’m getting bored with them. I was tempted to start on the pantry when I opened the door to get a jar of peanut butter. I shut it fast. Lord, nobody wants to see inside a pantry full of dog food and candle sticks. 🙂 Rita is my friend. She really is. She understands what’s going on here. And, she has an opinion about it…as you said. Thank you for liking my stuff.

      Like

    • Thank you. I’ll tell her you said so. She whistles at herself and calls herself, “Pretty Girl”. She’ll be delighted that you agree. 😉

      Like

  2. I am glad to know you really do have a parrot. When I first found your blog and you said you had a parrot, I was reminded of a Mark Twain quote, “She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.” After learning more about you from your posts I didn’t think you would be offended if I mentioned it. I hope you are not! You are the kind of person I would want to know…interesting and independent. Enjoy the sunshine!

    Like

    • Thank you. No, I am not “offendable”, as I say. I am the kind of woman who keeps a parrot. Period. I’m glad you like some of what I post. I will always remember the Havana Browns with a smile!

      Like

    • Only a parrot person would love the in-the-feather Rita. A photo of her is benign. She is not. 😉

      Like

  3. Ah, the lovely Rita! Great shot, George! She reminds me so much of the parrot my mother “kept” when I was a child. His name was Jeronimo. I admit I did not understand him then, and, like your daughter, hated him. He bit me whenever I tried to pet him . . . Still, parrots are lovely, mysterious creatures, quite fond of their owners. They remind me somewhat of chihuahuas in that regard.

    Like

    • Parrots, especially Amazons like Rita, are an independent, opinionated, hard-to-handle species. They will accept families of people, but they bond with one person. Rita was never socialized as a baby so she is not receptive to anybody except me. She came from a Texas bird mill. She was never allowed to fledge so she has only learned to fly within the last year. She remains where I leave her and rarely flies unless I forget her or she gets lonely. Then, she can fly and land without crashing on the floor or against some object. I am particularly pleased that she learned all by herself.

      Like

    • Thank you, Mr. Ho. I look for you here. You were among the very first people to drop by. I was excited to see you and to see your wonderful parade shots with the green bearded man and the young man frantically holding his child up so that she could see. Real life. I like that.

      Like

    • Does she say things! Lord! What a voice she has. And demanding too. She calls the dogs and tells me she’s a pretty girl and answers the phone before I can say it. She tells me to “come here” and says she wants a cracker and on and on. She only talks if she wants to talk or if she wants something. She isn’t loud unless somebody comes in the house. Then I can’t carry on a decent conversation. My daughter hates her, and the feeling is mutual. Kelli gave her the “Green Chicken” moniker. Anyway, she talks. She’s a double-yellowhead Amazon parrot. And she is my best friend.

      Like

  4. What a great closeup shot and I think the colors are great. Looks like the focus on the camera was perfect. Since you have hundreds of Rita photos, maybe she kind of enjoys posing !

    Like

    • Rita doesn’t give a damn about pleasing anybody! Rita is just Rita. She’s a real witch when she’s grumpy and a sweetheart when she isn’t. She keeps me in line. If I forget, she reminds me with her nasty call: “Graneee! Come HERE!!” I know I gotta’ go. She is not going to shut up! Thanks for liking my Rita. I just read your info about conditions in Mexico. What ARE we going to do?

      Like

Comments