Today Pure & Innocent got to meet their great-grandmother (my grandmother)! I packed the doves up in their special travel cage, drove to pick up my mother, and off we went to New Holland.Grandmom was delighted to see the birds. And they took such a liking to her! Both of them sat in her hands for a good long time while she talked to them in that reassuring, nurturing tone that only a grandmother can truly resonate.
They were well-behaved and did not drop any raisins on her, and I was sure to thank them for this when we got home.
We ate a nice lunch of tuna fish sandwiches (with the doves near the table with us), and then Mom and I left briefly to browse the the fabric aisle at Good's.
Pure & Innocent loved their little stay with Grandmom while we were gone, and although I returned without the fabric I desired, it is hard to feel like you're missing out on anything when you have the love of a pair of doves. :-)
From there, the doves joined Mom and I on the journey home to my parents' house, where they met my white cat Cotton who--despite being the ferocious tiger of our backyard who hunts for and successfully preys upon birds and rodents alike (despite being on a leash)--managed to be incredibly amicable with the doves, almost as if he knew these birds were family and ought to be treated as such. Cotton is so adorable!
After a nice dinner with my parents, the doves and I returned home to the apartment, and I immediately had them soak their feet in the bathtub (since they had a few raisins stuck between their toes). They made the most of the experience, excitedly fluffing their feathers and splashing about.But the most tender moment came shortly thereafter. I had scooped up Pure and spent about 5 minutes watching her fluff and preen her feathers while sitting in my hand. When she was finished, her darling little eyes began to close (and sleepy-bird lids come up instead of down, you know), and then I decided to massage her neck, her back, and under her wings. She simply ADORED it and continued to fall asleep as I massaged. How precious!
Innocent (who was perched nearby and had been watching us closely) could see the relaxation in Pure's eyes, and he wanted some of that petting, too! So he flew directly to me, landing atop my hand which was doing the petting. How sweet! My little heart leaped. This was the first time one of my doves ever flew directly to me!
I continued to pet Pure for another 5 minutes, and Innocent was content to just enjoy being near us, his little body moving up and down as my hand moved while massaging Pure.
Eventually, Pure changed her position and so did Innocent, allowing my hands to reverse
their roles of holding and petting. So now it was Innocent's turn to receive the affection, and Pure stayed close to watch.When they had had enough, they politely made their little bird sounds and flew away. It was so cute!
The birds are molting right now, which means my living room is FULL of white feathers blowing about! It is as if someone just had a pillow fight in here, and I love the whimsical look that free-floating feathers give to what otherwise would be a boring beige carpet floor. Of course, I vacuum this place daily, and each time that I dump the waste bucket from my Eureka, I consider saving them for a pillow. ;-)
