ten good things about po

Po passed away this weekend. She brought us so much happiness that there are far more than ten good things about Po. But here are ten:

1. She was friendly. When we brought her home for the first time, we carried her in a little cage in the hour long car ride. By the time we were halfway home, she was already up against the cage's side, touching Jay's hand. We knew at that moment that she was going to be a friendly bird. And she always was, to everyone.

2. She was super smart and had a great memory. For instance, any time I started running the tap and went to get her from my head or shoulder or wherever she was, she knew it was time for a bath. Even if the last time I had tried it was months ago. So she knew to fly as far away as possible. And she knew to keep flying away from me until I gave up. Or until she got too tired and I won. She never liked baths.

3. She kept us good company at all hours. She slept next to us every night in a cubby that hung from her play gym on my nightstand. I would love waking up in the morning and see her little green belly right next to me. Her head was always tucked away but I loved seeing her green belly, which was always the brightest part of her feathers.

4. She was an expert flyer. She even started flying in the dark, which she was never the best at, but she would risk if it meant getting to spend more time with us in the bed.

5. She had lovely chirps. I would love when we were coming home and we hadn't yet opened the door, hearing her from the hallway doing some continuous little chirps, waiting for us to come home, and as soon as the door would open, she would stop. She also had a special call she would do for me when I wasn't in the room and she was looking for me. And as soon as she could see me, she would stop.

6. She was a good travel companion. Aside from her many visits to my parents' house, whether it be because we were going away and needing a babysitter or we were going over there for a weekend and wouldn't think of leaving her by herself, she made overnight trips to Boston, New York, and even stayed in a hotel in New Haven. She enjoyed experiencing new places and never stayed timid for very long.

7. She had the cutest, little jumps. If she didn't have to go too far, say from Jay's finger to my finger three inches away, she would just do a little jump without moving her wings and it was so cute that we would make her do it over and over again and laugh each time at how adorable she was.

8. She was a good teammate. She and I would work hard at grooming her feathers and making her look good. And even when I accidentally plucked a feather and it hurt, and she let me know with a loud squawk, she would always let me continue until she looked her best.

9. She was a great companion. Most nights, as soon as we got home, she would fly out to us and spend the entire night with us, whether it be on top of the computer screen while one of us was on the computer, or on the towel bar closest to the shower when one of us was showering. Often times, while I was watching TV, she would choose to sit on one of my hands close to my face. She just liked to be close to my face and sit, without being pet or anything. She just liked being near us.

10. She gave us so much joy. There was not a day where we weren't excited to see her and spend time with her. We absolutely loved this little bird. She was so special.