TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Ernie's Song Lives On

ADVERTISEMENT

Lyn & Bill Roche

Published: September 14, 2007

His name was Ernie. He was a gift to Mom from her hairdresser, who just happened to breed canaries.
Ernie was not a young bird at the time. In fact, he'd fathered many offspring and the hairdresser/canary breeder would often borrow him for breeding purposes.

At the time he joined our family, none of us had any experience with - or exposure to canaries. We didn't have a clue what to expect. In fact, we thought Ernie would be yellow. After all, weren't all canaries yellow like Warner Brothers' Tweety Bird?

No, Ernie was orange with scattered dark brown spots and he always looked a little disheveled. We learned his color was called bronze in the canary world. There was a lot to learn about the newest member of our family.

We all quickly realized that when it came to singing, Ernie was quite the enthusiast. His cheerful song filled the house all the time. And, although Old Ern had quite a reputation as a lover, we soon became aware that his real love was not the girls - it was his little plastic bathtub. His singing and his splashing could be heard for hours at a time.

Mom had been told to offer Ernie a shallow dish of fresh water a few times a week. Ernie had other ideas. Straggly appearance not withholding, he was meticulous about his bathing. He bathed daily. Perhaps, that's why the ladies were attracted to him. We were told they couldn't resist him.

Ernie was a joy to everyone! In our work, we've written about and talked about the important role family pets can play in the emotional and physical health of their owners. Pet therapy is widely recognized by the medical and professional caregiving community. Generally, we tend to think about cuddly mammals - dogs and cats in particular.

However, birdcages are now common in the rooms of many care facility residents. The general consensus has been that parakeets are social and canaries are not. Since parakeets "talk" or mimic sounds they hear, they are the most popular choice as companion birds.

We've come to believe when authorities state that canaries aren't social, they must mean with each other. Male canaries will almost always fight one another. And, male and female canaries don't get along too well outside of the mating season.

Based on our experience with Ernie, we'd have to say he was extremely social with us. He was excellent company and he constantly provided wonderful entertainment. Just being around him could help anyone's emotional well-being.

We were never told how old he was when he joined our family, except that he wasn't a young bird at the time. One day, his splashing and his singing stopped. We found Ernie beak-down in his little blue bathtub.

At first, Mom was sure he'd drowned. But, we told her he had most likely died, as her other favorite singer, Bing Crosby had died — doing what he loved best. The Old Crooner was known to love golf with an energetic passion just like Ernie loved to bathe.

Bing Crosby died at age 74 of a heart attack after playing 18 holes of golf. We're convinced Ernie also died of a heart attack after enjoying what he loved best — his bath time.

Although, there are thousands of recordings of songs sung by Bing Crosby, there is no tangible recording of Ernie's song — just the one recorded in our hearts.

Lyn and Bill live in Highlands Ridge. Lyn is the author of Coping With Caring: When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer's or a Related Condition. Together they've authored Sharing The Care: When Someone You Love Resides in An Adult Care Facility. They facilitate a support group for caregivers at Crown Pointe Assisted Living Facility every Thursday at 1 p.m. Contact them at 402-0464.

©2007 Journey Publications

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT