Results: A Parrot's Adventures Outdoors

I worked for an army officer long ago, who hired a deaf secretary, then sent the whole staff to a week long intensive sign language course. After that, I'd catch myself accidentally signing my internal thoughts as I walked down the halls. Have you ever learned a second language and caught yourself thinking in it, instead of your primary language?

My mother sometimes used to put our parrot on the railing of their screened in pool, while she swam. One day though he got startled and flew off and landed in the middle of the swimming pool. From my father's journal: We both ran down, prepared to dive in fully clothed and rescue him. We were amazed to see that he had spread his wings to achieve maximum surface area, and he floated. Then he started pulling himself toward the pool's edge using his wings like a butterfly stroke. And, instead of squawking or shrieking in a panic, with every stroke Bongo looked left or right and kept repeating "What's this? What's this?" Does it surprise you that he panicked in English?

When he got to the edge of the pool, my father reached down and Bongo climbed up on his hand, they rinsed him off and all was well. A couple of weeks later, Bongo got spooked again as my dad worked inside. And once again he landed in the pool. My father writes: As before, he swam to the pool's edge. Before Peggy could reach down for him, he hooked his beak over the lip of the pool and pulled himself out. Realizing I (who had rescued him before) wasn't around, he looked at Peggy and said, "Where's Mel?" If you were my mom, how would you feel?

In general, how do you feel about taking indoor pets outside? (He's in a screen house here, not out loose.)