Many thanks to Jone MacCulloch for sending me one of her student's poetry notecards. What a lovely surprise in my mailbox! Here it is:
This card really touches my heart as I have a special love for those early grades and their eager students, plus... my mother had a blue parakeet pet. "He flies around the house... he is cute" Yes, I've been there as a young child also. Thank you, Alex. I can see that you love your Blueberry, and I love your poem notecard. Thank you, Jone, for this lovely project.
Just a little story about our parakeet, whose name was Chipper. He would hop about on the rim of the playpen (yes, we had playpens back then) to entertain my little brother. And... my favorite... when we played cards at the table, he would perch on my dad's mostly bald head and slowly draw the long comb-over hairs through his beak. And once, when he hopped to the table, we put a tissue over him and he hopped around like a little ghost. Hahaha... I laugh just remembering it.
Sharing little stories makes my day. I hope it made yours also.
Hop on over for a visit with Michelle Barnes at Today's Little Ditty for an interview with Nikki Grimes and preview of her beautiful book, Southwest Sunrise. Just another wonderful Poetry Friday offering.
Have a good week, and stay safe and well.
Thanks for sharing these great stories about Chipper, Karen! The comb-over hairs and ghost hop had me laughing out loud. :D We had a parakeet named Poppy that we fondly referred to as the one-winged wonder budgie. (He had lost a wing due to a tumor, but came through the surgery brilliantly.) Blueberry is a great name for a parakeet too.
ReplyDeleteI loved my postcard poem, too, Karen. Blueberry is the cutest name for a parakeet. And I "get" your story with those parakeets (& playpens). My grandmother had a blue one named Frankie, a loving bird that kept her company for a long time. I love your story about Chipper & your dad! Ha!
ReplyDeleteYou remind me that I need to share the poem postcard I got from one of Jone's students! Mine is about pineapple!
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ReplyDeleteI love that kids get the chance to write poems and illustrate them! It's a wonderful project from Jone! My friend had a parrolet named sunny. I adored it, too. It was recently, too. So interesting to see how affectionate and so full of personality. We had parakeets, too, for a while until my father's allergies made us give them away...... your story of your parrot on your dad's head with his hair (your dad was a saint) and with the tissue hopping about....well, adorable.
ReplyDeleteJanet Clare F.
What delightful reminisces Alex's poem prompted. I think you should dwell in the moment longer - and hopefully hatch a picture book from those memories!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing both Alex's poem and your wonderful childhood stories. I got a laugh out them, too, especially the game-time grooming. Ha!
ReplyDeleteWhat an adorable story, Karen. I remember playing at my friend's house whose mother had parakeets. They made awful shrieks and smelled so I never got used to those pets but your parakeet sounds like he was a fun-loving one. Stories are great to pass around now so thanks for the laugh. I got a student postcard too that I am adding to #NatureNurtures2020 collection (Jone said I could.)
ReplyDeleteTeaching first grade, the poetry writing unit was my favorite and I always felt a sense of my 6 year old writers feeling free like "birds soaring. The visual pictures they would created were amazing and the joy they found in their own writing was exciting. Thanks for reminding me, Karen!
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