and I don't like them.
You may probably guess that a career in real estate is a challenge right now. You would be right. But in a way, I feel so worthy to my clients, and so focused on the minute details of the everyday financial challenges,,,,that I love what I do! I feel like my knowledge and experience are really helping my clients wade through this financial nightmare , and steal some fantastic real estate deals! That makes me happy!
Personally, our life is cruising right along. I can not believe that Sonny will be playing his last football game, ever, on Nov. 22. We have a huge contingency going to support him. It will be Senior Day, Parent Day and also The Game. We don't know yet if it will be for the Ivy League Championship, like it was last year,,,,someone must beat Brown...but it will be the great rivalry that has existed between the 2 schools for the past 125 yrs. or so. Sonny started playing tackle football in 3rd grade when we moved to Charlotte. The funny thing about football is that there really is no after. Basketball, tennis, track, soccer, all have post college opportunites. Full tackle football, not so much. Sure he will have the opportunity to play flag etc. but it won't be the same. Most college football players hang up their cleats. But some may play on! It is so exciting to watch the MV connection of , Mark Sanchez,,Nick Reed, Konrad Reuland, RJ Toman, the Moline's, and all of the other hard working college athletes. I go to the MV football games now and see the tradition is continuing with great athletes moving on to fantastic college opportunities. Sonny accepted a job with PAAMCO, and is thrilled! He interned with them over the summer and had THE best time. He feels blessed that he will be going into a job that he knows intimately, and also knows the other employees, and best....will be in Orange County! Yeah!
Anothe Senior in our household, Colin. has been conditionally accepted by CalState, Monterey! Yeah! We still have to hear from CalSt Channel Islands, and San Marcos, but we were so excited to know that he is off to College! The lacrosse connection has invited many offers, however they are from private schools, and well, honestly, the off-side, location, cost etc. really can not compare to what Calif. has to offer. Colin wants to start a lacrosse team wherever he ends up....he realized that the game is what he enjoys...and wants to bring it to whatever campus he ends up on.
Many of you know that I am an animal person,,,,as are my kids. Four years ago we decided that we needed a bird, a cockatiel specifically. We headed to the local bird store and returned with "Malloy" named after that aussie surfer dude. He had the bright red cheeks and a yellow and green body. (usually indicative of a male) We didn't have his wings clipped, because we didn't know how to do it,,,and we had a "bird dog" in house.
Yes Thatcher "caught" Malloy once,,,gently in his mouth, as good bird dogs will do, and after a bit of shrill squaking...he dropped him...and he immediatley went after Thatcher...pecking, screeching, and flapping wings in sheer disgust. After that, Malloy would come out of his cage and just strut around,,,and go up to Thatcher and let him know who was boss. Clue, it wasn't Thatcher anymore. Malloy would jump on his back and pull his hair. We didn't really know what this was all about. Then one day we noticed Thatcher's hair in Malloy's cage, with an egg in it! He was a She! We were all excited thinking that we were going to have a baby bird! Then I realized, we still only had 1 bird. Didn't make any difference to Malloy! Now referred to as a she...she sat on that egg..and screeched at anyone that came near.
Malloy laid more eggs over the last 4 years. She was even "caught" by Bentley once, and gave him quite a thrashing once he let her go. Feeling a little guilty about her lack of "open access" to our house....I did feel that I had to be here when she was out and about...I bought her a new house only 3 weeks ago. Lovely three times the size etc...etc.. Thinking back on it now..I'm not so sure she really liked it. Last weekend, I was working on a contract on my computer, and I heard a loud thud. I thought wow...that was quite a jump for her...but then I remembered that her new cage was 2 stories....OK....
I packed up my work and headed up the stairs to bed. I passed her cage to cover her up for the night, and she was on the bottom, still, and dead.
I felt terrible. There is something about having an animal in your care that registers so loudly ...what did I do wrong? What could I have done? did she have a good life?
Her cage is still there. Empty. No more bird songs. Did I mention the time she escaped? We took her cage out to the backyard, on the table. She liked the breeze and sunshine. Somehow she got out. She was gone for 3 days. On the third day, Mairin went walking down the stree, doing the "malloy whistle" and she whistled back! She was on my neighbors 2nd floor windowsill...looking disheveled..and wanting to come home. Remember her wings were not clipped...but she saw Mairin and jumped onto her shoulder with such relief in her eyes! What a world it was for her!
Cockatiels can live for 20 years. We feel like we did something wrong with her.
We miss her. Miss her songs and screeches.
She added so much to our family. Afterall, life is a circle.
Goodnight Malloy. Thanks for all of the great memories.
