Como music Rachel Ries Dead Pigeon

Rachel Ries - 170128
Hi, I spoke with you briefly after your performance at Como Conservatory 1/22/17 about your "Dead Pigeon" song... Homing/Cardinal.  I mentioned to you that I raise Pigeons. Actually not raise them, I have them as pets... actually they're not pets, they are members of the family. I currently have five, they are my children and I love them dearly, and they love me SOooo much. I also have Chickens and sweet gently loving Doves (and cat and dog). .



A love story >Your song really moved me because of one of my dear sweet Pigeon named Velcro (she sticks to me ... a 7yo female Voorburg Shield Cropper).
 100312c.jpg

Video - Velcro loved to be with me.




A few years ago, Velcro had "died" on several occasions with very very serious injuries (interesting stories), but somehow she survived each time. I spent many many hours and days and days cradling her semi-conscious body in my arms hoping she'd recover, and each time a miracle, she did recover.

. . Another of my Pigeons, 2.5, a pure white now-10yo female Homer, lost her first 3 husbands to hawks and cats.
And then I got Velcro. At that time 2.5 did not have a partner, so the two females Velcro and 2.5 decided to become a couple. They fell MADLY deeply in love, they were inseparable... the ultimate love story.  They'd cry when they were apart. It was beautiful to see how much they loved each other, 24/7 constant hugging and kissing.

10420d.jpg

They were lovers for five years, THEN .....
. . . One day Velcro was flying from the aviary to the deck to visit me when a hawk swooped down and killed her in mid-air, broke her neck. Dead, she was laying on the ground with her "head next to her heart". I was devastated and still am... I cried for days. She is now buried at my farm up north. She was such a happy care-free soul, she just seemed to love life so much ... and she loved to be with me. I took it very hard, like losing a part of me. I cried, and cried, and still do... I miss her.

 140526d

Velcro's partner, 2.5 was also devastated. I had never seen a depressed Pigeon before. She'd sit near the aviary window day after day motionless all day, just staring off into space, waiting for Velcro's return home (Homing). 140612a

After that, 2.5 rarely left the aviary, always waiting for Velcro to come home. It took about 1 year for her to start a new life... 2.5 was alone now but she'd still come in the house and call and call for Velcro, searching the house for Velcro. They had spent many happy hours together in our house. It made me so sad seeing how desperately 2.5 wanted to be with Velcro again. It was easy to see that 2.5 was hurting ... so ...
. . So now it was just Newbie, a male 2yo Modena Pigeon, ...  and 2.5.



151224b

But, 2.5 resented Newbie and would not let him near her, she only wanted Velcro back. It took 2.5 many months before she finally accepted Newbies presence and then many more months before she reluctantly accepted Newbie as her new partner.
. . They've been together a few years now, but it's kinda sad though because it's just NOT the same. 2.5 finally accepted Newbie as a partner, but the love just isn't there. I never see those signs of deep affection like with Velcro. ... they just kind of live together. I know 2.5 still wants Velcro back.
. . Anyway... your song made me think of Velcro... I miss her so much.
.
.
I never think of them as birds... they are just like us, tiny feathered humans, and they have  *exactly* the same feelings and emotions that we do... love, fear, compassion, sadness, happiness, joy, loneliness, anger, jealousy, contentment, etc etc... I've seen them all. 
.
Over the years I have posted many many times about events in the Pigeons lives... tragic, funny, cute, humorous, emotional (Will make you cry), clever, and very sweet behavior. I have learned so much about life from my birds. I don't train them,... they train me - to do what they want me to do (food, water, in/out, hugs needed, etc), they speak very clearly if you stop to listen, all animals do.
. . . On my farm I had many hundreds of pets, domestic and wild. In town I can only have traditional pets plus Chickens, Pigeons and Doves (and cat and dog). I teach classes at various cities "The Art of Keeping Chickens"... Super efficient Solar coops, always above freezing for less than $5 per year, and super easy maintenance, VERY happy Chickens. 
.
. If I was a writer, I could easily write many books about the lives and adventures of birds and animals. My pet Seagull, Diddy,  deserves a book of her own, extremely intelligent and clever creature... SO many funny, unbelievable and amazing stories. She was the boss of the barnyard over my 140 dogs, 30 cows, 9 horses, sheep, goats, 9 cats, etc, and a pet fox. Diddy was wise and very intelligent.

. . Maybe you can meet Simon someday? He's famous.

                                         141013.jpg
Simon is a 16yo pure white Modena Pigeon.. he goes EVERYwhere with us.. camping, hiking, visiting, vacations, into stores, visiting relatives in the hospital, ...nursing homes (a therapy Pigeon)... we're never apart.      160830.jpg

He LOVES to ride on the dashboard. Maybe the most held by strangers, and most photographed Pigeon in the world, even been in a wedding.

131004a# Lake Superior, Split Rock Lighthouse
151012au 

151011aa - - - Simon questions the "Foot Travel Only".

Since he's so old, he is now a House Pigeon... every evening about 10pm he comes to find me to get his good-night hug. Again many Many MANY humorous and sweet stories about Simon Pigeon and his adventures... another book ~:<)  Simon has his own FB site too.
. . Anyway, mostly just wanted you to know about how your song affected me.

Les Larson (Ace or "Bert Larson" on FB (Profile is head Bert Rooster).

"Simon Pigeon goes Camping and Hiking". Part 1.

"Simon Pigeon goes Camping and Hiking". Part 1.

Simon thought it was very unreasonable to allow "Foot Travel Only".
.
Lake Superior North Shore, Sawtooth mountains.
Superior Hiking Trail is ranked as one of the top 10 hiking trails in the world. Can be hiked in many segments, but total length is 255 miles, and as high as 1,150 feet above Lake Superior. ... Great views, a very rugged trail in parts.
This time, we only hiked a very short portion of the trail, but hiked many miles (mostly vertical) at many of the rivers and waterfalls along the North Shore between Duluth and Grand Marais MN.

2007 Lucky rescue - 16' waves, 85mph winds.

Lake Superior: Years ago, I was boat-camping at one of the few safe protected spots in the 23 uninhabited Apostle Islands, on South Twin Island, 2 miles from the next nearest island (Rocky). Labor day weekend, we were alone on the islands, 2 of us, September, an overcast day, no rain, it was a beautiful evening. Weather forecast - windy, cloudy. As usual I tied up the boat as IF it were going to storm, safely tied halfway out a 150' dock, bow out to sea, two way-oversized anchors to keep the boat off the dock and 6 more lines to keep it in position, 500 feet of rope, ready for anything (almost).

At 3:00am I was awakened by the wind blowing on our tent. I grabbed a flashlight and went to check on the boat. The waves were tossing it around quite badly so I stayed and pulled on the ropes from the side, acting like a human shock absorber. I figured it was just another weather front blowing in and by daylight it would quit (it usually does) but instead, the wind and waves kept building. It was an unusually early Lake Superior Gale (usually in Nov). From 3:00am until 3:00pm waves kept building. Out in the open lake, there were 16' waves and 85 mph winds (an ore boat reported) and at my dock there were 12' waves and 60mph wind. The wave crests were blowing off in a mist and pelting me with buckets of frigid icy water. For 12 hours I stood on the shaky 6' high dock in 60mph winds freezing and holding the line tight to absorb the shock. The dock was shaking and trembling each time a wave hit, and so was I.    I watched as the shingles blew off the fishing shack behind me, and as some of the docks end boards being ripped off the dock and go sailing past me with nails sticking out, and far into the woods behind me in the strong wind. I was hoping the dock would hold up, it was shaking badly. I was hoping I would hold up, I was shaking too (cold).

But by 2:00pm, the ropes started snapping including one of the main bow lines. So with the boat bobbing up/down 12 feet, and in 60mph winds, I had to lasso the front deck cleat (nearly impossible in the strong wind and took a long long time) and JUST as I finally got it, the remaining 1800 lb test bow line snapped (whew). The water was only 6' deep where the boat was so it smashed on the bottom a few times and I knew I couldn't save the boat, and the wind continued to get worse. The 2,000# boat was often standing vertical on the lake bottom on it's stern sometimes, only the one remaining new bow line kept the boat from blowing over backwards and I was afraid that rope would break too, so we decided to try to beach the boat... nearly impossible. Fat chance, watching how the huge waves slammed the driftwood logs down hard on the beach and then tons of water crashed over them, really poor odds of success. But, it was our only chance and we had to be super fast and make NO mistakes. If we failed, the boat would be smashed to pieces and washed away. We'd be marooned with almost no food (on the boat because of bears). After a lot of rope rigging was prepared, our plan was to catch it between waves, quickly swing the bow around and quickly pull it as far ashore as we could, bow first onto shore BEFORE the next huge wave crashed down on it.

Good timing and good luck. We were about 90% successful. With the next wave smashing and pushing the stern we managed to winch it up mostly out of the water but as that wave hit, the stern cleat snapped off (whew) which was the only thing holding it from swinging broadside (doomed). But with each wave we were able to winch it up a bit farther and finally saved it (and our food). It only had a little bit of water in it (miracle). Another miracle is that the auxiliary motor stayed on after flopping loose for hours, it had made contact with the bottom frequently.

After 12 hours and with the boat safely beached, I was finally able to go ashore out of the wind to recover. I was surprised to find that I had a really Really bad case of hypothermia, quite seriously bad. I was shaking uncontrollably for several hours. Hot chocolate probably saved my life. Nearly all my toes were black and blue from tugging on the ropes so hard and eventually I lost several toenails, one never recovered, even today.

In typical Lake Superior fashion, the rest of the day actually became quite pleasant and soon it was calm. We were able to get everything back in shape, off to the next island to continued with our trip. One of many hundreds.

If anyone reads this far, I have many more similar adventures.