Sparrow passed away a few hours ago, the last child of Henry and Maudine. She was just over two years and five months old. We usually called her "Dart."
In recent months she had come to live up to her name, looking much like a baby bird, and still keen on sprinting from one point of interest to the next, even if the execution of her desires was a little slow.
She stayed out here in the living room with us, where every time she came out she got a "Hey, Dart," and usually one of us jumped up to give her a very gentle pat and check the big red lid that was her plate. Nearby, her seed dish overflowed with token offerings, but she had come to adore natural crunchy peanut butter instead. I think it was just last night or maybe the night before that she excitedly licked the plate, ready for a fresh ration. She could've taken a fancy to the moon and we would've sliced her off a nibble. There was to be no denying our girl.
She went peacefully, in her sleep, after a week of slowing down for keeps. The last time I petted her was when I came home this afternoon. She tried a small bite of fresh tofu, but she was really too tired. I remember thinking how pretty her eyes looked despite her scrawny body. The next time I saw them, they were peacefully closed. Which is all I wanted for her.
Sparrow is with Elizabeth Joy again, and they are both always with us.
(photos from Christmas Eve, 2006)
*sniff*
Posted by: Heather in PA | 25 August 2007 at 09:28 PM