A Friend Departs To Sing A New Song

Some of you may remember my post of October 5th 2009, in which I introduced my collection of birds. I emphasized a yellow canary who had a tumor and yet sang beautifully, especially when I entered the room. If you'd like to read the original post, it's at
http://windsweptadventure.blogspot.com/2009/10/story-of-life-lived-well.html

His tumor continued to grow since that time and at some point he gave up his singing, though he still ate well and seemed happy and friendly:

I watched closely, lest his tumor grow so large that it prevented him from eating and drinking. Thankfully, that never happened:

There came a morning a few weeks ago when I uncovered his cage and somehow knew that he would be dying soon. So I took a few photos so that I could make this post when the time came. Yet back then he was still happy, lively and eating heartily:

But the other morning I uncovered the bird cages and found him dead. The death of a pet is always a mystery and always sad. We have less ritual and support for such an event than we do for our human family. But some pets are special, and this little yellow singer was one of them. Good bye, my little friend. You enriched my life and blessed me with both joy and song: