{"id":11911,"date":"2022-08-05T07:00:41","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T11:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/?p=11911"},"modified":"2022-08-05T08:52:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T12:52:59","slug":"the-evergreen-journal-26-life-with-beaver-memoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/the-evergreen-journal-26-life-with-beaver-memoir\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evergreen Journal #26 – Life with Beaver – Memoir"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Life with Beaver\u00a0 \u2013 Memoir<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/h3>\n

By Lynda J. Lambert (1981)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

This story begins when a friend said,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201ccome along to the pet shop and see all the pretty birds.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Little did I realize that this innocent invitation would begin an addictive habit, and \u201cI\u201d was vulnerable!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Upon entering the pet shop, we walked past rows of fish tanks, admiring the various vividly colored fish and turtles of different sizes and colors. We stopped to look at them and then went on. Then we stopped to admire the numerous lizards and some other reptiles. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then, on to the bird department. <\/span><\/p>\n

Again, I looked from one feathered delight to another. Each one is so beautiful and unique in its own right. Something strange happened to me there while I kept looking from the price list on the wall to the various birds trying to ascertain which bird cost which amount. <\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, I came to a cage with a timid bird clinging to the back of the cage. My heart skipped quite a few beats, I think, and my mind went temporarily (I hope) insane. I didn\u2019t have the faintest idea what kind of bird this was, as I did not know one bird from another, but I did know canaries from parakeets. (I later learned that what I thought was a parakeet was actually a budgie.) My bird education had begun.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

At any rate, back to this bird clinging to the side of the cage\u2026I had to have this bird!<\/span><\/p>\n

I inquired what kind of bird he was and was told, \u201cA red-bellied macaw,\u201d which meant absolutely nothing to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, I told myself I would go to the car and drive home and think it over. I was feeling like I wanted to buy this bird.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I was told his name at the pet store was Beaver because he chewed up his perches as fast as they put them in. (But this was all done during the night because Beaver was so timid and afraid of people that during the day he never left the side of the cage.<\/span><\/p>\n

I went to the car and, as I went to drive out onto the highway, felt an urge to turn around, go back and stake my claim to this bird. <\/span><\/p>\n

I did!<\/span><\/p>\n

I left the pet shop with Beaver, a shining new cage, a book on Macaws, and everything they said he would need to be happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within a couple of weeks, after reading about what kind of bird behavior is desirable and what is not, I began to wonder if I had made a great mistake buying this shy bird. <\/span><\/p>\n

Beaver was terrified of anyone near his cage. He would turn and hiss and would tremble with fear. Finally, I decided to not let these things hinder me, and despite Beaver, we would tame him.<\/span><\/p>\n

That was ten months ago. Today, Beaver is still a shy bird. However, with much patience and love, we overcame any obstacles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beaver will now go in and out of his cage at will daily. I leave his door open, and he likes to sit on a plant bracket near the kitchen window. He calls out to me occasionally when he feels the urge to do so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beaver likes\u00a0 to sit on my shoulder, arm, or hand. He can shake hands and wave\u00a0 “Bye-bye.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

I am so glad I bought him before I read books on what kind of birds to purchase and what to avoid. Beaver was the kind of bird that nearly all the books say to avoid.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I would have missed out on the experience of loving this timid creature into responding and learning to trust a human friend. I would have missed having a special friend like Beaver, who learned to trust me, one slow step, day by day.Birds require a quiet and patient presence.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I was willing to work with Beaver for the rest of his life. I was dedicated to caring for him and making his life comfortable and safe.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Beaver might still be shaking with fear and clinging to the side of his cage in a pet shop. Unwanted and unloved and lonely.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, yes! Beaver now has ten feathered friends who arrived after him.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

A version of this\u00a0 story appeared in the April 1981 issue of \u00a0American Cage Bird Magazine.<\/p>\n

Revised from the original essay.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a9Lynda McKinney Lambert. 2022. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

BONUS:<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
Read Lynda\u2019s\u00a0 April Newsletter for the SCOOP on what she has been doing for the past four months \u2013 <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n
Read it NOW.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Books<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Life with Beaver\u00a0 \u2013 Memoir By Lynda J. Lambert (1981)   This story begins when a friend said, \u201ccome along to the pet shop and see all the pretty birds.\u201d   Little did I realize that this innocent invitation would …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trusting-god"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4gbwn-367","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11837,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/the-evergreen-journal-25-best-regards-to-beaver-memoir\/","url_meta":{"origin":11911,"position":0},"title":"The Evergreen Journal #25 – My Journey into the Land of Happiness and Abundance- Memoir","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"July 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"American author, Lynda McKinney Lambert, shares her first publication from September 1981. She writes about her first journal and how she set a course on a path of writing success at that time. What I could not have known at that time is that this journal would define and change\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Parrot_pexels-korhan-erdol-2344709-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Parrot_pexels-korhan-erdol-2344709-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Parrot_pexels-korhan-erdol-2344709-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Parrot_pexels-korhan-erdol-2344709-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Parrot_pexels-korhan-erdol-2344709-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12211,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/lyndas-august-newsletter-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":11911,"position":1},"title":"Lynda’s August Newsletter – 2022 – Issue #4","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"August 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Lynda McKinney Lambert's August Newsletter is OUT. Get the SCOOP - Now! See what's been happening over the summer.","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SFTP_Mockup_1.jpg?fit=1080%2C715&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SFTP_Mockup_1.jpg?fit=1080%2C715&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SFTP_Mockup_1.jpg?fit=1080%2C715&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SFTP_Mockup_1.jpg?fit=1080%2C715&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/SFTP_Mockup_1.jpg?fit=1080%2C715&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18077,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/lyndas-journal-of-blessings_sunday-morning-wake-up-call\/","url_meta":{"origin":11911,"position":2},"title":"Lynda’s Journal of Blessings: #739 – Over the River","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"November 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, my early morning wake-up call came gently at 3 a.m. Miss Bessie, one of my oldest cats, decided that I needed to get up and give her the tiny morning pill that she needs each morning. We came downstairs to the kitchen, and I gently lifted her up and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/CatWoman_pexels-jonathan-borba-2878764-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13237,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/the-evergreen-jouranl-41-going-beyond-the-memoir\/","url_meta":{"origin":11911,"position":3},"title":"The Evergreen Jouranl #41 ~ Going Beyond the Memoir","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"November 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Live interview with Lynda - I had the delight to have a conversation with Patty Fletcher on her podcast,Talk to Tell - it - to - the World Marketing.","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SFTP_Mock-up_5__.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13381,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/the-evergreen-journal-bob-lamberts-obituary\/","url_meta":{"origin":11911,"position":4},"title":"The Evergreen Journal – Bob Lambert’s Obituary","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"January 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Pennsylvania resident, Charles Robert (Bob) Lambert passed away in the early morning hours of Thursday, January 18, 2024. This obituary provides information on Bob's life, his family, and his work history. 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The new anthology edited by Marlene Masot, has just been released. Lynda McKinney Lambert has two fascinating stories in this collection of nature-themed stories.","rel":"","context":"In "#Art"","block_context":{"text":"#Art","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Strange-Weather-print-wraparound-002-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C893&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Strange-Weather-print-wraparound-002-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C893&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Strange-Weather-print-wraparound-002-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C893&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Strange-Weather-print-wraparound-002-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C893&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Strange-Weather-print-wraparound-002-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C893&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11911"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11923,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11911\/revisions\/11923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}