Homer the "Growing Up Brittingham House Pigeon"

The National Geographic Magazine below reminded me of Homer, our indoor/outdoor Pigeon when I was growing up in the early 1960's I was probably 4th or 5th grade. We had a laundry/utility room at the back of our house. It was Cape Cod style with lots of windows with no screens. When my Mom did laundry she would open some of the windows. Either the Pigeon came to sit on the ledge of the window (or I kinda remember one of my big sister, Barbara's friends giving him to us-they were shooting pigeons at the Courthouse and she rescued him? need to confirm with Barbara) and watch her do laundry.

She would talk to the Pigeon and he would "gribble" back. I visited with the Pigeon often when Mom alerted me he was back (I think it was a "he" I don't know) I would talk to the Pigeon and named him Homer. I soon came to love my visits with Homer. Then after a while Homer would come into the laundry room and roosted on my shoulder. I took him into the living room and he stayed on my shoulder. I sat down in a chair and he stayed on my shoulder "gribbleing" If you talked to Home he would "gribble" back. I thought he was very smart.

After visiting in the house for a while I returned Homer to the laundry room window sill. He would fly away. One day after many weeks of having Homer as a friend, he never returned to the window.

My friend Debbie and I went looking for Homer, we found him dead in the bottom of a neighbors trash can. In those days people kept metal trash cans at the far back of their yard in which to burn trash. He probably had been attached by a cat or raccoon. The lady in the house saw us and asked what we were doing? We told her getting the dead Pigeon out of her

trash can. She said "I found that Pigeon dead in my yard" I was very sad. He was my friend.

Debbie and I scooped him up, made him a make shift shoebox coffin and buried him properly in the Brittingham back yard. Back then if a pet died you just buried them in the far back yard of your home.