• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe

Introducing…

June 18, 2020
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window

Our younger son has loved birds for as long as I can remember. And, at some point during this pandemic, he started asking for a pet bird.

I didn’t pay much attention for a while. But he kept asking. And asking. And asking. Then his brother started talking about the pet bird he was going to get, too. You know what they say, brothers of a feather ask for birds together.

The idea just…took flight.

I was sure my husband wouldn’t be on board with the idea, but he never opposed it. And I found myself realizing that if we were going to do something crazy like get a couple birds, we might as well do it while we are home basically all the time.

So, even though we have hardly left the house since March 13, we made an exception to go pick out two zebra finches at a pet store near our house. We got a cage and bird food and cuttlebones and a little bird bath and all kinds of things I never thought I’d buy.

Now we have two little zebra finches. They are cute as can be. They flutter around and chirp to each other and cuddle up next to each other on their perches.

The boys sit and watch them together. It’s all just so very sweet.

The white one is named Fred, and the one with the zebra markings is named George. They’re named for the Weasley twins as a nod to the Harry Potter reading frenzy we’ve undertaken during the pandemic.

I never thought I would be a bird owner, and I never planned to become one during a global pandemic. But here we are, and I think these two tiny little creatures are going to bring our family lots of pleasure.

This summer is for the birds.

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Rita Buettner

Rita Buettner is a wife, working mother and author of the Catholic Review's Open Window blog. She and her husband adopted their two sons from China, and Rita often writes about topics concerning adoption, family and faith.

Rita also writes The Domestic Church, a featured column in the Catholic Review. Her writing has been honored by the Catholic Press Association, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association and the Associated Church Press.

View all posts from this author

| Recent Commentary |

Celebrating 19 years of marriage

How can I help?

Question Corner: Does insufficient faith keep us from being healed?

Archbishop Wenski: ‘Change the narrative about migration’

Cardinal Dolan: Are Sunday Masses just too long?

| Recent Local News |

Frank Bramble, 75, put his business skills to charitable use throughout archdiocese

Baltimore Basilica will host Marian Conference

New artwork honors hero of Cumberland

Radio Interview: Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore awarded $2 million VA grant

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Frank Bramble, 75, put his business skills to charitable use throughout archdiocese
  • Baltimore Basilica will host Marian Conference
  • Farm bill key to food security in U.S. and abroad, Catholic activists say
  • ‘Heartbeat law’ ruling breathes new life into South Carolina’s pro-life movement
  • Florida death-row inmate’s lawyers, bishops, advocacy groups urge stay on Oct. 3 execution
  • Celebrating 19 years of marriage
  • How can I help?
  • New artwork honors hero of Cumberland
  • Message in Marseille: Welcoming the ‘stranger’ is a global mandate

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2023 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED