Pelikans Sanctuary

Growing up we always had the same routine. Every weekend we would go to my great
grandparent’s house to visit. We would have lunch and sometimes even do arts and crafts. My
great grandfather was a jeweler and did wood carving as a hobby and my great grandmother
was a school teacher and did art as her hobby. There last names were the Pelikans, and were
always known for there unique name. They were both retired and had a gorgeous house. It was
always spotless with very few imperfections. My brother and I would make them very nervous
when we would run around the house and play but what would always make us calm was the
stories they would tell us about their many adventures in life. The most fascinating stories that I
always remember are the stories about the many animals that they had kept over the years.
They would tell us about the time the possums were on a fair float when my grandma was only
3 years old and when my great-grandma had taken in these animals to nurse them back to
health.

In their community, they were considered the town vet. If an animal was hurt or needed a
home they would take the animal to my great grandparent’s house they would keep them until
they knew what needed to be done with them. They had snakes, birds, rats, possums, a
raccoon, and even an alligator at one point. The animals were all rescues they were considered
hopeless and were not release candidates. But whatever was in need they helped it.

In the late ’60s, my great grandparent’s house was built off of bear creek and they
bought it a couple of years after the neighborhood was established. It was a beautiful house
with a big front and back yard. I remember the house as a museum but in a fun way. My
grandma would make exhibits and put on art shows in the house for guests to enjoy. But as the
years went on and their age increased the house would get put on the back burner and their
health was the number one priority.

In 2009 my great-grandfather had passed away due to his diabetes and my

great-grandma was living on her own. She had admired gardening and was always in the yard
and when her husband died she used the garden as her way to distract her from the loss. As
time went on her health declined from old age. In her 90’s my cousin Brandon had moved in to
help her live her best life. Taking care of her put a lot of pressure on him and it was very hard to
keep up with everything in the house. My great grandma passed away right as the pandamic hit
on good friday. She was 97 years old and had passed away of natural causes.

After the passing of my great grandma, there had been an inheritance that was left to the
last of her children. The money was split evenly between the 3 of her kids and the house was to
be sold and the money would be split as well. My grandma could not bare to see the house be
sold and it had potential so she bought the house. It took about 9 months of work but the house
had been completed. The interior was gutted, the ceilings were to low so we raised them and
added a cathedral ceiling with sky lights. Since the gardening had not been kept up, I took on
the task of being the landscaper. I planted many plants in the yard and pruned back many of the
existing plants as well as ripping out the grass and growing it back myself.

The house is still unfinished will probably never be completely finshed but in honor of my
great grandparent we had built a bird sanctuary called “Pelikans Sanctuary” in the backyard of
the renovated house where they once lived. That was the one thing my great grandma always
wanted and we finally made it happen in her memory. We have 2 rescue birds that are members
of the flock. Eppie is an umbrella cockatoo and is over 20 years old. She had plucked her
feathers out due to bad homing conditions. Stevie is another member, she is a small turqoise
budgie and was neglected and never handled by the previous owners. They now live the luxury
of how a bird should live all thanks to the dream of my grandmother.