91-year-old actress shares life with a cockatoo
When Joan Olander was growing up on her grandparents’ farm near Rowena, S.D., little did she know she would one day become Mamie Van Doren, Hollywood smash box-office actress, and a contemporary of Marilyn Monroe, and Jane Mansfield.
Also, little did she know, in 1980 she would acquire China, a Moluccan cockatoo that would accompany her through the rest of her life.
“China & Me” is a heartwarming and deeply personal story of how Van Doren acquired the bird that has been her companion for more than four decades. Life with China has not always been easy, though, especially in the beginning. “There are few things more daunting – I’m talking downright frightening – than a Moluccan cockatoo’s scream. It is loud, piercing, and persistent – a sound that drills through your ears and brain, straight into your very soul.”
China has definitely shown his own personality, as well as flights of fancy – one quite virtually when he flew off but was located days later, eager to return to his adopted mother’s nest.
Van Doren sought out companions for China, including other birds named Mean Joe, May-May and Blossom. Sadly, all passed before China and Van Doren’s very eyes. There were other animals as well.
“China has witnessed a parade of other animals through our house. There was a rescued cat named Ernie who we found starving in an alley. There was Starlet, the world’s smartest toy Miniature Pinscher; Suave, a giant, gentle, rescued Greyhound racer; Rainbow, daddy’s spoiled minpin; Tiger, a rescued minpin; and Sofie, another sweet minpin. All of them in their turn have moved on to the Rainbow Bridge. When they died, China witnessed the crying, sorrow, and grief. When I cry, China cries too.”
While China has far outlived his natural life expectancy, so has Van Doren who at 91 could still turn the head of a 20-year-old. China and Van Doren seem fitting companions, seeing each day as a new adventure to be lived to its fullest.
Though brief, this charming book would be of interest to any animal lover or fan of Hollywood’s Golden Age. While China has certainly aged well, and Van Doren exceedingly well, her book is timeless.
Michael Tidemann writes from Estherville, Iowa. His Website is michaeltidemann.my.canva.site.