Great Horned Owl

   I was following Joni on the way home from the hike, and she unexpectedly pulled over, telling me that she thought she had seen a owl on the side of the road. So we turned back and pulled safely over to the side of Highway 45, got out and crossed the street. From a distance I could see the telltale "horns" sticking up from the dead grasses. The owl flopped around, flailing its wings clumsily and tried to escape. The poor thing. As Joni noted, its wing bent the wrong direction—a serious, compound fracture. I took these photos from my lousy Blackberry-cam, which struggles in low light:

And Joni got this one with her camera:

   The owl glared at us as we stood there and marveled at its stunning, barred feathers, fuzzy "horns" and clear, brilliant eyes. It blinked slowly and softly, and I couldn't get over how much it looked like a cat—it really reminded me of Atom! Its talons were surprisingly large for the size of the bird, and looked fuzzy. Joni said these guys are called "the tiger of the sky" due to their ferocity. It was quieter now; perhaps because it realized we weren't there to eat it. The larger question was, were we there to rescue it?

   We debated for a few minutes. We'd have to safely catch it and get it into Joni's dog crate, keep it alive overnight, then deliver it to OWL (Operation Wildlife) tomorrow. Would it even make it that long? One eye now opened wider than the other, and the owl's life seemed to be draining away.

   Ultimately it was Joni's realization that convinced us to leave it where it was, so that nature could take its course. It would probably be eaten by a coyote. But the alternative—due to the severely broken wing—would be a life in captivity, at best. And that didn't seem to suit this noble, beautiful, and thoroughly wild creature. It wasn't an easy decision, given the extent to which both Joni and I are animal lovers. But it was the right one.

   I followed her home, and we both independently enjoyed the quiet contemplation of the harsh reality of nature, accompanied by a strikingly gorgeous sunset.

My horoscope made me do it

The Radiant 2010 by Salomon

   Today's horoscope says, "Treat yourself to something you want that you didn't get." And I'm sure it meant to say somethingS, so I bought myself an electric-yellow snowboarding coat so I can be easily spotted on the slopes, and an equally-awesome new animal-themed board. (I feel slightly less guilty since they were both heavily-discounted, and will be happily enjoyed.)

   Now, if I were completely out of control, I also would have purchased the following two awesomely-designed boards. (Lord, please grant me the strength to resist...) It is a really, REALLY bad idea for artists to become snowboarders... these things are real works of art!

b
Bataleon Violenza 2012 (maybe it will go on sale in 2013?)

The Coda 2012 by Arbor shows off gorgeous bamboo with a Japanese motif

Wildlife Surprise

   When I let the dogs out in the yard this afternoon, I walked around a bit, enjoying how big and wild my flower beds are starting to look. Now that my plants have been established for a few years, they're really filling in nicely. As I stood near the blueberry bush, I heard a rustling and looked down just in time to see a juvenile rabbit dart under the deck. Awesome. Now I have rabbits living under there, in addition to the possum (oh yes, she's back!)
   Later, I let the dogs out for one last time before going to bed. Taylor came right in, as always. Aki lagged. I called for her again. No answer. I stepped out on the deck and called. No answer. Hmm. I went into the house to get a flashlight. I stepped into the yard and could just barely hear and see Aki circling the bushes at the back of the yard. She literally started walking around the bushes on her back legs, like she was in the circus or something. I heard rustling up in the bush. Aki knew something was in there, and now I did too. I hoped it wasn't too big, or wanted to kill me. It creeped me out a little. Then I heard a hiss and knew immediately that there was a baby possum in there somewhere. I grabbed Aki by the harness and led her inside.
   How is it that these wild animals are so stupid that they hang out in MY yard? And how is it that I, an animal lover, ended up with a dog that I also love, but who wants to kill anything she can catch?
   I came inside and couldn't wait to draw this idea... before and after I turn on my flashlight.

Awesome graphic

Sign over the sink at my allergist's office. Lots of room for interpretation for what's happening in that strange drawing, but I love it!

A trip to the optometrist.

Just got back from the optometrist. Eyes-wise, the visit was pretty uneventful. But it was not wholly without incident. The assistant took me to the room, sat me down in the big crazy chair, and took initial stats. Then she asked me to remove my contacts...which of course renders me as good as blind. I sat back in the chair & she put anaesthetic drops in my eyes, checked my eye pressure, etc. But then she stood up & left kinda quickly without saying anything.
The door closed, and I heard voices murmuring outside.

Then another nurse comes in (she was blurry--but I knew it was a different person because she was considerably more weighty than the last girl) and walks slowly but deliberately toward me, saying nothing. I thought it was extremely strange. She stood right in front of me, studying something. It started to freak me out! I said, "What is it? What's wrong?!" and she didn't answer. She grabbed a tissue and in one quick move lunged at the wall & retreated. She wadded up the tissue and said, "Huge spider on the wall right behind you." The first nurse was apparently too scared to dispatch it herself, so she sent reinforcements. All I can say is, I'm glad she got it, before it got me.