Originally, I snapped a photo of this inquisitive fellow as an example of a fun craft project, but looking at it later I noticed the reflection in his eye. Wow a blue eyed owl! You don’t see that every day, I thought.
There is so much symbolism and mythology around owls I could write a book but instead I’ll tell you:
How I Became An Owl Mother
In college in way out in Western Oklahoma
I worked in the local natural history museum.
I was the Girl Friday to a director who
was always going out “collecting.”
Leaving me to take “mind the store”.
On one occasion he knocked
a newly hatched owl out of its nest.
For whatever reason he
brought it back and it became my
job to take care of it.
The baby owl looks like a fluffy puppy
a ball of white down with
big blue eyes like all newborns.
Think Furby.
It was fun to feed it
talk to it, and
quiet it when we had big wigs came visit.
We never knew if it was a he or she.
Then she grew and grew and grew,
until it was relegated to a store room.
I went out after dates or homework at night
to feed, my now big brown screaming clawing, baby owl
dog kibble.
While I was away for the summer
I received a short note from the director
they had to let the owl go free because
no one but me could feed him.
The owl had bonded with me
I was her mother.
I still wonder if a coyote got it the first night
or do I have
owl grandchildren circling
somewhere out in the vast
Western sky?
Carol Carlisle
Light Words 
I am sure it is the owl grandchildren option.
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Good to know. You might have seen them I bet. :). Makes me happy to know You read the stout!
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Carol, have you read the book, Wesley the Owl?” It was published about four years ago or so…about another owl mother. Fabulous, fabulous book!
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I know when my daughter was in the 2nd grade owls where part of the curriculum. Is Wesley yours? Thanks.
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No Wesley isn’t one of my books. It was written by Wesley’s person, Stacey O’Brien. I highly recommend it; it was just charming–even if you don’t like owls (and I love them!)
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Perhaps we should write an owl and spider book 😉
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What a story 🙂 I guess when you’re a ‘mother’ you really have to face the dilemma of letting your little one go someday (I can’t imagine how difficult that would be). And I guess just like moms, you can only hope for the best, you’ve done your part, what they do with the rest of their lives is now they’re own doing.
I’m sure yours is having a blast soaring free ‘in the vast Western Sky.’
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Being a mom is about letting go for sure! Over and over from the first day of school till like this year when she moved in to her own place. The owl must have been practice…The wisdom on letting go and watching them soar! 🙂 Very insightful Aian
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Always knew you were “wise”.
NDL
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