Parenting In Today's World

 I have two passions that consume my time in these, my latter years.  One is writing my 'Slobbers' books. The second is keeping track of our yard's resident Great Horned Owls.

In the late winter, and early spring they make themselves known because they get very vocal during mating season. It has always been interesting to me that the male has a low-pitched hoot, which I would expect. The female, a somewhat higher pitch. Yet size wise, the male is smaller than the female. How they do court one another!

Getting to see them is difficult at best because of their nocturnal habits though at times they will spend a day in a leafless tree.  Some years they tolerate me with my ever-ready camera, other times they take off as soon as I appear. This year they have been a bit spooky until just lately. For the past several weeks the male has been perching on several snags, tree limbs, and even our pergola which is quite close to the house. If I'm careful, I get wonderful photos.

That aside, Dad is perching away from the nest because Mom is tending the eggs and now the hatchlings. I am over the moon that I located them this morning and will be keeping track of what looks to be three as they learn about life beyond the nest.

Now that they have hatched, Mom and Dad will take turns tending them so the other can rest. After the eggs are laid, Dad takes over the stockpiling of food at night while Mom guards the eggs. They both have tremendous responsibilities and they do what needs to be done to see that those responsibilities are carried out. From now until it's time to send the kids off on their own, which will be at summer's end, both parents will be hovering around their offspring, feeding them, teaching them to fly and to hunt. It's called parenting. It is wonderful to watch.

It's interesting to me that animals, be they birds or mammals, take on the challenge of what comes naturally to them, having kids and raising them.  They don't complain.  They don't run away from it. They just do what needs to be done.  It comes naturally to them.

It seems to me a lot of my fellow humans could take some parenting lessons from our 'less intelligent' neighbors.

Don't Let the Smoke Get in Your Eyes...

 If you ever wondered what life would be like if you lived in your backyard smoker, it might be something like this.

This was sunset last evening. The odd thing is there are no fires close by.  That's how bad it is. 

Everything reeks.  Your clothes, your hair. Your eyes sting and your throat is raw. The temperatures have been in the high 90s and 100s for weeks now. There is no rain in sight.

 Our president says these fires need urgent attention.  They've been buying out of control for how long now? The problem is we're running out of firefighters!

I have a theory about climate change. For all those who think deadfall should just stay put, this is the end result of that thinking.  It's tinder dry and fuel for fires that are destroying homes and decimating wildlife.

Those who say we'll all be dead in ten years or so if we continue at our current pace, that may be true but not for the reasons they preach. It will because there will be no farms left to produce food, nor wildlife left to maintain balance. It will be just one big, charred landscape brought about by those who think they know more than land management professionals and mandate ridiculous policy. 

The smoke has fogged their eyes and brains for longer than I care to think...