The Great Owl Mystery

I was sitting at my desk working when I heard something outside my window. The sun had already set but it wasn't late. Only about 7 or so. The noises kept coming. Owls I decided, but also a coo of another bird, I wasn't sure what.

The next day I remembered my nephew and niece had seen an owl in the pine tree outside my window a couple of months ago.

I decided to investigate. I went and poked around the pine tree and saw something suspiciously white against the yellow pine needles.

It was quickly identified as an ulna (lower arm bone or... wing in this case) of a bird. Next I went underneath the tree. More evidence:

Dark grey, relatively small feathers were scattered everywhere, but there was no evidence of owl pellets. I was disappointed. But did not give up. 

I went and asked my resident ornithologist, she viewed the feathers and suggested some local birds such as Pine siskins, quails, and starlings. 

We compared the new ulna to my comparative skeleton collection (the Flicker from Bird Morality).

The Flicker ulna is 2 inches long and has distinctive bumps running its length.

The new ulna is 1.75 inches long and has no bumps.

The victim was not a flicker.

Because the ulna is part of the wing we decided that it's length would most likely be a fitting ratio to wingspan (instead of length of bird). Flickers, according to wikipedia, have a wingspan of 17-21 inches. 

Now it was time for some math:

2 in = Flicker's Ulna

19 in = Average Flicker's wingspan

1.75 in = Victim's Ulna

x = Victim's approximate wingspan

Flicker (2/19) Victim (1.75/x) 

 x = 16.625 in

Pine Siskins only have a wingspan of about 7 to 8 inches, and quails (besides being too colorful) have a wingspan of 12.6-14.6 inches). Too small.

But starlings had a wingspan of about 12-17 inches. Perfect.

We think the owl had a starling for dinner.

Assumptions: The bone and the feathers were from the same bird.

Ratio between ulna and wingspan is similar between species.

ASV

When I was in high school some friends and I were all active on my brother's forum, (which were fairly popular at the time). Somehow one of the threads got started talking about all the violent emoticons there are. Cute little smilie faces beating each other over the head with mallets or getting shot. I suggested, jokingly that we should start a club called Against Smilie Violence (ASV). Two of our friends joined and we became a very small club, and I think the only thing we ever did was make T-shirts.

But sometimes I still think about ASV and what it stands for. Recently I have been reading a series called Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. It is an urban fantasy that is quite violent but really funny. I like them, but sometimes they make me feel guilty. 

I guess I just find it disturbing how often really violent things are portrayed as funny, (the squirrel from Ice Age anyone?). Perhaps I find it most disturbing because I often think they are funny.

When I was a teenager I realized that joking about not liking someone made me not like them. You think it is a joke until it becomes all too real. So what happens when you laugh when people in media fall down stairs, or have a fist fight? I'm not sure I want to go there. . .

Becca Land

Meisu!*

Some little girls love dolls. Not me. I was always a stuffed animal person. I had (and have) quite a few. They had names and personalities and relationships even a land they lived in. I called it Becca Land, and I would go visit them and even spoke their language (I just babbled... it's kind of fun you should try it).

Sharry, Llamo (the llama from Ecuador), Tansy (Heroine of my first chapter book), Pyrite (faithful steed of Sir Hoff A Lot), Glowie, Colby Smi (the Adventurer), and Berry

Not long ago one of my nieces asked why I only had Oafrid (my stuffed Cow) at the foot of my bed, and all my other stuffed animals were stuffed in my closet or downstairs in boxes. I tried to explain that they didn't really fit on my bed, I'm too big now. She suggested other places, that were more in the way, and than explained that she slept with all her animals and dolls even though she had to sleep under them. I didn't quite know what to say because I didn't think she would understand anything I told her. At her age I too slept with all my stuffed animals. Then they weren't in the way.

In a lot of ways I've outgrown Becca Land but I still love them. Sometimes it is even hard to watch my nieces and nephews play with them because they don't play with them right. Wonder is a boy, and Fluzz is Honey's baby!

I'm not exactly sure what I am trying to say, but the inhabitants of Becca Land really were a large part of my childhood.

My first and second loves: Stuffed Animals and Books. Bones, Wyvern, Fleece, Rain, Scar, Neo, Wascally Whennie, Twinkle, Splash (two of Chip's best friends), Purple, Blue Eyes (Mother of Snowjumper, and Graypaw), Sappo, Prince, Squawky, Quis and Pobble's legs.

*Probably the only consistent Becca Language word. It means 'greetings.' 

Tigers

Tigers:

stealthy and silent

lithe and strong, beautiful.

It comes and is gone.

I wrote this haiku in 7th grade for English class at age 13.

Tigers have always been one of my favorite animals.

Above is a picture of one of my favorite stuffed animals. 

Her name is Shardul, more commonly called Sharry.