Thursday, October 3, 2013

Owl Delivery Service

I. Guys! Hey, guys!

Really you guys.

Look at this:
The Caring Owl

This is the best page ever, about an owl that hunts and delivers food to everyone in the house where it lived while it was recovering from being wounded.

Even to the cat!

(I was blog-hopping last night and found the link on this blog, which is also worth a look: Belgian Waffle.)
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II. Last night, by chance, I also happened to be reading The Owl Service, by Alan Garner.

It's about some not-very-happy owls painted on a set of plates (that's the "service" meant––dishes––nothing to do with mice or even mail). 
Actually, it's a retelling of a Welsh myth about a tragic love triangle in which the woman gets turned into an owl.

The book was recommended by my archaeologist friend Dr H, over at Prehistories (prehistories.wordpress.com). It's very good, and a perfect read for October--spooky and magical. Supposedly for kids, but way more sophisticated than something like Harry Potter. No spoons; the reader has to figure it out herself.
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III. Say, Fresca, I hear voices in the blogosphere whispering, aren't you supposed to be turning in your book TODAY????

Why yes, that's true.
But this is research.
Look, I found a connection to sanitation: Toilet paper is a major source of waste. I won't bore you with the statistics (because I can't find them at the moment), but you can imagine, with all of us wiping our bums every day, it's a lot. But, now, at least you can recycle your toilet paper tubes by turning them into owls! Aren't these ones cool?
 Looks easy to figure out how, but tips available here.

And now, I am going to make up for my government not working by working twice as hard.
I doubt I'll actually turn the ms in today, but I'm sitting here until I finish the draft of the last chapter.
Then if I do a quick edit, I can turn it in tomorrow.
Wish me luck!

6 comments:

Bookworm said...

Good luck with the manuscript - glad you're almost there!

I love the owl's - now I know what I'll be doing in my papercraft club next week...

Glad you're enjoying The Owl Service. Have you reached the bit in the woods yet ( shivers)

Bookworm said...

Sorry, I should know better than to ask annoying questions like "have you reached the bit when..."
Just to let you know that there is an excellent TV version of the Owl Service, filmed in the 1960s.

momo said...

First of all, that owl! and I can imagine that house as a place the wild creatures enter and leave freely, wow!

I have not read The Owl Service, but I must, in honor of my reading of his other books as a child. Off to the library it is.

Fresca said...

BOOKWORM: Never apologize for leaving any comment--they are my favorite thing!
But anyway, yeah, I did finish the book and the part in the woods is... unsettling, I think it the perfect word you used.
AND a little funny because I'd been writing about biogas from sewage disgesters---it's methane! Same as the swamp gas that makes the fires Gwyn sees.

MOMO: I got my copy from the library so I could lend it to you if they haven't another.

Darwi said...

Cool post. Thanks for the link about the owl, it was really interesting! :-)

Fresca said...

DARWI: Glad you liked it---I thought it was fascinating too.