Screech Owls moved into a nest box in our yard back in March. The previous fall, we installed the box in a shady spot under a large silver maple tree, about 10 feet away from the back door to our garage. The box was positioned at an angle that would allow the owls to warm themselves in the sun and allow us to watch them from our kitchen window.
I love how eloquently you described your and your son’s relationship and a bit of your past and weaving the owls story in with your own.
I could not have said it better when I too did a course correct at age 42. For the last 29 years I have been a living amends to the five children I had a hand in rearing. Kudo’s to those who come to know we are always doing the best we can on a daily basis.
Wonderful post Bill. That is such an amazing experience to have nesting Screech Owls so close to observe. I'm sure your son will have an awesome time in Japan!
This was riveting, Bill. The turn at the end to your son leaving for Japan was very affecting. And Joanie’s lyrics finished me off! Our son is 22, so I understand that empty nest feeling.
I’m a bit jealous that owls found your box. When my husband made one and the tree guys put it up on an old beech, the squirrels moved right in. Never had the honor of hosting an owl fam, though we always hear them in the trees.
Hi Julie, Thank you. I am glad this essay resonated with you. Squirrels are a real challenge. We put our owl box on a wooden 4"x4" pole and we added a metal baffel to keep the squirrels away. The box is under a tree, but far enough away that squirrels cannot jump onto it. This requires a distance of 8-10 feet. We also have a box in a tree, but the owls rarely use it due to squirrel activity.
Hi Bill, my son left for Japan last summer to teach English for a year (which is now turning into two). I know very well the mixed feelings of awe and melancholy as you watch Noah fly. These boys are so brave to go so far away and I have to believe their courage comes from a well of love and security in childhood, in spite of our many imperfections as parents. My children are definitely my greatest teachers! Beautiful post, wishing all good things for Noah🪶
Thank you. Noah is thinking about teaching English when he finishes his degree. It will be interesting to see how long he stays in Japan. He is meeting people from all over the world, so he may end up being a world traveler. We are going to lure him back here with our garden produce. It may just be for visits, but he misses our food already.
They really are brave aren't they? I am happy for Noah and impressed that he could navigate flying to Tokyo and then riding a train to Nagoya. He wants to teach English when he finishes his degree, so we are waiting to see how long he will live in Japan.
Beautiful in so many ways, thank you. I have spent many years running from that emptiness, and because I did, outer life events added to it until I could ignore it and run away from it no more. And Joni’s song is so poignant.
Owls always fascinate me and I appreciate your detailed descriptions of their activities. Your photography adds such sweetness and intrigue to it. And then you drew the analogy of the fledglings to your son leaving your nest for Japan. I remember each of my children flying off on their own, and your words tugged at my happy/sad memories of that time. Thank you for this post!
Now comes the time that we learn that we are all with each other always. All things learned both spoken and unspoken we have shared and are part of us, even if our interpretations differ. It is all said in the hugs at the airport. Those hugs break though time and reasoning.
I came across this quote from Pascal (mid 1600's) earlier this week on Garrison Keillor's Writers Almanac. Blaise Pascal, who said, "The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of." He was wrestling with religion and what he was discovering in math and science. Which in his day could get you killed.
Those hugs at the airport! One could write a book about them. My father first gave me such a hug when I was in my early 20s and just a few years out of high school. I had always felt loved by my parents. He was sending all of us kids for a visit with his many brothers and sisters and their families and his much-loved mother. Still, I will always remember that hug because I had never received any hug before. He was a quiet man who loved animals and his family .... and we knew it.
Thanks Bill, your deep reflections reinforce for me how everything is connected.....like us, the adult owls bring something from their life experiences to their interaction with offspring. And like the owls, our children take those experiences with them as they grow, often making them stronger and better able to deal with the world outside their home. I bet Japan will be a resounding success for your son :)
Love and loss seem to go hand in hand. Bittersweet but ultimately so worth it. Children/fledglings may physically leave, but the changes they made inside you are forever. Thank you, Bill, for making me cry again😂. I’m going to listen to Joni now.
Loved this - for bunches of reasons. Especially the blend of owls and humans. And the pictures. And your raw vulnerability as a parent. I really love the owl eating the pear leaf and recommitting (visually) to life as a carnivore. 😂
My kids are much younger (4 & 6) - I can even fathom having them be so far away for so long. One of our favorite books is Owl Moon. We like to go “owling” especially when we’re camping.
Course-correcting is a lifelong endeavor I've found. Its both sad and liberating to me....sad that I didn't know sooner that it should happen and liberating to know that one can still learn new ways of being.
I love how eloquently you described your and your son’s relationship and a bit of your past and weaving the owls story in with your own.
I could not have said it better when I too did a course correct at age 42. For the last 29 years I have been a living amends to the five children I had a hand in rearing. Kudo’s to those who come to know we are always doing the best we can on a daily basis.
Wonderful post Bill. That is such an amazing experience to have nesting Screech Owls so close to observe. I'm sure your son will have an awesome time in Japan!
This was riveting, Bill. The turn at the end to your son leaving for Japan was very affecting. And Joanie’s lyrics finished me off! Our son is 22, so I understand that empty nest feeling.
I’m a bit jealous that owls found your box. When my husband made one and the tree guys put it up on an old beech, the squirrels moved right in. Never had the honor of hosting an owl fam, though we always hear them in the trees.
Hi Julie, Thank you. I am glad this essay resonated with you. Squirrels are a real challenge. We put our owl box on a wooden 4"x4" pole and we added a metal baffel to keep the squirrels away. The box is under a tree, but far enough away that squirrels cannot jump onto it. This requires a distance of 8-10 feet. We also have a box in a tree, but the owls rarely use it due to squirrel activity.
Ah, that’s so clever. Wish we’d thought of that.
Hi Bill, my son left for Japan last summer to teach English for a year (which is now turning into two). I know very well the mixed feelings of awe and melancholy as you watch Noah fly. These boys are so brave to go so far away and I have to believe their courage comes from a well of love and security in childhood, in spite of our many imperfections as parents. My children are definitely my greatest teachers! Beautiful post, wishing all good things for Noah🪶
Thank you. Noah is thinking about teaching English when he finishes his degree. It will be interesting to see how long he stays in Japan. He is meeting people from all over the world, so he may end up being a world traveler. We are going to lure him back here with our garden produce. It may just be for visits, but he misses our food already.
They really are brave aren't they? I am happy for Noah and impressed that he could navigate flying to Tokyo and then riding a train to Nagoya. He wants to teach English when he finishes his degree, so we are waiting to see how long he will live in Japan.
Beautiful in so many ways, thank you. I have spent many years running from that emptiness, and because I did, outer life events added to it until I could ignore it and run away from it no more. And Joni’s song is so poignant.
Owls always fascinate me and I appreciate your detailed descriptions of their activities. Your photography adds such sweetness and intrigue to it. And then you drew the analogy of the fledglings to your son leaving your nest for Japan. I remember each of my children flying off on their own, and your words tugged at my happy/sad memories of that time. Thank you for this post!
This one had me crying! Aunt Carol
Now comes the time that we learn that we are all with each other always. All things learned both spoken and unspoken we have shared and are part of us, even if our interpretations differ. It is all said in the hugs at the airport. Those hugs break though time and reasoning.
I came across this quote from Pascal (mid 1600's) earlier this week on Garrison Keillor's Writers Almanac. Blaise Pascal, who said, "The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of." He was wrestling with religion and what he was discovering in math and science. Which in his day could get you killed.
Those hugs at the airport! One could write a book about them. My father first gave me such a hug when I was in my early 20s and just a few years out of high school. I had always felt loved by my parents. He was sending all of us kids for a visit with his many brothers and sisters and their families and his much-loved mother. Still, I will always remember that hug because I had never received any hug before. He was a quiet man who loved animals and his family .... and we knew it.
Thanks Bill, your deep reflections reinforce for me how everything is connected.....like us, the adult owls bring something from their life experiences to their interaction with offspring. And like the owls, our children take those experiences with them as they grow, often making them stronger and better able to deal with the world outside their home. I bet Japan will be a resounding success for your son :)
PS: I love The Circle Game :)
Beautifully said. As an imperfect parent and bird lover myself, this brought me to tears. Thanks for saying the words I feel.
Love and loss seem to go hand in hand. Bittersweet but ultimately so worth it. Children/fledglings may physically leave, but the changes they made inside you are forever. Thank you, Bill, for making me cry again😂. I’m going to listen to Joni now.
Favorite post yet. ❤️ talk soon.
Loved this - for bunches of reasons. Especially the blend of owls and humans. And the pictures. And your raw vulnerability as a parent. I really love the owl eating the pear leaf and recommitting (visually) to life as a carnivore. 😂
My kids are much younger (4 & 6) - I can even fathom having them be so far away for so long. One of our favorite books is Owl Moon. We like to go “owling” especially when we’re camping.
Maybe you can go owling next time Noah visits.
So poignant. Such beautiful photos. Thanks.
Course-correcting is a lifelong endeavor I've found. Its both sad and liberating to me....sad that I didn't know sooner that it should happen and liberating to know that one can still learn new ways of being.
Lovely. Thanks for the time and consciousness you put into this.