Owls are playful, says ornithologist Rob Bierregaard. ”We have videos of owls in the nest pouncing on feathers and jumping in the nest. No apparent purpose to this. Just playfulness.” Scientists suspect that play depends on cognition, and species with bigger brains play more, says Jennifer Ackerman, author of What an Owl Know—The New Science […]
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Owls are wise
by resolutewoman on October 7, 2023 in animals, holidays, wisdom
In her book What an Owl Know—The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds, Jennifer Ackerman says that owls are intelligent. It’s true that an owl’s brain would easily fit into a nut—but owls have relatively large brains for their body size. Also, scientists have discovered that what really matters in intelligent brains is […]
Owls are good parents
by resolutewoman on October 5, 2023 in animals, holidays, mothers, Uncategorized
A mother owl sits on her next for nearly 24 hours a day, with her head low and stomach down. She keeps her eggs at the right temperature, cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold. A breeding Snowy Owl will keep her eggs close to 98 degrees, even when the temperature plummets to […]
Happy October!
by resolutewoman on October 3, 2023 in animals, book, holidays, Uncategorized
Happy Autumn! Happy October! Happy Almost Halloween! I just read a book that seems appropriate for the season. It’s What an Owl Know—The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman. Did you know that 260 species of owls exist today? They range, Ackerman writes, from the Elf Owl, a little nugget […]
A single thing in nature
by resolutewoman on July 22, 2023 in animals, beauty
My brother James and his wife Jeany have 14 turkeys on their nine acres in New Mexico. That 14 includes five babies and one mother about to give birth. I never knew that turkeys could be so beautiful, so elegant until I saw these turkeys. They are a beautiful part of nature. As John Muir […]
Catastrophizing
by resolutewoman on February 7, 2023 in animals, courage, overwhelmed
My neighbor took a photo of a bobcat one morning recently—at the house across the street from ours. Yikes! We overreacted—and worried about our dog Jack—and all of the smaller dogs and the cats in the neighborhood. Disaster! However, my friend Mary, a retired biologist, didn’t panic. “How exciting,” she said. “Not very many people […]
Peace of the parrot and the chickens
by resolutewoman on August 16, 2022 in animals, families, peace, Uncategorized
I am returning to Dallas from a visit with my brother James and his wife Jeany. They live on nine acres in Los Lunas, a small town outside Albuquerque. However, their home and the acres that surround it seem worlds away from Dallas. We gather eggs from the chickens and cook them for breakfast. We […]
Hell on women and horses
by resolutewoman on July 12, 2022 in animals, sexism
It’s hot in Texas this summer, which reminds me of some wise words from the writer Molly Ivins. In an article in the August 1987 issue of Ms. magazine, Ivins wrote: “They used to say that Texas was hell on women and horses. Don’t know why they stopped. It still is.” –Joy
A Rabbit Day
by resolutewoman on December 18, 2021 in animals, happiness, holidays
I am getting excited about Christmas. I think it’s a Rabbit Day—as described by M.H. Clark in the book Tiger Days. On Rabbit Days, I’m wide awake I run and skip and jump. And, when I start to hop and hop, It feels like I might never stop. –Joy
A Rabbit Day
by resolutewoman on December 14, 2021 in animals, happiness, holidays, Uncategorized
I am busy! I made a pecan pie yesterday. I am decorating the house for Christmas today. Tonight, I am going to dinner at a restaurant that features Elizabethan carolers singing while they stroll from table to table. I am getting excited about Christmas. I think it’s a Rabbit Day—as described by M.H. Clark in […]
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