Owl: Alive. Camera: Dead.

With the passing of the cool front, P and I were ready for an all day outdoor adventure on Thursday. We meandered about the property, just 'xplorin' :) After ball tossing, tackling and ditch jumping, we played on the porch swing, P turning it into his personal jungle gym.



As we rounded the side of the house, P looked sooo old to me. His hands stuffed into his pockets, his cap pulled low to shade his baby blues, his favorite converse high-tops . When I see him next to an adult I'm always shocked that he is still a child, and such a small child at that, because when we're out, just the two of us, he often seems so old.



In the grass, P discovered an oblong shaped acorn and was sure it was a Totoro acorn. (In "My Neighbor Totoro" by Hayao Miyazaki, the forest creatures drop acorns of oblong shape. This detail escaped me during viewing, until P pointed out that our acorns are typically round and capped, while Totoro acorns are longer and shinier.) So that was that, we were on a Totoro hunt...

We crept through fences and followed tracks. We heard things move in the underbrush. We gathered more acorns and looked for a solid Totoro Trail to follow. I pulled out my camera to document the adorable search and discovered - it was broken :( Of all days to be without a camera! This, for me, is like hiking with one leg...

But back to the creeping. After lots of fence hopping, P discovered a "trail." Truth be told, I would have called it a dry creak bed bordered by a horse path, but Totoro trail it was that day! And as we wandered it we came upon... a tree, surrounded by oblong acorns, nestled beside a den in the trunk! (This vague description would usually be buoyed by a picture here but...) P stuck sticks in the hole and called out to the Totoros he was just sure resided there. He stuck in his leg, but found he was just Too Big. Then, following a long pause, he reminded me that he really is just four.

P: Mama, are we able to shrink?
Me: Umm, I don't think so P...
P: Well, let's try, Mama.
Grunting from us both.
P: Is it working?
Me: What do you think P?
He turns to me, a woman standing down in a ditch, created by the pre-mentioned dry creek bed, and squeals :)
P: Mama! Its working! You're shrinking! Look how much shorter you are than usual! I come clear up to here on you!!!

A phone photo from the following day, same spot:


Heehee :) After a while, with no more shrinking in sight, we gave up on that tree and followed the horse path, er, Totoro Trail, further through the pasture into a clump of shady trees. Here we found another trunk den and more half eaten acorns. Receiving no response to his Totoro entreaties, P climbed the tree to get a better look, sweet-talking me up too. We clambered about and chatted and then both turned towards the back fence line at the same moment. And froze. There, on the ground, standing about 10 inches high, was a fuzzy white creature like nothing I'd ever seen. I have to admit, I was so deeply ensconced in P's imaginary world that it took me quite by surprise :)

Insert amazing Totoro picture here. Oh, wait. My camera broke and my phone was at the house.... Insert massive head slap, here:

We discussed our options and slowly slid out of the tree. The fuzzy white thing didn't move. For those who haven't watched Totoro, a little Japanese girl, roughly P's age, finds a fluffy white creature while she wanders the woods. It stood about 12 inches high and was a seemingly footless blob.

(See white blob at far right:)


As we walked towards something that struck a surprising similarity to this footless blob, I expected said blob to scamper. Nothing. We crept closer and P reached for my hand and asked if I was scared, wanting to know how he should feel right then :) Then he asked if it was dead. Good question. It wasn't moving and we were getting pretty close. As we came within 10 feet, we could tell it was breathing, but still no quick escape. As we got even closer, the tiny beak came into focus and I realized it was some strange baby bird. It was truly exquisite, its soft white baby feathers mostly covering its enormous claws, eyes closed (thus the vague blob appearance). It was Sleeping.

Its huge peepers flicked open and it made adorably dependent noises and tried to shuffle forward, only to fall flat on its face. Despite its prodigious size, it was obviously Just Hatched. My heart was breaking as I realized its fate and I told P I thought we should conjure a rescue plan. Downbeat. "No thanks, Mama. Don't you remember - I was hunting acorns?"

If he hadn't been so amazingly empathetic when my camera broke, I'd have worried about the child right then :)

I mentioned it was important to me to at least Try to help the bird and then we could acorn hunt again and he agreed, saying he was pretty sure it was secretly a Totoro :)

The bird was rescued and relaxed the night away at a Wildlife Refuge. It returned the next day with a professional "Tree Climber." Armed with my phone (and cussing my camera), P, Grams and I accompanied the climber to the tree clump. He explained that the blob was a Barred Owl, his first fallen one of the season.



We were placed on dive duty, since the parents are often offended by the tree climber, and dutifully took our places in the pasture. Eagle Eye Grams quickly located a watchful parent and we fixed ourselves on the head turner. Meanwhile, P was riveted to Kevin The Tree Climber's side. He silently watched the man don his tree scaling spikes and work his way up through the brittle branches:




Kevin found the nest in tact and dinner already delivered (yumm! squirrel!) The nearby Mama did dive at Kevin, but turned at the last minute and alighted in a nearby tree. Carefully, very carefully, Kevin hauled the baby up in a pillowcase and deposited it home. By the time the scaling spikes reached the ground, the Mama had cuddled up to her baby and all was right as rain. Had I only had a zoom...

This was, of course, a pat-on-the-back homeschooling moment. I'd have been devastated if my kid was whiling away his hours at a desk with crayolas instead of watching the wildlife hero save a Totoro :)