Tag Archives: owls

I Died Today

46 Replies

I was found by a kind, sweet woman who does wildlife rescue.

I was so sick, I could barely open my eyes.

She took me inside, cradling me in her arms and made me warm and comfortable.

I opened my eyes and looked at her and thanked her for making my last few minutes as comfortable as possible.

But I was too sick to keep fighting.

I had eaten a mouse that was poisoned, and it made me very sick.

I closed my yellow eyes for the last time and went somewhere else.

Please, all I ask is never to use poison to kill the mice.

Poison kills owls, like me.

All I wanted was a mouse for dinner.

I died today…

Poison is a very real problem for our wildlife.  Last year, our center received an owl just like the one above who had eaten a poisoned mouse.  It was nursed for months.  It couldn’t be saved.  It eventually died too.

This past week, we received a raccoon who also was the victim of poison.

If your beloved dog or cat caught a poisoned mouse, vole, or mole, it would die as well.

Please don’t use poison to kill mice and rats.  The fallout is tragic.

(Note:  I read the story above for the first time in a newsletter from another wildlife rehab center in the Sequim area.  I do not know who wrote it or where it originated.  Image is from nwraptorcenter.com)

 

WWWP 5K Challenge… done!

29 Replies

WordPress has invited bloggers all around the world to unite this week for a 5K run/walk.  This is obviously a virtual event (awww, no bling?!), and you can complete this fun little challenge from Oct 26 to Nov 1.  I completed it today and couldn’t have picked a better day to do it!  The sun was shining, I had to wear shorts, and not a drop of rain in sight!

For those who don’t know, I live in Lake Stevens, Washington… kinda near Seattle but a bit more north… otherwise known as the Pacific Northwest.  It usually rains here quite a bit, especially this time of year. However, thanks to El Nino, the weather is going to be extremely mild this winter… less rain and no snow.  Hence, today was a perfect day to do a 5K.

Most of you already know that I’m a slow runner… I like to lollygag and take pictures and walk as much as I possibly can.  Regardless… here are my results, courtesy of the Nike+ running app:

wpid-screenshot_2015-10-27-16-05-58.png You’ll see in the bottom right corner it says 6.13 mi.  That mileage is actually for my shoes.  My wonderful husband, The Motivator, gifted me with a new pair of running shoes this past week for my upcoming half in January.  They’re the Brooks Launch 2 and this was my second run in them.  So far, so good!  They’ll be broken in slowly to avoid any potential mishaps as I usually run in Brooks Glycerin or Saucony Ride and my feet love to blister.  I have to tape my toes on every run I do over 5 miles or I pay dearly.  But I just adored the color of these shoes and had to have them!

wpid-20151022_144903.jpg

I’m also having a great time playing with the Nike+ running app!  Yes, I have my Garmin watch, Garmin Connect, Strava, etc., but this is fun too!  The more charts and graphs, the merrier!

wpid-screenshot_2015-10-27-16-07-44.png

This picture shows my activity over the past few days, and it actually shows the weather too, which is nice to keep track of, especially when it’s sunny like it has been.  (No worries, I’ll try not to get used to the sun-shiny days as we’re about to have a major downpour.)  I also like the little trophies the app comes up with.  I got this one today:

wpid-screenshot_2015-10-27-16-05-22.png

Okay, well, it’s not really a trophy, but it does keep track of your fastest times and awards you when you’ve completed certain milestones.  This one is giving me kudos on being active for 3 weeks in a row, which is when training began for me for my next big race… Being active — it’s a lifestyle.

wpid-20151027_150108.jpg

This was my view when I crossed my virtual finish line.  Guess that’s why they call it “fall,” ha!

One last thing… runners beware.  There are reports of owls dive-bombing runners and people during this time of year.  It’s mostly the barred owls and great-horned owls who do this.  They become highly territorial at the start of winter, hunkering down and preparing their nests for upcoming baby season.  Owls are brave and think nothing of “attacking” humans.  Wave your hands slowly overhead back and forth to keep them at bay and then leave the area.  They’re just trying to protect their home, so don’t take it personally.  🙂

Now get out there and complete that 5K challenge!  I double dog dare ya!