My 2003 year-end letter where I tell about an owl I found sitting in the middle of the road.
The Owl And The Pussy Cat
December 2003
Dear Friends and Family,
When Judge Bennet signed Katie’s adoption papers he noted that the attendees to the event included Katie, the adoptee, Paul and Toni, the adopting parents, and T-, the “crazy eccentric aunt that every girl needs for proper character development.” Katie had been in foster care for the last three years with my neighbor’s Paul and Toni. When she asked what exactly this all meant we told her it meant she was stuck with us for the rest of her life.
One morning I saw an owl and a pussycat, but they weren’t in a pea-green boat.
They were near my driveway and Fluffy, my cat, was sniffing an owl, and not just any owl, but a spotted owl, an owl that’s an endangered species. He still had down on his head and was probably about six months old. I called the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild Life (ODFW) and my friends Phyllis and Scotty who used to do owl rehabilitation.
Scotty examined the little guy and thought he might have a concussion and that he needed food and water pronto. Wouldn’t you know: it was one of the few days my cats didn’t bring in some unwanted rodent. We ended up giving him chicken that was thawing in the refrigerator for that evening’s dinner. ODFW came out, banded him, took measurements and feather samples for DNA testing and at about midnight thought he was perky enough to let him loose. He didn’t fly immediately, but eventually, he did go up into a tree. He wasn’t there in the morning, so I’m hoping he found his mom and dad.
On a sad note: I had to put Zoey to sleep. She was a big sweet dog that wandered in to the house and our hearts a few years ago. I had her cremated, so now she really can be a lap dog.
I had more cartoon sales in January and February than I had in the previous six months. Then the Iraq war came. I had the same sort of dip in sales right after 9/11. Advertising revenues dried up, magazine budgets were tight, and cartoons are one of the first things cut. Trickle-down theory in action. Thanks, W.
I’m writing a screenplay adaptation of my book Holy Rollers and am trying to figure out how to find an agent and producer. The How to Books all say pretty much the same thing. Step one: create a list of everyone you know involved in the movie business. Let’s see, there’s Chuck who owns Chuck’s video in Waldport. There’s the kid who sells tickets at the Newport Movie Theater. Unfortunately, I only recognize him, I don’t know his name so he might not be the best contact. And then there’s hmmm, that’s about it. If any of you are involved in the movie business, let me know.
Hope all is well with you and yours,
T-
Bird Cartoons and Forestry Cartoons so cheap you can line bird cages with them.