Birds & Blooms loves Lawn Gone!
I’m delighted to see that my book is recommended in the May issue of Birds & Blooms magazine.
They dubbed Lawn Gone! one of their “Books We Love.” Yay! Thanks, Birds & Blooms! I love your magazine too.
Speaking of birds, we’ve had quite the saga with our owl box recently. A squirrel had taken up residence, and we kept meaning to drag the ladder out and send the squirrel packing. Every day the squirrel poked her pointy, little face out of the doorway while I was making lunch, apparently enjoying her stolen digs. Then on Wednesday, I looked up from sandwich making and saw the round eyes and circular shape of a screech owl staring out the doorway. Woot! The owl had obviously taken care of the situation and evicted the squirrel. All well and good.
But that night we had hail, and the next morning our dog, Cosmo, flushed an adolescent squirrel out from under a bush and gave it few good shakes, injuring the squirrel so that it couldn’t walk. Obviously the evicted squirrel had nearly grown kits, and this one lacked the sense to sleep in a tree, or perhaps it took shelter from the hail. We agonized about putting it out of its misery but couldn’t do it. So we put it in an old aquarium with towels to snuggle into and prepared for it to be dead soon. The next day, it looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, though it still wasn’t moving around much. I took it to a wildlife rescue facility, just in case it had any broken bones. They gave it a good prognosis, and I went home feeling good about the situation. No more squirrel, and an owl in the box, just as it should be.
The next day I looked out the window and saw a pointy squirrel face looking out of the box again. What?! Are they time-sharing that box, or what?
Lawn Gone! talk and book-signing, TODAY at 10 am
Hey, Texas Hill Country peeps! Please join me today, March 23, at 10 am at Backbone Valley Nursery in Marble Falls for my talk, “Lawn Alternatives for Central Texas” and a Lawn Gone! book-signing. I don’t know about you, but since it’s bluebonnet season, I’m going to take a little wildflower-peeping drive while I’m out there.
All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
How exciting re coverage in Birds & Blooms! That’s a great mag, too … Please keep the episodes going on Owl v Squirrel apartment lease dustup. I’m relieved that the squirrel youngster is okay and in good hands. (Like there’s a paucity of squirrels, you know, but I rescue everything when possible – even scorpions.) Good job on your rescue!
Hm, I don’t think I’d be up for rescuing a scorpion, so I admire your dedication to wildlife, Sandy. 🙂 —Pam
Congrats on the magazine review. That’s a good magazine.
That’s funny about the owl box. I keep saying we need one here, although I’ve never actually seen any owls around here.
Then, last night…on our way home from HOURS of college basketball…there was a BIG owl, sitting in the middle of the street. We thought at first it was a cat. We slowed down to let it run off, but it took a short flight to the side of the street….quite a surprise. We thought maybe it was injured. But, it was gone when we went back.
A long post, to tell you about our owl encounter…..lol
I wonder if you saw a great horned owl, Linda. They are really big. What a cool sighting! —Pam
I saw your book listed in the B&B mag. It was so nice to see it there. I love your book too. I hope the owl wins. We have plenty of squirrels in the neighborhood. We need more owls.
I agree, Lisa. I really want another owl family to observe this spring. —Pam
Pam, That is marvelous news about your book! Squirrels are such pests.
They are pests, but I have to admit the youngsters are disarmingly cute. —Pam
Man, there’s some crazy owl and squirrel love going on in your owl box. 🙂
Tell me about it! It’s like a remake of the poem “The Owl and the Pussycat.” —Pam