Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Owls Came Back For One Night And That Herd Of Ferral Emus Joined By Loose Kangaroo - Which Makes Sense In A Place Where You Can Get A Prada T-shirt At The Goodwill

So a few nights ago we heard the familiar "Whoo Whoo Whoo" of the Great Horned Owl.  When we finally caught a glimpse of the source, we saw two owls who must have be the babies produced last year by that huge (5 feet tall at least) female who made her nest directly behind our apartment.  Wonder if the nest will be used again this year?  So I did what I always do with Oklahoma wildlife questions, went to the YMCA Water Aerobics class and asked Amy and Ron.  They know everything and never lead me astray.  They were the first people to give me the straight scoop on the herd of Emus running wild on the Oklahoma Prairie.  No you're not having hallucinations,  a long time ago some Oklahoma ranchers thought it made sense to raise something other than cattle - cattle ranching is hard, so how much harder could Emus be?  Answer - very hard.  Emus are smart, spoiled creatures and they do what they want.  And what these guys wanted was to be free - so the Emus left the ranch and the ranchers stopped looking for them.  When I got back from Hawaii, Amy could hardly wait to tell me about the Kangaroo that is currently roaming around loose, confusing people.  (Kind of like that cougar back in Seattle - he only came out of the woodsy park around 2 am, which just happened to be closing time for Ernie's Tavern.  So the bar patrons called the police and tried to convince them that the drink had nothing to do with their eyesight and the cougar really did exist.  We all laughed at these reports - but did notice that the raccoon population stopped being problematic - until some woman sunbathing on her deck realized that she was not alone on her deck.)  But my point, and I do have one, is that Oklahoma is the most amazing place.  Tulsa was one of the riches cities in the country - you just have to visit the art museums to figure this out or pick-up a little new Prada t-shirt for $3 at the local Goodwill - and someone actually had his own Kangaroo and maybe a whole private zoo for that matter, with a fence low enough for his Kangaroo to get out.  (They jump, you know.)

12 comments:

  1. Oh Beryl. I have missed your randomness!
    -s

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  2. Hi Simone - I love how you get me!

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  3. Now, this post was a really nice treat to enjoy with my mid-morning cup of tea, just before going to work; I loved it ! Nothing better than the old "stream of consciousness !". XX

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    1. Hi SB - Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Oh, to be in Paris having a cup of Marco Polo Tea!

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  4. LOL Beryl, hilarious. And I thought the 'kangaroo' was going to turn out to be an incorrectly named emu. Which by the way are completely ornery creatures best left to themselves, and as you say don't take kindly to domestication. Even if they are on our coat of arms.
    PS $3 Prada? I gotta go to Tulsa.

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    1. Hi Patricia - Emu's on your coat of arms? I must run and look for that.
      I am amazed at what I find at our local thrift shops - since it's always a social thing with done with friends, we can check out more stuff than going alone. Just make sure you friend is a different size so you don't fight over the good stuff.

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  5. I remember when emu farming came along. A friend's sister-in-law gave me a tiny sample bottle of body lotion made from some body part or other; apparently the whole animal is usable in some way. Hilarious that they turned out to be so intractable. I feel sorry for that kangaroo - I would think it would get very lonesome out there on its own.

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    1. Hi Shelley - I like to think it has found the Emus and is running with the flock!

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  6. I usually like owls but yours looks kinda scary. Emu's? I think someone up near the Napa Valley has an Emu farm but I've not seen it. Deer are about as much "wildlife" as I enjoy..

    Darla

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    1. Hi Darla - That yellow eye is from one of the babies. He was only about 18 inches tall. The mother was the scary one. Her wingspan was at least 6 feet.

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  7. Beryl, my house in Tulsa has a fox living right behind my backyard fence. And, an opposum lives under my house. Seems wildlife like city life in Tulsa. Coyotes spotted at 81st and Yale.

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    1. Hi Donna - Has your fox started a family? There are coyotes very near my Southern California place - no such thing as an outdoor cat in that neighborhood. (BTW - I have always enjoyed your blog.)

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