When I first envisioned this blog, I intended to mostly write about science fiction and fantasy literature, the state of the publishing world, my adventures seeking publication, coffee, zombies, the slaying of adverbs and other topics of great import.

It turns out there are about a million blogs by aspiring writers, chronicling their trials and tribulations as they seek publication. Other than voice, there is not much to differentiate one from another. Some day I will have more to write about than my one small short story credit, and when I do I plan on returning this blog to talking about publication and fantasy literature.

Until then, in an attempt to both keep writing and to keep this blog active, I intend to start blogging about more personal matters. My life, my views on politics and especially religion, grilled cheese sandwiches and the occasional Zombie.

Everybody and their cat has a blog these days, and there are even blogs about how to blog. If you read those, one of the things they tell you is of vital importance to making any sort of money blogging(not my goal), is to have a unique niche. You have to write about something no-one else is. But with a million bloggers(and half a million blogging cats), how, exactly, do you come up with a unique niche someone else isn’t already exploiting?

Aspiring writers. Too many of those. Gardening and chickens? Almost as many of those as there are aspiring writers. Parenting blogs? Yeah right. Food and cooking blogs? Blogs on carpentry? Everything I have an interest in and the knowledge to write with authority is already taken.

So I wont bother with a niche. I will write about my life, my kids, my ridiculous chickens and the pumpkin vine that has the Dep of Wildlife Resources seriously concerned, and even my Dungeons and Dragons campaigns.

On to today’s story.

Last night we had a couple friends over for burgers. It was a quiet dinner, out on my lovely deck where we enjoyed the cool almost autumn evening. Something fluttered past us, and as it was dark we all assumed it was a bat. But it was far too large for a bat. It was an owl.

A feaking owl.

In my yard. How cool is that? Just a little owl, nut much larger than a fat pigeon. It was a beautiful little thing, mottled grey with large yellow eyes. It perched on a low hanging branch and watched us suspiciously. We all squeed and admired it before it flew off. Then we heard it hoot, but what really got us excited next was the second owl that answered. A mated pair. Soon both owls were perched in my yard, giving us the stink eye. I think they didn’t like us out there in their territory. I think they may have nested nearby, or were looking for a new nest site.

I love seeing wildlife in my yard, from quail to native bees, it makes me feel I am doing something right. I’ve set up a habitat they like.

So now I plan on spending a lot more time out on my deck in the evenings, watching for their return. If they nest in my trees, expect a lot of excited owl watching posts. If said owls never return, expect an obvious and embarrassed absence of owl related posts.