“One May morning my friend Bruce and I went for a hike on the prairie.
Spring was late that year in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Snowdrifts still clung along the steep banks of the river in the shelter of the cottonwood trees. The river was icy with thaw water and, as we crossed over the Railroad Bridge, we could feel a cold breath rising from it. But we felt another breath, a gentle one, blowing across the distant wheat fields and smelling like warm sun shining on soft mud. It was the spring wind, and the smell of it made us walk faster. We were in a hurry to get out of the city and into the real prairie, where you can climb a fence post and see for about a million miles – that’s how flat the prairie is.
The great thing about Saskatoon was the way it ended sharp all around its edge. There were no outskirts to Saskatoon. When you stepped off the end of the Railroad Bridge you stepped right onto the prairie and there you were – free as the gophers. …
But this day Bruce and I weren’t interested in gophers. We were looking for an owl’s-nest. We had decided that we wanted some pet owls, and if you want pet owls you have to find a nest and get the young ones out of it.”
Currently reading Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat, originally published in 1961. Billy and family bring two new pets into their household—only they’re not of the typical domesticated ilk—they’re owls. Wol and Weeps incite mayhem and wreak all sorts of havoc at their new digs and in their neighborhood. Owls in the Family is a delight to read so far. That’s our pick for this week’s #classicchapterbooks. Head over to @the.book.report to see what classic she’s sharing today.