Wisdom and Change

I walk in a local conservation area every day and in the past few weeks, I’ve seen an owl every day or so. The owl is never in the same spot, so it’s a bit like playing “Where’s Waldo?”, and it’s very well camouflaged so it’s a magical moment when I do see it. Owls are thought to symbolize inner wisdom, change, transformation, and good luck, so I thought it apropos to highlight some fun facts about owls as we begin 2024.

Owls vary in colour from white through many shades of tan, gray, brown, or rufous (reddish) to deep brown. A few are solidly coloured, but most are patterned, often resulting in them being almost invisible against tree bark.

Owls can see in the daytime. Their pupils don’t get as small as ours in bright light, so to block out the extra light, they often close their eyes half-way or more. They may look sleepy or even half asleep when really they are wide awake and alert.

Their eyes are fixed in position, and to compensate, they can rotate their necks more than 180 degrees in either direction meaning they can look directly backward. I’ve seen the owl do this and often think they need to rotate it back to unscrew their neck. Lol

Camouflage, daytime immobility, and silent flight combine to make it as difficult for owls to see each other as it is for natural enemies and humans to see them. The flight of owls is a steady flapping on a straight path, ending in a short upward glide to the perch. Hunting, usually from a perch, rarely involves extensive flight, requires only a short burst of speed to surprise the prey on the ground. Most of the time when I pick out an owl, it’s because it’s flying to a new perch.

I hope your year is filled with good luck, transformation, and change to make your life better! Make time to nurture yourself. I love to escape with a good book. If you do, too, you might enjoy Perfectly Honest. It’s the first book of the Perfectly Series and a fun, sexy, humorous romance about two doctors who find themselves in a fake engagement that snowballs out of control. Enjoy!

Perfectly Honest

You never know where your words will take you…

When Mikaela Finn agreed to be Sam’s “fiancée” for a weekend, she probably should have told him that she’s a doctor. Sam O’Brien, aka “Dr. Eye Candy,” is trying to shed his playboy reputation and convince a small town hospital that he’s ready to settle down.  But when his “fiancée” helps deliver a baby in the middle of the meet and greet, it’s a bit of a shock. If he’d known the whole truth, he might have done things a little differently because somehow his “fiancée” ends up stealing his job and his heart. Not exactly the change he wanted.

Lies and deceit – it’s a match made in heaven!

Enjoy an excerpt from Perfectly Honest ~

Mikaela woke with a start to the sound of voices. Disoriented, in unfamiliar surroundings, she looked down at her short shorts and loose shirt covered with spatters of paint. Painting, of course. She finished the job late and must have fallen asleep in the chair. Checking her watch, she saw that it was two o’clock in the morning. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Pulling herself out of the chair, she listened to the voices. One voice was female, sounding impatient and unhappy and one male, sounding apologetic and resigned.

“I know it’s not ideal, Sophia, but it’s what I want. I’m tired of the large city, the tertiary care center, and all the politics. I’m tired of all the meetings and all the committees. I want a smaller hospital in a smaller city. I want a life.”

“Nonsense, Sam,” the woman shot back. “You don’t know what you want or what’s good for you. You need to pay your dues now to reap the benefits later.”

“Look, I don’t expect you to understand. I’m grateful you’ve agreed to help me out, but . . . ”

Mikaela wandered into the hallway and stopped when she saw the two of them at the front door. The woman had unbuttoned her coat, and as she put her hands on her hips, there was a flash of the red cocktail dress she wore underneath. The man was a foot taller and wearing a suit. A very nice fitting suit, Mikaela mused, as she came up behind him.

The woman noticed Mikaela first, and her startled gasp had the man looking over his shoulder. Mikaela wasn’t sure who looked more shocked, the man, who moved to shield the woman, or the woman, who raked her gaze over Mikaela from head to toe. As Mikaela fought the urge to straighten her shirt and fix her hair, she decided, definitely, the woman.

The woman’s eyes narrowed, the hands on her hips became clenched at her sides, and her face flushed red. Mikaela held her breath.

The woman pushed at the man’s shoulder and spun him around to face her. “Why you! You! ‘I can’t invite you in, the house is being painted,’” she mimicked. “Is that the new code word for ‘mistress?’ You could have just told me we were through. Well, I’m done. This is the last straw. You pig!” The woman spun on her heel and wrenched the door open.

“Sophia, wait!”

“No, wait,” Mikaela added. She lurched forward, now wide-awake.

The woman stormed out and slammed the door.

The man turned to Mikaela with his hands on his hips. “Who are you?”

Buy link (free with Kindle Unlimited):  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V9CWRMK