Zoo Full of Boys

Coming home from the airport early Monday morning.

"Hey, Mom! I think I saw an owl." says my oldest boy.

Oh cool....an owl.

We whip the van in a 180 and go back to see the owl. (I am an unabashed science nerd. Any science...any time.)

We found the owl on the top of a neighbors chimney and I did what any good homeschool mom would do....I pulled out my camera to take pictures. I even blocked neighborhood traffic to do so.

Then, we did another 180 so the kids on the other side of the van could see. I mean how cool is it to see an owl in your own neighborhood. Just sitting there doing his owl thing.

I started a little mini lesson about how owls eat and regurgitate the non-digestible parts. How they have very sharp eyesight and even sharper talons. That they cannot turn their eyes in socket....

That's when oldest child remarked, "Did that owl carry his own perch up there?"

What?

"There's a little log thing that the owl's standing on." oldest child clarified.I did a quick double take....then looked closer.

Then it hit me.

It was a fake owl. I had been taking pictures of a fake owl.

Oh.

My.

How dumb am I?
Thankfully, this took place on the different section of the neighborhood than my cat-napping incident. Once again, I hope the owners weren't home to witness me stalking their fake owl. And I really hope that they meet up with the cat owners. I can only imagine their conversation.

N1: "Did you know that a few months ago, some woman in a blue mini-van attempted to steal our cat....right from our front yard?"
N2: "Oh my heavens....I wonder if it is the same woman that was driving by our house and taking pictures of that fake owl we have on the chimney to keep squirrels from invading our attic again?"

How embarrassing.

The evidence against me having any intelligence at all is stacking up. Now I not only have to double check the cat...I also have to confirm that all the birds are actually alive.