- Over the weekend, I learned of an amazing appearance of a pair of Snowy Owls in Chicago from my friend L.Marie. Their presence commands attention. The timing of their visit more serendipitous than coincidental. I cannot escape their gaze, their message.
A Pair of Snowy Owls in Chicago on the Lakefront - December 2025
©LBL
Arctic gift of nature
Slipped through the polar vortex.
Come to visit those who need
respite from
brutality and greed.
- Also over the weekend, I potted a spider plant ‘baby’ in a cracked but beloved teapot perfect for just such a purpose. Our son Joe delivered Spidey plus a variety of other plant starts & cuttings from his home in Denver during his visit over Thanksgiving. He is a nurturing soul, and carefully packed them in his suitcase. Spidey is thriving in his new abode, placed atop a “Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher” on our kitchen table.
The teapot makes me smile – a reminder of my first Christmas as a newlywed. Hubby spent hours with a carpenter friend in his shop designing and creating a 5-foot-tall wooden plant holder complete with several shelves to display said plants. On the big day, hubby presented it to me with the teapot perched upon the top shelf crammed full of cut red roses. You may be wondering, what was my gift to him that first Christmas as a newlywed? A paisley necktie I made by hand for the first time ever to go with a new store bought dress shirt.
- I noticed Deborah has reduced the paperback edition of her novel, When Things Go Missing from $9.99 to $3.99, specially priced for the holiday season. Yes, that’s a pitch for a gift idea.
Need a nudge? In addition to my rave review, the winner of my book give away Tierney recently finished reading it and mentioned she loved the book so much she will be posting a review on Amazon.
- From deep within my childhood memories, through Concert Choir Christmas Performances in High School, I offer this rendition of Dona Nobis Pacem for this post’s Finale.
Grant us peace
note- the Latin pronunciation for ‘Pacem’ is ‘pah-chem’.
I am so glad you mentioned that I will be posting a review on Amazon as I totally forgot! I even drafted it up. Okay I need to go find my draft – the holiday distracted me 🙂
Wonderful poem and majestic owls!
I like the Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher!
LOL – at least it’s a draft and basically close to being ready to submit! How many draft WIPs are lingering in my files? Geesh, who knows?! HA!
It has been submitted 🙂
Yay! One more thing off the 2025 todo list before the New Year comes! 😉
I love the story of your first (married) Christmas. Big smiles here! Snowy owls are beautiful, and so is your poem. Happy holidays to you, Laura!
Happy Happy HoHoHo to you, too, Jennie!
😀
So much beauty in your post: nature, poetry, meaningful gifts made with love, and the choral music… Thank you for this, Laura. <3
Thank you for the beauty of your warmth & kindness, Khaya.
Those snowy owls are gorgeous and your poem is a perfect tribute to their magnificence. I love that teapot too, using it as a pot is a great way to continue to enjoy it despite its crack. Have a wonderful holiday, Laura!
You too, Janis!
Thank for this heartwarming post — snowy owls, teapot, first gifts, and all the other Christmas blessings
Thank you, Mariss. Wishing you a peaceful 2026.
Amazing! I’m glad they decided to close that part of the park. Otherwise, people would be trying to take selfies with the snowy owls. Thank you for sharing the lovely poem and photos.
The whole selfie thing – you’re right about that, Edward. Aaaargh!
I know. Some people don’t know boundaries.
Love the poem, and also the post finale. Reading about the owls and also your husband’s gift reminded me of something in an English folklore book that brings both owls and a certain carpenter together, referencing Hamlet:
‘ . . . To see an owl in daylight . . . is especially ominous. Ophelia, in her madness remarks “They say the owl was a baker’s daughter,” a reference to a medieval legend of the widespread type which offers an ‘explanation’ based on some imaginary incidents in Jesus’s life. Jesus, passing a baker’s shop, asked for bread; the baker’s wife was about to put a good slab of dough into her oven for him, when her daughter snatched most of it back, saying it was far too much for a beggar. But at once it swelled up enormously. “Oo, ooo, oooo!” she cried, and turned into an owl.
Oh that is rich, Andy. The reference to Ophelia in and of itself caused me to re-dig into Hamlet. Thank you for that! The English folklore story is new to me and something to chew upon (punny, no?!). Like I mentioned to Wendy below, Snowy Owls are my new favs…replacing Puffins and Pink Flamingos! 🙂
Laura, your poem is so lovely, so fitting for both the owls and our souls. How wonderful that Spidey has a baby! I love the teapot and the cookie cake crumb catcher, and especially the story of your Christmas gifts. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy xo
Warm & fuzzy is always good. Thank you for letting me know I helped stoke some in your soul. Wishing you a peaceful 2026.
I love snowy owls. They bring tidings from the north, and often, intense winters, Powerful beings they are.
May this omen bring you much joy!
Thank you, Michael. I knew you’d relate to the poem, the feeling of kinship with those two Snowy Owls.
What a beautiful post, Laura. I feel nurtured by the image of the owls, that wise “other” eyes that see the world in such different terms than we do, and by your poem: yes, we need that. I love your spidey plant. It’s been so long since I’ve had one and it’s so strange how they birth their babies– more of that “otherness” , that wonder that gives amazement to the world.
Thank you so much for that sweet plug for my book. Sadly, it’s not priced as low as mentioned. Sorry about that. The discount is actually 3.99 fo ebook, and 9.99 for paperback, both 60% off from what they had been. I’m so happy Tierney enjoyed my book and will look forward to her review, a Christmas gift.
Wishing you and yours a beautiful Christmas, full of peace and joy, my friend and flower sister.
Mille Grazie, la mia fiore sorella. Buon Natale!
That was a nice holiday post! My hubs didn’t wear ties when we were first married, so I made him a shirt for our first Christmas. I enjoyed hearing about your making a tie–I made some of them back in the day, too!
Truth be told, a tailored guy-shirt was way beyond my capabilities, hence the tie whether needed or not! 😉
Those Snowy Owls are magnificent, imperious creatures. What a joy to have seen them, even if just a photo. Thank you for the music, Laura. It was also quite magnificent!
All the best to you during this holiday season, Anne. The Snowy Owls, the Dona Nobis Pacem, all draw us outside our cloistered realm. There is so much ‘bigger than us’ and I believe the holidays open our eyes to that truth.
We (okay, my birder daughter) spotted a snowy owl nearby a few years ago. They are fun to see! I enjoyed reading about your little teapot and its beginning as well as its current adventure. I hope Spidey grows and grows!
Snowy Owls are my new most favored birds!
BTW: Spidey’s thriving.
Happy holidays, Laura. Yes, the arrival of the snowy owls is serendipitous indeed. Good to see Spidey thriving in his new home. I can provide additional testimony to Deborah’s book. It is excellent. I was 2/3 of the way through her book when I realized the mother was never coming home. It would not have seemed realistic if she came home, and they were suddenly one big, happy family.
Another ‘satisfied’ reader! 😉 Happy Holidays to you, too and to the whole gang of Springers.
Thank you, Pete, for that testimony! I loved your review of my book. It meant so much to me. Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Laura, I’m so glad the post inspired you to write that lovely poem! My feelings exactly! A respite was so needed.
And how cool that you discovered your spider baby in a teapot. 😊
Thank you for including that video. Simply beautiful!
Your post lead me to research the ‘history’ Chicago has with Snowy Owls…and dig deeper into the impact they made on the city at this specific time & age. I couldn’t shake the significance/timing of their visit – hence the poem. Take care.