Back alley owl attack.

Happy Halloween! So far, the ho-humiest Halloween yet. They did not even hand out fun-sized treats at work today! I realize how weirdly entitled this is: I don’t even care for cheap chocolate. How am I supposed to get into the mood for Halloween in such an uninspired work environment? One of the mechanics wore a Jack-o-Lantern costume. I threw on my Senior Proctor NXIVM stripe path scarf for a few hours in a futile attempt to instigate a conversation. Everybody else in the shop was a disappointment.

There was a corn on the cob on the salesfloor. My grocery store checkout clerk was Toad. I noticed my landlord now has a moustache: unsure if Halloween related.

Last evening was spooky enough anyhow.

I was “Just Riding Along” when something hit my helmet: surely, somebody’s little brat playing with a ball in the dark back alley had pelted me. Then, an owl swooped past in front of my bike’s light beam. My light beam was pointed a little too low, but there was just enough twilight to see it perch onto a clothesline pole, where it beheld me as I rode away in a daze.

New core memory registered. The encounter was about ten seconds long, but I’ll remember the evening an owl bopped my helmet for years. I was slightly disappointed I didn’t find any talon marks on my helmet.

I wanted to know why it was a thing that happened, so I consulted my personal bird nerd, Tammy. Gone are the years when Google was a reliable source of information. Tammy legit has hands-on experience with birds, especially owls. I know she put herself into the mind of an owl when she explained how attacks on joggers were not unheard of, especially ones with ponytails that resemble the tantalizing tail of a squirrel.

I don’t think my braid sees much movement from under my bike helmet while riding, so it wasn’t that. I might’ve scared away it’s prey, causing the owl to retaliate, Tammy suggested.

Possibly.

She went on to describe their large, sharp talons. Also, how filthy they are from digging into all those rodents. I took away more from this conversation than I’d asked for. Tammy didn’t ask if I wanted owl photos: I was gifted owl photos. I loved it. The owl bop was an experience that kept on giving.