green thumbs and wings

Barnum and Otty have been very busy in the yard lately, tending to the vegetables and flowers which are growing so rapidly, as the sweltering, sunny days are interrupted by flash-flood inducing rains. The combination makes for some happy plants. Barnum spent the better part of one afternoon staring at the cherry tomatoes, barely believing those little round, green objects would someday contribute to pizza sauce. Otty spent that same afternoon wandering around in the Pepper Medley, thinking back on his early days at the Shedd - resting on a shelf in the gift shop, staring at the stuffed animal seahorses. Photosynthesis makes him nostalgic, a burden at times but he did enjoy telling Barnum all about the day Nathaniel came into the store, and almost passed him up for a collection of whale, shark and isolated crab pencils. Barnum wasn't listening too carefully, for the brussel sprouts had just been planted, and he was listening to hear if they'd yet stretched their roots in to their new soil.

Owls have excellent hearing, you know.

Memories

Barnum's been noticing the rising temperature as summer finally takes Chicago by the scruff of its neck, and is thinking back to the chillier days of winter, when he donned a few extra items to keep warm. "Remember how you always used to FROST me, Otty?" Barnum asked, by which he means those times when Otty commandeered the covers, leaving his bedmates exposed to the crisp, wintry air. Otty pretended not to know what Barnum was talking about, but a muffled giggle could be heard.

monkey pajamas

Tonight, Otty's at the wheel.

"I went on this trip to Ohio like a trillion days ago and met this really neat kid with curly blonde hair who really really loves dinosaurs, and light sabers (Is it saber or saver, Barnum? I can never remember.) Anyway this kid Lewis draws aliens all the time and when he laughs his eyes get all squinchy (kinda like this owl i know) and he loves his Paul Frank pjs and he's a big, big fan of blueberry corn muffins."

Otty smiled to himself, thinking about Lewis.

[ Silence. ]

"It's one word," Barnum said. "Lightsaber."

Mopping in their sleep

B. and O. are wiped, after helping un-flood the basement for many of the past 24 hours. How did all that water get in, anyway? And just what was the dark sludge at the bottom of the big puddle in the guest room? Barnum got sorta frustrated with Otty, who kept leaving tracks in the freshly mopped areas. Same with Monkerdoodle, who kept trying to sneak downstairs to roam around the basement then track her muddy, wet paws all over the rest of the house. Hours later it was pure team effort that got the soggy beanbag out to the alley for some lucky treasure-hunter. Later still, post-snack of Fudgees and chamomile tea, these two were ready to hit the hay. They need all the rest they can get, for tomorrow soggy futon will go the way of the beanbag. Monkerdoodle, resting peacefully at the threshold, looks on as they nod off.

The Flying Otter

"You're not the only one around here who can fly, Barnum," said Otty, triumphantly, as he was packed into Julie's suitcase at 5:15 am. Barnum shrugged, gave Otty a goodbye hug, and went back to sleep. A little later Otty stretched his legs and toured the Admiral's Club at O'Hare. He thought about the adventure ahead - his first documentary film festival! He'd studied the schedule carefully, and was especially excited about a couple films - a history of wartime/battlefield cooks (did they find a way to bake cookies? what a morale-booster that would be for the soliders!) and that one about the prestigious beard and moustache competition in Germany. He also planned to order a ginger ale on the plane, and anticipated telling Barnum all about how it wouldn't cost a single cent. "It's freeeeee!" he imagined explaining to his friend. "Free as a bird. An owl-bird, that is."

Otty also wondered if the hotel would have a swimming pool. He hoped so, with all of his might. Then he hit the mini-muffin bar one last time, before Julie packed him back up and headed to the gate.

Umbrella season

Barnum and Otty can't believe how much it's been raining. All day long the rain drums soothingly against the roof, except for where it pours from the broken gutter just outside the bedroom window. This rushing of water tends to get on Barnum's and Otty's nerves (Otty's a little more than Barnum's) because it can only signal one thing: possible seepage in the basement, through the foundation.

Owl and otter are certainly looking forward to Dennis the roof guy coming by to put on a Whole New Roof! What color shingles to pick? ("Beige" says Barnum. "Pea Green!" pipes up Otty.) In the meantime, it's fun to huddle together in Nathaniel's fine red hat, safe and dry from the summer showers.

Introductions

Welcome to The Adventures of Barnum and Otty!

Want to meet everyone?
Barnum's a stuffed animal owl who came into Nathaniel's life around age 5 during the Christmas holiday that also included a trip to the emergency room. (Stay tuned for the full story.)

Otty's a stuffed animal otter rescued from the aquarium, who entered the picture about 32 years later, as a gift from Nathaniel to Julie. Despite their age and species differences, these two fellas get along just fine. They live in Chicago and spend a lot, ok most, of their time goofing around. Sometimes they get out of town, and sometimes they put on theatrical skits produced by Barnum the Barn Owl Productions (and Otty TOO!).

But mostly they just hang out around the house, cracking everyone up. And by everyone we mean Nathaniel and Julie.

Barnum and Otty's most recent project is this blog, which will (semi) regularly chronicle their adventures and shenanigans.

The photo at the top of this page was taken in March, 2009, at Barnum and Otty's favorite country getaway location - Toad Hall, in Harvard, IL.