In Search of the Owl—A Memoir
by Jean Sidinger
Poetry ~ Narrative ~ Journal ~ 274 pages
Price: $15.95
Publisher: Silver Sage
ISBN: 978-1-1-7357045-0-0
To Order: Amazon.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:


There is a universally applicable proverb which appears in poet Jean Sidinger’s memoir:
“Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young.”
Sidinger elucidates and expands on this gem of wisdom as she writes In Search of the
Owl. Who among us has not admired one or both parents enough to say, “I really should
write a book about your life.” What most of us merely muse or dream about, Sidinger
achieves. This book is particularly relevant in an age of Covid-19, where stories of the
elderly succumbing to illness have been drenched in tears. With that said, In Search of
the Owl, is eternally relevant wherever and whenever the substantive questions about
living a meaningful life are asked.


ADVANCE PRAISE:


“I’ll always remember tall slender Levi on fieldtrips keenly observing things in nature
with his camera always at the ready. He took in all of the outdoors, animals, birds, plants
and terrain. He passed these traits on to his children. In writing this tribute to her father,
Dr. Jean Mohler Sidinger displays her own love of the outdoors. When she describes a
scene she and her father visited many years ago you are there with them. You hear the
breeze push gently through the tall grass. You see the ripples on an otherwise placid
pond. You smell the fragrant flowers along the path. And you hear the flock of redwings
settling in the cattails. Dr. Sidinger’s descriptive words flow like poetry through the
entire memoir.”
—Alfred G. Larson, Honorary Board Member, Golden Eagle Chapter, National Audubon
Society

“That Jean Mohler Sidinger inherited her father’s eye for the small but incredibly
complex workings of the natural world is evident in her writing. Her descriptions of the
Great Plains landscape are like the landscape itself—seemingly sparse but filled with life
and understanding. Jean’s writing captures the man, her beloved father, not in maudlin
sentimentality, but with words telling of her love for her father, and her father’s love of
the natural world. The book is the story of her quest to accept his death, her search for
understanding, her search for the wisdom of the owl.”
—Jon Farrar, Former Senior Editor, NEBRASKAland Magazine

“As I read through the poignant narratives, poems and journal entries comprising this
exceptional memoir, one journal entry, among many, captured my attention and lingered
long in the recesses of my heart, Why was it then, in the season of eternal hope and
promise, my dad died? The questions tug at my soul: Why then? Why, in the season my
dad felt especially excited about being alive, was it his time to die? I cry softly, wishing
for an answer, yet knowing there is no answer other than the reminder what transpired is
real; it did happen. If this question has ever rested heavy upon your heart, you need Jean
Sidinger’s memoir, In Search of the Owl.”
—Michael Escoubas, author of Monet in Poetry and Paint


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Jean E. Sidinger admits to having a lifelong love affair with words. She found it natural
to keep an extensive handwritten journal following the death of her beloved father, a
pioneer in the fields of wildlife management and ecology. She utilized the writing from
that first year to create her thought-provoking memoir In Search of the Owl.

As a child, Jean learned to appreciate the world of the outdoors on Audubon field trips
and during carefree days exploring her grandfather’s Nebraska farm. Later in life, hiking
and camping in the Rocky Mountains afforded time for writing and reflection.
Throughout her life, she has shared her father’s affinity for nature, so it is not surprising
that she turned there for solace in her time of grief.

An educator by profession, Sidinger earned a PhD from the University of Denver. Her
dissertation addressed audio-visual utilization by elementary classroom teachers. As a
writer, she is known for her propensity to capture the tiniest nuances of her surroundings.
Her poetry has appeared in Quill and Parchment, Colorado Life magazine, Poetry
Society of Colorado’s Poet’s Showcase: Winning Poems 2018-19, and numerous
anthologies. In 2011 as Artist in Residence at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and
Preserve, her time was devoted to writing as well as creating two-dimensional art. An
artist in the broadest sense, she is also a painter, jewelry maker, award-winning
photographer, and former owner of Photographers’ Gallery in Denver’s Cheery Creek
North. The graphite and ink illustrations for In Search of the Owl are hers.

She resides in Greenwood Village, Colorado, with her husband, Jim, also an
accomplished photographer. In Search of the Owl is her first memoir.


FROM THE BOOK:


When It’s Spring
by Levi L. Mohler

When each crocus shows its head
You know it’s spring.

When Emperor tulips show their red
You know it’s spring.

When poplar catkins start to drop
And green grass makes robins hop,
When the finch’s song won’t stop
You know it’s spring.

When the early robins sing
You know it’s spring.

When warm sun bathes everything
You know it’s spring.

When towhees start to scratch
In the leafy garden patch,
When days and nights no longer match
Then it’s spring

When the warblers have arrived
You know it’s spring.

When the bees are all un-hived
You know it’s spring.
When the earliest of flowers
Are anticipating showers,
When clouds build fluffy towers
Then it’s spring.

It’s really great to be alive
When it’s spring.
Daybreak comes soon after five
When it’s spring.

Other seasons of the year
Have their wonders, it is clear,
But nature’s best is really here
When it’s spring.

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