the care of crows
“'Murder' is the word for a group of crows, like a flock of geese or a herd of cows or a convention of orthodontists.” -Lemony Snicket, The Vile Village
I’ve become a voyeur.
In April, I noticed two crows building a nest in a tree directly in front of my office window. It didn’t take long for my fascination with the bird couple to grow. I watched them fight off a crow interloper, protect their nest, sit on their eggs in rain and sun, and now feed the little red crow mouths that just barely pop up above the nest’s edge.
Crows are not particularly beautiful birds. Their Corvidae cousin, the blue jay is more striking- a flash of bright blue streaking across the sky. Crows, in comparison, look duller and more ordinary. Maybe that’s why I like them. They are inauspicious and live everywhere. They’ve surrounded me for my entire life and for most of it, I’ve paid them little attention.
A few years ago I started seeing videos of people befriending wild crows. Befriend may be too strong a word. Creating an alliance is probably more apt. Crows are able to recognize and remember human faces and will hold a grudge against a person they dislike. I’ve read about crows becoming possessive over a person they like (or who feeds them) and dive-bombing anyone who comes near their human friend.
I am someone who ascribes anthropomorphism to almost anything. Blame my childhood love of the movie The Brave Little Toaster. Or maybe when I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull too young because I thought it was a children’s book. Even now, I occasionally find myself apologizing to chairs when I accidentally bump into them. All of this to say that I am prone to romanticizing nature.
I know that nature can be brutal, but it can also bring out the best caring instincts animals have, even if the end goal is solely survival. I have come to love the crows outside my office. I look forward to watching them throughout my day and I often wonder if I could entice them to become my friends. So far I haven’t offered them any of the peanuts the internet suggests are their favorite because I read that they can be protective of their nests and I don’t want to disturb them. Maybe it’s for the best that I watch them from afar and don’t interfere. I imagine the chicks will be ready to fly in a month or so and they should get their parents’ full attention. Like every living being, they deserve the best chance at a healthy and long life.
Let’s continue to take care of one another.
Links To Click On When You’re Bored At Work
Want to watch some baby chick in their nests? Of course you do.
You’ve probably read this because Jia is so popular but if it somehow didn’t make it across your desk last month you should check it out.
I am a believer in the power of second chances. “No one wakes up a terrorist. There are many factors and stages that can last years before police are involved.”
TW: Eating disorders. Have you heard? Eating disorders are cool again! If you, like me, survived growing up during the age of Kate Moss thinspo and “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” magazine articles, I’m proud of you! Now that we’re slipping back into (or throttling toward) fascism, skinny-“clean-eating”-MAHA-Aryan perfectionism is trending and I for one am meeting the moment with anger and resistance. I found Maggie Slepian’s piece about struggling with a lifelong struggle with EDs sobering and more important than ever.
10 years ago, one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite artists came out and I haven’t stopped listening since. After a difficult past few years, Sufjan Stevens revisits Carrie and Lowell in this interview in the thoughtful way only he can do.
I learned what “noodling” is a few years ago and it continues to disturb and fascinate me so naturally I enjoyed this article on the history of the hobby.
*in a Stefon voice* This piece has everything: restorative justice, chocolate, non-violence, farming, community!
A beautiful, local love story that made me cry. TW: HIV/AIDS.
A religious sister I know in DC has had her car stolen three times over the past few years and after reading this I imagine there is a possibility her car made the long journey to West Africa.
This reflection on a permaculture garden tended to by the formerly incarcerated is ten years old, yet it feels incredibly relevant.
I am constantly in awe of people who put their lives on the line as water and earth defenders. Mari Luz Canaquiri and her fellow Kukama indigenous women are heroes and I loved learning about how Mari’s faith shapes her defense of Mother Earth.
I loved reading “Nurturing Seeds of Freedom in Palestine” especially because I bought seeds of a native Palestinian eggplant varietal for my garden his year.
Also ten years old, I found this jail chaplain’s details of his experience facilitating a prison Bible-study on the parable of the wedding banquet with a rambunctious gang leader to be beautiful and timely.
While I don’t understand Disney adults, I think they’re harmless. But these two seem like the ultimate nightmare for service workers.
A well-done portrayal of a white-collar criminal. “Yet, despite a decade of legal troubles, Rechnitz to date has escaped serious consequences. He has yet to spend a single day in prison, even for the New York conviction. In reporting this story, I reviewed thousands of pages of legal documents and spoke to 15 associates, former friends, and lawyers involved in more than a dozen lawsuits against Rechnitz. Many of them think Rechnitz avoided justice because he cooperated with federal authorities in New York, and may still be acting as a government informant—something Rechnitz himself is said to have claimed. Whatever the truth, nothing seems to stick to him.”
Cameron Bellm wrote a reflection on Pope Francis that resonated so deeply with me.
Things That Are Bringing Me Joy
All of the work I poured into my garden last year to nurture the soil is being rewarded this spring. I’ve created a flower meadow filled with pollinator-friendly blooms and my veggies seem very happy so far. This summer is predicted to be even hotter than last summer (a thought that drags me into climate despair) but my prayer is that my little no-till, organic garden can make a tiny difference in healing the earth. Or at the very least can produce some delicious veg.
Lola sniffing the flowers. I accidentally bought too much rhubarb at the farmer’s market last month so I made a few rhubarb-centered desserts. I love experimenting with various seasonal fruits in my baking.
During this past semester of the ESL class I volunteer teach, I had three Brazilian students. In honor of them, I made brigadieros, a very easy and delicious traditional Brazilian dessert. I make them fairly often but I was nervous that it wouldn’t taste authentic to them. However, my students told me that it tasted like home so I consider that a success!
A former colleague of mine, Tom Faletti, is spending his retirement being incredibly productive. He writes a wonderful blog filled with his faith experiences and a Bible-study curriculum he developed for the Jubilee year. Check it out!
Every year I joyfully watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee. This year’s finals was surprisingly very dramatic and I felt the excitement and electricity in the room through my screen.
