Well written & greatly appreciated. I’ve been driving on the freeways around town frequently at 4:00pm-ish lately and have noticed the murder(s). This evening they were flying onto the top of a building in the Lloyd district, which made me go huh and wonder about all the poop. I like crows. They are smart. I read once, probably not in a peer-reviewed scientific article, that we get one as a spirit guide when we die.
Lynn, I truly love your post! The “Murder of Crows,” lured me in, I despise Crows! They seriously need to be CULLED!
In Arizona, they damn near killed off all the Desert Tortoises. For > fun! They constantly attacked them, pecking at the legs, head, neck, tail, and left them to die. They are killing off all the wild birds, and small animals. I had a pair of mocking birds, nesting in my yard for 5 yrs. The damn crows killed their babies every year, then killed the mother! They attack dogs and cats, pecking at them, when they sleep. They show up in the hundreds, pooping all over, making a hideous racket! And have murder parties, where they kill a few of their own. Again-> Crows need to be CULLED! I’m sure Trump is a human crow, they have a lot in common! Ravens are the good guys, and highly intelligent.
My story is a bit different. During the course of my career, i was a talk show host for Nashville's WLAC radio. There I met the front desk person who happened to be black. She was fabulous in her job but was worth so much more than the position she was in. Years later, I was working in the Governor's Film and Television Commission and we needed some bright and hardworking help. My short list had ONE name on it: my friend, Gisela. Not because she was black, but because she was amazing!! Some in the administration complimented me on the hire as a nod to diversity. Little did they know that I believed I had hired the best person the radio station had on the payroll.
Joy- I love getting your columns. About today's political landscape. I try desperately every day to find something positive, as it all seems to be a disaster I cannot control. I'm in favor of getting rid of the penny. That's the only thing I have found so far. I don't know what to DO to change the landscape. I've started donating to ACLU again, although there is a lot I don't like about them. But all my elected officials already vote the way I feel they should. So, WHAT TO DO now?
And in Connecticut, you've got Chris Murphy--such a great Senator. I like Jessica Craven's email suggestions - Call a rep in some other place and claim to be calling from a zip code in their district. The other thing is supporting trustworthy news sources, like non-profits ProPublica and Mother Jones. Democracy Docket fights voter suppression. I'm working on a list...
We will not give up the fight. But, we are working to save special places in our town as well as well as working to keep Buzzards Bay water clean as possible. We are staying local!
We have a bunch of them (crows)around our property. More all the time -- they are obnoxious and I'm tempted to do some culling. :)
As for maintaining my sanity -- They say I've always been a bit crazy anyway. But it's very difficult. I'm watching a lot less political news and trying to stay current with more local issues. I'm constantly asking myself: "What Can I Do About This Now?" The answer is almost always nothing. If that's the case I try to ignore it and move on to something where I can make a difference -- especially with family, friends and locally.
The bigger question we all need to find the answer for -- is how to get the country run by people who aren't Morally, Ethically, Mentally, and Emotionally unfit for office.
Truly. How to stay sane and connected without running naked screaming down the street. I think shedding light on the oligarchs' wet dreams of world domination should be a topic that most of us who are not filthy rich could get behind (including MAGA folk), but maybe I'm missing something.
Love your musings. Today you brought back so many memories. I too saw the Birds. Omg I never liked birds anyway, and that movie scared me straight. (Didn’t know what other word to use). I never again saw anything close to being scary. Of course now we have someone in our Great White House who also is scary. I won’t be paying that scary creature any of my power.
Fascinating birds--kind of like squirrels in how we have such strong feelings about them. When I still had a garden, squirrels were the enemy. So destructive.
So interesting about the crow flight characteristics! One of the best I’ve seen and heard was Sand Hill cranes—quite different from the murder or crows.
Oh those crows. I'm with you, JOY. Not only are they loud and messy, they swoop in every year and ruin the fruit of my fruit trees by pecking everything they can find (kind of like the Felon). Today is MLK Day and I just removed myself from Facebook. "Free at last. Free at last."
Hi Joy. Thank you for keeping it light. I think none of us want to talk about IT.
I live in the country now. Silent, dark sky country. 9 acres of woods are part of our lot. The crows are always there, sometimes raising a huge ruckus up and down the along the creek, most times singular and perched on a high fir at the edge of the field. I like the idea that they remember me and might consider me a friend. Surely for growing all this fruit they gorge on every fall. Possibly for my occasional caw mimic, which I find quite impressive, possibly they do, too as they caw back, or so I imagine. But most certainly they can feel my awe at the magic on a quiet summer day hearing the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of one crow's wings flying over my head, and my wish to join them up there.
Have you read 14 Ways of Looking at A Blackbird? One of my favorites. Stevens writes a verse in the mode of different writers all on the subject of blackbirds. My favorite is the last, especially the line "it was evening all afternoon..."
How lovely. Silent dark sky country. A person could forget completely about the rest of the world. And thanks for reminding me of the Wallace Stevens poem. Here’s the 13th verse:
XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.
If a blackbird poops in the snow can anyone see it?
Joy, you are just wonderful! I’m taking delight in the image of the murder of murderous crows sailing around Trump‘s head and among all his cohorts working to activate various types of misery… i’m hoping they run into barriers every step of the way, thus somehow reducing the suffering they hope to cause… OMG and I’m going to concentrate on gratitude for Martin Luther King Jr.
I adore crows 🥰 they used to come to convention by the thousands (okay, maybe hundreds) in the small forest behind our home in Dallas. They do love peanuts and shiny things. I’ve called crows into my yard here in Salem and treated them to nuts and seeds. We don't have mature trees for them to congregate. As for tomorrow, I know of only one true and good leader, MLK Jr, who deserves to be honored. I will focus on my work to support women in replacing numbing habits and reconnecting to their light. Only light can drive out darkness ✨
Well written & greatly appreciated. I’ve been driving on the freeways around town frequently at 4:00pm-ish lately and have noticed the murder(s). This evening they were flying onto the top of a building in the Lloyd district, which made me go huh and wonder about all the poop. I like crows. They are smart. I read once, probably not in a peer-reviewed scientific article, that we get one as a spirit guide when we die.
I like crows too, but in smaller doses. A person could do worse than have a crow spirit guide. They’re special to Native Americans
Lynn, I truly love your post! The “Murder of Crows,” lured me in, I despise Crows! They seriously need to be CULLED!
In Arizona, they damn near killed off all the Desert Tortoises. For > fun! They constantly attacked them, pecking at the legs, head, neck, tail, and left them to die. They are killing off all the wild birds, and small animals. I had a pair of mocking birds, nesting in my yard for 5 yrs. The damn crows killed their babies every year, then killed the mother! They attack dogs and cats, pecking at them, when they sleep. They show up in the hundreds, pooping all over, making a hideous racket! And have murder parties, where they kill a few of their own. Again-> Crows need to be CULLED! I’m sure Trump is a human crow, they have a lot in common! Ravens are the good guys, and highly intelligent.
We really do need to reduce their numbers….
My story is a bit different. During the course of my career, i was a talk show host for Nashville's WLAC radio. There I met the front desk person who happened to be black. She was fabulous in her job but was worth so much more than the position she was in. Years later, I was working in the Governor's Film and Television Commission and we needed some bright and hardworking help. My short list had ONE name on it: my friend, Gisela. Not because she was black, but because she was amazing!! Some in the administration complimented me on the hire as a nod to diversity. Little did they know that I believed I had hired the best person the radio station had on the payroll.
Are you still living in Nashville? My sister and her family are musicians (what else?) there. Live in Green Hills.
I am now about 30 miles west of Nashville. We wanted some acreage that didn't cost millions!
Joy- I love getting your columns. About today's political landscape. I try desperately every day to find something positive, as it all seems to be a disaster I cannot control. I'm in favor of getting rid of the penny. That's the only thing I have found so far. I don't know what to DO to change the landscape. I've started donating to ACLU again, although there is a lot I don't like about them. But all my elected officials already vote the way I feel they should. So, WHAT TO DO now?
And in Connecticut, you've got Chris Murphy--such a great Senator. I like Jessica Craven's email suggestions - Call a rep in some other place and claim to be calling from a zip code in their district. The other thing is supporting trustworthy news sources, like non-profits ProPublica and Mother Jones. Democracy Docket fights voter suppression. I'm working on a list...
We will not give up the fight. But, we are working to save special places in our town as well as well as working to keep Buzzards Bay water clean as possible. We are staying local!
Local action is where we build community and can have the biggest impact, and you do this in spades!
We have a bunch of them (crows)around our property. More all the time -- they are obnoxious and I'm tempted to do some culling. :)
As for maintaining my sanity -- They say I've always been a bit crazy anyway. But it's very difficult. I'm watching a lot less political news and trying to stay current with more local issues. I'm constantly asking myself: "What Can I Do About This Now?" The answer is almost always nothing. If that's the case I try to ignore it and move on to something where I can make a difference -- especially with family, friends and locally.
The bigger question we all need to find the answer for -- is how to get the country run by people who aren't Morally, Ethically, Mentally, and Emotionally unfit for office.
Truly. How to stay sane and connected without running naked screaming down the street. I think shedding light on the oligarchs' wet dreams of world domination should be a topic that most of us who are not filthy rich could get behind (including MAGA folk), but maybe I'm missing something.
Love your musings. Today you brought back so many memories. I too saw the Birds. Omg I never liked birds anyway, and that movie scared me straight. (Didn’t know what other word to use). I never again saw anything close to being scary. Of course now we have someone in our Great White House who also is scary. I won’t be paying that scary creature any of my power.
Dont you just wish you could just change the channel on this clown show?
Do I ever!!! Circus begins with the clowns. 🤡
Great descriptions of the corvids. Loved it.
Fascinating birds--kind of like squirrels in how we have such strong feelings about them. When I still had a garden, squirrels were the enemy. So destructive.
So interesting about the crow flight characteristics! One of the best I’ve seen and heard was Sand Hill cranes—quite different from the murder or crows.
I went on an excursion to view sandhill cranes, but only a handful showed up that day, so I never really got to observe their flight patterns.
Oh those crows. I'm with you, JOY. Not only are they loud and messy, they swoop in every year and ruin the fruit of my fruit trees by pecking everything they can find (kind of like the Felon). Today is MLK Day and I just removed myself from Facebook. "Free at last. Free at last."
Congratulations on the FB withdrawl! I haven’t yet, but hardly go there any more.
Hi Joy. Thank you for keeping it light. I think none of us want to talk about IT.
I live in the country now. Silent, dark sky country. 9 acres of woods are part of our lot. The crows are always there, sometimes raising a huge ruckus up and down the along the creek, most times singular and perched on a high fir at the edge of the field. I like the idea that they remember me and might consider me a friend. Surely for growing all this fruit they gorge on every fall. Possibly for my occasional caw mimic, which I find quite impressive, possibly they do, too as they caw back, or so I imagine. But most certainly they can feel my awe at the magic on a quiet summer day hearing the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of one crow's wings flying over my head, and my wish to join them up there.
Have you read 14 Ways of Looking at A Blackbird? One of my favorites. Stevens writes a verse in the mode of different writers all on the subject of blackbirds. My favorite is the last, especially the line "it was evening all afternoon..."
Enjoy: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45236/thirteen-ways-of-looking-at-a-blackbird
Marci
P.S. Perhaps we should attempt to write 13 Ways of Looking at an Inauguration.
How lovely. Silent dark sky country. A person could forget completely about the rest of the world. And thanks for reminding me of the Wallace Stevens poem. Here’s the 13th verse:
XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
The blackbird sat
In the cedar-limbs.
If a blackbird poops in the snow can anyone see it?
Joy, you are just wonderful! I’m taking delight in the image of the murder of murderous crows sailing around Trump‘s head and among all his cohorts working to activate various types of misery… i’m hoping they run into barriers every step of the way, thus somehow reducing the suffering they hope to cause… OMG and I’m going to concentrate on gratitude for Martin Luther King Jr.
Me too. What courage! Such an inspiration.
I adore crows 🥰 they used to come to convention by the thousands (okay, maybe hundreds) in the small forest behind our home in Dallas. They do love peanuts and shiny things. I’ve called crows into my yard here in Salem and treated them to nuts and seeds. We don't have mature trees for them to congregate. As for tomorrow, I know of only one true and good leader, MLK Jr, who deserves to be honored. I will focus on my work to support women in replacing numbing habits and reconnecting to their light. Only light can drive out darkness ✨
A conventional of crows is such a more apt description! I don’t know who decided to call them a murder.
Keep bringing the light! So needed today.