Serendipity

Purely by chance last night while flipping channels (something I rarely do), suddenly pictures of a huge flock of crows caught my eye.  The program was called "A Murder of Crows," on PBS.  Having just mentioned same, I got interested and certainly learned a lot.  I found myself taking notes as if there would be a test later.  Field studies show that these are the most intelligent of all birds.  Apes use tools; crows make tools.  Their warning cries actually define the danger for others:  cat, hawk, human, etc.  Studies indicate they have a vocabulary of over two hundred calls in two dialects for communicating with the group and family.  Crows have phenomenal memory, recognizing faces seen only once over a two-year period, associating that face with pleasure or unpleasantness and reacting accordingly.  They mate for life, the union lasting twenty years or so, and generations live together in an extended family group.  When a member dies, the flock will gather together at the site to sit for a moment of silence.  I'm certainly going to look at the resident flock with new respect.

As one who remembers when it took an instruction manual the size of a telephone book to operate a VHS tape recorder for the television, I love DVR!  I particularly appreciated it yesterday when Tree Guy showed up to stack split wood when there were just twenty laps to go at the NASCAR race at Talladega (one of the most exciting tracks on the circuit) and "my" driver was close to the front of the pack.  I could tear myself away only because I knew I could catch the end of the race later, and went out to help.  It only seemed right since TG had come to work on a Sunday.  Together we stacked nearly a cord of wood and cleaned up most of the mountain of split logs.  TG is going to go elk hunting in a week or so and wanted to make sure I'd be set in case a storm blows in here while he's gone.  Going back into the house, I could pick up the race where I'd left it and watch Clint Bowyer swing out at the very last minute and pick up the checkered flag!  I yelled so loud I scared the dog.

It was a good day.