Something to crow about.

Cooper has a running feud going with every crow in the greater Apple Valley metropolitan area.  From the moment he steps outside, he's on the lookout.

And the feeling seems to be mutual.  They begin scolding loudly as soon as he enters their neighborhood, and continue taunting long after he has chased them to the nearest rooftop.  A tree is not high enough -- he will chase them from tree to tree until they put themselves so far out of reach that he is eventually distracted by something else, like the need to mark everywhere he's been so they remember he owns it.

He is a talented hunter and seems to like birds of all kinds, except crows.  If one offered to jump in his mouth and let him retrieve it, I think he'd just spit at it.  I have no idea why.

I, on the other hand, love them. 

My love affair with crows began years ago when I heard an interview on NPR with the then-world's-foremost crow expert.  He explained about their complex family structure -- there are Aunt Lillies in crow-world, for instance -- and about their language.  He told how they are one of the few members of the animal kingdom who are smart enough to accomplish their survival tasks early in the day, and therefore have plenty of time for play, so they develop games to amuse themselves.  (I believe Cooper is probably an unwitting pawn in this entertainment scheme.)





Sure, crows have grating voices and eat dead stuff. . .
But we all have our less-desirable traits.  Aunt Lillie, for instance, loved Limberger cheese (which smells like a dead thing).  I shudder.  But her admirable qualities far outweighed her questionable dietary choices.

That's why I was so very delighted 

to receive my latest Etsy acquisition:

Murder Two, 5x7, watercolor, Eileen Black, 2011

Leenie, over at Side Trips,  has started offering beautiful original watercolors in her new Etsy shop,  Watercolors by Leenie.  

Luckily for the rest of the world, Leenie is painting for love rather than money, and I plan to support her hobby and reward her generosity as often as I can!  If you haven't stopped by her blog and shop, please do so and treat yourself.  She is definitely one of the more talented (delightful!) people I've discovered in my travels through blogland.

And now I'm on the lookout for the perfect
Murder Two frame . . . 
which sounds like something I might have
in common with Perry Mason 

(and is an assignment I don't mind in the least!) 

 

CAW.

[read: Happy Monday!]