Lee and Annabel
I took the photo above this post a few years after we moved here. By then Jude and I had shed any doubt that we had made the shrewdest of moves coming up here, and a rainbow kissing our property smacked of celestial sanction.
A pair of common ravens visited the apple tree at rainbow’s end every day at 4 p.m. 4 p.m. sharp. You could set your watch by them. The tree has gone barren. The birds remain. I can’t prove it’s the same two, but their species can live up to 23 years in the wild.
They are anything but common. They are smart, playful and have an amazing vocabulary.
The pair that visits us every afternoon — Lee and Annabel — attempt to educate us with a variety of caws, croaks and donks. I try to mimic them, hoping that I’m not insulting. Recently, one perched in a maple tree just above me and bombarded me with catkins.
We leave our compost bin open so they can pick through it. We throw the mice we catch most every night on the roof of our storage shed so they have fresh meat in their diet. They patrol our little valley with a soaring grace that’s central to our pastoral paradise.
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Anchor Struck 
AP
It is wonderful to have the many memories of our youthful past and while there may be a twinge of sadness in the fact that none of us room this earth forever, I do find great comfort in the fact that growing older has some satisfaction I cannot find in any other activity…enjoy your ravens and your pastoral paradise as I truly appreciate your sharing these simple joys in your lives. Semper fi, Marine…
JB
Like one of the characters in the film “Zombieland” said as they trashed a souvenir shop, “It’s the little things”. It is immensely satisfying to realize that you have everything you need. Semper Fi and my best to the Colonel
Ravens for friends. How lucky are you!
Hey,Kate. Jude and I count our blessings every day. We’re still working on our e-mail problem.