O right! I figured out what the crows were on about earlier this week! I forgot to explain it, didn't I? Damn craziest thing!!!

 Apparently, not only my crows have been worried about me, but the hawk god too.... All this week we had unseasonably summery weather for April in Wisconsin (sunny and highs around 80) which is dropping like 40 degrees when the arrives tonight and then by tomorrow night it's down to 28F and up to 2" of snow.... Right so on Tuesday, I decided after breakfast that I'd go outside to sit on the balcony to read (my current poetry is Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, selections from which I had to read in college American Lit course but I never read in entirety because it's ridiculously long; And then this week my at home book has been alternating chapters of John Steinbeck's the Pastures of Heaven which I've never read before with parts of David Hume's Dialogue on Natural Religion which is thus far my least favorite work of Hume; my purse book is Bernal Diaz's Conquest of New Spain which is a first hand account of Cortes' mission to conquer the Aztecs for Spain.)

 

So I spent Tuesday morning after breakfast just sitting on my balcony in the sunshine reading and sipping coffee then bancha green tea while Spock glared at me because now the dog is dead, the cat thinks that as the senior pet of the household he should get to join me on the balcony as the dog used to.

So all that morning, my crows (who I don't feed because of condo association rules about bird feeders) were keeping an eye on me and Jon Snow came over twice to say hi and to sit on the balcony edge bring me two new pinecones and a feather and caw chat at me.  So then later that morning, while sitting here, a hawk flew up right into the choke cherry tree and sat on the branch not even 5ft from me, Literally right behind/next to me in this tree: 

 This gorgeous hawk, of a kind I'd never seen before, he sat there preening itself and bobbing it's head at me amicably and very loudly asking me, "where have you been young lady?!?!" and it only flew off when some of my neighbors came outside the other door and startled it. I didn't dare reach for my phone to get pictures with it so close because I didn't want the light reflecting off my phone to startle it and make it attack, because wild hawks you don't know are still very much wild beasts no matter how friendly they seem. It flew up from underneath the branches, skimming low along the ground and then just popped up next to me on the branch.  The funny thing about it is that I had absolutely no idea what kind of hawk it was, I've never seen one like it before -- definitely not the typical red tail hawks and red shoulder hawks we most often around here and who are the ones that normally come visit me at work. When it first flew towards me swooping down near the ground before flying up into the tree to land near me, I just saw the blue-grey blur of it thought it a bluejay except it was far too large for a bluejay being nearly the size of grey parrot. But then once it was sitting there, I could see that it was DEFINITELY a hawk with a curved raptor bill and its upper body was blue-grey with no obvious markings other than some darker grey bars across the lighter grey chest. It was one of the largest hawks I've ever seen up close, I've actually never had ANY wild hawk that near me, only trained peregrines with a falconer working with them, and this hawk in the tree right near me had the most stunningly bright amber red orange colored eyes I've ever seen in a bird. I'm still baffled by it tbh. According to an internet search of hawks in Wisconsin, it looks like it would have been a male northern goshawk -- but they're very quiet secretive boreal woodland hawks that avoid people. So what it was  doing circling near me instead of nesting in the woods I don't understand. They've never been sighted or confirmed by DNR in Dane County, most of them are north half of the state where the large undisturbed forests are nearer Lake superior, but there's no other hawk it could possibly have been based on the massive size (almost as big as an eagle) and coloring of the body that blue-grey  and intense red-orange dark amber eyes.

After that first chat when it flew off because the neighbors startled it and it didn't want the other humans to see it in the tree, I saw it a couple more times after that flying to come back, but the crows chased it away quickly those two times before it could get near enough to land again. (Crows chase off hawks so the hawks don't eat the chicks in the nests.) I would guess the presence of the Northern Goshawk in the area is what had them all so loud in the predawn the other day and have been so overprotective checking in on me these last several days. I'm a bit big for a hawk to try to eat, but I appreciate that the crows were worried enough by it's presence to want to make sure the goshawk hadn't eaten me.  

So then right before I was heading back inside, the goshawk came back the same low flying stealth route to land on the branch near me and was being friendly but THIS time the crows saw and they sat nearby in all the trees and on the roof, about half dozen of them circling the hawk. And it looked so sad and miserable and asking me for help. So I called aloud, "Jon Snow! Come here!"  So he came and swooped to land on the balcony, furthest corner from the hawk and thus not near me. And he was glaring at the hawk and cawing and sidling along the balcony. And I just gave them a lecture that all are welcome near me as long as they don't harm each other and that Jon Snow knows my rules but since this new goshawk didn't, I would tell him that as long as he didn't hunt from my tree or in my garden at work and he didn't attack the crows or try to eat the crow babies in their nests he was welcome by me and the crows would keep their peace unless attacked by the goshawk, because if they didn't I would consider it an attack upon me from my crows since this hawk was my guest friend. I warned him of the red tail hawk territories claimed nearby and wished him good luck finding his own space in the small woods nearby. He tanked me and plucked a feather to drop on my balcony before leaving and Jon Snow was sheepish and upset and I told him I lvoed him and he wa sfamily but he still had to be polite now that the goshawk introduced himself and only if the goshawk breaks the peace attacks the crows can he mount a murder against the hawk friend. The hawk has come to visit since as my crows have this week but the raucous ruckus has stopped and they don't chase each other. Mostly ignore each other now and the crows won't approach while the goshawk is in the tree but almost as soon as he leaves they gather over by me to swoop and tell me everything on their minds and gift me little gifts.

I did not see either goshawk or crows this morning though. I got home a little before 1am from Milwaukee where I'd gone to see STARS at Shank Hall, and then I stayed up all night reading to go meet up with Crissy and my mom for Farmer's Market (my mom came with to get some more Flat Stanley pictures at the first Farmer's Market and at the state capitol building -- my nephew Jack sent us a Flat Stanley for a school project and since he didn't go to Panama, we've been taking him on a Madison based holiday visit.) I did however, see a massive doe this morning! On my drive between home and work, right at the curve of Island by Owen Woods near the crossroads where i once saw a massive black dog ghost that wouldn't let me past it to go back toward work but after growling to attack when I tried to go back to check on it thinking it might be an injured actual dog, it disappeared from where it was standing guard under a street light as I was watching it in my rear view mirror. Anyway, I love those words but they're uncanny and I encounter a LOT of unexpected wildlife in that area. And this morning, it was a deer that did NOT like Lady Gaga (I had my windows down and the radio switched from Queen Need Somebody to Love me to Lady Gaga Poker Face and as soon as it went to Poker Face, the deer ran across about two car lengths in front of from right to left to disappear into the woods. I slowed down to an absolute crawl looking everywhere for more because usually when you see one deer there are 1-3 more but this was the only one left to cross the road -- the others were deeper in the woods while I was looking all around. The funny thing is there was a person walking about a block ahead of where it happened heading the same way as me, had no idea there had even been any deer except that another pedestrian walking toward me had seen it and while I was not moving checking for more deer to be certain not to hit one he yelled at me, "Who knew deer weren't lady Gaga fans? I've never seen one book it so fast." At which point the person walking the same way I was heading whipped around to ask, "Deer? There was a deer here?! Where?!" It was quite funny and I pointed into Owen Woods and explained and added they were long gone now.

But so anyway, no goshawk and no crows this morning (well, crows related to Jon Snow came to check on me once I was down by the square, he originally came from a nest in a tree on the Capitol square)but I did have a deer cross my path from right to left.

I should look up the symbolism of hawks/goshawks animal guides. Crows and deer often cross my path so I only look their symbolism up when they do something particularly unexpected to make sure I'm not missing a nuance in it. If you spend a lot of time with me, you get used to the way that animals, even wild animals I've never encountered before,  appear around me, completely unafraid and tame and intelligent as if they understand me. It's gotten me called "Disney princess" and "elf" many many times in my life after people witness things I consider normal that other people say are just wyrd and not how wild animals typically interact with humans.

Okay, back to working now and smiling at my flowers I bought myself at market from Lewiston Perennials! Just wanted to share. trying to get a ton of hours in today despite the heat lightning thunderstorms coming tonight to cool down some over 52 degrees in the next 24-36hrs, even though I'm rather tired, because tomorrow I have boozy brunch plans with Crissy, Denis, and Karissa reservation at Cento for 11:30 before matinee of this month's Madison Symphony Orchestra (guest violinist I believe.)  Crissy, Denis, and I have been doing symphony season tickets together for like 6 or 7 years now and we switch off years as a round culture so that we can always have the "new season ticket holder" discount. This year Karissa decided to try joining us (she paid me just for hers when I ordered as it was my year to order for the 22-23 season)  but said she doesn't like classical music enough to want to join us again next year (Crissy's year to buy) though she would join us any time we had an extra ticket. But anyway. Tomorrow is boozy brunch followed by matinee of symphony weekend (options are Fri night, Sat night, and Sun matinee and you can switch after you order up until day of if need be; like if a favorite band form Montreal who you've loved since 2007 are playing in Milwaukee on the fri night of original tickets) and then the rain is supposed to change to mixed precipitation and snow right around the time we're heading back from downtown. and it's like 1-3" of snow projected over very wet slick roads of water/flash flooding turning to ice... And not worth heading to work then having to head home. So I'll likely just head home post symphony and enjoy the snow being super hygge at home. Maybe lay a fire in the hearth. highs in low 80s all week, even today, and snow on Sunday and Monday morning. Welcome to April in Wisconsin, lol. The snow will be pretty all around my blooming daffodil at least....

And then Weds heading to Minneapolis to go see Alasdair Fraser (Scottish fiddle) and Natalie Haas (Scottish cello) for an evening of beautiful fiddle/cello tunes at The Cedar Cultural Center! Then on Friday is Dave Howley's solo show at ICHC (Irish Cultural heritage Center) in Milwaukee. And then next Sunday after that is Fraser & Haas at ICHC at 4pm -- so Crissy and I are going to Milwaukee Art Museum and have tickets to the special exhibit In Bloom (flower art/sculptures) at 10:30am and I have an art museum membership. And then from art museum back to ICHC on Sunday at 4pm.

I promised Rory (amazing Celtic-bluegrass banjo/mandolin player, he also does the sound mixing for ICHC shows; ICHC is a converted old church so amazing acoustics and a bar in the back) that after he's done packing up and clearing front of house for both shows next weekend that I'd stick around (with Amy one night and Crissy the other) at the bar in the back of the church/venue for a drink and a chat and sometimes private session if musicians desire.  Not sure that Dave will want that, but maybe he will, I make Dave nervous even when he's dating other women but he always wants me to stick around -- and I'm rather anxious about if Dave asks my opinions about his new album and I have to remind him his recordings are unlistenable for me due to how my color-timbre synesthesia perceives Siobhan's vocals even in background/harmonies given he's been dating her and living with her and loves her voice and she produced his solo album AND has vocal layers on every track he has shared off his solo album...But that's a problem for Friday me how the interactions with Dave will go on the day of his solo album release amns hi Milwaukee show, not tonight, lol. And I've never met Alasdair or Natalie 9though I have met her sister Britney who is a fiddle player, lives in Nashville and a member of Hawktail with Paul. But being in the bar with a drink and talking to Rory and/or each other won't be a problem, if the musicians want a private session we just leave them to hang out with Rory and the bartender and it's cool. Literally with Drowsy Lads, it was the guys and Rory and the bartender and Brooke Billick (a photographer friend who specializes in live shows; he is now photographing and reviewing artists/live show for Bluegrass magazine) and then me and Crissy and Amy who were asked to stick around to join/create harmonies for the singing of the session because John had been talking voice training/technique with me after he brought up having ruptured his voice completely from shouting on stage after I was bemoaning how whooping caused my laryngitis every fest season and that was how he found out Crissy and I both sing and his voice was getting sore after two 50mins sets with an intermission and then also encore. Sight reading an old not well known tragic love ballad that John was trying to work out a bouzouki part on it for performing the song, a song I'd heard once and Crissy never and we only had a lyric sheet with no staff notation or chords written down, but I promised her that if he could help pick the part as he knew it I remembered the melody well enough from the time I heard it once years ago that she could harmonize around me as long as I could read the lyric sheet (upside down from my spot across the table.)  And all of the members of Drowsy Lads loved what we did and had scribbled down notes as fast as they could and one of them had recorded the last half to two-thirds after listening to what we were playing around with cut them off mid conversation but they asked us to repeat the first part of it and we just laughed and laughed as I explained we were just messing around didn't remember what we had done because I'd only heard the song once before and Crissy never so this was my first time ever trying to sing it from that past memory years ago and a lyrics sheet and a half learned bouzouki part while she'd just been harmonizing around my part because we sing together harmonies with my car karaoke whatever is on the radio all the time on long drives so she knows how I sing parts and where I'm likely headed. We tried and the singer of Drowsy Lads told us we're working on it at sessions with him next time we see him or he'll pull us onstage make us work it on mic with him harmonizing around his memory of what I'd sung with his mando part. So there's that. But that's an August problem -- and I don't even know the proper name of the song and will have to look it up from what I remember of the lyrics which I've only heard/read twice now with many years between, lol. Or I could ask John now that we're past St. Patrick's month when all the Irish musicians are busy beyond belief.