The Wind Storm

The last two days have been very windy.  The power was out in many parts of Napa.  The raven pair arrived right on time for their morning treat but appeared to be very disgruntled.  Their feathers were all askew from the wind.   I placed  two raw chicken eggs far apart on the ground.  This was done because the day before I had placed the chicken eggs close together on the ground and Bold came down and poked a hole in each one.  This precluded Shy from picking up one of the eggs and flying off with it to eat it in peace.  Bold had demonstrated one of raven's primary characteristics- GREED!!
This morning the treat was a slice of french bread with a raw piece of bacon on top.  I had heard Bold arrive as he was making his little raven sounds so I went downstairs and outside to look at him.  He was looking mighty fine.  I could hear another raven in the distance and shortly after Shy flew in to alight in the redwood tree.  I decided to place the pieces of bread at some distance from each other along the deck rail to preclude Greedy Bold from getting both pieces.  Bold flew down and picked up the piece of bread and the bacon and flew up to the favored tree stump to eat.  This left Shy looking bereft in the tree.  Soon enough Bold picked up what was left of the prize and flew off with it.  Now- would Shy see the other piece of bread on the deck rail?  Shy did and flew down and got the morning treat.  I was pleased.
I just finished a book- Sky Burial by XINRAN.  It is a love story that centers on a lost love and a Tibetan funeral rite called Sky Burial.  In this rite the body is dismembered with knives and left under the sky for the sacred birds- vultures to eat the flesh and carry the body skyward to be with the spirits and enter heaven.  There must not be any ravens in Tibet or I am sure they would get in on this funeral rite.  It is interesting how different cultures can view the same occurence so differently- ie European perceptions vs. Tibetan of carrion bird activities.  Perhaps when I die I should just be laid out on Mt. Veeder to serve as raven food.  Recycling, no?