Yesterday I went out to my car to run the engine so the battery didn’t die. I usually try to get out and drive around to accomplish this, but I have not had the (mostly mental) energy for it recently. However, it was getting on towards two weeks since I’d driven anywhere and I have a sorry history of killing batteries so sitting in the car reading a book while running the engine was the best alternative.

But as I opened the car door one of the neighborhood murder of crows that I feed landed on the garage roof about six feet from me and gave me The Look. “Where is my snack?”

I told him, “I’m sorry. I don’t have anything for you right now. Maybe later.” He looked deep into my eyes, bobbed his head as if nodding, and flew away.

So after I’d finished with the car, I went inside and got a snack and threw it out front for him and his crew of crows. (It’s not a good idea to lie to crows.) I didn’t hear him or his fellows. Sometimes they are quite raucous when snacks are around, sometimes silent and efficient consumers.

But when I looked out a little while later the snacks had magically disappeared.