It’s Memorial Day and the planes are flying high above in the four-square formation commonly called the “missing man flyby.”  At some point, one plane will peel away, representing comrades lost in war.

Meanwhile, a baby crow has crash landed in Eloisa and Martin’s flower-filled garden in what was possibly its maiden flight. Overhead on a utility pole, two adult crows are squawking their consternation. Martin says Eloisa has concocted a narrative elaborate enough for a full-length movie script. She says she’ll keep an eye on the situation and if the parents aren’t able to rescue the baby, she knows of an organization she can call for help. I decide the best I can do for the crows is to move my dog and myself along.

To tell you how much of a naturalist Eloisa is you should know that she routinely plants ordinary-looking milkweed among her riotous profusion of flowers so the monarch butterflies will have something to eat when they emerge from their chrysalis on their northward migration. And if one cryssalis should fall to the ground prematurely, Eloisa will lift it gently up onto a ledge so it can safely continue its gestation. One early morning, spotting an orange and black monarch in her garden, I was so excited I thought of knocking on the door to tell them but I decided they probably already knew it was there. Walking past Eloisa and Martin’s house can turn into a science lesson and teach you things you never knew you wanted to know.

Photos: wikipedia.org, mmonarch-butterly.com