“My husband got involved with a younger woman at work. I was relaxed about it at first. He’s thirteen years younger than me, so I thought: ‘Shit happens.’ But then she got pregnant. Luckily through the divorce process I had the opportunity to take over this shithole place with no heating, which I’ve turned into an art studio. And now I’m living my best life. Everything is for sale except the pink chandelier and the dog. Anyone is free to stop by at anytime. You can eat or drink whatever you want. All the young people in the neighborhood love me. I’m the oldest person in our friend group. Everyone else is in their twenties or thirties. They call me Queen Mama. I call them my adopted kids. I always help them with their school projects and resumes and interviews. I only ask one thing in return. Each of them has to teach me one new thing every week: a piece of music, a trend, an idea. Just so I can stay up to date. Before you take the photograph, let me go inside and put on some make-up. We were out until 2 AM last night.” (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
the grey jay recently beat out the common loon, the canada goose and the snowy owl to be named canada’s first national bird by the royal canadian geographic society.
it is also known as a whisky jack, a name derived from the algonquin translation for the bird, “the mischievous prankster,” so given for the way the bird will sneak up on people and peck for food out of their bags and pockets.
as a member of the corvid family, the grey jay is a highly intelligent animal. in fact, its brain to body ratio is similar to that of a dolphin and chimp.
it’s also a tough bird, choosing not to migrate but to endure the harsh canadian winter. the grey jay stores cashes of food throughout the forest, which it’s able to find thanks to their great memory. they coat food with sticky saliva then stash it under bark on trees or tufts of lichen, kept fresh by the cold but safely above the snow.
found coast to coast throughout canada’s boreal forest, the grey jay is mostly seen when venturing out into the wilderness. and given its friendly nature, it will almost certainly approach if you just hold out your hand with some food in it.
