SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT

Cool Corvids, A Centenarian Skydiver, Style Is Ageless

Hiya Friends,

This week I’ve been thinking about the expression old crow—an unflattering label for an older woman and—*#FunFact alert!*—it’s also the name of Mark Twain’s and William Faulkner’s favorite brand of Kentucky Bourbon. ⬅️ Feel free to use that tidbit as a conversation starter at a party. I’m here to help. :)

In the past, if someone had called me an old crow, I might’ve shouted a salty retort and flipped them the bird. These days, however, I’d consider it a compliment. Let me explain.

In my youth, I wrote off corvids as noisy and intimidating winged creatures that commandeered all the surrounding trees during nesting season and swooped way too close to my head in a terrifying and threatening manner a la The Birds if I accidentally ventured near said trees.

But ever since I reached quintessential bird-watching age (40+), I’ve discovered that crows are the scholars of the bird world. I bet a bunch of you already knew this, but I didn’t fully grasp the sophistication of their intelligence until last week, when I watched a crow fly aloft with a whole walnut in its beak. Touching down on my neighbor’s roof, the crow surveyed the area. Soon it took flight and the walnut hit the pavement with a loud crack. Seconds later, the crow swooped down and ate the nut. I chalked this up to a happy accident/lucky break (ha), until the crow immediately returned, soaring overhead like a Boeing B52 Stratofortress and released yet another walnut bomb onto the road. This nutty air raid went on for several minutes with other crows getting in on the action and shells exploding up and down the street.

For the next three mornings, at around 8am, I witnessed this same scene. My dog, Noodle is 17 and hard-of-hearing, so he failed to notice the activity, but one savvy squirrel caught on and waited for the inevitable nut drop before scampering off with the fruits of the crow’s labor. Sadly, I don’t have any video evidence of this event because I never bring my phone along on dog walks. If I had brought my phone, I might’ve glanced at a text message, and missed this wondrous sight.

Luckily, I found a video of similar crow antics on YouTube narrated by the one and only Sir David Attenborough. Take a look and prepare to have your mind blown.

What’s your take on crows?

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MIGHT AS WELL JUMP

While we’re on the subject of remarkable flying feats, did you see the news about the 104-year-old skydiver? Big shout out to my friend, Ariane, for forwarding me this delightful article about Dorothy Hoffner—a 104-year-old who, on a lark, decided to jump out of a plane for the SECOND time.

Contrary to what you might assume, Dorothy is no adrenaline junkie. You won’t find her surfing the big waves in Oahu or base jumping in her spare time. As far as I can tell, her life is pretty low key most days. According to this NYT article, she wasn’t even trying to break the world record for the oldest person to ever skydive or become an internet sensation.

Why had Ms. Hoffner done it? Surely there was some existential explanation, some nugget of carpe diem wisdom to impart or mission to fulfill.

Ms. Hoffner does not seem eager to impart life lessons and does not exactly give off daredevil vibes in conversation. She is afraid of snakes. She loves watching reruns of “M*A*S*H.” Asked if she had been a thrill-seeker growing up, she responded “not really.”

She was born on Dec. 17, 1918, in Chicago, just after World War I ended and as an influenza pandemic was ravaging the world. She grew up poor, couldn’t afford college and worked for Illinois Bell, a telephone company that later became part of AT&T.

Ms. Hoffner said she never married or had children, which gave her life more freedom. 💡

Dorothy is an inspiration, no question. Watching the wind whip her hair back and seeing that big smile plastered on her face as she sails towards earth is pure joy. The real heart of this story for me though is the friendship she forged with a nurse at her Adult Day Center. It’s a beautiful example of how intergenerational friendships enrich our lives and expose us to perspectives we may have never considered.

“She’s the perfect dinner guest because she has interesting stories,” said Joe Conant, 62, a nurse who met Ms. Hoffner in 2018 at the senior center.

Reaching a century of life, Ms. Hoffner said, often means living through the deaths of those you love most. Still, new friendships always come, she said, and she found that in Mr. Conant.

In 2019, he mentioned to Ms. Hoffner during dinner that he was going skydiving.

“That sounds really interesting,” she told him. “I think I want to do that.”

Mr. Conant said he was “totally caught off guard, but she was completely serious.” They skydived later that year, and Ms. Hoffner “absolutely loved it,” he said. ❤️❤️

Big ups to Dorothy. She is brave and has nerves of steel. My nerves are made of potato chips. Perhaps if I live to 104, I’ll consider jumping out of a plane too, but not a minute before.

What about you? Would you jump out of a plane at 104 or before?

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STYLE IS AGELESS
In other news of so-called acts of bravery, my friend Terence sent me this article about famous women (age 50+) causing a stir at Paris Fashion Week by forgoing make-up and hair dye. Thanks, Terence! I love that my friends spot pro-aging stories and think, “I need to send this to Hilary.” My mission on earth is now complete.

Here’s an excerpt from The Guardian:

Pamela Anderson has rocked up at shows “makeup-free at 56”. Andie MacDowell, 65, and Dame Helen Mirren, 78, “sported natural grey hair” (ie, they turned up while possessing hair) on the runway for L’Oréal. Making a lot of effort is, of course, still in fashion. All these looks probably involve complications of one kind or another: an endless carousel of painfully “carefree” outfits or a hairstyle that – at the very least – needs several hours of styling. (Important side note: if you’re still coveting grey hair like Meryl Streep’s in The Devil Wears Prada, that was actually a wig.)

No judgment meant here, though: Paris fashion week should be about fabulousness. And, as the old saying goes, these women would be fabulous in a bin bag. But despite the usual smoke and mirrors, and the mass of products, money and primping that have gone into these looks, real change is afoot. There is a distinct move towards what is called “pro-ageing”, in which the ageing process is celebrated.

All three women look sensational in the accompanying photos and while it may be considered a courageous act to appear in public sporting au naturel looks, what makes these people truly stand out, IMHO, is their fabulous style. The article suggests that in order for a famous woman to age in public, she must “make an effort.” And sure, maybe rocking a stylish outfit or a statement accessory requires effort, but not a ton. Trust me. I speak from experience.

I’m a very low-maintenance person when it comes to a “beauty” routine. I don’t follow fashion trends. I never blow-dry or “style” my hair. I just pull it back in a hair tie because that takes exactly one minute. I’m not saying it looks good, I’m just saying it’s contained. If I’m heading out on an errand, I’ll throw on some lipstick, a little mascara, and put on a colorful shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

The weird thing is, every time I’ve been out and about of late, someone has complimented my look. It’s happened so frequently in the past couple of weeks that I've started to wonder if I’m the victim of a TikTok trend where people are encouraged to practice random acts of kindness.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a compliment. It makes me happy that my oversized green glasses that cost $38 on Zenni.com appealed to a woman in my tap class, and that my little red wallet, purchased at a Ted Baker sample sale for $20 six years ago, caught the eye of a boutique sales clerk. At the movie theater last Monday, a teenager with the cutest Bettie Page hairdo said, “I love your style.” I don’t know what the heck is going on, but it’s really sweet and I’m not mad at it.

The lesson I’m taking from this article and my recent spate of unsolicited feedback on my appearance is that style is ageless, and all that matters is that we like how we look. To hell with everyone else. Iris Apfel is a big proponent of not giving a damn what people think and having fun with her outfits. That attitude has made her what she calls a “geriatric starlet” at 102-years old. She compares getting dressed to jazz improvisation, which I absolutely love. If you think about it, we’re really just riffing our way through life anyway, right?

To wrap up, I’ll let my hero, Iris impart some wisdom about taking risks that I think applies to almost everything in life. “The worst that can happen when you take a risk is you fail. You don’t die from that.” I mean, unless you jump out of plane and your parachute doesn’t open, but, you know what? When you’re 104, I suppose that’s a pretty valiant way to go.

wmag

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Hope your week is full of improvisation and joy. If you enjoyed any of my musings here, hit the ❤️ button or leave a note in the comment section. I always love hearing from you.