Red-crowned Crane

At Marwell Zoo, England

The Red-crowned Crane is a rare bird, with an population of only 1500 in the wild. They spend summer nesting in Siberia, but winter in east Asian countries where their habitat of marshlands, rice fields and swamps is disappearing. They are magnificent birds and stand 60 inches tall. The crane is an important symbol in Asian culture because they symbolize longevity, good luck and fidelity. In Japan, they are said to live for 1000 years.

If you've been to our house, then you might remember this silk painting of Red-crowned Cranes that has been hanging over the fireplace since 1997:

I bought it at a tourist booth near the Great Wall of China, and carried it home rolled up in my suitcase. The frame shop down the street did a nice job mounting it for many more yen than I gave the artist at the souvenir stand.

And the big tin cranes came from another "exotic" place. They were rescued this weekend from a dusty, high shelf in the far corner of Hank's Supermarket in Twisp. They caught my eye and so I wheeled them to the check-stand with the bread and ice cream.

But there are much stranger sights at Hank's Supermarket than a lady with cranes in her shopping cart. (More on that later.)

Of course they belong outside. For our friends and family back East hit with another snow storm, I hate to tell you I was pruning roses yesterday. The gardens are waking up fast in our part of Seattle. And so I took the cranes out to see their new home. Soon they will have a nice patina of rust and look like antiques...if they don't fall apart first.