For @nelinoeva's weekly Show Me A Photo Contest in the Feathered Friends Community. It's a free theme this week.

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This is the 150th round of this contest. I haven't entered 150 times but I think the number of entries I've contributed might be nearing the 100 mark.

This is Junior:

I've easily cleared the 150 mark on photos I've taken of her, and probably shared close to 150 photos of her on Hive since I joined the community. I'd be willing to bet that since I met her I've mentioned how much I love her at least 150 times, if not here, then on other platforms and to other people, including people who think I'm crazy.

But let's see if I can't tell you some (certainly not all) of the reasons why I love her. Let's see if I can't get to # 150 before my reasons start turning into gelatinous piles of bird shit nonsense.

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150 Reasons to Love Junior

1. She looks at me with love in her eyes.

2. She trusts me enough to turn her back to me when I'm a foot away.

3. She trusts Pilot (my dog) even more than me.

4. She trusts us both not to hurt or eat her fledglings.

5. She yells at the top of her lungs and soars down from treetops when she spots me.

6. She swoops my car when I pull onto my street.
   

7. She perches on a power line and watches me park. Waits for me to get out.

8. The sound of her feet on the roof of my car fills my heart with joy.

9. She doesn't care what I look like, unless I happen to be wearing a backpack with a cat inside, in which case she scolds me for having such a deadly fashion sense. I value her opinion.

10. She knows that my name for her is Junior, even if it's not her name.

11. She makes the cutest babies.

12. I used to think she was a boy until I realized she was a girl, and the discovery delighted me beyond words.

13. I can pick her voice out of a crowd of crows.

14. She could have left when her mom died, but she stayed.

15. She bathes regularly and always looks great.

16. But even if she's covered in shit she doesn't care.

17. She has beautiful eyes.

18. She's a great mother.

19. When I run out of treats she sticks around and forages for seeds and worms. Or suns herself. Or takes a nap.

20. I think she can see my soul. At least I hope so, and that she likes what she sees.

21. She's tough.

22. She's tender.

23. She's super smart.

24. I miss her terribly when I'm gone for too long.

25. She greets me with extra enthusiasm when I return.

26 . For some reason now if I put the period right next to the number it turns it into a one. This is annoying as hell but problems like this are of no consequence to Junior and I love her for that.

1. See? WTF. Since when does this thing do autoformatting??! This is number 27 and it's about how cute Junior looks when she struts down the sidewalk and yells at the Neighbors.

28 . She has big lips. Now, I know crows don't have actual lips, I'm not an idiot, but there is something about the shape of her beak that looks a liiiiiiittle bit like she's making kissy face.

29 . Overall she's got the most expressive face of any crow I know.

30 . She's so damn cute.

31 . She knows it, too.

32 . She's never been mean to me.

33 . She's never been mean to Pilot.

34 . She's been through a hell of a lot, lost babies, survived heat waves and ice storms, had trees brutally removed from her territory, but she will never give up.

35 . She is a stunning portrait model.

36 . And she's got cute feet.

37 . Hell she's just an awesome model all around.

39 . She makes me feel special in any weather on any day in any mood.

40 . She teaches me patience.

41 . She is the most graceful example of one who is mindful and present, more than I could even aspire to be in this crazy human world I live in.

42 . She doesn't suck. Couldn't, anyway, with that beak of hers.

43 . She makes me feel at home.

44 . She inspires me.

45 . She fascinates me.

46 . She's super shiny.

47 . She's relatively waterproof!

48 . Since I've known Junior, my love for her has done nothing but grow.

49 . She never makes me sad.

50 . That bitch can fly like nobody's business.

51 . She's been in lots of movies.

52 . She doesn't need makeup to look good or feel like she looks good.

53 . She's the best neighbor. Doesn't make any noise after dark.

54 . Junior, like all crows, and unlike many humans, knows the importance of hydration.

55 . She can do a barrel roll in midair.

56 . She is very good at shaming cats.

57 . I'm never bored when Junior's around.

58 . Her skill at finding and unearthing grubs is admirable. Bet you couldn't track an underground grub with your bare ears.

59 . Junior knows which car is mine, even when there's another parked on the street that looks just like it. I think she can read the license plate.

60 . Sometimes when I sweet talk her she gets all floofy and shiny-eyed like a little baby.

61 . She sometimes perches for a very long time on the fence outside my window for free. No snacks, no promise of snacks. Just to give me the pleasure of her company while I am indoors.

62 . She doesn't need to do cool shit like eat from my hand or stand on my head like her brother in order to be my favorite.

63 . Junior doesn't need drugs to have a good time.

64 . She's not an omen of death.

65 . She's not above eating someone else's leftovers.

66 . She knows how to party.

67 . She's not shy about stuffing her face.

68 . She has no poop shame.

69 . I've never seen Junior get as close to any other human as she does to me, which makes me feel awfully special, thanks, Junior.

It's almost 2am and I still have, what, 85 more reasons to go, but because Junior is so awesome I have no doubts I will make it. This is reason number 70.

71 . When Junior molts it looks like someone cut holes in a black overstuffed pillow. It's cute.

72 . Thanks to Junior, I have no plans to move from this very apartment any time in the next decade. Saves me a lot of money and stress, really.

73 . Speaking of stress, if I'm feeling stressed out, a surefire way to calm my nerves is to go outside and ogle my pal Junior.

74 . Junior gets dirty.

75 . And she's tuff, which is different from tough. More spunk. More grit.

76 . Junior hides scrambled eggs in trees.

77 . I think the name Junior really suits her. Some people have remarked that it's a boy's name, but Junior could give two generous shits about human gender stereotypes.

78 . She catches snowflakes in her mouth for no reason other than to do it.

79 . She forgives me for living with a cat.

80 . She points at raptors and turkey vultures circling high in the sky with her eye. I follow her gaze and if I can't see them I look to her and she points again until I do. She was the first crow to teach me to follow her gaze and spot microscopic eagles.

81 . She's never pooped on me.

82 . Junior looks good on the nest.

83 . She can build a nest. I bet most of you couldn't, not a good one, anyway. I couldn't. That instinct has been dumbed and drummed right out of my genes.

84 . Junior's feathers look black from a distance, but they're actually tinted with iridescent blues, purples, and greens. This is true of all crows in my neck of the woods, but Junior wears them best, especially on those grey winter days.

85 . Junior is naked and fearless.

86 . Junior is wild! It's a hard life, but often I envy her freedom.

87 . I've never gotten in an argument with Junior.

88 . Junior doesn't care about any possible typos in this post or the fact that I might not be able to get all the reasons down before I fall asleep. Junior doesn't even know or care about this post, but if she understood this complex crazy internet world humans spend at least half their lives in, she might feel some sense of flattery.

89 . Junior has never felt the need to use a dating app.

90 . Typically if I see someone get food all over their face when they eat, it's gross. In the case of Junior, it's cute.

91 . Still here? So's Junior. But I can't protect her from anything. Her safety is out of my control. I have to trust her to take care of herself, to survive. I've learned to extend that trust to humans, too. And to myself.

92 . Junior isn't afraid of her own feelings.

93 . She doesn't hold anything back.

94 . She's not afraid to do what it takes to set boundaries even if it makes her appear demonic.

95 . I've seen Junior wedge an uncrackable nut under the tire of a parked car. Presumably this is so that the car will smash the nut when it eventually moves, leaving Junior a little yummy nut butter snack. Pretty awesome, Junior.

96 . Would it be redundant to say that I love Junior because she is smart?

97 . Sometimes she walks with this silly swagger, letting her hips sway and her tail swish all over the place. I don't know why she does it, I think just for flare.

98 . Junior would never invent a nuclear bomb.

99 . She looks great in black and white.

Just 50 more to go. 49, really, because I've already written the last one. If you want to skip ahead I won't blame you. No other human on the planet loves Junior as much as I do and that's reason enough for number 100.

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101 . She's got a cool tongue. All crows do, but Junior's is still pretty 'n' pink because she's only, like, four or five years old. I think.

102 . Junior wouldn't care if I didn't come up with all 150 reasons why I love her in one sitting. Or ever, really.

103 . She wouldn't even care if I kept reason 103 on the same topic as 102, she's that awesome.

104 . Junior makes no apologies for who she is.

105 . Junior is not a gossip.

106 . She can't cook, exactly, but I have seen her break up a dried earthworm on a flattened apple and feed the seasoned bits to her baby. I'd call that a decent culinary sense.

107 . She makes funny faces.

108 is a very auspicious number in the yoga world so I feel it relevant to mention that Junior's crow pose is very impressive.

109 . It's totally fine to love somebody just because they have wings.

110 . Our friendship is totally balanced, even though I'm the one who pays for everything.

111 . Junior never uses an umbrella.

112 . She doesn't leave food lying around. She puts it away when she's done with it.

113 . Junior thinks I make the best scrambled eggs in town.

114 . She never uses cosmetics that have been tested on animals.

115 . She appreciates the finer cuisine, like roasted pecans and kibble oatmeal pancakes, but she's also down for chips and candy once in a while.

116 . We see each other pretty much every day so long as I'm in town, even if it's just a stop by my window or an exchange of hellos on my way to work. But we're not all up in each other's business 24/7 omfg I need some space.

117 . Junior's not concerned with finding purpose in her life; she just lives it.

118 . She's very aerodynamic.

119 . She's really put together, too. No compulsive eating, no excessive binge-watching. She doesn't have to monitor her screen time, doesn't care about screens one bit, though I'm pretty sure she gets the gist of them from watching all the human zombies watching their little devices.

120 . Being friends with Junior is the most extraordinary experience I could have ever imagined for myself and yet it feels completely natural.

121 . Once, when Junior was still very young, I brought some chicken bones out for the family. They picked at them, and when they were done, cached them away in various places to nibble on later. A nearby Scrub Jay had his eye on Junior. After she hid her chicken bone in a rooftop rain gutter he raided her cache. She caught him and chased him off, then re-cached her bone in exactly the same place. Scrubby returned, attempted to steal it, and Junior repeated the process. The third time around her dad had to fly up and show her how to hide it in a new spot, one the thieving Scrub Jay wouldn't be able to find as easily. It was amazing to watch this interaction between adult and child crow. Thanks, Junior.

122 . Junior is in excellent shape.

123 . She's got a great figure, but she's not all in her head about it.

124 . She stomps around in puddles like a kid.

125 . She's brave.

126 . Junior doesn't care if I take pictures of her on days when she looks like shit.

127 . She eats gross things and you don't even have to dare her to do it.

128 . She's silly sometimes.

129 . This is a repeat of loving her for her cute feet after finding another one of her pictures from her OnlyFans account.

130 . Sometimes Junior makes this honking sound like a goose when she's yelling about rights over food outside my window. Although it's annoying being woken up before the alarm goes off, I love waking up to her voice.

131 . Junior doesn't watch tv. Isn't that awesome?

132 . I think she can fit something like 25 kibbles in her mouth.

133 . When I try to explain to Junior how humans study other animals, even crows, to understand and measure their intelligence, she says she doesn't care and can I please scramble her an egg with honey? She is so above all that nonsense.

134 . When I drink to much coffee Junior wants to know wtf is wrong with me, so I try not to drink too much coffee.

135 . I've only known Junior since late 2020, but I can't imagine my life without her.

136 . Junior would never call me names.

137 . She would never hit me or push me or throw anything at me.

138 . Junior is a good person.

139 . Junior considers her actions very carefully.

140 . She has no money but she's never been poor.

141 . She doesn't need a watch or calendar.

142 . The fact that I am messy and disorganized is irrelevant to our friendship.

143 . Junior can totally rock a nest bib.

144 . We don't have to talk about anything when we hang out together. But if I want to talk, she listens.

145 . She helped me install the cross bars for my luggage rack by checking if they held up under her weight.

146 . I'm always happy to see her.

147 . She's always happy to see me.

148 . My friendship with Junior has changed my life forever.

149 . I can list all these reasons for why I love Junior, but, really, I just love her because I love her. We have a connection. It's not 150-reasons-complicated.

150 . I think she loves me back.

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_{Many of these pictures have been used previously in various posts about Junior. All of them are of Junior.}

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