Why Ravenbluff?

The Meaning Behind The Name

I live very near a Great Lake on a natural bluff that the town is known for. The one drawback to living this close to a Great Lake is the battering, unrelenting wind. It never lets up. It takes a huge toll on siding, shutters, roofs, and trees. My property only has a smattering of trees. In the back of the property there is a small clump of trees (as seen in the pictures). Two of the trees in this clump are very old and very tall. You can see three trees in this specific area. One large one on the left that is over 100 feet tall, (and just as old), one smaller one in the middle and one large one on the right. The biggest one on the left slightly behind the small one was dying when we moved in. It wasn’t long before it died completely. My husband wanted to cut it down ever since we moved in but I resisted because of the lack of trees on the property. I wanted it to stay as long as possible, even though it was dead.

So there it stood for a good while, the silent black sentinel that looked like it was plucked out of a Halloween special. I started calling it my Halloween tree. In the pictures you can see the dead branches sticking up above the other two trees. About a year or two after we moved here, I started hearing the unmistakable throaty croak of a raven outside. It made me happy as ravens are my favorite birds. I even named my cat after a famous poem about a raven and the author who wrote it. A few days later the croak was joined by another croak and to my delight I learned that a pair of ravens had taken up residence in the clump of trees in the back of the property. It seemed that they loved my little clump of trees as much as I did. For a couple of years these playful, talkative, intelligent, giant tricksters perched happily in the Halloween tree. I named the birds Heckle and Jeckle. I know Heckle and Jeckle were Magpies but I loved the names and they are quite fitting for ravens.

One day a bad storm rolled through which makes the near unbearable wind even more ferocious and my beloved Halloween tree finally fell. Luckily, it was far enough away from the house that the only thing it fell on was the grass. Shortly thereafter my ravens moved. Every once in a while I sit quietly trying to hear that distinct croak. I still catch myself looking out the window scanning the remaining two trees for the ravens but to my avail, they have gone for good. Just recently, to my surprise, the ravens came back along with two smaller ravens. They all ate from the normal spot as the original two did. When they were done the biggest one croaked and they all flew away. I can’t help but think they were Heckle and Jeckle with their two babies and they came back to show me what proud parents they are and to said hi.

“Nothing further than he muttered, other friends have flown before. On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before. Then the bird said, ‘Nevermore.’” - Edgar Allan Poe