The Cardinal Family

I thought I had written about the cardinal family in my back yard, but I guess I never got around to it. In any case, a family of cardinals has taken up residence in my back yard. I think of cardinals as being "Midwestern" song birds. To me they look very out of place in my back yard jungle, but I love having them there. They peek in the windows and watch me. They don't fly away when they see me watching them. I think we sort of like having each other around.

This afternoon it is raining, steady and hard. It has been raining off and on for about three days. Since mid morning today it has rained without stopping. That is unusual. Most of the time it rains really hard for a short while and then passes. Today's relentless drenching hour after hour is unusual -- not to mention irritating (and worrisome, considering the soft soil and all the trees around my house).

I was killing time on the treadmill (rather hoping the power would go out so I could quit) when I saw the papa bird stick his head up from the top of our smallest grapefruit tree. The rain had slowed down for a minute and he took the opportunity to peep out. Just as his head cleared the top of the tree, a sheet of rain hit him and he shook furiously, then he looked around irritably. I could almost read the "WTF??" look on his face.

Then he buried himself back down inside the tree.

Mama Cardinal had a slightly better hiding place. She was hunkered down under the eaves beneath a large bird-of-paradise leaf.

As bad as a storm is for humans, I guess it's must worse for the critters.