cardinal

Houston – We have a Baby Cardinal!

/ Jodi / 48 Comments

Baby Cardinal Day 1

The wait is over!

Remember I shared with you that we had a Momma Cardinal building a nest and then laying eggs right outside of our bedroom window?

Well – right on time – on Mother’s Day afternoon – the first baby cardinal was born.

You can barely make the little bugger out above, and he/she isn’t quite what you might call “cute” yet, but oh what a thrill!

And I wasn’t home when it happened!

My Mother’s Day started out with a trip to the gym in the morning with my youngest son, Nick.  When we got back home, I was surprised to find my oldest son, Jake and his wife, Colleen in the kitchen with hubby, Marty preparing a beautiful surprise Mother’s Day brunch.  What a sweet way to start the day – eh?  It began with a Mother’s day toast of orange pineapple mimosas, homemade chocolate-covered strawberries, pastries, bacon-wrapped filet Mignon, cheesy potatoes and luscious miniature spinach and brie quiches.  And as if that wasn’t enough, there was fresh flowers, cards, and a bunch of fun watercolor art supplies.  Am I the luckiest or what?!?

After stuffing ourselves and relaxing and visiting a bit, the kids asked if I wanted to go play tennis (which I haven’t done for years!),  so off we went, leaving Marty and Mikey home to enjoy some much deserved and coveted quiet R&R time.  After about two hours of sunshine and tiring, sweaty, but oh so joyous running around the court and hitting the ball to racket a few times, I got a text from Marty with this photo:

baby cardinal just born

We had been watching diligently as this was Day 12 after Momma laid her eggs, so this little baby can’t be more than two hours old here, and likely less.

As the day grew dark, still only one baby and one egg remain, and Momma is keeping them both warm.

Is that the icing on the cake for my Mother’s Day or what?

Happy Monday friends.

Wishing you joy in cherished moments.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

PS – I thought this photo would be a perfect submission for this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge:  Forces of Nature.  What greater display of nature than this?!  A brand new birth – the most extraordinary force of nature.

Cardinal Hatching Egg

/ Jodi / 27 Comments

cardinal nest sitting on eggs

Remember our new neighbor I introduced you to last week?

Well Mama Cardinal finished shaking her tail feathers and building her nest, and is now growing her family!

Check out this little video that I cannot believe we captured:

And look what is in the nest now!

Houston – We have Eggs.  Cardinal Eggs.

And an Early Bird Bird’s Eye View from our bedroom window.  Can you believe it?!

cardinal eggs 2

So it looks like our sweet new neighbor’s family is growing…

And I hope to keep you updated.  Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to capture some video or photos of the little hatched baby cardinals as they fledge?!

Oh the anticipation!  Stay tuned.

And speaking of birds, I must share with you a beautifully-created artistic piece by one of my blogger friends, Jill from Jill’s Art Journal.

Jill and some others have made a pact and commitment to draw/create/paint and then post a new bird every day for a year.

And WOW, you wouldn’t believe how fun and exciting she makes it!

I fell instantly and totally in love with one of her drawings – a whimsical bird named Curly.

And  I shamelessly begged to have it.

Jill was so very kind to oblige and send her to me!  So all the way from the other side of the U.S. from Spokane, WA, Curly arrived this weekend in her full glory!  Could you just die how cute she is?!?!  Somehow, I feel she is a portrait of me.  🙂   Don’t ask me why?!

jill kuhn curly

And not only did Jill send me the adorable Curly, but she put a sweet note in the package and added this beautiful handmade bookmark that featured a bird on one side….

jill kuhn bookmark 2

… and a “Home Sweet Home” sentiment on the other side that Jill said she thought was just perfect for me!  How sweet is that?!?!

Thank you so much, Jill!  I am beyond thrilled and grateful.

And peeps, I so encourage you to check out her blog:  Jill’s Art Journal.  You will so enjoy her daily postings and her wildly creative talent!

jill kuhn bookmark 1

So I’ll be on cardinal nest watch “in between” everything else going on around here.

Hope you are having as much fun…. at life in between.  🙂

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

The New Neighbors Building a House Next Door

/ Jodi / 32 Comments
female cardinal nest

Please click to enlarge photo

Momma Cardinal has been working for days right outside of our bedroom window in the rhododendron bush building this beautiful new home.

It is sure to add value to the neighborhood!  Don’t you think?

I have never been more fascinated watching such diligence and perseverance as she flies in one tiny stick at a time, places it on the pile, then shakes her tail feathers to form the “cup” shape.

The new home has been under construction for about three days now.  I cannot believe our good fortune to have such a view of this little miracle of nature.  I can’t wait to see the eggs and then baby cardinals!  Can you imagine how awesome that will be to watch!?!

According to Wikipedia, cardinals mate for life and stay together year-round.  Isn’t that romantic?!  Mated pairs sometimes sing together before nesting. During courtship they may also participate in a bonding behavior where the male collects food and brings it to the female, feeding her beak-to-beak.  If the mating is successful, this mate-feeding may continue throughout the period of incubation.

The nest typically takes three to nine days to build, and cardinals do not usually use their nests more than once. The eggs are laid one to six days following the completion of the nest. Three or four eggs are laid in each clutch.  The female generally incubates the eggs, which takes 12 to 13 days.  And then, the young cardinals fledge 10 to 11 days after hatching.

Camera and tripod are set up, and I’ve taken about 50 kabillion photos already.

I love this one of her shakin’ her little tail feathers and looking at me while she prepares to nest.

Hope to share more soon.

Happy Friday Early Birds!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Is it You?

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

cardinal female

Is it you come to visit my sweet beloved Star?
Does your spirit fleetingly flutter from oh so afar?

Are you happy, and can you tell me if it is really true?
Is eternity the beautiful place they say we go to?

I miss your bright eyes, your warm heart, your infectious laughter.
I dream you’re with Grandpap dancing happily ever after.

Please guide me and show me the best way to be
your legacy, my hero, my matriarch, my cherished destiny.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Cardinals have long been believed to represent a loved one who has passed.  It is said that when you see one, it means your loved one is visiting you, and they usually show up when you most need them or miss them.  I have recently come to appreciate the delicate beauty of the female cardinal with her delicate coloring.  The bright red males get most of the attention, but I’m partial to these beauties.

This short poem is written in honor of my beloved Grandma Stella, my star; and this photo I took Saturday morning from our master bath window of Mrs.Cardinal briefly sitting in the dormant Rose of Sharon bush is being shared as part of the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge:  Ephemeral.

Monday again

/ Jodi / 21 Comments
cardinal winter

I swear this cardinal is blowing a raspberry at us saying “Na Na Na Na Poo Poo – It’s Monday Again!”

Oh Monday…

You are a beginning,

and you are an end.

Like a glass that is half empty to one,

and half full to another.

You are just another day,

but oft with dreaded suspension.

Let us hang on to the hope,

that comes with your inception.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi