I am, like many Americans today, living through a brutal cold snap that is fairly typical for February in the upper Midwest. Overnight temperatures reach -10 or worse, wind chills make it feel much colder, and day-time highs are little better.
And it's been like this for about 16 consecutive days. Not at all pleasant. And that's why I am so impressed with the cardinals that live outside my house. That's the Northern Cardinal to be precise. The male is typically of a distinct red plumage and equally distinct call. The female cardinal offers a lovely song.
I think the cardinal is a tough as is it beautiful. The temperature was just above zero when I stepped out of my house at 7 a.m. today. I immediately heard a male cardinal in the branches of a tree near my driveway. He was chirping away as he might on a warm summer morning.
I stood and stared, a little stunned by what I was seeing. I was layered in a coat and sweatshirt. I wore a knit hat, gloves, thick pants and heavy boots, and I was still uncomfortably cold. The cardinal probably didn't weigh more than a couple of pounds and stood on spindly legs on a branch that swayed in the wind. He not only looked comfortable, but sounded happy.
It didn't seem right to me, but, of course, his appearance and performance was completely natural.
Isn't that amazing?
-- Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome.
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