It was a squirrel that alerted me to the action in the front yard. Digging in the soil near the dogwood tree, the gray thing’s movements drew my notice to a pair of cardinals that cavorted beneath the dogwood’s ever-expanding branches. I saw the bright scarlet streak of the male then noticed the duller female a foot or two to his left. He reached down for a seed and brought it over to her, and for one quick moment it looked like he had kissed her on the beak. Allow me this brief moment of anthropomorphic romanticizing, because what the world needs now is love, sweet love. On a dreary, rainy Sunday morning, this simple interaction was worthy of gratitude, if only for having seen it.
It was a thrilling exchange, even if he was just offering a bit of food. I called Andy over and we watched them cavort for a bit. Andy said he thought they might be getting ready to start nesting, as their feathers were starting to change. The squirrel scurried away, his job done. When you have love in your own front yard, why mourn for not being able to go anywhere else?
