A convocation of Cardinals

At dusk yesterday, as the late Winter, very early Spring snow fell, our feeders were visited by five cardinals: three males and two females. Cardinals being as twitchy as they are, we couldn't get all five in the picture at the same time but we were delighted to see each of them.

male and female cardinals on deck railing

Photo by J. Harrington

male cardinal perched above deck

Photo by J. Harrington

male cardinal seen through deck balusters

Photo by J. Harrington

We ended up with about 2 inches of fresh snow, not enough to do anything about except let it melt, unless you're our township, which no longer seems to have, or to follow, a policy of only plowing when the snowfall exceeds three inches. The fresh snow has made it obvious that we have a very active pocket gopher in the field behind the house. There are three new, fresh gopher mounds appearing almost black against the white snow. Time to dig out the gopher traps and long-handled spade!

We know that it's not officially astronomical Spring until Saturday, but the roller coaster weather keeps us on edge with its tantalizing false promises. We keep forgetting that Lao Tzu has noted that "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" and that observation is certainly true as we await real Spring in the North Country.

Red Bird Explains Himself

“Yes, I was the brilliance floating over the snow
and I was the song in the summer leaves, but this was
only the first trick
I had hold of among my other mythologies,
for I also knew obedience: bringing sticks to the nest,
food to the young, kisses to my bride.

But don’t stop there, stay with me: listen.

If I was the song that entered your heart
then I was the music of your heart, that you wanted and needed,
and thus wilderness bloomed there, with all its
followers: gardeners, lovers, people who weep
for the death of rivers.

And this was my true task, to be the
music of the body.  Do you understand?  for truly the body needs
a song, a spirit, a soul.  And no less, to make this work,
the soul has need of a body,
and I am both of the earth and I am of the inexplicable
beauty of heaven
where I fly so easily, so welcome, yes,
and this is why I have been sent, to teach this to your heart.”

from Red Bird, Mary Oliver, Beacon Press, © 2008 by Mary Oliver

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