I found the perfect bird bath
for cooling our feathers
on this sizzling summer day.
The male cardinal puffed his chest out proudly as soon as his mate arrived, his bright red feathers shining in the morning sun.
Unfortunately, she didn’t even notice his feathers and her reaction to the faded, broken dog bowl was less than positive (that is an understatement).
She began chirping loudly at him— “Do you ever listen to what I say? I told you I wanted to bathe in the stone bird bath bowl that I saw yesterday at Rainbow Gardens. Made especially for birds, it sits on a pedestal with a lovely fountain of water bubbling up from the center, clean and fresh. I don’t think you even know how long the water has been sitting in this old dog water bowl!”
Truthfully and in all honesty, the crestfallen male cardinal had to admit that he did not know the status of the water. She shook her head at him in dismay, gazed down at her reflection in the water and sighed: “Looks like there is some dog slobber floating around in here. Do you want me to get sick and die? I thought you loved me, but now I just don’t know.”
“WHAT?” he tweeted in reply. “You are the love of my life! I didn’t realize that a dog bowl would upset you so much. It is a hot day and I thought you would like a cool drink and a bath, even if it’s not perfect. If it will make you feel better, I will taste the water for you.”
She hopped back up onto the dog water bowl after that, but he could tell by his mate’s terse stance that she was still extremely upset by the entire situation. Egads!
He desperately needed to find a good excuse to escape her wrath for a while. So, after thinking for a moment, he said (as calmly as he could): “Honey, I’m leaving now to find some juicy bugs. That way we can have a picnic together this afternoon…see you later.”
As soon as he vanished from sight, a deep sadness overwhelmed the female cardinal. She suddenly realized that she had been too unkind. Her relationship with him was worth more than everything in the whole wide world, and her priorities had been totally upside down all morning. Oh no! What if he never returns?
After she finished her surprisingly refreshing bath, she sat in the sun drying her ruffled feathers. She prayed that her mate would eventually return, even though she had been incredibly thoughtless and mean.
True unconditional love is beautiful, don’t you agree? 😊
Before I Forget 
Fantastic photos and hilarious commentary. The misses just wanted to be left alone to take her bath. Birds are so much fun.
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Yes!
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Beautiful photos and sweet story. How wonderful for you to witness their story.
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Thank you, Katelon!
I enjoy watching birds…and even more than that, I love hearing them sing!
Listening to their songs, I know there is still hope for this world…..
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Nice…
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The female cardinal is kind of like me….but not.
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Great dialog and thoughts following by beautifully build set of pictures!
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So much fun to watch the cardinals!
A male and female cardinal actually do spend a lot of time together, and most articles say that they are mates for life.
So, I figured—if they spend a lifetime with each other, then they must have disagreements from time to time, just like people. 🙂
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I think your guess is right😀
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LOL! After 40 years of marriage I do believe you’re onto it. We do have disagreements, and can be disagreeable, but taking a time out from each other often does the trick!
Love your imagination and insight.
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Haha! The story does show that I have also “been there, done that.” There is definitely an appropriate time and place for ‘time outs.’
Hope everything is OK at the Farmlet!
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It is! My finger is making it hard to type, but I am sure I could post pictures or something to let you and everyone else know I am alive and well. 😉 See you soon!
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Beautiful clicks and engaging narrative 🙂 Also welcome to my travel-lifestyle blog hoping it will be of interest to you . Thanks 🙂
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A great post Thank you
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Hello Sky Nature.
I haven’t written on my blog for quite a while.
Watching all of the craziness around the world has eaten my creativity whole, I think.
I looked at your website and saw that you have also encountered the Fly Agaric mushroom.
When I first saw one growing in my yard in Virginia, I didn’t know what it was.
It was such a beautiful mushroom that I quickly captured it with my camera.
When I looked for a matching photo on the internet, I realized it was the famous magic ‘shroom.
When I was 6 years old, my mom told me that I was going to die if I even touched ‘outdoor’ mushrooms.
Yep! You can only buy safe mushrooms at the store, or else! She really scared me, that’s for sure. 🙂
Here is the link to my photo of the Fly Agaric: https://storieswithnobooks.com/2013/03/15/fly-agaric-mushroom-in-the-woods/
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Hi Mary,
Thank you for your comments. I always expect to see a wee elf sitting on top, when I remember all of the fairy stories from childhood. It is a beautiful toadstool.
Sue
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What a heartwarming story.
True love knows no bounds.
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It is wonderful to watch a pair of cardinals taking care of each other. Once a mate is chosen, the male and female cardinal stay together for life (however long that might be). It is definitely a beautiful example of true love.
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