In Which the Lady Cardinal Gets a Treat

They were just about the last thing I expected to find in the dryer, as I did a load of laundry on Sunday morning: three peanuts. But apparently, someone (who shall remain nameless) carries them around in his pockets sometimes, with plans to feed them to the birds or the bunnies.

But I sniffed them, and they didn't smell of laundry detergent or fabric softener, so I gave them back to my husband. They may have been the cleanest peanuts I've ever seen.

And then he tossed them out the front door and into the snow, telling me that the bunnies would find them there. Well, the bunnies never stood a chance because the birds were on them faster than you could say jackrabbit!

A tiny bird nabbed the first peanut, but then the cardinals arrived (the Lord and Lady, as I think of them). And in an instant, the Lady Cardinal had jumped down and eaten not just one, but both of the remaining peanuts! Lord Cardinal jumped down just a minute later, but he was too late: the snacks were gone!

After she got her special treat, the Lady Cardinal sat in the tree and looked happy. It was snowing all day (yes, we got another six to eight inches on Sunday; another snow that lasted all day long), and so that is the white stuff you can see falling around her and on her feathers.

The song to accompany this image is by Tom Jones, She's a Lady.