Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 4:25 p.m. in "The City."

Normally, this is the point where I insert all the facts and figures about the weather, what's going on in our lives here at the manse, etc. However, the only thing I have to say about that is that the sun will rise and set tomorrow. 

Instead, I am going to post some pictures I took earlier today while out on our deck.These pictures are of a bird that has found a home in our back forty, a Northern Cardinal, which is the state bird of seven states, but not this one, as Michigan's state bird is the Robin.

While male cardinals have the bright red coloration that is generally associated with the species, the female cardinal has more camouflaged plumage, perhaps to keep them secluded as they sit their nests. Both male and female cardinals can and do sing.

A fact I learned while looking up other facts, is that the appearance of a cardinal is a message from a departed loved one. Whenever you see a cardinal, it signifies that they, the loved one, are visiting you. Cardinals can also come during moments of joy and sorrow as a loved one lets you know that they will always be there for you. Plus, a cardinal can convey meanings such as; love, truthfulness, and good fortune.

I've chosen to use no captions in order to let the cardinal speak or is that sing for itself. I decided to include this YouTube™ video of a cardinal's vocal abilities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiaOZemwQ00

Enjoy your day everyone. Ciao