Memories of Joy in Unexpected Company
How spacious is your neighborhood? Are the neighbors close enough to hear them? What if they are flying over to your home every day? What if they are looking in your window every day? City life is full of these kinds of issues. It’s wonderful if these issues can be overcome and harmony can be brought to home life. My neighbors dropped in for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were the kind of guests that showed up early. Over time, it became clear they were watching our window. Most times, when I opened a window, there would be a holler, followed by the appearance of one of them. So what about the boundaries and boundary setting?
These neighbors were a pair of cardinals. I never saw where they lived, but it must have been in a nearby tree. I would joke that they probably didn’t have a roof over their heads-let’s give them some food. The male was more shy, and tried to keep hidden, despite his brilliant red wardrobe. But, there were times when he decided to make his presence known, often in the predawn hours. This was a ritual of loud, mechanical, staccato whistles at a glass-shattering volume. It was as loud as the horn of a freight train. I was amazed such an earthshaking voice came out of a body the size and weight of a glass of merlot. It seemed like he needed to broadcast something out to the world, but he was facing in towards my window, instead of facing out and away from the window when he made this commotion.
His partner was more predictable and a regular visitor. Her arrival often began with calls from far off, and these calls would get louder and louder until she made a landing on the sill. She would land with a bounce and one last, affirming tweet. Other times, when I opened the window, she appeared from nowhere, like a magic trick, or she would drop down from the roof, head first, somehow turning right side up by the time she made the five foot drop to the railing by the window, also with a tweet. She would go on with a sparkle in her eye and some kind of chatter that I could not understand. We spoke different languages.
Mrs. Cardinal was around so much, she not only received a lot of food from me, but also a lot of nicknames. She had terms of endearment like, Jewel, Golden Girl, Pearly Girl, Yeti, Banana Bird, Little Leaf. It seemed like she had her own thoughts about me. There were a few times she followed me outside, flying from tree to tree while shouting at me in cardinal tweets, as I walked down the street. The first time she saw me on my roof, (photographing artwork), she became quite loud and excited. I could never guess what she was thinking. Maybe she thought I should try flying too. Maybe she thought of me as a bird in a cage who managed to escape.
Many times this bird crossed the boundaries of being a good neighbor, and I was grateful, because she crossed other boundaries of wild bird socialization. She became a dear friend to me, bringing lightness to my home. Her presence had a quality of tranquility, warmth, and joy. Her friendship made me ponder how a friend could be completely wild and so elegant at the same time. The thought of her still brings laughter form the heart. There were many things communicated by her actions that transcended language differences.
A nice thought about boundary setting is, if boundaries can be set, they can be moved. A few times, Mrs. Cardinal even flew through the window into my home to take a look around (**explanation below about how this happened). Many days, my window and my company were a welcoming enough space for her to perch for hours and look out on the world. She was interested enough to look into my home for long periods as well, maybe to see my painting or assess my housekeeping. She had a greeting tweet for me and squawks of judgement over the squirrel who took her food. She left chicks by my window while she flew off for hours. The time this local, wild mother spent around my home was a learning experience of how so much life around us is aware of us. The friendship with these cardinals helped me to understand that there’s a lot more than just human neighbors living in the neighborhood. We are all aware of the background noise of birds singing in the morning, but are we aware that they are aware of us? All of the projection and poetry put on to garden birds never seem to interpret the language and minds of these neighbors. Our lives are enriched when we cross our mental boundaries about what it means to hear birds in the morning.
In the end, I chose not to complain about my noisy, nosey neighbors, instead, I chose to celebrate them in art. They became guests of honor at my threshold, and I wished to share them with the world. They exemplified how nature can be a treasure in our lives. After years of their friendship, I began painting cardinals last year. The beautiful memories of joy in their company were a starting point for paintings. Art transforms into something else in print, and so, the cardinal paintings became harbingers for holiday greetings. It’s such a nice thought to send messages on the wings of birds that were treasured friends. These friends brought harmony to home life, cards bring harmony to many other lives.
**The explanation of how Mrs. Cardinal even flew through the window into my home- This bird had me trained not to close the window. Every time I closed it, she appeared, asking for food, so the window stayed open, and I could continue to work. She took advantage of this to pop in a few times.
