cardinals

here's daddy cardinal, remember? at the end of may, just checking out the site.

so, he chose with his wife, a great little tree, RIGHT in front of my kitchen window. You can't beat that for a viewing place. A Rose of Sharon tree. 

 Sure enough, mama is sitting on three eggs by the end of June. 

(6/25, to be exact)

I watch, I wait, I get nervous because I figured she must be late.

Then, this morning, a flower. ONE flower blooms on the tree. take a look. It's a close shot, but I promise, there is not a single other flower on this tree, or, any of the other 50 trees of this kind in my yard.

It's like mama put a balloon out to alert the neighborhood she had her babies. I could feel it. I got the ladder to double check, and sure enough: 

two of the three are hatched this evening. I'm sure by tomorrow the other will hatch. Mama cardinal is still sitting on her babies and the egg.

It's been 14 days. Agonizing, but, I'm thrilled. And, that one flower is amazing. there aren't even small 'almost flowers' yet on the tree otherwise.