Red wings, grey sky

I am still ailing, and spending a lot of time looking out the window because I feel too fuzzy to do much else, but... the rewards of this gazing are huge. I watch the sky change through the course of the day. I see birds, starlings and sparrows for the most part, picking the last fruits off the branches. Their feathers are puffed up for insulation and they all look like feather balls. If my cat happens to be sitting on the sill, he watches them quietly, motionless except for the twitching tip of his tail.

Yesterday and today a pair of cardinals has spent time on the branch closest to my window. He is extravagantly red, she more muted, together they are glorious. Watching them, I am altogether happy.
It's simple. Exuberantly extravagant beauty lands on the nearest branch. Pay attention. Consider the cardinals.