Magic Nut

I captured an entire series of photos with this cardinal playing with peanuts but I did an action collage of a Hooded oriole yesterday.  So I just picked out my favorite shot for today.  In this one, he had just tried to pick it up when it slipped out of his beak.  For that split second reminded me of a parlor trick, kind of like when someone balances an egg, leans a salt shaker onto it's edge or sticks a spoon onto their nose.
The extra is a not very well focused shot of him flying away with a peanut.  He startled me.

Earlier this week, my brother and I took mom to see a local assisted living place.  Simply put, it was completely unacceptable.  Mom and I are going to drop by two others at our leisure, but to be honest, I'm not sure they'll be affordable for us.  My brother's options, as he saw them, were to increase the home caregiver hours or go with him.  That would mean moving her to Albuquerque, New Mexico, a 9-10 hour drive away. It would be our last resort, one which I would loathe but I'd have to put her well-being above my emotions.  We'll see...