Our beloved Mad Jack left us last April.
Mrs. Mad Jack sends us a story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack and I watched the cardinals before he died.
We were stuck home in quarantine and one summer a bald-headed one kept showing up. I started calling him ‘Dad’ ‘ cause my Dad was bald-headed. Friend of mine told me they molted and of course, Jack looked it up and found that to be true. Then it got to be a joke with us, too, whenever Dad would show up, almost daily. Jack told me he was going to come by and check on me after he died so of course, when a healthy vibrant cardinal showed up, I just started saying, “Hey, Jack.”
They raised a family or maybe a couple, I don’t know, but I kept the food up all summer and they’d all come by to graze. One of Jack’s friends asked me why I was leaving the food out during the summer. It was because I wanted to see if he’d come by.
Now he comes nearly every day.
The cardinals come every day. I hope they ease her grief.
Mad Jack is very much missed. 😔💕
My heart goes out to you, Mrs. Mad Jack. The Cardinals will serve as a delightful memory of Mr.Mad Jack. May the Lord comfort you, in your time of mourning.
Cardinals are one of my favorite birds. Tell Mad Jack we all said hello!
We have many Cardinals at our feeders too. What a nice reminder of a fellow IOTW family member. He will be missed.
RIP Mad Jack! Your old avatar is still one of my favorites.
That’s a beautiful story.
God bless you, K. I pray you find comfort in the daily visit of JF’s spirit.
They are blessed with your kindness and they reward you with memories.
Happy Valentines Day!
.
Damn dusty in here, BFH.
Knowing Mad Jack, he’s probably reading all our comments with the likes of Admin Girl and our friend from across the pond Peter Bocking aka PUK.
You know you will never be forgotten Jack!
Will be looking out for them for a reason now.
Peace be with you, Mrs. Mad Jack. Your beloved is watching over you.
MadJack will forever be missed. One of the all-time greats here at iOTW. My love to Mrs. MadJack. Very sweet and loving story.
Keep putting the food out. Not saying the bird is Jack. But he might have sent it. Makes things easier for the bird.
Crows speak to me when I’m out. More so when I’m alone. Not the harsh ‘caws’, but the softer verbalization’s. I always speak back. One fine day I’ll find out were there something to all that.
Condolences. May he Rest In Peace. Could not have picked a more beautiful bird to represent him.
May God continue to show you His mercy and grace.
muddjuice
Thank you for sharing your lovely story with all of us. 💕
THIS BRINGS TEARS TO BENITO. THE BEST MAN OF MY LIFE, MY DAD LEFT US IN 2011. HE LOVED HUMMINGBIRDS. FOR YEARS NOW, A HUMMINGBIRD WITH A RED CHEST FOLLOWS ME AROUND THE YARD, AND SITS WITH ME WHEN I REST. SHAME ON ATHEISTS!!!!!!!
Mad Jack was one of the very first regular readers at my place, and he continued to be till the end. He is very much missed. God Bless You Mrs. Mad Jack.
Awww.. I love that story. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
@Lowell: I thought I was the only one to talk to crows. One day we went to Mendocino, CA. There were two crows sitting in an old Monterrey Pine chatting away. DH and I stopped and answered to them. People would stop and listen to the crows then listen to us talking to them. It was a fun day. I talk to the feral cat too and she answers me back. Maybe it’s my sister who passed away a few years ago. Dunno, but the cat lets me brush her so that’s an accomplishment for a feral and for me.
I always searched out his avatar to see what he was saying.
Rest in Peace Mad Jack.
Blessings and prayers for Mrs. Mad Jack.
So very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Mad Jack. I missed seeing that funny, familiar avatar around here. We have an apple tree in the yard and frequently, on a frigid cold day with snow a single red cardinal will land on a branch and stay awhile. From now on it’ll remind me of Mad Jack.
Hope you’ll stay awhile around here with all of us.
I fill the feeder and the suet feeder. Not sure what Mad Jack’s migratory patterns are but I’m pretty sure he passes this way and lingers. I’ll ask him tomorrow.
Jack? Is that you? I’ll let you know.
What a lovely story to share on Valentines Day. I will keep the bird feeders full all summer just in case Mad Jack summers in Texas.
@Goldenfox:
When I was a kid we raised them as pets. They are very interesting birds. Too smart by half, and loads of individual personality.
Damn.
What a wonderful story.
@Mrs. Mad Jack – I also lost my husband last year in May. I pray that God will give you peace and strength. And that Jack, the cardinal, will give you comfort. God bless you.
Jack the Cardinal….has a lot of visiting to do. Thank goodness he wasn’t a Mets fan…..
Sorry, to hear of your loss, Mrs. Mad Jack. What a wonderful connection to God’s hope, grace and mercy. Be Blessed.
Mrs. Mad Jack, cardinals have a special place in my heart. I used to feed the birds on my balcony and there was one male cardinal that was a special treat. He would come to feed, but see his reflection in the window. He’s puff up and bluster at that “other” male trying to horn in on his territory. I would have to close the curtain part way to ‘break the spell’.
God bless you and keep enjoying your visits with Mad Jack.
I’ll be doing a special lookout for ‘Jack’, too. <3
Big hugs for Mrs. MadJack. (Those of us who know her can tell you without a doubt, she's a sweet and gracious lady)
I really believe our version of ‘reality’ is a vague shadow of what exists. Perhaps that’s necessary, wearing the meat sacs, or earth suits I’ve herad it put. Our physical senses are limited. We’ve built things to interact with radio waves, long and short wavelength light we cannot perceive directly.
What else is there we haven’t even thought of yet?
My fondest hope. Answers. About everything. Just hope when I shed this skin I still have the courage to ask the questions. That will be one fine day.
we’ve had a series of various albino cardinals here….one, i named “creamsicle” – he was an albino male with no brown pigment, and was creamsicle orange….several others were females lacking either the brown or the red or the orange pigment….weird to find them all here in one place, pretty much at the same time, but they were beautiful, each and every one…..
needless to say, i did NOT notify the local colleges, agriculture dept, or the EPA……not all that anxious to be declared the home of “endangered species”…….
you can find pictures of various albino cardinals on the interwebs, if you’re interested….yes, i have pictures, but, no, you can’t see them……damn things have embedded codes telling when and where they were taken, so……sorry……prefer to keep our property OUR property……
Bless you Mrs. Mad Jack and may you have have wonderful memories of your departed husband.
Mad Jack was a 1911 guy so we instantly connected. Miss him. That Avatar should be retired.
Mrs. Mad Jack, thanks for sharing that story. I will have new thoughts the next time I encounter a cardinal. I won’t just admire the beauty of a creature in nature, I’ll remember to say “HI” to a friend who is missed.
I suspect Mad Jack is never far from his sweetheart, keeping his eye on her and letting her know he’s still with her.
Condolances Mrs. Mad Jack. Lovely story and may he RIP.
WOW!!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL VALENTINE!!!
I cannot thank you all enough for your love and comments about my Mad Jack. He was the kindest man around and everyone in our neighborhood and little towns, girls at the dollar store, HyVee personnel, neighbors, friends, anyone who walked by, knew my Mad Jack and he knew them, their names, their kids, their pets etc. He always had a kind word to say and would help anyone with anything.
I was so very blessed to be the one he picked. He loved me dearly and was always on my side!
His knowledge and memory were phenomenal and he spoiled me rotten by always telling me the answer to whatever it was I might ask.
Special thanks to RH and MJA for posting this on IOTW.
Jack loved this blog and when I’d come home from work, he’d always have my salad and grilled chicken ready. He’d tell me about some of the funny things from IOTW and his friends.
His love of God, family, friends, and Country were the real deal and I’m happy that you all enjoyed him and his humor and thoughts. I’m certain he is up there watching out for all of you as he does for me.
He just landed on the feeder as I am typing this. His favorite cat, BeBe and Billy Jack, the cat we rescued on our FOREVER trip from Kanab, UT are watching him.
God Bless you all!