My day just got brighter. I just got delivery of my Girl Scout cookies! I already have opened a box of the Thin Mints. Nom!
I don’t understand. Windows = birdfeeder opportunities. Especially hummingbird feeders!
If it’s squirrels you want, they make coiled feeders to hold a dried ear of corn. Hang where you & kitties can see - much entertainment ensues.
The birds will (eventually) find your feeders, I promise.
Cupcakes, hurrah for the GS cookies! Haven’t seen any of the young marketeers yet here in my neck of the woods.
FCM, safe travels tomorrow. And I bet Roxy would be up to trying the painting (the wine, probably not…). It would be interesting to try, however, so if I win the lottery I promise to let you do this for all of us.
quietly, good of you to look after the cat. And sure it wasn’t a wolf; didn’t think coyotes got big enough to carry off a full-grown cat.
shoe, sometimes life is just…blah. Watch the birdies and do a few things about the house and it’ll get better (talking to this group of knuckleheads helps, too…). Your mentioning woodpeckers reminded me of this little quote, which usually gives me a smile: Hummingbirds: I shall sip nectar from this flower in a silent ballet. Woodpeckers: I'MMA STAB THE BUGS OUTTA THIS TREE WITH MY FACE-KNIFE!!! - )
dicey, include me in to red’s meetup in Nashville town sometime in the future. Only 90 minutes or so away. And I hope husband-unit gets to feeling better.
nettie, as much as that job irks you, a change (provided it’s financially feasible) sounds like just what you need. Hope that job (or some other position) let’s you get out of durance vile.
Whew! Been out shopping (Staples and Home Depot) and picked up a Burger and Fries at Dairy Queen as it has been mentioned this week (verdict: good but not great, worth trying again sometime). Rain has been on and off, but the temperature has climbed to 72F, so the heater is taking a break for a day or so. Nothing much else planned. 5-6 year old soccer is up to 52 players, so I need to start making teams this weekend (we’re due to start playing on 13 March, 2 weeks from today).
All ya’ll take care.
I have accomplished none of these things. I did go out to the Gettin’ Store real quick … after finally getting out of my neighborhood.
There was an unholy accident at the main intersection. Fire engines, cops … looks like it involved an 18-wheeler, and what used to be an SUV. 
By the time I got my errands accomplished and grabbed a bite to eat, they were … all still there.
Wolves are not indigenous to Southern California, whereas coyotes are everywhere. It is estimated that there are more coyotes in LA County now than there were 100 years ago. Hell, the local CalState’s mascot is the coyote. This one was bigger than any I’ve seen in the wild, but it was definitely a coyote and not a feral dog of some sort. But Mama cat is a large girl, and she was giving him a fight. Long enough that I could intervene anyway. Now I’m warning all the dog walkers in the neighborhood about the presence of the Beast.
Depending on your area, I’ve discovered that nyjer seed draws the birds like a magnet. Very calorie-dense as well, so they get some good energy out of it. Caelan is, as I type, staring out the office window at all the finches chowing down in the front yard.
My daughter has implored me to not put bird feeders in front of my windows because she has had sooooo many birds fly into her similar sized windows and fatally injure themselves (she lives about 5 miles away) that she can’t stand the idea of it happening at my house too. Somebody then has to go out and clear away their dead bodies before the raccoons et al come out at night to feed on them and creat even worse problems.
The landscaping and elevations of my house make access to a feeder to refill it tricky. I’m not only elderly but have a brain injury that causes balance issues so a feeder that requires a stepladder or step stool is out of the question.
Squirrels? I like squirrels too. That might actually be more doable. They rarely fly into windows and maim themselves. They seem to prefer getting squishied in the street. That makes me sad too.
My feeders are on shepherd’s crooks that stand about 6 feet off the ground. Easy to reach and refill.
I appreciate your encouragement. At least one bird feeder, of a very basic [read: by necessity as cheap as possible] sort, is definitely on my bucket list to pull off come spring or summer. The squirrels/corn idea is intriguing me also. I think my kitties would be equally amused by either and I am all about amusing da kitties.
I appreciate your encouragement too.
Starting to feel the bird feeder energy flow…
I saw a fairly tall stump sticking up in the back yard. ‘Hm,’ thought I, ‘I though I cut down all of the stumps. Maybe it was covered in bushes at the time?’ That didn’t sound right. I’m sure I would have noticed. So I went out to investigate. It was the top of one of the cedars. We’ve had some pretty high winds for the past few days (not today, though), and it must have broken off in the night. Someone had topped the trees decades ago, and when the tops grow back they are not as strong as the original ones.
That tree gives me the willies. It doesn’t look as healthy as the others, and it sways a lot in the wind. It leans toward that shed that I put the new roof on last summer. We may have to have it cut down. I hope it doesn’t fall before I save up enough money.
I fear my bird seed has gone bad. No birds have been to my feeder in around 2 months. A trip to Agway is likely in the future. I need to do something further to prevent squirrels getting to the feeder, too… I’m not a fan, I don’t want to encourage them. The little bastards gather walnuts and stash them. Last time I got the oil changed in the truck the garage guys found the air intake full of walnuts. Something like a gallon of shells.
Gonna start corned beef for dinner in a little bit. Potatoes and carrots to go with, no cabbage.
Stay safe, all.
But cabbage is the second-best part!
Meh. I don’t really like cabbage, except in cole slaw or pickled form.
Good afternoon, Mumpers! I got too busy to post yesterday: cleaned oven, scrubbed old polish off floors, put on new polish (They’re “luxury vinyl” made to look like sorta wood-like, and a high gloss helps the illusion.), walked errands, and dealt with family issues. Now I’m trying to figure out where I’ll walk. I like to have a destination, however frivolous.
boo, explain the bird feeder leading to window crashes thing, please. Seems to me a bird feeder would slow birds down, kind of like cars at a drive-through. Or is the idea that birds somehow wouldn’t notice there was a “piece of sky” there unless there was a bird feeder?? Nellie is confused.
shoe, sorry you’ve got the blues. Maybe instead of the stuff you should be doing, keep looking for things that give you joy? Those are accomplishments, too, and God knows facing dirty laundry does nothing to lift MY spirits.
quietly, you’re my hero for driving off the coyote.
flyboy, you’ve always got me looking up fun cocktails I’ve never heard of. I feel like I’m prepping for the bar exam. 
The easiest explanation? A bird feeder (and returning feathered diners) becomes an attractive nuisance drawing more birds to the area of my windows. My big front window is lined up exactly with the big rear windows allll the way the length of my house away, so all one sees is a the sky out the rear view looking in the front (and vice versa but it’s of little branches at the back so birdies don’t swoop around as close there).
You’ve never heard of margaritas? 
(Oh, and ISWYDT.)
Seriously, the Vieux Carré is my favourite. Sazeracs are good too. Margaritas are good because tequila is cheap and the mix is readily available so they’re easy. (For sipping tequila, straight, I like Dobel Diamante. It makes an excellent margarita, but I don’t want to waste it like that.)
I didn’t see this until I got back … decided to take myself out for a spin to the nearest park.
The pier into the lake was frozen solid, but the lake itself is thaw(ing) and many crows yelled at me, which always makes me giggle.
There’s also a neat, windswept pine tree.
Now Monkey is throwing himself into my lap (he knows ezzactly where my liver is) and is purring like a silly manic.
Where would we be without pets?
ETA: I tossed some trash and scooped the primary litter box, before I headed out. I have been semi productive, let the record show.
Awww, I like Monkey. My kind of kitty.
And I don’t ever want to have to find out about life without pets. Ever. E. V. E. R.
I’ve finally become the hippy I never was back in the day. My hair has not been cut in over a year and it’s driving me crazy, so today I put it in a pony tail with one of those rubber band thingies. Much better and doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would.
You guys made me feel better. Really. I washed Pretzel’s water bowl and refilled that - which, of course, means pulling her out & saying “hello.”
Her wounds have almost disappeared. To think, I was considering euthanizing her. I was a fool & an idiot.
The “sock” portion of laundry has been put away, as well. I have also prepped a bit of salmon; if I manage to cook it - and eat it - I shall consider today a triumph.