This and That

Ahh, the smell of fall--that burning smell that comes when the furnace is first turned on for the season. We got a new furnace installed yesterday and new furnaces have a special smell all of their own. Hopefully, all of the newness will burn off quickly and we won't notice it in time. The old furnace served this house for 31 years, so I think it did its duty, but I'm not sorry to see it go. We're hoping for more even heating and comfort with the new furnace and its upgraded the filter, UV light, and humidifier. We'll see, but I have high hopes. 

When they are not at our feeders, both the squirrels and the birds are enjoying the berries off this tree.

The furnace is not the only new thing we have gotten recently. In the never-ending battle with the squirrels at our bird feeders, we have gotten two new squirrel "proof" feeders. So far the squirrels haven't been able to outsmart the feeders, but it's fun watching them try. While I wouldn't mind feeding the squirrels a little, when they are at the feeder, the birds stay away. However, the birds are starting to try out the new feeders and we hope more will come when there is not as much competition from the squirrels. 

These were the best carrots we've gotten this year. They definitely like the cooler weather.

While we have had several frosts and freezes, it wasn't until last week when even the protected plants froze. Thus begins the fall bed cleanup. We started first with the vegetables and harvested everything except the turnips and radishes. They should be okay in the ground until we need them. 

The turnips have grown huge.
Who knows how big they might have gotten if I had thinned them more?

In other happenings, we have planned our Thanksgiving dinner and will start cooking this weekend. Since we won't be together, my sister and I are sharing food. For example, I am making make-ahead mashed potatoes for both of us and she is making cranberry relish to share.  Also, Ward and I are busy working on Christmas gifts. We're finding that sometimes ideas that seem so simple are a lot harder to make that one would think. 

For various reasons, staffing levels have been very low at work. I am thankful that I work with such good people that are always willing to pitch in wherever needed. And speaking of work, I'd better go fix my lunch for today so I won't be late.

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday, February 24, 2019

I am thankful for squirrels.

Squirrels annoy me sometimes. They eat the expensive food that was meant for the birds and deplete the feeders quickly.

This was not our plan when we hung our bird feeders. So for much of the time, I am not really thankful for squirrels, I am stressed by them. However, in effort to not sweat the small stuff, I'm writing a thankful post about them to help me with an attitude adjustment.

Let's see. What is another way to look at this?
--We can afford to feed the squirrels and the birds. When the squirrels eat some of the sunflower seeds, they are not breaking the bank.
--They are cute and can put on quite a show with their acrobatics.
--They provide good entertainment when our cats stalk them through the windows.
--We enjoy the challenge of trying to outsmart them.
--They have to eat, too, especially during these cold winter months.

Squirrels really aren't so bad, I guess.  So for the squirrels who helped me remember to not sweat the small stuff, I am thankful

Be Careful What You Ask For

The feeders are just an easy climb up the branch
and a little jump for the squirrels now.

Aunt Martha and Uncle Billy have a very nice feeder set up for the birds in their yard. They have things for big birds, little birds, seed eaters, and insect eaters. The have lower perches and higher perches and during the summer they grow flowers under the feeders that attract birds. The birds appreciate their efforts as seen by the many of them that frequent there each day. In fact when I visit Aunt Martha, I often have a hard time concentrating on the business at hand because I am distracted by watching all of the birds. If we have something important to discuss, she makes me sit with my back to the feeder.

So when I found out Uncle Billy had drawn my name for Christmas, I asked for a branch to be installed close to my feeder like they have at theirs. I hoped that would be the first of several additions I had planned to my set up. And on Christmas Eve, it magically appeared.

As I had hoped, the birds flocked to it. Yeah! However, what I had forgotten to calculate into the equation was that we had just added a convenient way for the squirrels to get to the feeder. How soon I had forgotten that we had worked so hard on a setup to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder. This included placing the feeder at a distance far enough from the trees so the squirrels couldn't easily jump from one of them onto the it.

 I'm not sure what to do now. The birds are enjoying the new branch, but not as much as the squirrels are. And if truth be told, the squirrels are pretty fun to watch. However, the birds don't come around so much when they're there. And it's pretty expensive to feed a squirrel as much suet as it wants to eat.

So for now, as we consider the next move, we're enjoying both the squirrels and the birds, And we're looking for sales on bird food. :)

Here are a few pictures of the squirrels with their new-found treat.

A Second Look 7-6-11

This week, we finally had a little rain with a couple of thunder storms. It must be good weather for bugs because the bees were buzzing, the flies were flying, the katydid's were jumping, and gnats were annoying.

Also, our friend, Mr. Squirrel, has figured out our "squirrel-proof" bird feeder. If he keeps most of his weight on the pole, he will not trip the lever that closes the door to the seed. It might be my imagination, but he looks fatter to me.


Below are pictures of some of the things I found this week during my Second Look around the yard.

If you look carefully, you'll see several bees among the coneflowers.

Triple orange day lily (Kwanso) with katydid.

Theodore's picture of a housefly.

Bee (good bug) on balloon flower.

Japanese Beetle (bad bug) on balloon flower leaf

Fallen limbs

Katydid on New Guinea Impatiens.

Red day lilies.

Deer jaw bone

Fat, but clever squirrel.

A Second Look 6-22-11

A Second Look around the yard this week found several new day lilies blooming.  Also, there are pictures of one of the squirrels eating from our suet feeder. After several trial and errors, the squirrel has perfected his methods. He hangs on the feeder, bends upward to take a bite, then hangs upside down to chew it.

Day lily

Mulberries are starting to ripen.

Day lily

Balloon Flower (Platycodon) You can see from the buds on either side of the bloom why they call it balloon flower. The bloom got a bit washed out from rain the night before.  

Day lily

Up for a bite.

Down for a chew.