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Birds, snow, heating bills
We got 4-6" of heavy snow last weekend. (One inch was predicted. Sigh.) Shrubs in back are like twiggy wood folk trying to stand back up. (I never would have planted boxwood here; they didn't clear that with the HOA board. But it does soak up excess water.) It's overcast now but has that winter glow things sometime get when the sun is hidden.
Birds have been by and taken down most of the winter mix seed and half the hot stuff. Woodpeckers, sparrows, black-eyed juncos, chickadees, titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, cardinals--I even saw a young bluejay--lots of birds. I saw both black squirrels (a variant of the greys) and a tiny red squirrel the size of a chipmunk tearing around yesterday.
The next day everything was waiting to see if the snow melt would start and reveal things. I planted two Northern pin oak acorns yesterday before the snow started. They come from a tree three hours north. We need more oaks here now. Perhaps they will like the soil.
To find Spicy stuff on the ground, explaining more cardinals yesterday. Could be Mom raccoon, or squirrels.
So you know what that means? Next time the hulled gift seed & the nice winter seed in the screened feeder--and the fires of hell in the other! Take that, furred ones! Eat salsa seeds or try the next house! (Raccoons stole my suet feeder. I am disappointed in their life choices.)
Then there was pulling out the heat mats for the steps. The guys put them in storage at the end of last winter, and thanks to their coming up to put the a/c in, I haven't had to go into the room in a year. (Previous owner was into pesticides, a no-no here. I wear a respirator in the shed.) But did they use the nice, low nails I put in to the right to hang the mats so they will lay flat and relax in summer?
Of course not. So I have redone them best I can, the cords tucked under posts to keep from tripping. No blown fuses, and yesterday I moved the rocks flattening the bent corners.
While in the kitchen I have the Northern Cardinal and the chickadees looking in the windows to see if more seed is coming, because MORE WINTER, MOM, WE NEED SEEDS. Sorry, guys, but the hair is air-drying. Once it's dry, I'll bring more seed out.
Need to push snow off the car. The new snow guy may not understand that he has to plow for me up to the car, but I won't move it until he plows.
Yes, I need a house better for me, with a garage. But I just got the utility bill for a cold late Oct/early Nov. And it is peanuts compared to previous years. Replacing a 28 year old water heater that looked pristine but half the element went, and could not be replaced? Worth every expensive penny for unit, install, and hauling away the old unit to the metal folks. At this rate it will be paid off and even in six months.
Birds have been by and taken down most of the winter mix seed and half the hot stuff. Woodpeckers, sparrows, black-eyed juncos, chickadees, titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, cardinals--I even saw a young bluejay--lots of birds. I saw both black squirrels (a variant of the greys) and a tiny red squirrel the size of a chipmunk tearing around yesterday.
The next day everything was waiting to see if the snow melt would start and reveal things. I planted two Northern pin oak acorns yesterday before the snow started. They come from a tree three hours north. We need more oaks here now. Perhaps they will like the soil.
Then another six inches. More coming. :(
So I carry out my trusty containers of mixed bird seed to the two feeders. One is a standard nice winter songbird mix, one is hulled sunflower & the Spicy Stuff mixed.To find Spicy stuff on the ground, explaining more cardinals yesterday. Could be Mom raccoon, or squirrels.
So you know what that means? Next time the hulled gift seed & the nice winter seed in the screened feeder--and the fires of hell in the other! Take that, furred ones! Eat salsa seeds or try the next house! (Raccoons stole my suet feeder. I am disappointed in their life choices.)
Then there was pulling out the heat mats for the steps. The guys put them in storage at the end of last winter, and thanks to their coming up to put the a/c in, I haven't had to go into the room in a year. (Previous owner was into pesticides, a no-no here. I wear a respirator in the shed.) But did they use the nice, low nails I put in to the right to hang the mats so they will lay flat and relax in summer?
Of course not. So I have redone them best I can, the cords tucked under posts to keep from tripping. No blown fuses, and yesterday I moved the rocks flattening the bent corners.
While in the kitchen I have the Northern Cardinal and the chickadees looking in the windows to see if more seed is coming, because MORE WINTER, MOM, WE NEED SEEDS. Sorry, guys, but the hair is air-drying. Once it's dry, I'll bring more seed out.
Need to push snow off the car. The new snow guy may not understand that he has to plow for me up to the car, but I won't move it until he plows.
Yes, I need a house better for me, with a garage. But I just got the utility bill for a cold late Oct/early Nov. And it is peanuts compared to previous years. Replacing a 28 year old water heater that looked pristine but half the element went, and could not be replaced? Worth every expensive penny for unit, install, and hauling away the old unit to the metal folks. At this rate it will be paid off and even in six months.