Pre-Thanksgiving calm

Not much happening around the ol' homestead these days. I still haven't cleaned out the gutters or finished raking leaves. That wet snow from last week broke some of the taller perennials, so I may cut those back now rather than later.

Artsy pic of milkweed fluff

The usual suspects have appeared at the bird feeders - sparrows, house finches, goldfinches, nuthatches, chickadees, downy woodpeckers, blue jays, bluebirds, but not starlings... YET. Nothing exotic.

I have been looking for a TV couch where Clio and I can lounge while streaming my favorite shows. The requirements were something clean and comfortable but not expensive. Habitat Restore to the rescue! If you see something you like there, you have to act quickly, and I did. The pets took to the new loveseat right away.

King of the couch

This piece is in such good shape I kind of hate to let the dog up there, but that is why I purchased it. An old mattress cover should provide enough protection.

Cue up "Better Call Saul"

Another reason I wanted a TV couch is the recliner is perfect for bird watching. So now that is across the room, facing the backyard with a good view of the main feeders and the birdbath. I look forward to spending most of the winter out there, watching birds by day, watching TV by night. After all, it is the dormant season.

White stuff

We are finally getting a little snow, emphasis on "little". It might not even stick around. But at least the ground feels frozen (less dirt for the dogs to track into the house), and it looks and feels like winter.

The seed catalogs are beginning to roll in, in ernest. I'll need some zinnia seeds, of course, but I am also contemplating growing a half dozen amaranth plants, for dyeing yarn. I can get both seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds., but they don't have milkweed plants, just seeds. I scatter seeds in the target area each fall, but so far, none have taken, so I'll get some plants elsewhere.

More birdfeeders are up, including a cylinder of "bark butter" - basically suet and peanut butter - and niger seed. I stocked up on millet from Wild Birds Unlimited, along with some ears of field corn for the squirrels, and a fresh suet block I have yet to hang up. The peanut splits remain the most popular offering to the birds, but I'm sure they will catch on to the rest soon, especially now that we have some snow.

Lesson learned

Today - cold, windy, and rainy - seemed like a good day to sanitize the bird feeders. Using the utility sink, I worked on the smaller ones, cleaning them and spraying them with a 10% bleach solution before rinsing them off. That was fine. But the big one I use for sunflower seeds was too large for the sink and too heavy to manipulate (my glasses nearly broke when the hinged lid fell and hit me in the face) and a real mess. I've already disconnected the outside hoses, but I'm going to reattach one and finish bird feeder cleaning outside. Next year, I promise to do this task earlier and outdoors.

The problem with the heated bird bath was the GFC outlet. It had tripped, but I kept trying to reset it wrong. Now that is fixed. I didn't want to have to buy a new birdbath, as they cost about twice what I paid for this one.

Having a heated birdbath seems moot this week, as temps promise to be in the 50's. That means the ground won't stay frozen and I will have dog paw prints everywhere. Who do I complain to?!?

Guardian of the mealworms

Instead of modifying the starling-proof mealworm feeder, I put it out with the other nut feeders and filled its bowl with bark butter bits. Bluebirds like them, as do just about every other bird that visits, plus the squirrels. (Now that I think of it, I bet a red squirrel could squeeze into that feeder, if it could get past the baffle on the pole.) The "old" mealworm feeder is back in its original location. I moved the recliner in the den closer to the window, so when the starlings mob that feeder, I can rap on the window and scare them away. Interestingly, the bluebirds are not so rattled by my anti-starling efforts and stick around to take advantage of the situation.

We received even more snow - 6-8" - and I had to shovel the driveway myself. :-( The neighbor who usually clears it with his snowblower is out of town, leaving all of us on the block who depend on him out of luck. I started working on the snow, figuring if I couldn't finish it, I would ask another neighbor for help. But I did it! My left arm did most of the work.

While the bluebirds have been ignoring the wintergreen holly berries, this one robin has not. I keep wondering if it is the same robin who in the spring hangs out under the mealworm feeder and chases other robins away from the hawthorn tree in the front yard. Very territorial.

Today for lunch I fixed myself a club sandwich - turkey, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. It was delicious! Now I am back on the tomato wagon, so I guess I'll grow *one* plant this summer, in a container.

Snowy day

The snow started coming down during the night and continued for most of the day. It's a heavy snow, perfect for packing. My SO came over and helped clear the driveway, although I discovered it is possible to shovel snow using one arm. I welcome the snow, as a snowless landscape feels too much like February.

See the birdfeeder in the photo? That one is designed to let bluebirds in while keeping starlings out. It works, BUT. Only one or two birds can feed at one time, while I frequently have 5-10 birds wanting to eat. The floor of the feeder is solid, so spilled mealworms don't fall on the ground where the others wait. I think I'll replace the floor with hardware cloth and see how that works.

This past week I placed an order with Bluestone Perennials for catmint, specifically Nepeta 'Cat's Pajamas'. I also ordered a dozen purple coneflower, a.k.a. Echinacea Purpurea, from Prairie Moon Nursery. I *tried* to order some stuff from Burpee, but their site must have been overwhelmed with others doing the same thing, as my order would not go through, even after three tries on separate days. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.

Sounds of spring (weekend edition)

We are having a lovely weekend, if a bit cool, with threat of frost tonight. So my neighbors are out with their various power tools and such. I too decided it was time to mow and trim the front yard, but I'm leaving the back for another day.

Speaking of trimming, I stopped at Lowes to take a look at the EGO trimmers. I hate, HATE, HATE loading the string on my electric trimmer. The EGO ones load automatically. They are also battery powered, so I wouldn't have to wrestle with the extension cord anymore. However, they seem kind of heavy to me. Also, now that the raised beds are gone, I won't have that much to trim. So I postponed that purchase.

Last weekend, my SO helped me disassemble the "rainbow" shed. This shed is a perfect example of my yardening karma. I thought it would be a good playhouse for my granddaughter, but, you know, spiders. Then I spray painted it rainbow colors; the cans said the paint would stick to ANY surface, but it did not stick to that shed. I did store lawn furniture and some pots in it over the winter, but otherwise, it went unused. Because of the flaky paint, no one else would want it, so it will probably end up at the dump. (That piece of plywood was under the floor. It too will be going to the dump.) At least there were no animal burrows under it.


My SO and I also cleaned out the "big" shed. There wasn't much to throw away, just a lot or rearranging. The few remaining vegetable gardening doodads, like the grow bags, went to my neighbor across the street. Then we cleaned gutters: he wrangled the ladder while I did the climbing.

During the week, I cleaned up the beds on the south side of the house a bit. My plan is to move the perennials from the bed by the fence to the new wildflower corner, but I am beginning to think it would just be easier to get new plants. For decades I scrimped and saved so I could retire, which results in this mentality of making do even though making do is sometimes a lot of work. Also, I'm concerned about reintroducing weeds like creeping Charlie into that area after it is treated by the landscapers. Today I potted a clump of rhubarb, which left me with an aching back.

Meanwhile, I continue to spend my children's inheritance at Wild Birds Unlimited. This time I came home with a new finch feeder. Even with a coupon, it was a bit expensive, but it is supposed to be easy to clean and antimicrobial. Right now the house finches are sticking with safflower seed and the sock nyger feeder.

As you can see, the daffodils are blooming. Buds are swelling on most of the flowering trees like the serviceberry and redbud. I just hope tonight's low temps don't damage them.

Don't buy this

Recently I purchased a plastic bird feeder for "clingers" from Wild Birds Unlimited. Today I dropped it a total of two feet. Despite landing on soft ground, the bottom broke off. When I bought it, the salesperson warned me that the top hook might break off but the manufacturers would replace it. I should have taken that as a warning. I don't want a replacement, just my money back.

Today I cut back the 'Betty Corning' and 'Avant-garde' clematis. The strong winds we've been experiencing lately cause them to bang their tuteurs against the house. A bit disconcerting after dark.

For some reason, mice have been getting into the house. My SO teases that it is because my yard is so wildlife friendly. I don't care how many rodents there are outside, but I draw the line when they breech the walls of my domicile. One of the cats caught one in the house and maybe one in the garage. I have caught three in traps baited with "butter bark". I hope that is all there is.

In my next lifetime, I hope to have a clear view of the horizon or at least a more natural one. Until then, this is the best I can do to capture lovely sunsets.

The temps just won't stay below freezing around here, perpetuating mud season. I use a Bissell Crosswave to clean my floors and am shocked each and every time from the amount of dirt it picks up, even after I have already vaccuumed. I clean the dogs' paws with a Paw Plunger, but it's getting worn out, as am I.

The lower the temps, the higher the bird count

Now that the temps are staying low, the variety of backyard birds is improving. Ditto what I see when walking the dogs around the neighborhood. In fact, I think this guy is a regular.

(Sorry for the poor quality of the above photo. I wanted to see how well the zoom feature on the camera of my new phone works. About the same, it looks like - not very well.)

I still don't have all the feeders up, but that did not stop bluebirds from visiting this "bark butter" feeder. I also saw a nuthatch at it. It seems the finish is too smooth for good gripping, but I'm afraid if I rough it up, the wood won't last as long. We'll see how it goes.

There is not much to see or do outside right now. I did prune the 'Limelight' hydrangea the other day. A combination of recent events left it looking rather pathetic. It doesn't get enough sun, so I usually don't prune anything except the blossoms. Last year, because of my shoulders, I could not reach very high, so the branches became rather spindly and drooped a lot this past summer. I'm hoping the high pruning I was able to do this time will perk it up.

I forget about the witch hazel because most of the year it doesn't look like much. It's a bright spot on this gray day.

Covid numbers are up again, especially in this state and even moreso in this county. It doesn't appear to be slowing anyone down, though, judging by the traffic and crowds. I guess this is as good as it is going to get, so despite being fully vaccinated, I will continue to mask and use hand sanitizer when out and about. Have a safe holiday weekend!

Everlasting strawflowers, birds, etc.

This is the first year I have grown strawflowers, also known as everlastings. One of its everlasting character traits is the ability to withstand a hard frost. So now I am thinking they might be a good substitute for the ubiquitous hardy mums that spontaneously generate each autumn. Just something to keep in mind for next year.

Try as I might, I just can't capture the reds in my yard. That doesn't stop me from trying. This pic has been edited to warm the colors and deepen the shadows and it still does not come close to the real thing. Of course, the skill (or lack thereof) the the photographer has a lot to do with this failure.

Silver grass

I read somewhere that sparrows really love cracked corn, so providing it may limit their ravaging the more expensive birdseed. Toward that end, I bought some cracked corn, which required another feeder, which lead me to also purchasing meal worms and a feeder for those. (I know that the meal worms are dead, but because they are also dehydrated, they shift around easily inside the bag, which makes them look all squirmy - ugh.) So now I am feeding black sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, peanut splits, peanuts in the shell, thistle seed, cracked corn, suet (which always seems to contain corn, probably as a binder), and meal worms.

While I continue to try to outfox the sparrows, I think I have won the squirrel wars. I have not seen a rodent in the feeders since the last adjustment of the baffles. I do see them in the yard, though, or running along the fence or the telephone wire or laying on the shed roof. It looks like they are trying to figure out how to leap from one perch or another to the feeders. If the dogs spot them, much chasing and barking ensues.

The coneflower and rudbeckia look dead, dead, dead, but the goldfinch still find something to eat in their dried seed heads. There are titmice and nuthatches and at least one flicker who are regulars, but so far no cardinals this year. And occasionally a Cooper's hawk makes an appearance, not for birdseed but for birds.

Locally, we gardeners have been encouraged to not put dead annuals in the trash, but to either compost them or chop them up and leave the leavings on the soil. So that is what I have been doing, with the coleus and zinnias. The perennials will be left standing until spring. Instead of thinking of their desiccated presence as "weedy", I will view them through the lens of "winter interest".

Easy to be confused

Let it be known that the shrub I indentified as a spicebush a couple of weeks ago is actually a witch hazel. For some reason, I cannot keep this straight. Its fall blossoms, though, are a dead give away.

I spotted a squirrel in the bird feeders the other day and wondered if I was also confused about what's been eating all the peanuts. Yesterday, I filled the peanut wreath, then ate my lunch by the patio door. Within minutes, a half dozen (or more?) blue jays descended on that feeder, chasing away the flickers and sometimes each other, in their zeal for peanuts in the shell. It took them about an hour and a half to empty the feeder.

Sparrows continue to be the bane of my backyard. I've watched them at the peanut splits feeder, but they mostly drop the peanuts on the ground and the dogs eat them. As a stopgap measure, I hung a coir-lined basket under that feeder, to catch the spill. The sparrows don't seem to like it, but it doesn't seem to bother the other birds (including the flicker).

In other bird news, I have noticed all summer that sparrows have been eating something in the Japanese maple in front of my dining room window. The poor tree has not leafed out very well this year, something I blamed on a late frost, but apparently I can now blame it on the sparrows - they eat the leaf buds. I gave up growing peas in my vegetable garden because they kept eating the pea blossoms. If my Japanese maple does not survive, I may give up on it, too.

After my SO cut down the fruit trees, I noticed this lovely vine growing in that area. Too bad it is POISON IVY. Yesterday I planned to spray it, but I could not get the ^%$#@! cap off the herbicide bottle.

Last week I promised a pic of my new drying rack in the garage. It's tall enough that the bikes fit underneath. The stacked cement blocks have 4x4 posts inside them to help provide support - or to make sure the whole stack topples if bumped hard enough. Right now the only thing drying on it is a bunch of daffodil bulbs I unearthed while moving asters.

It looks like we finally had a hard frost last night. If it stays clear, we may also get to enjoy a "blue moon". Since Trick or Treat is still on here, I will be outside (wearing a Covid mask) monitoring the card table of treats (from a safe distance). Hope your Halloween is full of treats and no tricks.

Doesn't feel like June

Some coldish temps have struck our area. Tonight it is supposed to get into the high 40's. Very unusual, but I am not complaining about sunny days in the high 60's and low 70's. What do the plants and animals think of this?

My Japanese maple apparently is not happy with the climate, or something. It is barely leafing out. I don't know if a late frost interrupted its usual progression or if it needs more water or less or what. The gardening column in today's paper discussed problems with Japanese maples, one being that the root flare ("the portion of the trunk that flares out just before the roots begin") is covered by soil or mulch. I'll check this, but also, in my experience, the area within the drip zone needs to be free of mulch, too. I killed a previous Japanese maple in this location by covering the root zone with lava rock. The next one, a lacy leaf variety, I killed by underwatering. This one has been there since 2009 and has reached its full size, so I hope it revives and continues for many more years.

The petroleum jelly helped reduce the number of ants in the hummingbird feeder, but did not completely eliminate them. The oriole feeder has a built-in ant trap, but not the hummingbird feeder. My handy SO constructed one from these instructions.

My arms hurt today because yesterday I trimmed the boxwood out front. If it gets too tall, it blocks the electric light on that side of the garage. Even though I exercise my arms and shoulders, holding the hedge trimmers at that height put extra strain on my muscles. That, or I am getting old.

I'm new to strawflowers, and so far am impressed with them. Each blossom goes through an interesting progression until it reaches full bloom.

'Betty Corning' is putting out a good display this year. The 'Blue Muffin' viburnum is done blooming, so now it is time for 'Chicago Lustre'. I had forgotten all about 'Niobe', a clematis by the front porch. It has had a rough life but it hasn't given up and is blooming well. And today I saw a cedar waxwing in the Japanese maple.

Da burds

The birds finally discovered the feeders in the front yard. Besides the usual sparrows and finches, there are jays and a red-breasted woodpecker and black-capped chickadees. There is also a squirrel. It tried repeatedly to find its way past the baffle, which was comical to watch until it finally made it to the big platform-style feeder. It hasn't cleaned the feeder out nor has it invited its friends (yet), but I will have to do something to discourage it. Shortening the hanger so that the feeder is a bit higher should do the trick.

I set up the heated bird bath in front of the picture window. About the time I gave up hope that the birds would decide it was okay, the sparrows and then some blue birds found it. I would not be surprised to see the squirrel there too someday.

The weather has been unbearably (to me) temperate. The ground just won't freeze and stay frozen, which causes one major problem with muddy dog paws. I spread straw over the worst places in the yard and invested in a Paw Plunger and limit the number of times the dogs can go out during the day, but the routine of cleaning them up whenever they want back in is getting OLD.

On the other hand, on nice enough days, I am out in the yard, piddling around. In today's rare sunshine, I cut back the catmint and blue false indigo. Earlier I cleaned out the garden shed. Bit by bit.

The lazy blogger

I can't believe it has been more than a month since I last posted. Part of the reason is the season - not much is happening in the yard and garden these days besides a little fall clean up. I don't make the beds all neat and tidy, but any time it is reasonably nice out, I putter a bit.

The barberry shrubs are getting hacked up quite a bit. They are supposedly invasive, but my primary concern is they crowd the big Gold Mop. Ditto for the burning bush, but it keeps trying to keep on. Some plants just don't want to say die even when the gardener wishes they would, like the yucca.

I stopped feeding the birds for a while, as the sparrows had driven everyone else away plus they were ruining the lower branches of the thin skinned tulip tree by stripping off bark for their nests. The dogs have the run of the backyard - and they like to chase away the sparrows (good dogs!) - so this fall I set up the bird feeders in the front yard, away from the tulip tree, where the old fashioned lilac once stood. The stump of that shrub refuses to decompose, so now it is surrounded with mulch and topped with the feeders. It is not a very popular spot yet, although the blue jays have been helping themselves to the unshelled peanuts. I'm still contemplating a spot for the bird bath.

Seed catalogs started arriving just before Thanksgiving, but they go right in the recycle bin. I am reducing my gardening footprint because it is becoming just too much for me to keep up. Instead of new plants, I plan to rearrange the ones I have. If there are holes to fill, I may use annuals for the time being.

In case it is another month before I post again, happy holidays!

You can give the birds some feed but...

The g'daughter and I gooped together some homemade bird feeding thingies, made with a seed mix that included all kinds of goodies one would think the birds would like. But no. Not even the sparrows have shown any interest in our creations.

One recipe we used was from Alpha Mom and included gelatin as a binder. Most of it went into cookie cutters, which didn't work as well as I had hoped - too crumbly. I put some of the leftovers into orange halves, some into muffin liners. I have yet to see any evidence that the birds find this mixture palatable.

I have higher hopes for the peanut-butter-on-toilet-paper-rolls-rolled-in-bird-feed objects, although there is the risk that squirrels may tear these to shreds. So far, no takers there, either.

My observation is birds favor different foods in different seasons, so hopefully they will become interested in our offerings someday, before they rot.

The squirrel thanks us

At first, I was dumbfounded to see a squirrel in the bird feeder. Then I realized the new garden fence provided him a leg up. That's okay - bird feeding season is almost over.

Blue Moon/The Birds/Baby, it's cold outside!/Feels like Sunday

I couldn't decide what to title this post, so I used all the titles I was considering.

First up, this isn't really THE blue moon - the skies were overcast last night - but I did think to take a picture on the last clear night we had.

For some reason, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of starlings hanging around this winter.

They descended on my yard this afternoon, but my feeders are such that they can't get much of a foothold (talonhold?)  I'm glad I haven't put out the suet yet because they would clean that up in a New York minute.

The curled up leaves on my rhododendron tell me that it is a bit cold outside today. Could be - and probably will get - worse before winter is over.

And even though it is not Sunday, I baked some Corny Banana Oat Bread today. The recipe is from Whole Foods for the Whole Family. Since I was running low on honey, I substituted agave nectar. I'm not sure whether that helped cause the charring, but the bread is still perfectly edible.

And here is one of my xmas gifts from my son:

The birds already like it.

Neighbors

My eastern neighbor's front door is recessed into the front of his house, so as you stand there knocking, there is a wall on either side of you, each with a high octagonal window. While I was standing on said porch the other day, I noticed a lot of organic detritus under my feet. When he answered the door, I pointed out a huge nest on one of the window ledges.

There's one there, too, he said, pointing to the other window.

What kind of birds?

I dunno.

Just then, something swooped right at my head. I ducked so fast, I nearly fell off the porch.

That kind of bird, he said. Sitting in a nearby tree was a robin, beak full of dried grass and looking put out.

I guess I need to get rid of those nests, he sighed.

Well, I wouldn't, I allowed, but then that's just me.

But people can't come to the door with them protecting their nests.

Sometimes that's a good thing, I pointed out.

Meanwhile, the nest building is progressing in my yard as well. This is a grackle nest in the privat.



I took down the bluebird house that the sparrows were highly interested in, but to my surprise, they had not yet built a nest in it. I'll put it back up in May.

A year or so ago, when my neighbor to the north of me put up a bird bath and feeder, she commented about not wanting to attract the "wrong kind" of bird. I didn't ask her what she meant, but now I am wondering if she was talking about grackles and starlings.



They and the sparrows are my most frequent visitors now. I don't like to feed the birds during the summer - that's why I have a backyard habitat populated with food plants - but I also don't like holding birdseed until fall, so I am letting them finish off the sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Saturday would have been a good day to plant snap peas. I thought I had ordered some online, but apparently not. There was half a bag in the refrigerator, though, left over from two years ago. Wondering whether they were still viable, I soaked ten pea seeds.



Huh. Still good, mostly. Now if it would stop raining, I could put these in the ground.

P.S. There's a survey on honesty over here on one of my other blogs, in case you are interested.

A cross to bear

Actually, two crosses. Notice the pole in the following picture? It is one of two that used to support my clothesline. Notice how it is leaning?



Well, the high winds early Sunday morning did this.



And this morning I did the same thing to its twin. I had to laugh while dragging them to the street, imagining how it looked to the neighbors. I'm not sure the garbage guys will take them (the crosses, not the neighbors), but maybe someone in need of a homemade crucifix or two will happen by.

Not much else has happened this past week house and garden-wise, except for the freakin' weather. Seed catalogs have started arriving, so it's time to figure out just what I am going to do with that mess of a backyard.

P.S. Over xmas, my son and I watched Mr. Squirrel trying to climb the shepherd's hook to get at the bird feeders. The pole was icy enough that the squirrel kept sliding back down. Even though I had my camera in my hand, the batteries chose that moment to expire. Otherwise, we would be watching a cute YouTube video right now. The pole became climbable again, so I greased it with petroleum jelly today. Maybe I will get a second chance to play Wild Kingdom cinematographer.

P.P.S. The gas leak is scheduled to be fixed next week. Yay!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

For once, Chicken Little was right: the sky is falling. Or something is falling out of the sky. Rain? Snow? Freezing rain? Slush? Hard to tell when you can't see out the windows.



Power at home (despite the flickering of the lights) but no power at the office - the perfect storm! I planned to glue my butt to the couch all day, but the poor birds had a problem: icicle bars on the feeders prevented access.



Even goodies from the wild were locked away.



So I ventured out, thinking maybe the crap in the driveway was movable. Not yet, so I checked out the damage around mi casa.

The Japanese maple is not liking its first winter in situ.



Obligatory artsy fartsy shot of ice encased asplenifolia branches against a gray sky.



Ornamental grasses sagging. Notice neighbors vehicles in the background. My garage may be full of crap, but at least I can park my car in it, thank god.



My temperature-indicating rhododendron will not be unfurling their leaves until it warms up enough to melt their icy coat.



Even the chicken wire is a thing of beauty.



The lights keep dimming, so I am going to post this while I can. Besides, there is a butt dent in the couch with my name on it.