My new book

A few weeks ago I received an advertising for a bird book. This bird book was different. Although it did talk about bird behavior and bird types the basic idea was about building projects for the birds and your gardens. I wanted this book immediately. The advertised price was 4 payments of $8.99 each and shipping of $12.00. So approximately $50.00 for the book! I was not eager to pay that amount. Maybe Amazon.com carried the book. Sure enough! I found it, same author, same publisher and it was only $12.70! The only difference was that the one on Amazon was paperback. So what....... Yahoo. And I got free shipping because I ordered another book too.

My new book arrived yesterday. I love it! There are so many cool ideas for bird houses, feeders, homemade suet/seed recipes, water features. Most projects are made with natural items. I can't wait to buy a coconut to make a "coco cabana" feeder, or hang up pines cones smeared with peanut butter and cornmeal. This is so fun!

Caleb's Graduation

Caleb receiving his diplomaCalebProud parentsCaleb's cheering section
Big Brother

Caleb and Josh at Josh's party

The last 3 days have been filled with so much.... Pure joy.

W.O.F.

To my faithful W.O.F. friends. Sorry I missed yet another W.O.F. Tomorrow is the big graduation party for Caleb and I have been shopping and cooking all day. And I am actually feeling good about where I stand getting stuff done, which is a miracle with me. It's been raining cats and dogs all day today but they are only calling for a 20% chance of rain tomorrow... chances are good it won't rain on our party. Yahoo. I'm looking forward to tomorrow!! Have a great weekend friends.

We've come a long way

Well, we did it. The house is done... almost. We still need to paint the trim around the basement windows on the south side of the house but it is suppose to rain the next two days so if that doesn't get done before Caleb's graduation open house Saturday I'm not going to sweat it. We hired someone to paint the house when we bought it six years ago. He didn't do a good job at all. I thought for sure it would last more than six years. This time we painted it ourselves and already I can tell how much nicer it turned out from the previous paint job. Craig power washed the house to prep it for painting. He did such a great job that it was down to the bare cement blocks in a lot of places.
My gardens are looking nice. Hostas are my favorite!! I love all the different varities.

I spread new mulch and planted my last annuals yesterday.
Mom came over last week and helped me plant all my barrels and hanging baskets. Thanks Mom!
Even the shed got a new paint job. What a relief to have all this done. Now all I need to do is clean the house, shop for everything, cook.... Wow, I better get busy.

The Tybird

Josh and Ty's time with us is soon coming to an end. In fact Josh moved all his stuff to his grandparents house last weekend because seniors are now out of school. Ty will still be with us for another week. I've always been fond of the boys but I have even become more attached to them. Ty will always hold a special place in my heart. There is just such an innocence about him that is hard not to like. Last week Ty turned 16. His parents had a party for him at his grandparents house. And look what he got!! A baby blue 1979 Thunderbird!! It has a personalized license plate that says "Tybird". He couldn't have been happier.

Is he not just beaming??!! Look at all the chicks with him!! Last night Ty chauffeured Craig and I up the ice cream store.
They are such a close group of friends and I'm so thankful that my kids are a part of it.

Jordan's dance recital

Last night was Jordan's dance recital. She was beautiful.

The Wren my friend

I have a Bluebird house on a post in the middle of the back yard. I have been unsuccessful in attracting any Bluebirds but a Wren has decided to take up residence there. She has been so busy. All day long she brings twigs to the box. It's funny to watch her because sometimes the twig will not fit in the box and she has to try several different angles to make it fit. She is very persistent. And let me tell you... this little bird can sing. She sings from morning till night. She never stops. And for such a tiny little delicate bird it's amazing the volume that comes out of her.

Weird Object Friday

OK, maybe my WOF isn't really that weird or unique but it's driving me crazy. For weeks now it's been raining these helicopter seed pods all over the yard... You name it, there are seed pods in it, around it or under it. What is weird to me is that our huge maple trees only do this about once every 3 years. And wouldn't you know that this was one of the years. And it had to be a year when we are trying to make everything look perfect for Caleb's graduation open house in a week. There are billions and billions of them.
Ty helped mow the lawn this afternoon and he hooked up the bagger so we could try to suck them up out of the lawn. It worked pretty good but it is just impossible to get them all.

Baby Bluebirds

We've been watching for weeks as the Momma and Daddy Bluebird tend to the nest. We've patiently been waiting to see babies peaking out the nest box. But we got impatient a few days ago. I positioned myself just so with the camera ready. Dad quickly opened the box and I got a couple of shots. Aren't they just the cutest!!! From what the picture shows there are 3, unless another one is hiding behind them. The one in the front is even starting to sprout blue feathers. I can't wait to soon see them at the mealworm feeder with their parents.

On another note... I have a Robin nesting on my back porch. I would rather have had her nest in the beautiful robin nesting boxes that we made but she decided she liked the over hang of the porch better. But just the same I am excited she is there. Last night I reached my hand up into the nest and there were 2 eggs. This afternoon I felt in there again and now there are 3 eggs. More to follow on the robin family.....

Last day of high school...

This was Caleb 13 years ago on his very first day of kindergarten. There were a few tears that morning. Not by Caleb but my his Momma.
This is Caleb this morning. It is his very last day of high school. There are tears again this morning. And yes, it's by his Momma again. Love you Caleb!! We are so proud of you.

I am listening

God was talking to me Sunday. He talks to me everyday but some days I hear him more than others. And that is my own fault. I am guilty of not always taking the time to listen.

I woke up to my usual routine. Around 6:00 I went out to "do" the birds. Doing the birds consists of feeding them, putting out fresh water, etc. It's one of my favorite parts of the day.... listening to and watching the birds start their day.

And if I have time I grab the most comfortable lawn chair I can find along with my camera and my binoculars and kick back to enjoy the sights. It was a good "birding" morning. I saw two new species that I had never seen before. A catbird and a common flicker.
Soon it was time to head to church. I still had my birds on my mind.

The scripture reading Sunday was Matthew 6:24-34 I always read the scripture text before we get to that part in the service so I can be thinking about it and prepare myself.
6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?

6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they are?

6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 6:28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

6:30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 6:31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

6:32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you are need them.
6:33-34 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This is how I feel when I am out with my birds. God is talking to me and I am listening....

Happy Memorial Day

Craig and I ran into town and watched the kids in the Memorial Day Parade. You couldn't have asked for a better day. It was only about 15 minutes long but very enjoyable.
Drum Major Jordan.Caleb on the Mr. and Miss Hartford float (Caleb far left).

Zoe the Protector

"What do you mean I have to get away from the bird garden?"
"I'm protecting it from the squirrels!!"

Annual Plant Swap

Today was one of my favorite things. It was my Mother's annual plant swap. This is where all her gardening friends get together and bring perennials to swap and share with each other. People bring cars and truck loads full of plants that they have abundance of to share. My whole yard is full of wonderful plants that I have gotten through the years at the swap.
Mom started this about 5 years ago and it continues to grow. It's great fun to see what new plants are going to be there and to talk to all the other gardeners.

Today I came home with 4 hostas, 3 forsythia bushes, a honeysuckle vine, 3 ferns, a dark maple tree sapling, and ornamental grasses. I love it.....
As soon as I got home I planted my hostas and ferns in my new bird sanctuary garden. Last time I posted a photo of my new bird garden I didn't have any plants in it yet. Slowly but surely it is starting to look better. Mom had already given me a bunch of hostas a few weeks ago. And I have tall ornamental grass planted all along the back.

If you are looking for me you usually can find me in a chair with the binoculars out by my bird garden. Tonight I enjoyed watching a towhee hop around.