Thursday, August 07, 2008

Friday Show and Tell - and More Rambling



Earlier this summer I mentioned our new birdhouse, which my dad had designed and created. I complained that the bird grapevine must be very slow, because none had come by to try it out, or to spread the word that there was a new restaurant in town.



Finally, a little family of finches began to get brave and come to visit - and soon they became regulars. One day I saw a bully blue jay in there, but he hasn't returned. The finches are quite messy, and the patio is full of seeds that they carelessly push out of the feeder.


One of the main features of this design is keeping the squirrels from being able to snatch all of the food. It works very well in that regard. However, the other day I saw two squirrels feasting on this mess on the patio - I wasn't quick enough to get a shot of them. But it made me wonder if the birds decided to share their bounty, since the squirrels couldn't join them - or try to keep them away. I finally was able to get some good ones of the birds, though.





For more Friday Show and Tell stories, stop by Kelli's blog, There Is No Place Like Home.


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Now - on to some more ramblings ---

We're thankful for the end of our long seige of heat - when it's so hot here, it's like being in a furnace or oven, rather than a sauna. It feels like we're heading back into a drought cycle. But it has been wonderfully cool the last two days. It feels so good! We even had a lovely rain last night. The farmers are desperate and we're praying for them.

I think my three days of physical funk made me forget half of the things I was going to put in my ramblings yesterday. Thanks for the good wishes - I am feeling much better. This bug is rampant in our family - including the little ones, who are not at their peak either. Thanks also for the comments about L*sik surgery - I will be making my decision soon. I hope to talk to some folks who have had their surgery from this clinic.



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When I was talking about the gym yesterday, I was complaining about my arms. My sis and I used to always call our arms "teacher flab" because of some of our teachers when they were writing on the board. We both became teachers and didn't want to have that problem! I look back at pictures of when I was younger and cannot believe that I ever thought I had big arms back then. I have always thought I was overweight, but now that I really am, I look back and pix and can't believe how slim I really was. Perspective is everything!

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Back at the gym -- I love watching people there while I'm exercising (well, when I'm not reading a magazine or a book on the machines and I'm working on those blasted arm weights). I hope nobody's watching me! It's almost as much fun as watching people at the airport.


Anyway - there's this one personal trainer, a good-looking young guy with a great Australian accent. He seems to be the favorite of older women who have hired him to whip them into shape. One woman especially fascinates me. She's a very classy looking older lady with silver gray hair - she dresses up very nicely for her exercises - including large clip-on earrings every day. He puts her through her paces as she chats endlessly and laughs gustily. I have to say that I have no desire to have a young male trainer watching my every clumsy attempt - I'd rather just figure it out myself.


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Changing the subject drastically - I mentioned in the post about our yard a few weeks ago that we have raspberries, some of which came here in the ball of a maple tree and have been growing wild. We're having a bumper crop of raspberries this summer. I needed to do something with them before it was too late. Susie showed the other day how she freezes her raspberries on a cookie sheet so they don't clump together - I decided to do that yesterday. I put the cookie sheet full of berries in the freezer, but didn't get around to putting them in baggies yet when - DC came home, opened the freezer door, and I immediately identified the loud crash I heard - frozen raspberries everywhere on the floor. Totally wasted. They begin thawing very quickly, and the floor was soon very sticky. What a mess.

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I think at some point in this blogging adventure I have mentioned my bad luck with nails in my tires. The last time DC took my car in for tire repair the guy at the station told him to tell me to quit driving in the alleys behind bars! Ha. The other day I was sitting at a stop light when I saw this thing in the road. I took a picture of it on my check book so you could get an idea of how huge it is.




I jumped out of my car, snatched it up, and saved myself and/or someone else from spending more time and money on tire repair - I think this one would have required more than a simple repair job - more like a new tire.

Have a great 08-08-08!

30 comments:

Kathy said...

What a sweet little home for your neighborhood finches!

I had to laugh about your floppy teacher arm story! I think every woman shares that concern. I also look at myself once in a while and wonder how I got here! I should be slim and energetic! Oh well, they say the best is yet to come!
Kathy

Sherry said...

I always loved your raspberries. They were always so sweet and quite perfect. There are tons of little berry stands up here, so I've had more than my fill...I can't get enough.

Glad to hear you're feeling better, I've talked to quite a few people from home and it seems to be going around.

Missy Wertz said...

LOL! I think everyone has that 'skin' on the back of their arms, except for genetic freaks! LOL!

I love looking at little birdies. We have 4 as pets and feeders outside out kitchen windows.

I really enjoy reading and seeing your photos of the little birdies eating. They are fun.

Rebecca said...

What a beautiful birdhouse. I LOVE the red!! Thanks for sharing.

Anne Fannie said...

I love birdhouses and that one is just perfect! Love the red color too!
Love, Ann

Hootin Anni said...

....and now you'll have many guests at the new bird restaurant that you'll be spending your retirement check on bird seed!!! Trust me. LOL Love that your dad designed the bird house.

And that nail? Lord have mercy. Now that's one nasty looking tire puncturer [is there such a word? LOL]

Stop by my antique show n tell if you can. [you'll need to scroll down a bit since I added the Tropical Storm update of the damage done in Houston where my son lives on the top of my blog this morning! ---]

Happy weekend.

Unknown said...

Love your birdhouse - no wonder you got such lovely visitors.

Have a lovely weekend.

A Hint of Home said...

I love watching birds. Your bird house is so cute.
Good luck with the exercising. It will be worth it.

Hootin Anni said...

Nov 2nd! ---"Remember the show "Growing Pains" with Kirk Cameron, Tracy Gold, Joanna Kerns, Alan Thicke . . . ? One night someone in DC's extended family saw the opening of the show and discovered that this picture was a part of the collage that began the show. (EDIT: Kristen just let me know that she's the one who discovered the picture at the beginning of the show - I had forgotten that the picture had been hanging in the den that long! I stand corrected, and am happily so!) The word got around the family quickly and we all tuned in and paid close attention to the opening credits. With some detective work, it was discovered that the picture had been hanging in the Wisconsin State Historical Society in a display of log cabins built with that particular roof design. The show's writers chose to use the picture in the beginning of their show."

I say....
How cool is that!?!!! Wow, that's just totally amazing. I'm glad you showed the way for me to view this. Thank you, thank you.

groovyoldlady said...

The free food is killing me in the weight loss race. I truly think I'll be losing "the last 15 pounds" for the rest of my life!

However, I have been faithful in the exercising. Your triceps will be formidable if you're dong the right exercises. It should be evident in 4-6 weeks of work.

Chair dips and tricep extensions with weights are the best...

Ms. Kathleen said...

Love that bird house. I so love birds. All the ones that visit her are messy.

"Teacher flab"... How depressing. I just keep doing WW and all the exercises the PT gives me... Hopeful the flab will go away. I don't know how I ever thought I was fat when I was younger... I was downright skinny!

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Great job catching the birds. I love birdfeeders but I don't like the mess they leave!

Sandra said...

I love birdfeeders, yours is beautiful :)

Anonymous said...

Wow, I'd hate to drive over or step on that nail!

We used to have a bird feeder, and I loved watching the birds come around. We had a family of cardinals that used to come by frequently. But the bade deteriorated and we had to take it down.

We're having a heat wave, too -- I really hate to go outside. We're supposed to be getting a cool spell (relatively speaking) soon.

I know what you mean about perspective in regard to weight. I always thought I was overweight, and I look back at pics of myself as a young woman and wonder what I was thinking.

Susan said...

Wonderful birdhouse. I relate to you on the weight, Dawn. I always felt I was xxxx amount of pounds overweight. Now I look back at those pictures and I was not at all. I guess that has to fall into the category of never feeling we are good enough.

Thanks again for the weight ticker. Speaking of REALLY being over weight!!
Susan

Anonymous said...

As a recently retired "floppy" elementary teacher, I had to chuckle at your post! BTW I love your posts, especiallt the Friday Show & Tells.....v from n. Idaho

Carole Burant said...

I have weeds growing underneath the bird feeders because of all the seeds that fall to the ground! Birds like to pick through the seeds and throw down what they don't want! lol I guess the squirrels are happy about that! hehe Love the birdhouse. In yesterday's newspaper, they were showing a picture of a little wooden bird house and on top of it were 2 robins nests, one on top of the other!! A robin had built a nest on top of the wooden bird house, layed her eggs, raised her young and then left...then another robin made a nest on top of that one! lol Talk about a 3 tier condo!

I use to be really skinny while growing up but after having had my babies I could never completely lose the weight. Now I'm bigger than I've ever been...ugh! Reach age 50 and everything goes south! lol I guess that lady likes to look at then handsome trainer while he puts her through her exercises...makes it less painful for her maybe! lol

Oh dear, what a shame about the raspberries, after all that work! As for that nail...wow, I'm glad you saw it before you drove over it!! xoxo

Midlife Mom said...

I got a good chuckle out of the flabby teacher arms! I too thought I was fat years ago when I weighed 50 pounds less then I do now. Isn't that awful but I think we women are programed to think that way. What I wouldn't give to be the 'fat' weight that I was back then! lol!

Love your bird feeder. That is such a good design! I always throw out some extra for the squirrels as I love watching their antics.

That is quite a nail that you found in the road!!!!!! I'm glad you were able to pick it up and not get it in a tire!!

When I was going to the gym regularly (before I started in with the foot problems) I always worked with the woman trainer. There just was something that was uncomfortable about the thoughts of going through all those contortions with the young guy trainer!!! NO WAY! lol!

BigDadGib said...

I wish I had a bird house.
I love photographing them in flight.

Wonderful post Dawn.
Gib

Coe said...

There were several people sick during VBS. Something must of been going around. It was a fun week. There were lots of children from outside the church. I just kept thinking of all the seeds being planted.

Wanita said...

Your bird feeder is so bright and cheery. I loved the story about the teacher arms. I always say I have arms that flap in the breeze when I wave. I keep lifting weights hoping that someday it will help.

jls said...

Have to agree with you on the trainer option. No thanks, I'm pretty sure I can handle bench pressing the bar all by myself.

Kelli said...

What a pretty birdfeeder and it looks like it is very popular! :0)
~Kelli

Barb said...

I have the perfect solution to my batwing upper arms - sleeves. LOL. Sounds silly, and I don't always necessarily follow that rule, but I never wear a sleeveless blouse out of this house. My family doesn't care what my arms look like.

Rain? We got a rainstorm here Friday night that scared the daylights out of me. It NEVER rains in Grand Junction. We got two and a half inches in one hour. Flash flooding everywhere. On the one hand, the rain itself was a blessing but on the other, it was an awful, scary storm. Most irritating of all was that the TV station kept broadcasting emergency weather warnings all through the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Like anyone would be stupid enough to go outside when the wind alone would knock them over.

I love your red birdhouse. I hang thistle socks over the patio for the finches and yes ma'am - they make a terrible mess. I've never seen a squirrel in our yard but boy, the gray doves walk all over my patio cleaning up after the finches.

Hope you have a nice new week - I suspect you're loving retirement. :-)

Sharon Lynne said...

I love your dad's birdhouse creation!

Sounds like you've been busy as usual. I'm glad you're feeling better.

I've been feeling listless myself...I don't know if its the heat or what.

My son C lost his job again...

I'll post soon...about an interesting beach.

About the gym...that was funny! I don't like young dashing men around me either.

Nancy said...

I'm catching up. VBS and a throw up virus had me MIA this week.

I love your birds. Cute... cute... cute! Sorry about the rasberries- just try again if you have any left!

nancygrayce said...

I'm so proud of you getting to that gym! I rode my bike 3 days in a row while we were on vacation and that's all. I am going to start doing better though....I think! Love the bird feeder! We put one up but it became a lure for rats! I had never seen rats in my yard, so the bird feeder had to go!

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

I just bet them little birdies are sharing their vittles! Like them nails do you? LOL! Well stop it! The strangest thing we ever got in a tire was a box wrench. someone had put it in the railroad tracks and we were the lucky finders of it. And thanks for your words of support. means a lot to us.

Sue Seibert said...

Love that bird feeder, and, yes, it takes a long time for the birds to get used to something new in the yard. After our April hail storm it was a long time before the birds returned to the new feeders!

Robin said...

I LOVE bird feeders - even though they are very messy. I just love sitting on the patio watching the little birds. We put up a squirrel feeder too - but so far no luck. I think we have to many dogs for their liking