We are coming to the end of a great season of learning a few things from nature. We've experienced a swarm of migrating ruby throated hummingbirds, yep, these cute little birds fight, (one stayed a couple of days too long guarding his booty) we've watched plants shudder when we douse them with cold water, and we've learned a few botanical names. I also bricked over our old two step with some old world brick in anticipation of our old age. We are greatful for a full season. :) try adding text here again.....
40 comments:
A nice touch. Well done, quite charming, and beautiful.
Now I'll have to go do something more around here....
The little girl helped me with this project, selecting bricks, putting in the ez-crete, and putting extra aggregate on top :). didn't have my camera as anthony borrowed it :(
love the sign!
beautiful.
that girl will grow up to be a jack-of-all trades!
oh, a purple clematis no? i love these.
although lovely, u must be careful for this climbing monster. it will take over your whole world. took my friend ten yrs to kill hers all out from burying her yard. psst! don't tell lotus i told you so although she would disagree; you must keep this one contained.
thanks for letting me enjoy your spring with you. it was really lovely. i think i felt the sunshine on my face.
don't you just love the lemon tree? your flowers are beautiful. i'm so glad you have them to enjoy. mama would have loved them. all love. (great new steps too!)
This photo made me tear up! :) Making sweet memories!
Don.t know if you can tell but Cody snapped this one, as well as 0380,0381,0382.
Kailani took 0374, 0375, 76, 77,& 78.
So sweet thru the eyes of a child...he just had to get that little dog in there ;)
She was eye level with her pawpaw!
she's cute sitting in that bucket. :)
wow, i'm seeing seven birds in this one photo. maybe i'll get that many birds coming around. our little drew would love that.
About 15 birds altogether, but 1 determined one that kept trying to chase them away.
cool.
there will be one dominant male that controls the feeder/territory. as many females and youngs as come can feed.
on rare occasions - as in extremely rare - a second less agressive male can have the "other side" of the feeder.
if you put up another feeder (or more) a little bit away from this one, like one on each end of the carport or one in two dif trees (or more) then other males will take over those.
they will come back - the same birds - to your place every season. if it stays warm enough all winter, they won't leave. the young they raise at yr place will "call it home" and they will return season after season and each generation will raise their young at yr place. hundreds will come.
they will actually feed from a feeder you are holding if you don't make noise or quick movements to startle them. they get used to you and hang around fluttering in place impatiently waiting for you to hang their feeder. they will be doing that this year if you get on a schedule to fill it every evening abt the same time.
all the apts at harrisonburg had feeders. we had three on our porch. there were always hundreds of hummingbirds and they had their own favorite feeders. they liked our yard bec i plant a lot of their favorite nectar plants.
i love this pic. i don't have a hummingbird feeder up at grape st. need to buy a new one. i have two birdseed feeders up. used the last of the seed yesterday morning to fill them and need to get more today.
birds also like when i throw my apple cores out with apple still on it. the mockingbirds and the house swallows fight over them. that's okay cause i'd rather have the swallows squabbling on the ground with the mockingbirds than running the tiny little black-capped chickadees off fm the feeders!
me too. i love that sweet lil black-cap chickadee!
yes, this is not even supposed to be their range, nor is tyler, tx, but i had them there and here too.
they are busy little things, constantly hopping around. they will hang onto the foot perch of the feeder and feed upside down even. they say, "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" or "fee-bee fee-bee". i think they are darling.
they like to build their own nest in old rotting trees. (cavity-nesters - they use existing cavities including old woodpecker holes) both male and female build the nest by excavating or enlarging the cavities in rotten wood. once they get it ready, only the female builds the nest usually with moss, but they like hair too. they are not as bad as the tufted titmouse which will actually pluck hair fm yr head to build their nest! lol.
if you build a box hoping to get one to nest, you have to trick them into thinking it is a natural setting by filling it up with sawdust. then they clean it out, one bit of sawdust at a time, and nest in the birdhouse.
they like birch trees, so i'm hopeful when the river birches i planted get "grown" some chickadees will decide to nest in my yard. i've planted three birches and if i thought chickadees would move in, i'd go get another couple of them. lol.
oh. you might like to know, chickadees are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds. the male feeds the mamabird and the young until she is ready to leave the nest and help with the feeding. they think they are grown inless than three weeks and they fly the coop!
i'm going to have to take pics of them to prove they are hanging out on grape street! it's prolly gonna end up being the carolina chickadee and not the black-capped chickadee, but they both have black caps so until i take some pics, i'm gonna keep calling 'em the black-caps!
my favorite small birds are chickadees, carolina wrens, tufted titmice, and finches ... but that is subject to change depending on who has moved into my yard or who feeds at my feeders regularly.
i like big birds too: robins, cardinals, mockingbirds, and mourning doves have already moved into my yard. the redwinged blackbird is showing up too, but not with as much regularity - yet.
all of these are my favorites too and some more. :)
Thats a short childhood. Wonder how long they live?
Just like teenagers thinking they are grown. Curtis is 18 today, graduates next month.
wow, he just a little boy! happy birthday curt and congrats.
happy birthday to curt AND to anthony. i know anthony's is within days of curtis's b'day so happy happy to bof'em!
Happy days, dudes.
Wow!
I have two seedlings that have popped up in my lawn, one in the front/side and one in the back yard. They appear to be pecan seedlings. I'm gonna transplant the two of them to a clearing in the back and hope they make! I'd LOVE to have pecans like this at my place!
psst. who u kidding! i know you have no clearing in the back. all been filled with your eons of trees and bushes.
hahaha.
i'm still planting them. so there's clearing yet.
i got the four pears planted. two cleveland ornamentals and the two asian pears - edible fruit bearing. also planted the southern magnolia way out back. other than the few up by the gate, that's all i've planted in the back forty.
Rarely enough trees.. . nor shrubs, flowers, grass...
rarely yes, but have you seen lotus place? :{~}
i don't have many trees, most are on the neighbor's lawns which makes my place shady but you can't count on the neighbors not to cut them down nor do their trees add value to your property. that's why i've purchased trees and shrubs as foundation plants. it's raining again so i may have to wait even longer to get them planted. sigh.
yes here too, sigh'.
I love the brick on these steps. I want mine to be brick instead of cement. Did you just do this OVER the cement steps?
Yes. But it was brick steps. Two steps with about 9" high treads, never liked it and figured I would like it even less if we grow old here.
i'd like, at some point, to redo my steps too. the cement steps aren't topping my list of attractive. soooo much to do before then, it's gonna be a while, i'm sure. yours look real nice.
i'm real cognizant of how things need to be adapted for use by seniors having helped mama with so much for so long. i too want a place that is "senior-ready" before i get there.
better hurry. tic-toc.
i'm telling you! no kidding!
kewl
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