Our lawn man showed up really early for a Saturday. Since he's cutting the !@#$%!@#$%! grass, I won't complain. As long as it's not me. I hate grass; all it does is make my eyes water.

The ear is...better, I guess, since it itself is not swollen any longer and not hurting most of the time (it is pinching right now). However, there's still pain around the ear. Oddly, my right eye is now bloodshot, itchy, and aches slightly. I don't know if this is part of the same infection or something new.

We were at the bank at eleven to discuss putting away some money for retirement. while it's necessary, it all makes my eyes glaze over. I hate numbers—God's way of punishing us for our sins.

Rather aimless afternoon darting back and forth for various things. We visited the farmer's market for fresh fruit and veggies. Also went to Lowe's for a new bird feeder and new seed. The last time we were at Lowe's I bought a plastic container with birdseed to replace the old container that the lid cracked on two weeks after we bought it, which replaced the sturdy plastic container that we'd had for years, but the guy who repaired the rail on the deck broke that container by standing on it.

Well, apparently this plastic seed container was not made for being outside in the wet, because over a week ago I found that the seed inside was damp. Plus the squirrels, thwarted by the cayenne pepper in the bird feeder, were nibbling on the top hoping to get to something less spiced.

The damp seed in the bird feeder was clumped solid. We've had this happen before at the other house; once the seed starts clumping in the feeder, it just keeps happening even when you put new seed in. We've had the feeder a year; that's usually as long as they last, anyway. So first I had to clean the seed container out. I discovered the squirrels had gnawed more at the lid, then I looked inside to find grass growing inside. Sigh. So I disinfected the lid, dumped out the germinated seed, disinfected the inside, wiped it out until it was dry, dumped in the fresh seed, put some in the new feeder, layered with cayenne. (Apparently birds don't have the taste receptors for pepper; it doesn't bother them.)

In the meantime, James got his drill, saw, and a board and remounted the metal pole on which the feeder hangs. He had cut the last support board a little too short and the pole was always canted to one side. It looks better now. I swept up the deck, refilled the little bowl with water, all the time whistling. I do this every time I refill the feeder, hoping to work a little Pavlovian trick.

Sure enough, I was just gathering up the broom when a little chickadee flitted to the foot of the support pole. I froze. He flitted to the feeder, snatched a seed, then flew off with a "dee-dee-dee!" Later the nuthatches were at the seed, too.

I have put some foil over the seed container. I don't have any illusions that the squirrels can't chew through it, but maybe they won't like the taste or the texture.

And maybe pigs will fly.

But I can always try.

I suppose I need to look for a galvanized container with a lid. Anything else metal will rust.

Labels: birds, sickness

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:56:00 PM

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