Among Friends

[geezerette]

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@Bird mama wrote:

@Leeny   A day at a time Leeny   You've done quite a bit for the day and I hope the doctor can give you some answers.  As far as the birds are concerned, there are things for them to forage in the grass and ground, especially after all of the rain that we've had.  There have been times when I had suet cages filled and two lantern feeders on shepherd's hooks and I've watched the songbirds pecking in the grass like I didn't provide them with anything.  They know what they need from nature. 

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@Bird mama 

@Leeny 

They sure do know what they need and can find it.

I just put out the last of my birdseed for the summer.  I don't like to feed during the warm weather because the whole feeder ecosystem attracts snakes.  Uh uh.  I have one black snake that still checks the area close to the house on occasion, but I tolerate him because he's harmless (even though he's huge!).  But I don't want to encourage the poisonous ones.

Besides, when the weather gets warm my songbirds quit eating my seed anyway.  I've tried feeding through the summer and 95% of it gets wasted.  It's too darned expensive now to be wasting one precious seed!

[just bee]

[Bird mama]

@geezerette   The price of sunflower hearts went up too.  

[Bird mama]

Good Morning, here's the latest on the fence project.

On Wednesday, Mack arrived alone and finished setting the posts along the back fence line.  He worked 90 minutes and then said the owner would call me with further scheduling information because it took them until Wednesday to realize they probably should have let the ground dry out before they started this.   I didn't get a call which was fine because I really didn't expect that level of professionalism at this stage of the game.   

Imagine my surprise when Mack showed up yesterday

He removed the chain link and cut the metal posts along the south line then had to pick up a helper from the helper's house.  There went 90 minutes.

Significant progress was made yesterday.  The plan - set all of the remaining posts.  The result - all posts set except the 2 for the side gate.  Mack had to drive helper home at 5 pm and we lost another hour or so.  Mack came back and instead of setting the gate posts, decided to clean up all of the construction waste in the yard.

Maybe I'm old fashioned   The rolls of old chain link and the metal and vinyl posts that were cut down are not going to be affected by temperature or rain that we are expecting early next week.  The gate posts will be set in concrete which is affected by temperature and precipitation.  My mantra this week has been trust the process.  Perhaps there's a method to the madness.

Short of asking the crew if they need anything - like yesterday they needed a bucket - I don't bother them.  The last thing that I want to do is disrupt their flow.  Before Mack left yesterday I asked if anyone was coming today.  He said no.  If he's not scheduled for jobs on Saturday I may or I may not see him.  The only reason that I asked at all was that I need to cut my grass.  I didn't cut it last week because of all of the rain and it's really grown.

I'll get the grocery shopping done and swing by Lowe's to buy some weed and feed for the front yard.  The dew is heavy on the grass as I type this and if it burns off enough later, I'll mow.

[just bee]

[viva923]

hello all

not much today

was sunny this morn but clouded up

am up to my 2 mile walks a daynow. have to hit the road soon for my afternoon walk

dh is filling out many help wanted paperwork so far nothing has come back yet.

ok guys later.

[mousiegirl]

@Bird mama  and everyone, I found in my deck waterfall last night when I tool my pups out a Mourning dove nest with one egg.  The dove was sitting on it, but when I came along, it took off and scared all of us, lol.  It never came back so I brought the nest and egg inside this morning.  The nest seems so small for a large bird.

Through the years, I have watched Mourning Doves build nests, call for the mate to come to sit on the nest so they could go off and get food, the babies fledge, generation after generation, as if they are born here, they come back to build their nests, over and over, but have never seen a dove egg.   Once, I had twelve hanging baskets with doves and nests in them,  even rescued one on an evening when the scrub jays were after them, only one left in the nest.  I took it to Wildlife Rescue the next day, having kept it warm in a picnic basket next to my grow lights in the then family room.

[Bird mama]

@mousiegirl  In addition to the Robin convention in my backyard, I'm seeing more mourning doves hanging out at all hours near the feeders.  Mourning doves are so gentle and peaceful.  I don't know about yours Mousie, my mourning doves have to be the worst nest builders I have ever seen.  It's like they fling some twiglets together and say, hmm that'll do

[just bee]

[Bird mama]

I stopped by Lowe's yesterday morning and picked up a bag of Sta-Green weed and feed for my front yard.  While I was in the garden department, I stroked some thuja's and drawf Alberta spruces and asked them if they wanted to live in my back yard.  Right now the trees/shrubs at Lowe's are glorious.  I stayed strong because I don't have a plan worked out yet and I came home with just the weed the feed.

I mentioned on Thursday that the Mack looked me in the eye and said without a doubt he was not working on Friday.  He said that if he wasn't scheduled for other jobs I'd see him on Saturday.

My experience this week has been a cluster-chuck of epic proportions so I was glad he wasn't coming.  I planned to cut more woody roots that migrated and seeded on my side of the fence and I wanted to cut down some Rose of Sharon stumps. 

I did the grocery shopping after hitting Lowe's up, came home and was snuggling with Presto for about 10 minutes when Mack arrived with 2 helpers.  I went downstairs and said what happened?  You told me you weren't coming today and I was happy about that.  Why are you here  He mumbled something about scheduling and said he wanted to start on the north line and hang the fence.  I said, you know what?  No, you've got eyes in your head and can see the plants poking out of the ground on that are in line with where the rails will be.  Start on the south line and let me clear the north line.

I grabbed tools and broke my neck to get the last of the plants erupting out of the ground.  I will be drenching them with roundup or total vegetation killer to get em down to the root later.  I get it done and say, coast is clear.  That's when he tells me that he didn't bring enough supplies to do the entire fence and wouldn't be staying long.

It was 64, sunny and he had 2 helpers and the issue today was that he didn't bring enough supplies.  I could feel my rage flare like the tasmanian devil.

I think many of you would be proud of me because I said I see and calmly walked into the house.  I had to talk myself off of the ledge and I didn't step outside again until the crew left 2 1/2 hours later.

I said, hey Bernie the entire day is not lost, cut the front grass so you can weed and feed it on Saturday when the morning dew is heavy.  So I cut the front grass and tidied up the mower.  Then I decided to photograph the day's progress on the fence.  All I could get out was Jesus! Mary! Joseph!.

The fence started out even and then took an awkward dive that kept on diving.  I photographed it and called the owner's cell phone.  I was calm as I explained what I was seeing and I texted photographs.  He confirmed it was a problem and said he's be by to correct it.  He arrived at 8:45 pm and I lit up my yard and brought him as many lanterns as I had on hand.  I gave him a brief recap of how it's been going this week and when I told him that Mack said that he would call to reschedule some of the work he looked perplexed.  When I said that Mack told me he wasn't coming on Friday and that I was happy he wasn't coming he said I don't know why he would say that - this is his only job for the week. 

I looked at him straight on and said you have personnel issues.  Is there anything else I can get for you because it's a struggle for me to get a grip on my humanity this week   The owner worked from 8:45 pm until 11 pm to adjust that mess in the backyard.  I didn't look at it until this morning - it's better however I am now worried about the structural integrity of certain posts.

On the bright side - I applied the weed and feed on the front yard at sunrise when the lawn was sopping wet.  Also, St Francis always knows how to lift my spirits - animals are my salvation or I would have been arrested years ago   It also helps to have a sense of humor when all heck is braking loose.

A curious goose couple was in the school field today and it was like the light went off and they saw my yard.  Remember he didn't bring enough supplies yesterday so there is a large area without rails along the back fence line.  They crossed into the yard, nibbled on the seed that the song birds knocked off the lantern feeder and looked around the yard.  I stepped out and said, okay now, the duck couple was just here and if the word gets out among the geese and you make this a go-to destination one neighbor in particular will report me.  They left voluntarily and I don't think it's likely they will stop in one the fence is up.