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| Norma A. Boeckler's cardinals in the snow. |
When we faced the mini-snowpocalypse (more feared than realized), I gathered some food for the birds and squirrels, not to mention the possum in our backyard. Severe cold and ice will lock up much of the food they all depend on. I had some raw peanuts, sunflower seeds, and fruit/nuts before the cold dropped to zero.
Peanuts bring out two of the favorite birds right away - blue jays and cardinals. Later I found some peanuts in the shell at the bottom of a storage can. I dumped them out and blues picked them up at once.
Sunflower seeds cost the least per pound but the leftovers indicate why - piles of black sunflower hulls were piled up, against the door, on and under my shoes. They were appealing to the chickadees and every type stopped by for some. I kept sweeping them out the back door and scraping to get them off my shoes.
The most fun was the fruit and nuts combination. They cost more per pound but less per serving (in my opinion). The large and colorful birds eat two quickly and take one to go.
Luther referred to birds as his professors. Every morning they wake up without food, yet they sing Matins for us. God could have given them scary voices, but they are cheerful and delightful.
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| Those Days on the Farm, by Norma A. Boeckler |
