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| That after-dinner nap is so pleasant. |
Our furnace gave up during a very warm week, with temps around 70 to 75 in the afternoon. We rent the house, so the furnace was the landlord's problem. But last night we had a hard freeze. The butter had to be put back in the fridge to warm up. It was so cold, the politicians had their hands in their own pockets.
The repairmen came as promised. They started work on removing the furnace and AC unit. Sassy is carefully observing them.
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| Norma's book is a good gift for Christmas. Growing up on a farm or at least living on one for a time - is a great way to avoid being a city-slicker who is low in common sense. |
The birds and squirrels were almost indifferent to food last week. I figure many were checking out their own storage. God provides an abundance of food in many forms. Larvae are "hidden" in the bark, so trees and bushes are living bird feeders.
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| These are my bird feeders and bird swing, which I set up for the squirrel? He thinks so. |
Some plants hang on to food, such as crepe myrtle producing seeds at the end of summer - food loved by robins and cardinals. I carefully nurtured beauty berry, which took up more and more space. It is the last to fruit, so it is another bonus for birds, and the berries are almost like jewels. But we reduced its footprint to zero.
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| Beauty berry produces late, grows and grows. |
Windows have been filmed over to impede the vision of squirrels and birds feeding outside. Today a baby squirrel was on the ledge, eating his peanuts. Recently a squirrel, on the trampoline next door, spotted the food being filled. I watched indoors as he raced over the fence, pounced on the interloper eating his food, then fled as the counterattack regained the spot. I see squirrels racing up and down trees at various times. I ring the chimes so they know food has been added.
I provide plenty of food and water. Suet hangs from the squirrel-proof feeder because squirrels learned to use the shut off bar to shake food into their greedy mouths. The idea was - anything with real weight would sit on the bar and close off the seed supply. Mr. Squirrel just hung onto the supporting pole and reached up for the so-called locking device. So I hang suet on one locking bar and let the squirrels try for seeds with the remaining one.
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| Poke harbors good insects and feeds the birds. |
I bought suet laced with seeds and pantry moth worms. The squirrel got on the cage holding the block of food and ate it. Pure suet is better for birds, so I get that at the butcher's shop.
Suet is very popular if birds are used to it being there, and also if the weather is cold enough. The beef fat is used up slowly and is inexpensive to buy. Suet attracts woodpeckers, chickadees, starlings, and raccoons.
