A new neighbor...

We put up a bird feeder by our front window, both for our entertainment, and for Ding's.  She loves watching the birds, especially hummingbirds.  

I happened to be over at my parents, I had gone on a grocery run, so I missed this. Fortune smiled, and Husband caught it. Ding was fascinated by the squirrel, and Husband said it wasn't scared of her, even when she pawed the window.  

Hasn't been back, though... 

Can't I go out to play?

A new chicken roller...

I feed my chickens (when it's wet, mostly), in a long feeder.  It's a long metal 'trough' that is supposed to have a bar at the top, so the chickens won't stand IN the feeder to eat. 

I don't know when it happened, but my feeder was in pretty rough shape, and when I have been feeding them inside of late, (NOT like any rain in the south, but we have been getting some rain here, oddly...), two or three chickens will insist on standing in the center, which blocks the other chickens from eating... And, sometimes the solid fuel exhaust gets put in the feed.  EEEEEEEEEEEW!!!

So, I finally remembered to get a heavy dowel on my last trip into town, and had a little confab with Husband about putting it on the feeder.  He looked at the poor thing, and said, is the foot SUPPOSED to look like this?  Um, no, I think it may have been run over?  (To this day, I have NO clue what happened, but the bar was bent nearly in half, and the foot was crushed, even the trough itself was squashed, but I managed to get that back to useability.)  He hmmed for a moment, and said, let me see what I can do.

He came back in with the feeder, and the first thing I notice, the center roller was white, not wood.  He explained, he put a bit of PVC pipe he had over it, to protect the wood, and he waxed the PVC, so that the chickens couldn't stand on it.  (The dowel rolls quite smoothly...)  Then he showed me where the smashed foot was, and it was as if it was new!  He'd taken both out, and bent the one to match the other. 

And so now, I have a chicken feeder that looks very much like a nice tool box, with feet.  I gave it a 'test feed' the other day, and nearly hurt myself laughing!  Edgar, one of my most obnoxious bold hens, jumped right up on the roller.  Then Marshmallow did, too.  And they realized that they couldn't keep their footing.  They both tried running, to keep up with the roll of the center, and then WHOOSH, both go zooming off, landing in a heap by the feeder. 

Do they give up?

Of course not. 

It took Marshmallow about 3 tries to get the clue she couldn't stand on it, and Edgar, the better part of 3 DAYS... But, they aren't jumping up on it anymore. 

Now Jet Puff, on the other hand, got the bright idea to stand straddle of the roller, with one foot on either side.  Oh, great, thought I...  But he learned that he isn't well appreciated for  that, as his toes were pecked, and his tail feathers pulled.  Whereupon, he jumped on the roller...

No one seems inclined to have breakfast on the run anymore!

Attack of the Hummers!

When I go out to water, I try to make it early in the day.  Sunrise, if possible, but morning, as a rule.

I went out, and it was still pretty early yet, so I took down the hummingbird feeders, and put them in the house, to clean, and get fresh sugar water made up.  I set the feeders to soak, and boiled up some simple syrup.  Too hot to put in the feeders, so I will go out and water, then finish up the job...

I walk out, and 'hmmm'.  'Mmmmmzzzzzzzmm'.  'Zwieeeeeeemmmm'.  The little hummers were flitting around, looking for the feeders.

Uh, oh...

Well, I will have it out for them in about 20 minutes.  But first, I need to water.

I start watering, and realize that my hat is getting an odd sensation, like someone is tapping it.  I am by myself in the garden, so this is strange.  Then I hear the hummer, right next to my ear, complete with buzzy little comments.  I go back to watering, and again, the little guy taps my hat. Again!  What IS the prob-

Oh.

Last Halloween, I dressed as a hippie.  One of the parts of the costume was a braided headband with flowers.  Really cute little thing, and so Mom worked out a way to put it on my garden hat. (If I didn't say so, Thanks, Mom!)  I take off my hat, and just hold it out.  Sure enough, the little guy darts into the nearest flower, backs up, and I suspect, lets out the hummingbird version of high dudgeon invective.

I gently shoo the hummer away, and put my hat back on.  I start watering again.

And then I feel tapping on BOTH shoulders.  I look up to see a couple hummers right by my shoulders, and they are circling me, trying to feed from the red squares on my plaid shirt!

Ok, time to go in and get the feeders taken care of!  I go to the house, clean and fill, and bring out the feeders, so I can finish the watering.

I put up the feeders.  No one comes by.  I finish the watering in relative quiet.  Just as I am heading out of the garden, a kamikaze hummer dives right by my eyes, and stops short in front of the feeder.  After a long drink, he turns back, and watches me as if to say, "Well, what did you expect?"

I think I will take care of the feeders, THEN water, next time.  Or I might have a little bird or two, stuck to me like some sort of hyperactive dart!