Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

 Today is cloudy, humid, and warm.  No rain in the forecast, but it feels like rain outside.  Clouds are darker to the west.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a large flock of house finches, a lady cardinal, and a male fox squirrel.

I put out water for the birds and watered a few plants.

EDIT 8/6/24 -- I watered the patio plants, picnic table, and septic garden.  I picked 1 yellow pear tomato.

EDIT 8/6/24 -- I dug up several toadstools from the south lot.

EDIT 8/6/24 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/6/24 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and the grass patch.  Lots more gladioli are blooming in purple, pink, red, and white.  :D

I saw a few fireflies.

It was spitting rain, but no more than that.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Comments

[a_natural_beauty]

What is your septic garden like? I haven't heard of those.
I love patios. I bet yours is nice!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> What is your septic garden like? I haven't heard of those.<<

At one point the septic system needed work and that left a patch in the south lot that wouldn't grow grass no matter what I put on it. So eventually I started experimenting with other things, so that it didn't say a giant patch of weeds. Currently it has 'Autumn Joy' sedum, cypress vine, garlic chives, wild onions and wild chives, sunflowers, volunteer gladioli, bachelor's button, some other flowers, and two pots of tomatoes with marigolds. Plus the new picnic table, which so far just has a few flowers and some pots I'm trying to start seeds in.

>> I love patios. I bet yours is nice! <<

Mine is several rambling slabs of concrete, most of them cracked in places, with some collections of pots. But I like it.

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

That's nice you were caring enough to put some love back into that area! :-)

Hey, I mean if you like it - that's all that matters at the end of the day!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> That's nice you were caring enough to put some love back into that area! :-)

Yeah, it was a nuisance as just bare dirt dotted with weeds. Now it's a patch of weeds with flowers and herbs.

>> Hey, I mean if you like it - that's all that matters at the end of the day! <<

I like it, and the wildlife likes it, and that makes me happy. :D

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

I think that's great! That's one of the good things about having your art yard, you can do what you want with it. Wildlife makes me happy, too. :-)

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Wildlife makes me happy too. I love looking out the windows and seeing flowers or critters moving.

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

Yes, it's a sort of therapy in itself. Have you ever done forest bathing?

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/22/1195337204/a-guide-to-forest-bathing

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I've never really thought of that as separate from "going outside." Parts of my yard have tree cover. I particularly love the Midwinter Grove because when it rains, the air smells like Christmas. :D

I also like hiking, preferably in the woods for the shade. Our nature organization owns over a thousand acres contiguous (plus some other areas) near here, and has built a few trails running through it. The lake has a causeway with a walking path across it, but that's in full sun. A newer path hugs part of the edge, and that's typically more shady, so we like using that one. The sound of water is very nice.

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

Yes, hiking is and being out for walks is good for the soul I feel like.... :-)
I'm glad you have access to all of that. It sounds peaceful ~

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah, my yard is designed for mutual human/wildlife enjoyment. There's the house yard and south lot for short lawn, various flower and herb gardens, tons of trees, the streetside yard is forest, the Midwinter Grove and savanna are north of the driveway, berry patch and prairie garden are along the north edge, east is the ritual meadow and orchard and backforty which is another forest patch, and the forest garden with birdfeeders is right outside the kitchen window.

Grand Prairie Friends is just turning 40. We've been with them for over 20, I think, and when we started it was much smaller -- we came on board when they were fundraising for what was then their biggest piece of land. What is now Warbler Ridge is a conglomeration of several large parcels; I'm not sure whether the date given is the earliest or latest. Here's a list of places.

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

Oh that sounds nice. Everything so far you've told me about your yard sounds nice. :-)

I'm glad that Grand Prairie Friends has grown so over the years. That sounds like a nice experience.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I really think that the 1000+ acre reserve, which is near a lake and includes riverfront, is contributing to the increase in bald eagles that I've seen over recent years. :D

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

Oh yeah, that seems like a no brainer! Of course they are probably happy there!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

We've had other parks in the area for many years, but it's really only after this one got big that I started seeing bald eagles more often -- not always in this immediate area, but it's one of the places I've seen them. This spring a pair of them did a courting dance above my yard. :D I feel so flattered.

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

Oh my gosh, that sounds like a lovely experience to see! :D Congrats to that! It seems like a rare and special event.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

It was very exciting, like watching a pair of binary stars with feathers. Courting eagles sort of orbit each other in a dramatic spiral dance.

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

It sounds lovely :-)