Birdfeeding: Friends of a Feather Flock Together

Today is partly sunny, windy, and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/3/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the lantana in a pot and the lady's mantle in the strip herb garden.

EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the ice plant in the mauve pot and put it on the old picnic table.

The weather has turned cloudy with howling wind. >_<

Today is cloudy and cool.

I fed the birds. I've heard a squirrel barking but haven't seen it.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/1/26 -- I did a bit of work around patio.

I took some pictures around the yard. Columbine, alliums, poppy, wood hyacinth, and others are blooming.

EDIT 5/1/26 -- I did some brush trimming around the patio.

I've seen a male cardinal and a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.

I am done for the night.

EDIT 5/1/26 -- We went to a May Day event, and when we got home, my Cold Stream Farm order had arrived.

Today is sunny and mild, a beautiful spring day. It rained again last night.

I fed the birds. I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it.

Today is cloudy, cool, and wet.  It's been storming all morning.  We sure need the rain.

I fed the birds.

EDIT 4/27/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Today is sunny and mild.  It rained on and off yesterday.

We went out early to catch the native plant sale at Douglas-Hart Nature Center.  Then we had more errands to run.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

I set out some flats of pots and watered them.

EDIT 4/25/26 -- I planted four Burpless Cucumbers in pots, two on the old picnic table garden and two on the new picnic table garden.

EDIT 4/25/26 -- I planted four chocolate cherry tomatoes in pots, two on the old picnic table garden and two on the new picnic table garden.

I planted a garden sage and a variegated sage in a trough pot, and a cilantro in another trough pot, at the new picnic table garden.  I still need to do more with the troughs because their soil level is low.

EDIT 4/25/26 -- I topped up the trough pots, sowed 'Slow Bolting' cilantro around the potted cilantro, and watered the recently planted things.

EDIT 4/25/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/25/26 -- I planted the catnip.  This completes the flat of small square pots. \o/

EDIT 4/25/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a male cardinal and a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.

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

Today is sunny and hot, with fluffy white clouds in the sky.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I took some pictures around the yard.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I refilled potting soil into the hollow logs at the front of the log garden.  Then I planted a 4-pack of white impatiens in the holes.  

I put the flats of plants outside to get some sun.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a male cardinal.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I watered the impatiens and flats of plants.

I've seen a starling at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I potted up four green sweet basil plants and one purple ruffles basil, then watered them.

I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- We hauled the new bag of grass seed out of the car.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I sowed grass seed in the big bare patch at the west edge of the south lot.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- We hauled out the tape hose and the new sprinkler head.  There is not enough hose to reach the grass patch, and with the low water pressure that we have, the spray only covers about 6 feet wide.  *sigh*

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I planted a small trough pot with orange mint, mojito mint, and apple mint.  There is room for one more mint there.

EDIT 4/23/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I watered the grass patch using the watering can.

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

Today is mostly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few house finches and a brown-headed cowbird.  Several vultures were circling low over the yard, but by the time I grabbed my camera, they were gone.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/21/26 -- We went out to DeBurh's.  I picked up a different brand of sun/shade grass mix that should be without chemicals.  I also picked out a flat of small single pots, a flat of 4-packs, and a few extras in larger pots.

EDIT 4/21/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a male cardinal and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 4/21/26 -- I planted a large rectangular pot with four purple and pink plants and one pink-and-yellow verbena.

EDIT 4/21/26 -- I planted a pot with a yellow-and-white nemesia, a small yellow flower, and a small white flower.  This completes the leftover plants from yesterday.

EDIT 4/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 4/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I watered plants.

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

Today is partly sunny, breezy, and cool. There is a frost warning for tonight, so I'm doing non-planting tasks today.

I set out my flats of plants to get some sun.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I fed the birds. I've seen a few house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I wanted to waterseal the solid-top pallet today. But while I was trying to lay out the dropcloth for that, the wind picked up so much that it wouldn't lay still no matter how I weighted the edges or middle. I had to give up and undo everything. >_< Frustrating.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I started finishing the apothecary cabinet that I plan to use as a spice cabinet. It has doors over the shelves to block light. We set up the worktable in the garden shed and covered it with a garbage bag, then set the cabinet on top. I used an old hand towel to spread the finish, which is made of orange oil and beeswax, very pleasant to work with. I wanted something reasonably natural for a spice cabinet, although it doesn't need a finish meant for food preparation like butcher block wax. I spread on a very thin coat over the top and sides, and that will need some time to dry before I do another section. I still need to coat the inside and the back. While I don't have the woodworking skills of my parents and grandparents, I did pick up the "assistant" level skills, so I'm very pleased that I still know how to finish a piece of furniture that someone else constructed. :D

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did more work on the apothecary cabinet, covering the inside with the door open. It turns out there will be very little work to do on the back, as much of that space is covered by a thin fiberboard to minimize weight, which doesn't need to be waxed. Progress!

I've seen more house finches, a few sparrows, a pair of cardinals, a brown-headed cowbird, and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I finished the back of the cabinet. The waxing is done. \o/ I'll let that dry overnight. Tomorrow I'll buff it with a dry cloth, and then it should be ready to hang.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 4/19/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

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

Today is mostly cloudy and hot. It's 83°F already. :/

We went out to Market on the Prairie at the fairgrounds. This was mostly flea market stuff and a few crafters. I picked up a couple of hand-painted bookmarks and three plant stands. \o/

We also stopped at Whiteside Gardens for the last day of their Spring Spectacular. They had a craft table and a bubble station out. :D I picked up a celandine poppy and Doug got a yellow-green hosta.

The first field is sprouting with corn, which is odd because corn is a warm-season crop that won't sprout well in cold weather. Soybeans are usually sown first. The only thing I can think of is that, if someone's planting by measuring soil temperature, things are really fucked up for the soil to be corn-warm in mid-April.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/17/26 -- I planted the new hosta with others in the forest garden.

I also moved a couple of indoor flats outside to get some sun, and uncovered the mixed plants in the water jug greenhouses.

EDIT 4/17/26 -- I planted the celandine poppy in the new shade garden at the east end of the savanna.

I've seen a male cardinal and a fox squirrel with nipples. I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it.

EDIT 4/17/26 -- I was going to do more planting, but the wind has picked up so much that I just brought in the flats of seedlings instead. :/

EDIT 4/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 4/17/26 -- We picked up sticks from about the first third of the south lot, starting at the garden shed in the east and working down to the birdgift tree. So that will be ready to mow later.

EDIT 4/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

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

Today is cloudy and mild. It has been spitting a few drops of water now and then, but the promised storms have not arrived. :/

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- While we were out at Whiteside Garden, I picked up a generous clump of wild ginger. :D I also saw a red-headed woodpecker.

We stopped at Home Depot and bought 12 concrete blocks, the kind with two holes, and water sealer. I'm going to make a planting bench with the solid-top pallet that we obtained earlier.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I planted the clump of wild ginger at the east end of the savanna where moss is growing. I'm going to try establishing a woodland garden there.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I did some work around the patio.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I planted the mountain mint in the wildflower garden.  This looks similar to the mystery wild mint that I had before, which is among the most popular pollinator plants.  If so, that boosts genetic diversity.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 4/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I hauled 6 of the 12 concrete blocks out of the car.  For some reason the guy putting them on the flatbed trolley gave me two different kinds; some have flat ends and some have ridges sticking out, and these aren't the kind of blocks meant to interlock.

I am done for the night.