Sunday, still no zinnia seeds in the ground. And as breezy as it had been, Sunday was downright windy, 30 mph sustained with gusts up to 50 mph. It was so windy it liked to have blown me over and if I weighed 20 pounds less it probably would have.
Saturday, as mentioned last post, more work weeding, the day was sunny and warm and I was down to my tank top and was surprised to see I'd gotten a little sunburn, not enough to be painful but enough to make my lily white unexposed for months skin quite red. So because of the wind on Sunday, I worked in the front on a small flower bed where it was protected somewhat. This small bed was defined by rotting landscape timbers which I had thrown on the burn pile months ago. Sunday I moved one of the bridal bouquet plumerias to the middle where it stays till they all go back in the garage for the winter and then got all the weeds and dandelions out, removed the grass encroaching from the edges and outlined it with landscape blocks.
Oh, and I filled a bucket with the walking onion bloom bulbs. These wild onions don't bloom with flowers but send up a cluster of bulblets which fall to the ground and make new plants. So this is how I try to control their spread though they'll still multiply in the ground.
Monday was the annual civil rights training for SHARE volunteers which basically says don't bring your problems with you, treat everyone respectfully, do your best to help them with what they need regardless of race, religion, language, sexual identity, etc. The only work I did in the yard after that was to add what they call 'landscapers mix' to the area I had weeded to improve the soil. Then I got a text from Abby about 4 PM asking if I would lead the yoga class last night but after four days of physical labor in the yard, I declined. I was hoping for a laid back 'restorative' session but not going at all was just as good.
Today I'm throwing out the zinnia seeds in advance of what they promise is rain tonight. Well, I did that after my weekly grocery shop, watered them down and came in. It's still so windy and I got tired of the wind blowing my hair in my face no matter which way I faced or stood. A little breeze is nice but this wind is tiresome. And I have not had the energy to do anything; not work on a sketch, not start a new watercolor. I read for a little while then tried to take a nap but don't think I ever really went to sleep. And now I have to think about what I'm going to fix for dinner tonight. Whatever it is it will be the simplest, easiest thing I can come up with.
One more story. My neighbor at the other end of the street tied one end of a cord to his tree and the other end to the porch in front of the house and hung his bird feeder in the middle. “Does it work?”, I asked. Yes, he says, squirrels can't get to it. So yesterday I thought to do the same. I have a spool of parachute cord, smaller than clothesline, and strung it from the photinia to the fringe flower tree, hung my bird feeder
and watched in delight as the squirrel/s were frustrated as they tried to figure out how to get to the bird feeder. This morning I watched as a squirrel leapt from the fringe flower tree onto the cord about 18” from the feeder struggling to hang on and made it to the bird feeder. Well, dammit, I ran out and ran it off. Next time I looked up the squirrel was on the feeder again. Ran out and ran it off. A few minutes later it was back in the fringe flower tree, leapt onto the cord and I swear that fucker tightrope walked to the feeder. Ran it off and took down the bird feeder. Apparently my squirrels are more agile than my neighbor's squirrels. So now next time I go to the shopping mecca I'm going to get some 50 lb. test or heavier fishing line and try it again. Little bastards.
CLEVER Squirrel!! I admire that little rodent! Maybe he can do your taxes or something useful, little bugger.
ReplyDeleteIt's windy here and it's cold. We have three more days of lows in the 20s. I am really tired of this, March warmed up, giving us hope, but now it's cold again. It would be nice to not have to carry the geraniums out and back in the garage everyday. Squirrels are amazing animals, we see them crossing the streets on the overhead wires. Fishing line might work.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how long it would take for the squirrels to figure out tightrope walking. It only takes one to get it and show the others.
ReplyDeleteCaught it in the act this morning with a photo soon to be posted.
DeleteI am quite convinced that squirrels are smarter than Einstein. I have been at war with them for about fifty years and so far they have won every battle!
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor (of the story) has a live trap that he baits with sunflower seeds. When he traps one he sprays their tail white and drives it a couple of miles away and turns it loose. He has so far not seen one return. But they getting wise. He says it's getting harder to trap them.
DeleteThe squirrels at my childhood home eventually learned to climb the clothes line to the bird feeder upside down. Hanging from the bottom of the line. My dad was so disappointed. He thought he'd finally won a battle.
ReplyDeleteI'm not giving up yet. I'm going for a two pronged attack...fishing line and a corn squirrel feeder out in the big backyard.
DeleteYou have every sympathy re: the wind. Sunday was ghastly. I managed to keep my language under control a bit while trying to photograph those flowers waving about, but I had nasty thoughts. I do hope we get some rain to make up for all that. So far, nada. I laughed at your squirrel story; mine are equally agile. But here's a different story for you. When I got home from my long weekend, my patio was completely clear of birdseed. So was the ground under the shrubs where I throw some for the ground foragers, to help them avoid the hawks. I couldn't figure it out, until I heard "a sound" yesterday that was familiar, but that didn't quite click. I looked out, and there were four mallard ducks helping themselves to the birdseed on the ground, and the lawn grasses. They've obviously flown in from the marina, but that sure was a new one. There were female and male both, so I couldn't help wondering if there's a nest around, or if there might be in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I don't have to deal with ducks too. The rain bypassed us yesterday. Big surprise. Might get some today but I watered anyway. Still very windy and yesterday a gust blew over the big pot of night blooming cereus. That thing is so heavy it takes both of us to lift it and then we can only manage maybe six inches. We just barely managed to get it back on the mortar blocks it sits on to keep the ants out of it.
DeleteWell - good luck on the bird feeder. Squirrels are the worlds best and craftiest gymnasts!
ReplyDeleteYou are a hard-workin' woman! I love the little flower bed!
ReplyDeleteWe do actually have a squirrel-proof feeder and where we set it there are no branches for squirrels to leap from to land on it. Occasionally one tries, but they've mostly given up. Maybe we just have less-intelligent squirrels here.
I've been looking up squirrel proof feeders but haven't bought one yet.
DeleteSquirrels are clever. My Mom was never able to figure out how to keep them away from her bird feeders! Made her so mad!!
ReplyDeleteThat flower bed looks nice! I like the blocks you placed around it. Well done!
The winds have been crazy here too. The mornings are bit easier, but by afternoon it's whipping up everything and making it a bummer to be outside. Bummer about that squirrel. They do figure out ways to get to the bird feeders.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if putting something round over the cord might keep them off? Something like a piece of pipe maybe 2-3" in diameter, near the feeder, that would roll and dump the squirrels off. Too big for them to get a grip on, yet small enough they can't crawl through the middle. Then again, won't the squirrel also figure out one good chomp and the cord is done for? I suspect it's a matter of time before neighbor's feeder is breached.
ReplyDeleteFor years, what worked for us was to slip a 4 foot piece of metal downspout over the bird feeder post. It was high on the post, so the squirrels could not jump over it. Also, our feeder was out and away from any trees, buildings, or shrubs that they could drop down on it.
I'm so tired of crazy windy days too.
I'll have to try the pipe thing. I think I've got some PVC about that size around here somewhere. I'm having a hard time visualizing the downspout method. Can't they climb that?
DeleteWe were told not to put bird feeders up because they would attract bears. I didn't know bears were attracted to birdseed. I think I will do a little research before I give up on bird feeders. We do have a lot of squirrels, but we had them in Missouri, too. They seemed to stay away from my yard, though. Martha, the boy cat killed many of the squirrel families. It was his prey of choice.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's disappointing about the bird feeders but I definitely would not want bears roaming around my property.
DeleteOh squirrels - they are vastly entertaining. But we do probably spend a lot more on bird seed because of them. Apparently we're willing to pay the price. Ha!
ReplyDelete