Battle with the Birds

We are in a battle with some birds. 

It started earlier in the spring when a bird or two noticed the mirrors and reflective properties of the window on my truck. They pecked and pooped all over the mirrors and down the doors leaving a big mess that was unsightly, unsanitary, and probably damaging to the paint.

I'd had this to happen before. So, I got a couple of plastic grocery bags, pulled them around he mirrors, and tied them on there. That helped a lot. However, they still would perch on the door and windshield and leave their mark. 

Then, I noticed that there were a couple of birds that had found an opening on either side along the hood near the windshield that is just about the width of my hand. I first saw them climbing out of that opening and flying away. Next, I saw them getting under the hood of the truck; plus, I saw them taking pieces of grass and straw when they went in. There can be nothing good about that. 

I moved where I had the truck parked in our back yard. I went around the side of the house and parked it on the concrete slab near our basement entry. I washed the mess they had made off of the hood, windshield, mirrors, and doors. Then, I opened the hood and began looking for where they had stashed the grasses and straw pieces. I could see a bit or two down in between the windshield wash fluid container and the battery. So, I tried poking my hand in there to pull it out. I could not reach it. I took sticks and long tweezers and all manner of pokey things to try to wedge the bits out but could not reach it all. I felt down under the fender well of the tire and saw some grass sticking out down there. So, we discovered that they were trying to build their nest between the plastic container where the battery rests and the plastic that protects the motor from mud being slung up by the tires. The Mister took the hose and flushed out what he could and we pulled some from the fender well and hoped the move would do the trick. It did not.

At this point, the Mister was on a mission. He found some old socks that I had banished to the rag bag for him to wipe grease on at the barn. Those old socks got stuffed into the openings at the windshield to block the bird entryway.

The next morning I glanced out the window and there was a bird hopping round on the hood of the truck. It would peck at one sock and then flitter over to the mirror and look at it and squawk. Then, it would skip over to the other side and peck at that sock and squawk. I smiled thinking that we had deterred them and they would soon find another nesting spot. 

Then, that afternoon I noticed the bird had come back and had brought a friend. They perched on the hood of the truck. Then, flew under the fender well and perched on the tire. Next, one would disappear under there and then the other would do so. After a bit, they would come out to sit on the tire before flying away only to return a little while later. Outmaneuvered!

The Mister is determined not to be outdone. I looked out the window earlier and noticed that the Mister was hard at work. He is tenacious. He whole-heartedly intends to win this battle with the birds. 

We have a whole farm here where they could nest. There are trees all around the place that would provide wonderful perches for their home. We are trying to be humane and considerate but our patience is growing thin. 

A Bit of a Chuckle

I was scrolling the other day and paused to read one of those screens that look like words or wisdom. The message made me laugh out loud.

(Please know that I am not advocating nor proposing violence. It just struck me as funny to think about!)

Wise Words

When I see a quote from Morgan Freeman, I can hear his deep, gravelly voice.

Just 3 Things | #25

I don't ever want anybody to think I might consider myself an athlete because that is something that I never have aspired to be. As an adult, however, I have always battled carrying too much weight. At my recent check-ins with doctors I made a decision that dropping some pounds and getting healthier is something that I intend to focus upon. The Mister says he is prepared for me to be a bit grumpy until this focus becomes a habit but he will try to be supportive of my efforts. So, I will be spending a bit of time on the stationary bicycle and a few minutes each day working through my exercises and stretches. Look out!

- What I've Been Reading -

Flipping through my James Farmer books a while back inspired me to check out his newest edition. I got my hard copy of Home Again at the middle of last week and have been reading and analyzing each photograph. It makes me wish I had more rooms to decorate. I want to borrow and adapt so many of his ideas. It is one that will join Farmer's other books that roost on our coffee table that I frequently pick up and gaze through for inspiration.

I've especially enjoyed seeing the updates to his own home. It is comforting to know that sometimes even a decorator gets something wrong or has a life that evolves and things need updating to better fit his current needs. I like the concept that our homes are a living, breathing part of our lives that evolve over time and serve us.

I'm trying to work more movement into my days. So, I'm performing a series of stretches and exercises in my daily schedule. I decided to reward myself by listening to an audio book while I'm doing some of this movement. I'm not as good at listening to a book as I am at reading. I catch myself not listening far too often. Then, I need to back up and re-listen to a chapter or two. I'm currently listening to Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. I borrowed it and am listening via my Libby App. Why did I choose this book? Well, it was the first audio book that popped up in Libby that was available. So, I borrowed it and went outside to take a stroll. Years ago, I used to love listening to books as I drove. I was enrolled in graduate school and had thirty-forty minute commutes to class. Later, I had half-hour or hour commutes to different schools where I worked; so, I listened to books on CD. That was back in the day when places like Cracker Barrel allowed you to borrow and swap out recordings. Oh, the good old days!

This week I also started the book that I really wanted to read by Elin Hilderbrand. Remember back in volume #22 of Just 3 Things I decided that I needed to read the first two books in the series before reading the novel that was promoted several places on social media? I'm now reading The Perfect Couple and I have a difficult time putting it down. So, I guess I am like the social media hypers. I'm enjoying it, too! 

- What I've Been Watching -

The Mister and I have been tuning in to The Rookie. What enticed us to watch was the little blurb about the series:

John Nolan, the oldest rooking in the LAPD, uses his life experiences, determination, and sense of humor to keep up with rookies twenty years his junior.

Now that we are seniors, having the opportunity to see others adapting and adjusting to interactions with those younger is truly something with which we can relate and enjoy seeing how others are doing it. There are multiple seasons, so we have gone back to the beginning to see the earlier episodes as well as the current ones. There isn't really anything scary that comes out in this show, so the entertainment factor is good.

The series is a shoot-em-up cop show but it is not so awfully graphic and gory. We have enjoyed getting to know the characters and some of the situations these police officers encounter are purely entertaining while others are hitting a bit too close to home and show the worst side of folks. Generally, it is something we can watch and not worry that we don't follow the story line because most of the episodes are self contained and not a continuation where we are lost if we missed one.

- What I've Been Loving -

One of the things I am most grateful for this week is having leftovers. On Easter Sunday, most of our children and grandchildren came for lunch and the big Easter Egg Hunt. We served a Barbecueterie Board from Witt's Barbecue as our meat. It was an offering of four different meats. In our case, we doubled up on pulled pork and ribs and also had a selection of pulled turkey, smoked bologna, and smoked chicken breasts. We had leftovers as usual. So, all week long the Mister and I have enjoyed different meals because of the different options. One night we had barbeque sandwiches. One night we had ribs and leftover corn, beans, slaw, etc. One night we snacked on bologna, cubed cheese, and a variety of crackers. Tonight it is smoked chicken, mac n cheese, and I will toss a salad. I think everybody left our house with a full belly on Sunday and we have certainly enjoyed the week off from cooking up something new and haven't been wading through the same-old, same-old either. 

Since I had a check-in with my heart doctor and the Mister has been busy with some of his cemetery management duties, it has been kind of nice to be able to take a little time to rest up as well. Again, love having time to call our own. I've taken time to put myself through a bit of exercises and stretches and nursed an ankle with Achilles Tendonitis. 

So, this week, I guess I can say we have been loving leftovers - in a good way!

On the horizon I've got some volunteer work on my agenda and I want to spend a little bit of time on some sewing projects. Hope your weekend is a good one.

Easter Egg Hunt

We hosted our annual Easter Egg Hunt this past Sunday. Eight of the grands came and brought along their parents. We shared a feast and lots of yakking. Then, some of the crew hid eggs and the younger grands hunted them. For the first time, I just sat in the rocker and watched. I didn't snap a ton of photos or point out overlooked plastic eggs. I just sat and enjoyed watching. 

I always love how they all are chomping at the bit to get off the porch and scoop up the brightly colored eggs that are scattered all over the yard. They run right past some to get to others. It was a wonderful afternoon that I think everybody enjoyed. The Mister had the grass manicured and everything outside waved with springiness. 

We always start off the big hunt with a photo on the front porch steps. This year, I posed with the grands instead of standing at the foot of the steps and snapping the photo. 

Some of the adults meander across the yard pointing out overlooked eggs and peeking into baskets. Other adults sit or stand on the porch and look out over the festivities. Tradition sort of requires that when somebody finds a golden egg they shout it out and hold it up in the air. Golden eggs have special prizes of money inside. The colorful eggs have candy, tiny puzzles, stuffed toys, tiny rubber duckies, compasses, dominoes, and such inside. 

After the eggs are harvested from under shrubs, beside fence posts, between the roots of trees, and nestled into the grass, everybody sits down and empties the treasures out of the plastic eggs and into their baskets, buckets, or bags. The empty eggs are stored away for use next year and the treasures are counted and examined. Then, the swapping and bargaining begins.

The photo above shows an intense swapping and bargaining session in progress. I wonder who walked away with the best end of the negotiation...

Today I noticed...The promise of a violet's blooms makes me happy.

This is a violet baby. I separated it from the parent that came in a dish garden that was sent to my Granny's funeral. There were other plants in the basket with it and after a while they needed their own space. The parent violet had beautiful pink blooms - one of my Granny's favorite colors. So, I always refer to it as my Granny violet. 

I separated the baby from the parent a couple of years ago and neither plant has bloomed since. I left the parent plant in front of the same window in our bedroom where the photo above was made. The baby plant came downstairs and is set on the front of my desk. I've watered it religiously and monitored it's growth. Each time I see it and the parent plant, I think of my Granny.

My Granny was a woman with a green thumb. She could grow most anything and her plants generally thrived. When I was a young woman, Granny had loads of African violet plants. She even set up a grow space with fluorescent lights in the basement of their home at one time. She had all sorts with different leaf shapes and bloom colors and styles. Some were frilly and looked like they had ruffled leaves. Some were pale pink, some were lavender, some were so dark purple that they were almost black. I loved seeing all the different kinds. She would tell visitors all about the different plants and often would gift them with one. I remember keeping some in the windows of our basement apartment when I was wrapping up my Bachelor's degree from The University of Tennessee. 

Granny died twelve years ago during the month of April and I still miss her twinkling blue eyes, smiles, and southern drawl. So, when I came downstairs today and sat down to do a little work, I was excited to notice that this violet has pushed up several buds that will bloom soon. That makes me so happy! 

Just 3 Things | #24

Spring has sprung and I guess I am springing a bit as well. I've stuffed eggs with candies and treasures for the Easter Egg Hunt, and mapped out our Easter feast, and ordered groceries and, have recipes tagged with sticky notes. I plan to mark my list tonight as I plan what I will stir up and when I will stir it. Then, I'll dive into preparation tomorrow by making some cookies and go from there. We've had a busy week here. The Mister has spent quite a bit of time at his Cemetery Managerial duties. He is anticipating that people will visit the burial sites of their loved ones so having everything look nice there is paramount for him. He's also cut our grass ad manicured things around our house as well in prep for the children and grandchildren coming to our annual family egg hunt and feast. 

- What I've Been Reading -

One of the projects I worked on this past week had not satisfied me completely. I don't like to think of myself as a perfectionist but for some things, I'm pretty picky about how I want my work to turn out. This stool is one of those things that has me dissatisfied.

Oh, I'm pleased with how nicely the fabric covered it and how it looks with the chair and most all the things about it. However, there is one little part that irks me a bit.

Where the leg screws into the solid wooden bottom, the fabric is sort of pushed out and down the leg. So, the raw edge of the fabric underneath the stool looks a bit shaggy around the legs. 

It is readily visible when you zoom in and look where I've added the red circular shape. I know that most people will never notice this. I do, though. I look at this every day. So, I'm pondering a solution. 

Should I put a skirt on the stool? That would hide the shaggy edges next to the legs and would camouflage that the legs/feet on the stool are simple and the ball and claw feet on the chair are more ornate as well. 

Should I add a trim all around the bottom of the stool where it would not be seen? Should I just add trim at the top where the legs are screwed into the bottom of the stool? I'm pondering...and I am looking through decorator books to see what others have done to trim out footstools. So, this week I've been reading and searching through three of the James Farmer books that I keep on our den ottoman. 

 

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I've enjoyed reading different parts of each book and examining each photo. They provide such inspiration for creating a beautiful home but they also inspire me to want to share my home more with others. Plus, I just see such practical and truly southern things in each of them and it makes me appreciate how blessed we are to have the beautiful home where we live. Shouldn't most of the things we read make us feel grateful and bring peace?

- What I've Been Loving -

I've been loving the fact that my time is my own this week. Retirement is worth all the days of rising early and rushing off to work. I strongly encourage everybody to retire as soon as you possibly can! 

On Monday, I got a call at about 11:45 in the morning. The Mister's cousin had sent me a message a few minutes before and I didn't respond, so she gave me a call. A friend's father had passed and she wondered if we knew about it. We did not. She apologized for not contacting us sooner but let me know that the visitation with family was from eleven till one and the funeral was scheduled for one o'clock. The good news was that the services were to be held at a church about two miles from our house. So, I jumped into some more presentable clothes, combed my hair, added a bit of mascara and dashed out the door. I arrived in time to stand in a line that was snaking out the door of the church and down the sidewalk. Yet, I still had the opportunity to acknowledge our respects to our friends. I also had the opportunity to see some folks that I had not seen in years and years and give them a brief hug. If I was still obligated to a school or school system, I would have missed out on that opportunity and had regrets. 

I also scheduled a last-minute doctor appointment this week and glided in to get a diagnosis and treatment the next day just before noon. Again, since I had no rigid schedule, I could rearrange my days suddenly and without inconvenience to myself or anybody else. 

I have been thinking of purchasing a new sewing machine. So, one day this week, I just jumped in the truck and went to a sewing machine shop that is an hour drive from our house. Once again, operating with abandon and no obligation to anybody allowed me to do something I wanted to do and spend as much time as I wanted looking, asking questions, and learning about different sewing machines.

Maybe for the first time in my life I am feeling like my time is my own and I can do what I would like at any moment of it - or not do anything at all - and I can tell you that I am truly loving that!

- What I've Been Working On -

Despite the fact that I have been jaunting off willy-nilly this week, I have spent quite a bit of time working in my office. I've been pulling furniture away from the wall for cleaning. I have been clearing out and throwing things we don't need or things that are outdated away. I have been organizing so many things in there. Each little corner and every little space seems to better serve its purpose. 

I've been making a list of projects that I need to take on and adding notes about how I will best accomplish those tasks. I've also really enjoyed all the spring-like progress that I can see out those double windows of the office. I don't really have many photos to share because I have been focused on progress and getting things done. 

I relocated the file cabinet and the printer to make it more within reach when I am working at my computer. I never thought I would print much at all when I embraced digital technology and my job as an instructional technology coach and then digital designer required almost no printing. However, the rest of the world still seems to like a hard copy. So, in my volunteer post as the Cemetery Association Secretary, I am tasked with printing certificates of ownership and letters. I scan, save, and print old cemetery documents and send them out to folks. Therefore, I use the printer/scanner every now and again and having it right within reach of my desk is nice. 

Hopefully, I will have some more photos to share soon but right now there is still quite a bit of organizing going on and that is sort of the messy in-between. I am still working on getting things streamlined as well as making the room look presentable. So, sometime soon I may have a bit of a reveal.

I hope today is truly a good Friday for you and all your loved ones and I hope you enjoy the weekend and feel the renewal that only this time of year can provide. Thanks for stopping by and come to visit again soon!