Getting on with Getting On- Overcoming the Inertia of Quarantine
The other day I posted a kind of depressing post about my reluctance to post on my website. My angst had a bit to do with the closure of my online stores. How am I ever going to sell the wood boxes, pebble art, and antiques we have in Ohio???? Additionally, the two months of isolation and fear of getting sick was getting to me.
I went on Instagram last night and found this fantastic post by on how do you would like to be seen in this crisis, and it resonated with me.
This is a link to the site by Burlap n Linen
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-spX4mFq2p/https://www.instagram.com/p/B-spX4mFq2p/
So today, I am armed with a more energetic and more focused attitude on how I want to be in this storm.
Oh, by the way, I did get up for the thunderstorms here last night, but they were not the wild, exciting flash and crash thunderstorm I like. Instead, they consisted of a line of severe winds, rains, and hail. I almost went to the basement at one time as the wind and rain beat against the house.
Lots of trees down and damage to the area but gladly none injured. I found out that a category 1 tornado had torn through. Luckily I have no damage.
BIRD FEEDING
Now back to my thoughts on birds and feeding. Due to the social distancing, I cannot go out to the local garden supply for my birdseed, so I found a place that mails birdseed to your door. I also got a couple of new feeders to try.
Last year I found a seed mix that is called “no mess bird seed” I really love it. I sent away to Chewy for mine, but you can find it in many places.
No Mess Wild Birdseed
No mess birdseed consists of shelled nuts and seeds with no hull that is dropped by the bird as left as discarded waste. I usually spend time cleaning my deck every morning to sweep it down to the ground and then go downstairs and sawpit off the patio and place in trash bags. With the use of the hulled seed, I no longer have the mess to clean. We first got hulled sunflower bits in Ireland but soon found them here. No black seed pods to worry about. Wonderful! I like tpo provide a variety of seed to the birds and this “no Mess” comes in variety bags which I htink might be healthier for the bird.
I live outside rural Hartville, Ohio, and use a local seed mill. He does not carry this specialty type of birdseed. So I use the no mess on my upper deck feeders and his much more inexpensive feed on the lower area. I make sure not to get a brand with corn or millet. The corn does sprout, and you have a mess of cornweed to pull always, so make sure to check for the corn/ millet.
I have a lot of feeders, and it can be an expensive hobby, so I only use the no mess on the upper deck where I had the mess problem. I have feeders downstairs in the gardens, and those seed wastes stay on the ground to feed the larger birds and also squirrels and chipmunks!!
Today I had a redwing blackbird at the feeder. We have had the birds return to breed for three years now. My woodpeckers, yellow finches, house finches, sparrows, bluejays, cardinals, chickadees, have all come this past week.
I expect to find the other grackles, titmice, nuthatch, cowbirds, and hopefully hummingbirds to return soon.
I had a bluebird visit last year but not hang around. I’m told because I have so many birds, especially sparrow, the bluebird feels threatened by all the activity and won’t stay. Shame, they are a beautiful bird.
Next, I plan to get some birdhouses and birdbaths up and running. I never took the time before with all the traveling. Let me know what you think about the no mess birdseed idea. How are your bird efforts going so far?
