Birds and Blizzards

The birds have been busy at the bird feeder. I have seen as many as four female cardinals at one time on the feeders. I've also noticed that the juncos are perching on the feeders now to eat and not just eating off the ground. There is room for 10 or maybe 12 birds at one time at our feeder, so often the birds have to wait in the tree for their chance to get a good spot.

We are winding down from our first significant snow of the season and it has been a blizzard. So far we have about 10 inches. Schools, churches, and many businesses are closed. Meetings have been postponed and smart people are staying off the roads if they have the option of staying at home.

Student Dashboard

Occasionally I look at the webcam from the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology. Today the weather is great. At lunchtime there were lots of students walking on the Mall, plus students sitting on the grass studying or talking and even two guys playing Frisbee. I looked around a bit more at the other links on the IT website and found that they even have a link to find food and restaurants in the area. It's good to know that they can keep important stuff in focus.

Colder, Windier, Rainier

"The livecam is currently unavailable due to the weather. Enjoy this photo of Lake Superior big waves."

That's from the Visit Duluth.com Livecam today. It could be that there's just raindrops showing up and blocking the view or maybe it's all blurry from blowing back and forth in the wind. I didn't really think there would be kids playing at the beach today.

The LSMMA webcam shows the true weather in Duluth. I can't see that it's colder, but I'm pretty sure it is. The water is browner that usual. I'm assuming that is from the wind a few days stirring things up so much. The green gates are open again today. There's more water on the sidewalks than a few days ago when I last posted. And at about 10:30 a.m. some of the lights are on.

Perhaps summer really is gone.

Cold, Windy, Rainy

One week ago I got my flu shot. I wore a short-sleeved t-shirt. It's amazing how quickly the weather can change. We have not had frost overnight here yet, but we have come close. It's 50 degrees now and raining on and off, mostly on. It's been like this for a few days, so we can sadly bid summer good-bye.

Today I have been looking at the Duluth Web Cam at LSMMA, the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association. It is really, really windy there. The green gate is closed, the waves are reaching the top of the canal wall and all the sidewalks are wet. Even so, the Web Cam usually shows a person or two braving the blustery winds and rain to take a look at the canal.

The photo shows a warmer, calmer day with lots of people watching the Walter J. McCarthy departing Duluth. I took this photo at 11:11 a.m. on 11/11 of 2006.

Flu Shot

I got my flu shot today. There were about 30 people in line before me, but the line moved really fast. When I got into the room where the shots were being administered, there were four or five stations to get the shot. I sat down, got my shot and it bruised immediately. When I donate blood I am always told that I have good veins. I also bruise really easily. So, it's not surprising that I would get a bruise. Plus it bled a little bit, so I got aBand-aid.

No problem though. I went home and got the grass cut. Tomorrow rain is expected and the grass was really getting long, so I'm glad that's done.

Are you wondering if you should get a flu shot? The answer is YES. About ten years ago I had the flu. Ever since that experience I have made sure to get a flu shot each fall. Dave Barry wrote about that flu. The Martian Death Flu he called it. "The main symptom is that you wish you had another setting on your electric blanket, up past High that said: Electrocution."

He was absolutely right. I had on my pajamas and bathrobe. I had four blankets on and I had the electric blanket turned up as close to Electrocution as I could get. I took a long nap and eventually got warm enough to go to the kitchen. I sat in my chair and promptly fainted. That meant a trip to the emergency room to make sure it was nothing more serious than the flu and overheating. I got some medicine that I was supposed to take with food but I had absolutely no interest in food or any ability to make the effort to chew and swallow any kind of food.

Flu shot - Yes! Martian Death Flu - No!!!

Finally Some Rain

It's been almost a month since we have had any rain. Some parts of the state have had even less rain. And unfortunately, some parts of the country are getting so much rain that serious flooding is taking place.

I know that's the way it goes, but it is nice to finally have some rain. We are getting close to having an inch in the rain gauge for the last 24 hours. That means I don't have to drag the hose over to water the new grass seed I planted, at least not for a day or so. The seed has sprouted already, faster than I would have thought possible. Maybe watering it three times a day helped speed it along some.

It's not the best time of the year for starting new grass, but there's not ever an ideal time. One year I planted grass seed at the end of October and we had a mild November. That grass has done very well, thanks to a very mild and long autumn.

The temperatures now have been good, but trying to keep a smooth surface on the dirt when the squirrels are busy burying nuts in our yard is a test of wills. Will the squirrel dig yet another hole where my grass seed is? Yes, he will.

09/09/09

Just for the fun of it today, I wrote that date the way my friends in Switzerland do, with the day first, then the month, then the year. Oh, I'm just joking - I did put the month first. Another special day for those of us who like math and the numbers that make it possible.

Actually it is a special day for another reason. I donated blood, my 75th time doing so at the Mayo Clinic. Last week my hemoglobin was only 12.4 which is too low to donate. I rescheduled for today and lucky me it was up to 12.5 which is the minimum for donating.

But back to the number 9, 9, 9. Some years back there was a wonderful kids' show on PBS called Square One TV. It was great for learning a lot of different concepts in mathematics and also had a lot of humor. There was usually a song performed for each show by members of the regular cast. One of my favorites is "Nine", which you can watch on YouTube here.

University of Minnesota Marching Band

Ah, the Trombones. You probably don't want to stand right in front of them when they are playing. Not that they won't sound good, but you might get a whack upside your head! They sing, they march, they play their instruments and also they are always moving the instruments up, down, left and right. Who doesn't love a parade, especially with the University of Minnesota Marching Band leading the way?

University of Minnesota Marching Band

March On March On To Victory!

Not only can they play musical instruments, not only can they march in formation, but they also sing and they are good at that too. If you lean close, really close to your computer screen, you can hear them singing.

If you can't hear them, then there is another option. Go over to the website and buy their CD.

Scroll down to the bottom where you will find "Latest CD Now Available"

University of Minnesota Marching Band

The Drumline. Probably that is what you hear first. And yes they are good at what they do and yes they also have fun. Every once in a while I drum along with a song. It goes okay for a while and then by beat gets off and my hands trip over each other.

University of Minnesota Marching Band

Another proud symbol of the Band are the Cymbals. You notice the bright bandanas they are wearing? Do you wonder why they are wearing them? The answer --- Because. A few years back I remember them wearing goggles. And why were they wearing goggles? Again, they were wearing them Because. It's fun, it's what they do.

University of Minnesota Marching Band

We were at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday for a few hours. We always try to go when the University of Minnesota (Pride of Minnesota) Marching Band is in the Daily Parade. And we always try to plan it so that we can watch the Marching Band at the beginning of the parade and then run to the end of the parade route and catch them again.

This photo shows the clarinets, my favorite section if you must know. Within 10 seconds of when this photo was taken all band members were in their straight line formation with horns up and playing yet another wonderful song.

Pepin, Wisconsin

We went to Winona, Minnesota today for a meeting, and then headed to Pepin, Wisconsin to eat at the Harbor View Cafe. We had never eaten there before, but finally made time to go there. It was as good as people had told us. We had pork tenderloin with red potatoes, broccoli, and red cabbage. The bread was excellent, the salad with peppercorn dressing was nice and peppery, and the desserts were delicious. We walked down by the harbor after eating and enjoyed the view. Most sailboats were in the harbor since it was a blustery day, not suitable for leisurely sailing.

We will go back there again soon when we are in that neck of the woods. The drive was very scenic and the food was delicious.

123456789

I missed the big celebration. Twice on Wednesday, shortly after midnight and shortly after noon, we had a number event! The time and date could be written as:
12:34:56 7/8/9

I don't know what I would have done for those two seconds during the day, but it would have been nice to acknowledge that it was happening. If someone reads this the next time it occurs, please write a short comment to this post. Thanks!

Good News

Wrens.

We have a few wren houses in the yard. Luckily, we also have some wrens that make their homes in the wren houses. I have tried a few times to get a photo of a wren feeding babies. Typically I can't get close enough to get a good picture. The wren keeps scolding until I finally leave. Only then will the wren fly into the wren house with a treat for the babies.

But this time I was able to snap a few photos of the wren getting ready to go in with baby food for the baby wrens. I was so happy when I saw this photo. Look what is on the menu for tonight! An earwig. Yea! The baby wrens are happy to eat them. I'm happy that there is one less earwig in the yard. And the parent is one bug closer to not having to feed babies all day.

So, I am going on record as saying I am a big fan of wrens.

Bad News

Earwigs.

Three years ago we never saw any. Yes, we would see centipedes and sow bugs in the basement. And of course lots of different bugs outside in the garden. But never earwigs.

Now they are everywhere. I pushed aside a board on the compost pile last year and about 100 earwigs dropped to the ground. Last night I found 10 in the house around 2:00 a.m., mostly in the basement laundry room and bathroom. And they leave "stuff" where they have been.

So, I am going on record as saying I am not a big fan of earwigs.

How Cold is Too Cold?

I do like my pop to be cold and I don't always remember to put a can in the refrigerator before I get thirsty for a Dr. Pepper. When that happens, I put a can of pop in the freezer for about 30 minutes to get it cold quickly.

Unfortunately, sometimes I forget that I have a Dr. Pepper in the freezer. You can see what happens to a can of pop left in the freezer for too many minutes. Luckily, it expanded but it did not spring a leak, so I did not get pop spraying all over the inside of the freezer.

From now on I either have to remember to put a can in the day before or else remember not to forget that I have a can in the freezer.

Abraham Lincoln

I watched Saturday Night Live tonight*. It was a repeat, an episode with Justin Timberlake hosting. In the opening sequence, Justin wandered through the halls of the SNL studio and talked to people along the way. As he passed one doorway, an Abraham Lincoln look-alike came out and walked away from the camera. It dawned on me that it seems like any time someone is wandering the halls of SNL, an Abraham Lincoln look-alike is also there, wandering the halls.

At least, I assume it is a look-alike. Mighty curious.

* Not actually tonight, since it is now early Sunday morning. Let's just say a few hours ago. Yeh, that's fine.

Sit and Read a Little Bit

This will be the last garden photo for a few days. But don't worry, I have lots more that I will put up. This shows a bit more of the layout of part of the garden area, including some ponds. There are many benches in the gardens, all different kinds. I always think it looks so inviting to just sit there for an hour and read a good book. When I was growing up I loved going to school, but I also couldn't wait for summer. Why? So that I could go to the Library, get as many books as I wanted and read all day. A place like this would have been just wonderful, especially with just a gentle breeze blowing and a few birds singing in the trees.

Arborvitae Stalagmites

Well, I'm pretty sure these are Arborvitae and they do look somewhat like stalagmites. I would like to have known more about these. Is it just four Arborvitae, or are there multiple bushes growing in a clump? Imagine seeing these on a dark night. They might look like scary creatures. I also imagine that you could have fun using these in a musical number where all of a sudden about twenty dancers pop out from behind them. Or you could do a spy thriller or horror movie with the bad guy hiding behind them. In real life though, these are most likely condominiums for the birds.

Art in the Garden

And yes, here we have something more from the Overland Park Garden - a whimsical sculpture. I could analyze it for you, tell you what it means etc. But that would spoil the fun. Just enjoy.

There are many sculptures in the gardens, some are just for fun, like this one. Some are more traditional and then there are some that are quite abstract. They add a lot of interest and obviously make for neat photos.

Weeping Redbud Tree

This is a nice specimen of Redbud. It looks to be a Weeping Redbud! Yet another photo from Overland Park Arboretum. You can see the interesting branch structure, the pink flowers and the green leaves just starting to bud out. In Spring, first the neon pink flowers grace the branches, then those disappear and the leaves take over.

We saw many Redbuds along the way on our trip, just growing along the highway. What seems to be a common tree in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas is a landscape treat in Minnesota. If you need a specimen tree for the yard, something that won't take up too much space, buy a Redbud and plant it soon.

Cute Little House

This cute little house is at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. I didn't notice it when I took the photo, but it appears that there is no back to the house. It looks like you can see the trees through the windows. But, upon closer inspection, I can tell that it is just reflections in the windows. Plus I have other photos that show the other side of the barn.

It would be fun to have this little house in the back yard. It could be a playhouse for the kids. Or an art studio. Or a garden shed.

I'll put that on my list of things to do: Make cute little house in back yard. It comes in at # 1,495 on my list. So, it won't be done this summer.

Overland Park Garden - Tulips

I'll be putting a few of my many photos from Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens near Kansas City up on the blog in the next few posts. This photo shows the tulips lining the fence just as we entered the gardens. I love the trees at this time of year (Spring) when they are just starting to bud out. You can actually see the forest through the trees now.

It may be hard to tell, but the fence has a few scattered oak leaves along the way. Behind the fence is a nice picnic shelter. We thoroughly enjoyed the gardens. There was much we didn't see, but we did spend an hour here and were impressed with the variety and natural setting.

A Horse is a Horse (of course of course)

Anyone remember that great song? Anyone? Anyone?

No matter. I spotted this horse statue while we were in Texas and snapped this photo from the car as we drove past. So if it looks a bit fuzzy, that's why. My assumption is that you can find at least a few horses living at this ranch. Probably not this big and probably not light bluish-green, but horses nonetheless.

Keep watching for more wonderful photos from our trip to Texas.

Customer Service with a Smile

On our recent trip to Texas, we stayed at Hampton Inns in Liberty, Oklahoma City and Topeka. We always had a pleasant stay with very nice accommodations and a good breakfast in the morning. These two very helpful young women agreed to be in a photo in the front lobby area on our first night traveling. They were so courteous and polite. We even got a call from them shortly after we brought our bags to the room to make sure everything in the room was just right. As you can see, customer service with a smile.

Happy National Train Day

And yet another important day is here! There are tons of great train photos, but I don't have any of those great ones. I do have a few, however, so at least I'm making the effort.

Many years ago, when we were watching trains in Oklahoma, we met a ferroequinologist. There are many of them all over the world and they often hang out together at museums. He knew a lot about the subject and we spent a few hours talking with him while waiting for an iron horse to go by.

Do Not Disturb

We recently drove down to Texas for a visit. We took lots of pictures and I will share them in the next few weeks here. Tonight I am getting tired so, it's just a quick posting for now. We stayed at Hampton Inns along the way and we found them to be quite nice. This is a photo of the "Do Not Disturb" sign for our room. Someone came up with a cute idea for a very mundane item.

Just in case you can't tell, the woman in the photo is jumping on the bed!

More Signs of Spring

The gate is open! Each spring I wait to see when the gate is open at Lake Superior by the Duluth Harbor. In the winter months and also when the weather is really windy the gates are closed.

No, I'm not up in Duluth. But I can watch on the webcam at Lake Superior Marine Museum. You can watch boats come and go, too. Go to their website http://www.lsmma.com and then click on "Visit Our Web Cam" on the left side. Then click to get a larger view.

The photo I took is of the Alpena arriving on November 7, 2005 at 1:30 in the afternoon. You can see the green gate in the photo. Soon that snow that you see on the webcam will melt and more and more people will line up to watch the boat traffic.

Signs of Spring

There are many signs of spring - the most common one we hear about is seeing robins again. However, some robins do stick around all year. I have seen some in our yard in December and January. But when I see a chipmunk up and running around, awake from the long winter hibernation, then I know spring is just around the corner. Any morning now I will wake up, much too early, to his constant chip chip chip chip chip chip.

Happy Birthday Captain Kirk

On March 22, 2228, James Tiberius Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa.

The City Council there needed a theme for the town festival and came up with the idea of claiming to be the future birthplace of Kirk. They got permission from Gene Roddenberry to do so and have been having fun ever since.

I would like to be there on his actual birth date, but I may not make it to Iowa then. Hopefully it will be a grand and bold celebration.

Pi Day Update

Woohoo!

I got this posted on 3/14 at 1:59 p.m.

That's 3.14159.

Happy Pi Day

Today is 3-14, or in other words, Pi Day. Larry Shaw is the founder of Pi Day, which was celebrated for the first time in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium.

Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. The value of pi is approximately equal to 3.14 or 3.14159. I could keep adding more decimal places, but I would not be able to stop since the value of pi keeps going on and on.

According to newscientist.com blog, House Resolution 224, supporting the designation of a Pi Day, passed 391-10. Congressman Jason Chaffetz was not willing to support Pi Day because he felt it should go on forever.

Rice is Nice

I finally made some rice in my Rice Cooker. I bought it a while ago, but just never was in the mood for rice, so yesterday I read the instructions and had a go at it. It turned out great. The rice I like the best is a sushi rice. It is a short grain rice and has great flavor and nice texture. We decided to buy a rice cooker because my new counter-top electric range did not do as good of a job of cooking rice as the old gas stove did.

When I looked at all the different brands of rice cookers to choose from, I decided to buy the one that had an endorsement by Martin Yan. Some years back I would watch his cooking show once in a while. He sure knew how to make a lot of different dishes and if he couldn't get a job cooking, he probably could have made it as a stand-up comedian.

Happy National Square Root Day

Today is 3-3-09. (Hopefully I'll get this uploaded today yet.) You know, 3 times 3 equals 9, a square root! Last one was on 2-2-04 and next one will be on 4-4-16. In honor of the day, I made some square roots, i.e. carrot (root vegetable) squares. Well, no, they aren't perfectly square, but how many of you even made an attempt to celebrate? Hah, gotcha!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

I searched for some information on Google today and was reminded that March 2 is the birthday of Dr. Seuss. There is a fitting logo for Google today, so be sure to check out Google while the logo is still there. Also, take this chance to read to a child today. Whether it is your own child, a younger brother or sister, a niece or nephew, a grandchild or someone that you take care of while a parent is working, find a good book and start reading. If you need more information, just Google "Read Across America."

First Robin

I saw robins in the back yard on Sunday, the first I have seen since last fall. As soon as some people see a robin, they get all excited that there will be no more snow, that warm temperatures will return, and that they should start raking the lawn. Wrong, we still have snow on the ground and it never made it above 32 degrees today. If you expect that we will have eight more weeks of winter, then if we get a spring warm-up sooner, it will be a pleasant surprise.

Deer Alert: Of course, as I write this, there are at least five deer in the back yards. Reminder to Self: Check the local nurseries for Liquid Fence and stock up now.

Deer Tracks - Part Two

And here is looking the other way, towards the west, for yet more deer tracks. On the left is a large elm tree. I often see the deer sitting under that elm tree. One even favors the spot where I plant a tomato in the spring. I'm sure he is thinking that if he waits long enough, the tomatoes will come. And then he eats them!

In the background is the well-worn path that I have seen them follow at night. I talked to one neighbor today about all the deer. He has seen as many as sixteen or twenty in his yard. He suspects they are on their way to the yard of a neighbor who puts out corn cobs at night and has a salt lick for the deer. Great, just great.

Deer Tracks - Part One

Most of our snow had melted and then we got a brand new snowfall of five to six inches. It is now obvious how much deer traffic we can get in a night or two. The deer can't reach the peanut wreath or the bird feeders, but they can eat what little falls on the ground. What they crave the most, though, is all the bushes in our yard and the neighbors' yards. This summer there will be lots of scruffy-looking landscape in the neighborhood.

Keep on the Sunny Side

We were in St. Paul recently and I heard some birds while we were stopped at an intersection. I looked around and then I looked up. Whoa! That's a lot of pigeons. After we parked, I walked back and snapped this photo. The side of the roof that they are all perched on is the east side and as you can tell, it is about 9:45 in the morning. That would make this the warmest spot to hold their obviously important meeting.

Do you notice the owl way over on the left? I'm willing to bet a bag of bird seed that it is a fake owl. Most likely it's an attempt, an unsuccessful attempt, to discourage pigeons from roosting. It would be interesting to go back in the evening, close to sunset, to see if the pigeons roost on the west side to catch the last rays of the day.

Cold and Steamy

Just as you cannot see the wind, you cannot see the cold. You can however see evidence of the cold. When the lake temperature is warmer than the air temperature, we get fog over the lake.

Downtown buildings are visible in the background in this photo. The geese are resting and doing their best to stay warm. The fence in this photo is part of a plan to reduce the number of geese at the lake.

Many people don't have the unique joy of experiencing temperatures that are below zero. They can't imagine what it is like. It almost does take your breath away. Your fingers hurt and don't function very well. That makes it hard to take photos. You need gloves that are warm but yet allow you some dexterity. Or you need to take a few fast photos and get back in the car to warm up.

Blue Jays Like Peanuts

Recently, we bought this decorative and useful wreath for feeding peanuts to the birds and squirrels. Typically after we fill it with peanuts, it will be ignored for a few days, but then the blue jays find it and they empty it in a few hours. When we just put peanuts out on the ground for them, often they would pick up one, then drop it, and pick up another one, drop that one and finally choose one and fly away with it. We think they were gauging the weights of each one in order to get the heaviest peanut.

We have relatives in Texas that have a few pecan trees in their yard. They had an interesting learning experience with jays. Both people were collecting pecans. They each had a nice pile that they left on the ground while they ate lunch. After lunch, one of the piles was noticeably smaller. Well, accusations were made about stealing from her pile to add to his pile. Protests of innocence. Eventually they noticed who the thief was - yes, a blue jay.

Windy Days

It was windy here the last few days. That's putting it mildly. All night and all day there was a constant roar. Tree branches whipping around. Tree trunks swaying. The plastic watering can from one back yard is now four houses down the street in someone's front yard. The birds that are brave enough to travel seem to be flying sideways.

You can hear the wind. You can feel it. But you cannot see the wind. The flag by our local Perkins waving in the wind is perhaps one of the best ways to show how windy it was.

This poem about wind by Christina Rossetti is one of my favorites.

Who Has Seen The Wind

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

Cowabunga

Go for it!

Here is one of our friendly squirrels making the leap from apple tree to bird feeder. His paws are outstretched, ready to grab on as soon as he gets to the bird feeder.

This photo shows him in mid-air, about two feet past the apple tree and two feet until he gets to the feeder. He ate a few peanuts and some bird seed, then jumped down to the ground and headed for the bird bath for a drink of water.

He will be back another day. Of that I am sure.

Spring Fever

About this time of year, spring fever sets in. The cold and the snow are starting to get on everyone's nerves. Years ago I got spring fever. So I bought one little house plant. Then I bought a few more and a few more and a few more. When summer arrived, I planted a small vegetable garden. Now, years later, I have a large vegetable garden and flowers everywhere outside.

Do you have spring fever? Go out and buy yourself a house plant. Get your hands on some seed catalogs at the library or online and start ordering a few packets of alyssum or zinnia seeds. Start going to one of your local garden stores in early May and buy a tomato plant or some bean seeds or cucumber seeds. If you have just a little bit of sunny space, get bush tomato and bush beans and bush cucumbers. If you have lots of room, you can get varieties that will vine all over the place.

Yes, you might have spring fever. Luckily there is a cure. Become a gardener.

Oh, Deer

Every night they come. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

They come quietly and they come hungry.

Sometimes I see them, but often I only see evidence. Here you see our neighbor's arborvitae. We noticed - yikes! - lots of arborvitae needles on the snow under the tree. Obvious signs of deer munching. Next day, we had a burlap coat for the little tree. Of course, they will find something else to eat. At some point the burlap will have to come off in the spring and then we can hope that they will have forgotten how good this tree tastes.

Two nights ago, at about 2:30 a.m., there were eight of them in the back yards. One was eating bird seed off the ground right outside the house. Slowly I opened the second-story deck door. The deer would raise her head and stare at me for a few seconds and then put her head down and eat some more. I would open the door a few more inches and she would raise her head and stare at me, and then go back to eating again. After about five times of this little back and forth game, she would lower her head, but her eyes kept watching me.

If only we could teach them to eat the velvet leaf, but not the arborvitae. Eat the night shade, but not the tomatoes. Eat the creeping charlie, but not the impatiens. Eat the dandelions, but not the hosta.

Oh dear, oh deer.

Mystery Solved

How do the squirrels manage to eat the bird seed from our squirrel-proof bird feeder?

Last year we just had the feeders on top of a long pole. The squirrels, and even the raccoons, could easily climb up and eat to their hearts content. This year we bought the poles and brackets and baffle, everything we would need, at Wild Birds Unlimited. We bought the larger baffle, so that even the raccoons would be baffled. We have plenty of the decorative branch perches so that birds can perch while waiting for a spot to eat at. And we carefully placed the pole in an area that was far from the deck the clothesline pole, the crab apple trees and the barn roof.

And yet, they still manage to get to the food.

Finally we were able to see how they did it. One possibility was that they might climb up the string that is used to raise and lower the feeders. The only other possibility was that, as precarious as it seemed, they might jump from the crab apple tree, from the flimsiest of branches, up to the feeders.

Well, it is the flying squirrel routine that they use. They jump from a branch that is only an inch in diameter and bends down when they venture out all the way to get close enough to the feeders. Then a wild, free-for-all jump usually lands the lucky critter on the conveniently placed perches. After that , it is a nice smorgasbord for our hungry gray friend.

If they are smart enough and daring enough to get to the food, even with all our attempts to keep them away, then we figure they deserve the reward. We enjoy watching them as much as we do the chickadees, blue jays, nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Bon Appetit, Rocket J. Squirrel.