A close call

The hummingbirds have been pestering me to put the feeder up for about a week or two now.  I finally got out and did it.  I had put it in the garage over the winter.  It was full of dead bees that I had to clean out.  It’s been rainy and chilly so I guess this job wasn’t at the top of my list

I really love this bird feeder because it holds a lot but it has a poor design as it takes a while to get it back together when I take it apart to clean and fill it, another reason for my procrastinating.

Baby Hummer

 

Then hubby was out sprinkling some grass seed in the bare patches on the lawn when this little guy hit the window.  At this point, I still had the feeder inside.  I felt terrible.  However, I don’t know if this had any bearing on whether this poor little thing would have hit the window or not, as birds hit the big windows all year long.  The hummers had been scolding me through the kitchen window, so maybe I was feeling a little bit guilty about not wanting to tackle this feeder.

 Things aren't looking good for this poor little hummingbird

Trying to get it's act together

We grabbed the camera and took multiple photos of his/her recovery.  It was touch and go for a while.  When this little bird finally took flight it landed about a foot away from my husband who reached down and petted it gently.

 Recovering slowly

 

It finally made it to this twine we have holding a tree up and then eventually to a tree.  We were happy it would be all right and live to see another day.

 "I can fly again."

 

The next day it was on the feeder along with the first orioles of the season.  It didn’t take them long to find it.  The orioles can drain it in under a week with several of them working on it along with the hummingbirds.  Assembling this feeder never gets any easier either.  But I’d rather face that than have winter here again.

A male Oriole has found the feeder too.  Can they smell the sugar in there?

I got flowers planted too about two weeks ago, so things are looking a lot like spring and summer at my house.  Now we just need the weather to cooperate.

Waiting with baited breath

Birds hit our large windows all the time.  Lately they’ve bounced right off and flew away.  When we first moved here, I buried many birds in the backyard.  No fun at a hundred degrees.

 She's stunned after fluttering around in a circle flapping her wings.

To my horror, a female oriole hit the window the other day.  I was shocked and crossed my fingers she would be okay as I watched her flopping around trying to get her bearings.  I didn’t want to have to bury an oriole.  We don’t have that many and they’re so pretty.

This one is scary.  I didn't know what was happening.

She sat on the patio the longest time.  I was waiting for her to keel over because I thought something was probably broken.  I couldn’t take my eyes off her and got a few pics of her stunned state.

 Improving a tiny bit

Finally, I felt such a relief when she took off for the tree before flying home where she nests a few houses away.  Later a group of females came back to drink from the feeder.  I think she was probably with them, but it’s hard to know since they all look alike.  I hold the belief she was there and feasting after her ordeal.

Back on the feeder

Stain glass kitten

Raven making his move

 

 Raven - if you look closely, you'll see his body behind the stained glass

Isn’t this an unusual shot?  Raven finally made it to the headboard to look out the moon window over the bed.  He’s been trying that maneuver for a couple of weeks now.  He wasn’t sure of himself for jumping up there.  He kept trying and didn’t give up, as is the norm for a cat.  They are very determined.

We were lucky to get this shot of him walking behind the stain glass hanging in the window.  Even luckier, was the fact that he didn’t knock it down.

Have a great Memorial Day everyone!  Stay safe out there.

Aw Hell !

Clipart

Well the technicians came and the fridge is toast.  The compressor went out and it’ll be $600 to repair it.  We can’t put this amount into a ten-year-old fridge.  So now, we have to find a new one.  This is very bad timing as we will be moving and intended to sell the fridge with the house.  We have a small used fridge in the garage that we’re using in the meantime while we look for something on sale.

My husband went to run errands after the repair guys left, so I decided to haul some big boxes out to the garage and get them out of the house.  He said he’d haul them out in due time, which means they’ll b there a while.  Naturally, I couldn’t see what I was doing, one big box caught the door lock, and I ended up locking myself out of the house.  Now what?  Today I didn’t have the house key in my pocket, wouldn’t you know, so I had to break in through the front window.  I’m so glad it’s nice today and I left it open about three inches.

As if all this isn’t enough today, I ended up cutting the bottom of my foot on my floor mat because it’s all cracked up.  I go barefoot around here in the summer and I didn’t want to get a new mat until after we move.  I guess that will teach me to wear shoes.

I’m told later today that we will need a permit to haul away the old fridge because it contains Freon, a hazardous substance.  But if we buy a new one, the people who deliver it will hail the old one away and dispose of it.  This may be easier, but you do wonder if everyone is in cahoots to sell new appliances.  My husband decided to check and see if the power company had any rebates on new fridges.  It turns out they have a small one and will give you another rebate if they haul away your fridge, but only if it qualifies.  In other words, I guess it has to be a certain brand.  We’re calling them tomorrow because we don’t want to be stuck with a fridge we have to dispose of.

The only good thing so far about today is that the weather is perfect.  The gusty winds are gone.  It’s sunny and we have a nice breeze.  It’s in the mid-80’s.  I love it.

 Mama with her birthday cake

I called my mom for her BD and got to talk a few minutes.  I think she had a terrific time at the restaurant and actually enjoyed her whole day today.  That’s great!  Maybe next year I can be there.