The Hummingbird Bird Bath is Finished!

The actual hummingbird bath is now finished. I’ll add plants on either side of the bath on the railings, plus a basket of flowers for the table, hummingbird feeder hanging above somewhere, etc., but the main project is finished.

 

I gathered things from around the house to put into the bath – a ceramic bath tub with a lady in it, three glass hummingbird feeders that were prettier than they were practical, shells, a frog, some aquarium decorations, some rocks, and some bricks – both for the decorations and in the middle for the hummingbirds to stand on, if they wish.

 

Here you can see the ‘stuff’ I’m hoping the hummingbirds will like. I can see myself changing things from time to time, which will be half the fun of the bird bath!

I LOVE the sound of the water. I really hadn’t thought of that, and I find it very appealing and relaxing. Between that, and the wind chimes from the back porch, it will make a great spot for us most of the year.

When the hummers come, I’m hoping they really like it. I’ll try to get some pics if they do.

 

 

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Life Lessons by AwePost

Getting the Lard Off Report 3/31/2017

Today is DAY 5 our renewed efforts on eating healthier and moving more.

YourEllipticals.com

I want to get started gathering ‘goodies’ for the new hummingbird bird bath, but I acted like an adult (at least more than usual :0) ) and did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I’m listing all my food, plus my exercise, on MyFitnessPal.com, getting a more realistic idea of the amount I’m eating and making sure it’s 1200 calories or less, and 40 grams of carbohydrates or less, each day.

Later today I’ll do one session of yoga.

World of Female

I’ll report to you on Wednesday of next week. Hopefully, I’ll be able to tell you that we’re definitely making progress again.

If nothing else, I’m feeling better than I’m TRYING.

taolife.com

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Rodales Organic Life

 

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.^[1]”

 

I’ve liked this rhyme since I was a child, but I no longer garden by it. Now my garden is not only the wonderful square foot gardening, started by Mel Bartholomew, allowing people like us to bypass our awful, rocky ridge line soil, having a chance to enjoy a garden, but now I have a RAISED BED square foot garden.

This lady is hopelessly spoiled now. I can plant, water, weed, and harvest – all without having to bend over double or get up and down endless times off my knees. I have SQUARES of plants now, rather than rows, and the plants seem very happy about it.

 

Our total garden is approximately 25 feet long and 15 feet wide. It’s surrounded by fencing, and then chicken wire around the bottom. We have all kinds of critters roaming around because of living on top of a ridge line, outside the city limits, in a more wooded area, so we have deer, possums, raccoons, rabbits, roadrunners, etc., who need to be kept out of the garden. We have a neon pink surveyors tape around the middle of the fencing to let deer know the garden is there before they run into it.

 

The garden has six 4 foot by 4 foot ‘boxes’ that are 8″ deep on metal support tables. They’re about chest high. We then marked off sections with stretchy string. I had some little bitty weeds trying to get a foothold in the garden yesterday. I weeded the whole thing in about 45 minutes with little effort, other than trying to make sure I got all the ones I could see out.

 

We have our irrigation system on a timer that goes for 5 minutes at 5:00 daily right now. We can change this any time it’s needed.

Last year I had some beautiful broccoli and cauliflower LEAVES, but didn’t get a lot of actual VEGGIES from the plants. I have no clue why. I’m hoping for some good eating this year. I’m also trying to grow celery and spaghetti squash for the first time this year.

So, you see why this lady is spoiled beyond repair now, happy as a clam, playing in my plants, and looking forward to eating romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, radishes, spaghetti squash, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and tomatoes this year!

Phase 2 – Hummingbird Bird Bath Project

We finished the plumbing part of the hummingbird bird bath project today!  We had ‘gooed’ the drain pipe fitting last night and let it dry for 24 hours. We had to cut another hole in the bucket lid to accommodate the pipe coming from the bottom of the tub in a straighter fashion.  This set up will allow the bird bath to sit quietly when the pump is not on. When the pump IS on, the water recirculates from the tub, down into the bucket and back. The only water we’ll need to replace is from evaporation from time to time. We’ll put a timer between the pump and the electrical hookup so the water will be on in daylight and off at night.

 

Here we have the water on, making a kind of waterfall for the hummers.  The place we ‘gooed’ last night is good. We still had some drips from the place where we attach the pvc pipe to the side of the tub. Tightening the screws more got rid of the leaks. A happy thing we didn’t expect was the NICE sound the ‘waterfall’ makes!

 

Here’s a close up of the basic tub and waterfall.

Phase 3 will be gathering ‘stuff’ to put in the tub – greenery, rocks, bricks, fun decorations, etc. I’ll take pics again when I’ve gotten the decorating started.

I Have the Sleepies

“Dog – Tired” – Michelle Cazares

My husband and I went to get more parts for the hummingbird bird bath project this morning. We have it almost finished. We got it together and tested it, but it was leaking from the bottom of the tub. We took it back into the shop, dried it, and put a really expensive ‘goo’ that’s a good sealer around the fixture in the bottom of the tub. We’re letting it dry for 24 hours and then will put the bird bath together again tomorrow. We got a timer today so that it will be on in daylight and off during the night, making the pump last longer (we hope.)

I’ll take pics when we get it back together tomorrow, and then I’ll start gathering goodies to put into it to entertain the hummingbirds…

I’ve got the sleepies now, so I’m going to step away from the computer and rest a bit.

Hope your day is going well.

 

Wicker Art – Take 4

Pinterest

 

 

Kew Gardens – Wicker Mushroom – Tom Hare

 

 

Landsskuekrukker

 

 

Inhabitat

“I’m Popeye the Sailor Man…”

We put Popeye up on the mailbox this morning. He makes us smile, and we hope he makes others smile, too.

 

He’s a tall piece (about 2-1/2 feet tall) and would bend in a good wind if we didn’t put a bunch of braces on him. Here is the back of the piece. You can see where the rods are, and how I tried to blend them into the figure.

Now I’ve got the Popeye song dancing around in my head…

Here are some lyrics so YOU’RE singing, too!  (Version One)

“I’m Popeye the sailor man
I’m Popeye the sailor man
I’m strong to the fin-ich
Cause I eats me spin-ach
I’m Popeye the sailor man.

I’m one tough Gazookus
Which hates all Palookas
What ain’t on the up and square.
I biffs ’em and buffs ’em
And always out roughs ’em
But none of ’em gets nowhere.

If anyone dares to risk my Fisk,
It’s Boff and it’s Wham, understand?
So keep Good Be-hav-or
That’s your one life saver
With Popeye the Sailor Man.

I’m Popeye the sailor man
I’m Popeye the sailor man
I’m strong to the fin-ich
Cause I eats me spin-ach
I’m Popeye the sailor man.”

---

“I’m Popeye the sailor man     (version two)
I live in a garbage can.
I eats all the worms
And spits out the germs
I’m Popeye the sailor man.

I’m Popeye the sailor man
I live in a frying pan
I turn up the heat
And burn up my feet
I’m Popeye the sailor man

I’m Popeye the sailor man
I’ve never stepped foot on the land
I like to go swimmin’
With them mermaid women
And float on my back to get tan.”

“Yellow Roses”

Roses on Facebook

“Swan in the Shade”

“Swan in the Shade” – Paul Militaru Photography

Why We Still Read Newspapers – Take 3

Doug Powell via Marsha Koenig

Hummingbird Bird Bath Table – Take 1

National Geographic Kids

We’ve had a productive afternoon. I saw a wonderful video on Facebook that showed a tray made into a hummingbird birdbath. My husband asked, “Do you want to make one?” DUH. :0)

The catch was that he wouldn’t pay attention to the picture I showed him, OR the supply list, OR the directions. Other than that, we were on the same page.

We stopped at Tractor Supply to see if they had the tray. What we found were some rubber heavy-duty oblong tubs. My husband said that that would do, but I was confused. I knew there was a tub that acted as a collector so the water could be recycled by a pump, but he said the TUB would be the bird bath. I gave up and just helped find a pump.

We talked about where to put the bird bath. It would need a water supply and electricity, plus we wanted to be able to see it from at least two places. We ended up deciding to attach it to the deck railings close to the back porch. We MIGHT be able to use an extension cord and plug it into an existing electrical outlet, or it won’t be a huge job to run another line. We also have close access to water. We can see it when sitting either on the porch or the deck, and can see it if we’re standing at the dining area window.

We used wood and angle iron we had in the shop to make a support table for the hummingbird bird bath. Our biggest problem was getting it level, since the deck railing isn’t.

 

 

We cut and welded angle iron to attach to the ends of the wood and the strong part of the deck. We cut up a good board we had in the shop to create the ‘table.’ We had to use shims to level things up, since the railing angles down toward the house.

 

Here you can see the wood attached to the deck railing and the angle iron going down to the floor support of the deck. We painted the angle iron with truck bed paint to keep it from rusting.

 

 

Here’s a side view of the ‘table’ and the angle iron supports.

 

I stood on the ground looking at the deck to get this picture.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll tackle the next part of the project – providing electricity to the pump, running hoses, figuring out a receptacle to catch the water in the recycling process, cutting the pipe and drilling it with holes to provide the constant streams of water that act kind of like a sprinkler for the birds to play and bathe in, etc.

Since the tub is deep, I’ll need to find TALL stuff to go into it, to make places for the birds to sit. I’ll look for some greenery and other stuff to add. There is enough space on the railing on either side to maybe have small pots of flowers that might attract the birds.

A LOT of details to figure out and a good amount of work left to do, but I love this idea, even though ours won’t look like the picture. I’ll take pics when we make more progress.

Here is the idea we’re trying to emulate –

 

YouTube

Easter Goodies

“Easter Bunny Bear” by Debbie Garrett

Debbie Garrett of Creative Artworks creates really cute Easter bears, Easter Bunnies, and Easter Bunny Bears! These are full size bears that are sweet and huggable.  Her deadline on accepting Easter orders is April 1st, though, so you’ll need to get your order in quickly to make sure you’ll have it in your hands for Easter fun with the kids and grandkids. Makes a cute table decoration, too!

See all of Debbie Garrett’s bears and bunnies

Linda Faber’s paper mache’ Easter Bunny With Roses is all dressed up in her Easter bonnet. CUTE decoration!

‘Easter Bunny with Roses” by Linda Faber   

I’m offering 3 different OOAK hand-painted Easter tote bags –

 

“Easter Rabbit Friends” by Linda Lewis

I also have an Easter hand-painted OOAK Box –

 

Easter Rabbit Memory Box by Linda Lewis

See all of our Easter offerings

I Believe

I Love Reading Books via Cathy Ruggiero

Groaners – Take 3

Babies – Pinterest

14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh. (Get it? A “fsh”, no “I”’s)

15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall.
The one turns to the other and says, “Dam!”

16. Two men sitting in a kayak were chilly so they lit a fire in the craft.
Not surprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it, too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.
“But why,” they asked, as they moved off.
“Because,” he said. “I can’t stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

18. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt  and is named ‘Ahmal’. The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him ‘Juan’. Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds: “They’re twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Ahmal.”

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also
ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered
from bad breath. This made him (oh, man, this is so bad, it’s good)… a super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

20. A dwarf, who was a mystic, escaped from jail.
The call went out that there was a small medium at large.

21. And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to his friends with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them
laugh. No pun in ten did.

Thanks to an email from Marsha Koenig

Life Lessons – Take 3

Life Lessons by AwePost

Wicker Art – Take 3

Beach Decor Shop

 

 

flickr

 

 

Jennifer Heller Zurick

“Pink Tree Flowers 1”

“Pink Tree Flowers 1”- Paul Militaru Photography

Hope for the Future

PositiveHitsper via Chrissie Anderson Peters

When I feel down, I plant something.

When I’m anxious about the future, I plant something.

When I’m frustrated at the world around me, I plant something.

When I’m angry and hurt, I plant something.

When I’m eager to make a difference, I plant something.

Today I planted two bulbs that my husband wanted when he saw the picture. We looked at the picture, then looked at each other and smiled.  Here is what I planted –

Who could feel bad when there is hope that this will bloom?

 

Groaners – Take 2

Babies – Pinterest

7. “Doc, I can’t stop singing The Green, Green Grass of Home.”
“That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.”
“Is it common?”
“Well, It’s Not Unusual.”

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field.
Daisy says to Dolly, “I was artificially inseminated this morning.”
“I don’t believe you,” says Dolly.
“It’s true; no bull!” exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman.
The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you’ve heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn’t find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident.
He shouted, “Doctor, doctor, I can’t feel my legs!”
The doctor replied,”I know, I amputated your arms!”

13. I went to a seafood disco last week… and pulled a mussel.

 

Why We Still Read Newspapers – Take 2

Doug Powell via Marsha Koenig

Bookworms

Books Rock My World via Cathy Ruggiero

Coming Clean

Jacqueline A. Lyons

Okay. My husband and I have been doing a TERRIBLE job lately on following our low carb diet, exercising, and getting healthier. We have lots and lots of excuses, none of which actually hold water when held up to the light – (to mix a bunch of metaphors and clichés’.)

SO –

Last night we agreed that Monday morning we’re going to start being adults again. To this end, we enjoyed KFC last night, and we’re going to Subway tonight for the condemned  “last meal.”

This morning I started getting ready to be seriously good. I made a careful list of menus for the coming week and a grocery list to go with it. When we returned from shopping, I started cooking.

• I have a rump roast in the crock pot which is starting to smell really good.
• I hard-boiled a dozen eggs
• I cut up a huge bowl of celery to go with the baby carrots and cherry tomatoes we eat with a low carb dip.
• I made sugar-free banana puddings for my husband
• And sugar-free chocolate puddings for me.
• I made low carb sausage balls.

___________________

1. I’m going back to listing everything I eat on MyFitnessPal.com, trying to stay under 40 carbs and 1200 calories per day. I’m building in a reward of an orange dream bar each evening into the count, as I did before.
2. I’m going to start drinking a lot more water, trying for at least 48 oz daily.
3. I’m going back to doing whatever amount of time I can on the elliptical every day.
4. I’m going to do at least one lesson in yoga daily.

I KNOW I can do this. NO MORE EXCUSES! NO MORE WEAKNESS!  Wish me luck?

taolife.com

Life Lessons – Take 2

Life Lessons by AwePost

I’ve made a lot of progress in being happy. Mostly, I just REALIZE and APPRECIATE.  I’m working on this list, too.

Blooming Its Heart Out

My husband came into the kitchen, saying, “You’ve got to take some pictures of the azalea. It’s blooming its heart out.”

 

I particularly love the color of this one. Several others around the yard aren’t doing well, but THIS one is really singing now.

 

In the next planter over, We have big buds on our camellia plant. Every year it tries to give us a really nice display of showy white flowers, but severe weather beats it to a pulp. Maybe this year – although the forecast is for severe weather tonight – we’re southeast of Fort Smith in the orange blob…

I hope you’re having a beautiful day wherever you are.

Groaners – Take 1

Babies – Pinterest

 

1, Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, “I’ll serve you but don’t start anything.”

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walked into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says: “A beer please, and one for the road.”

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown.
One says to the other: “Does this taste funny to you?”

Why We Still Read Newspapers – Take 1

Doug Powell via Marsha Koenig

The Garden Survived!

Pixir Tutorial

We had several HARD storms yesterday afternoon, evening, and into early this morning. There was a lot of wind and DRIVING rain. I was afraid of what I might find in the garden with my tender, new plants.

 

 

 

The part of the garden that had the hardest time was my labels! They’re all dirty – I guess from blowing rain and Mel’s mix. I’ll have to clean them up at some point, but today was too busy. Here you can see the three raised bed boxes on the north side of the garden. The plant that had the hardest time was the red leaf lettuce. Some of it looks pretty beaten down, but I’m hoping they’ll perk up.

 

The Georgia Sweet Onions are doing well. The empty square will hold more spaghetti squash plants soon, I hope.  I planted three tomato plants today, plus one celery plant and three spaghetti squash plants today.

 

My spinach plants and Romaine lettuce plants are doing fine, so far. I’ll be able to start harvesting the outer leaves soon. On the right is a new spaghetti squash plant I transplanted today from the window sill.

 

I started two squares of radishes.

 

I have broccoli and cauliflower plants. You can see some of the celery plants on the upper left of this photo.

We have more forecast severe storms coming Sunday night into Monday morning, so fingers will be crossed again.

Fresh Look

Macy’s is having a sale, since they’re closing a lot of stores. My husband saw this on the net, and we ordered it.

It arrived yesterday, two days after we ordered. We got the 12 pc set for under $60, including taxes and shipping.  We tried the set last night and were both pleased how cozy – yet LIGHT – the comforter is!

Wicker Art – Take 2

Newby Hall – Emma Stothart – Wicker Art Collection – Stephanie Moon

 

 

Pinterest

 

 

Pinterest

Fun with my Fish

When I change the water in my fish, Sally’s, bowl, I like to change the decoration. I was tired of the ones I’ve been using, and so was looking around to see if I had anything else that would brighten Sally’s life.

 

I have two soap dishes that I love. One is a man in a tub and the other, a woman. I have the man beside the kitchen sink. I had the woman upstairs beside my sink in the master bath. I brought it down, cleaned it up and put it into the fish bowl.

 

 

 

Sally has been swimming around, sniffing at her new digs. I think she likes having a mermaid in her bowl.