• Nesting Material,  Peanut Feeders,  Uncategorized

    fun peanut bird feeders do more than peanuts

    fun peanut feeders are versatile for more wild bird offeringsSince variety is considered the spice of life, try offering birds something a little more exciting than just plain old seed. You’ll attract a broader range of species in the process too.

    Peanuts! Jays, Nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers and more love peanuts. Shelled or whole, they’re a special treat packed with nutritional value for feathered friends – which makes them a great choice for winter feeding. Birds won’t mind them at all in summer though!

    This fun wreath peanut feeder features a mod design resembling an old slinky. In powder coat metal, it won’t rust and squirrels can’t chew through it either. There’s a trick to filling this feeder because it takes two hands, so here’s a quick tip: Sit down, and brace the feeder between your legs. This allows for the two-handed action required for pouring them from the bag, otherwise peanuts end up all over the floor. Been there, and done that!

    The cool thing about the wreath, or coil design is the options it affords for your birds. In summer, fruit is a perfect choice to attract migratory birds. Apple, pear, or orange slices, and even grapes are wonderful choices for cat birds, orioles, tanagers, woodpeckers and others.

    Early spring is absolutely the best time for offering nesting materials too… and so simple with this peanut bird feeder! Bright cotton yarns, decorative mosses, feathers, and even pet hair are a few favorites that will encourage nest building around the yard. Just fill the wreath, pull some materials through to get started, and hang it from a branch where birds will see it. Don’t pack materials too tightly though. Should rain saturate them, you’ll want enough air to pass through enabling the materials to dry fairly quickly.

    Even when using as a peanut feeder, you can still “mix it up” by adding suet balls or suet chunks in with peanuts. Birds will love it, and they’ll be back for more!

    By the way, this photo was taken in our backyard, so when it shows up other places… please remember you saw it here first. This is how we ship them, assembled, filled and ready to go, with extra peanuts too!

  • Uncategorized

    A day of gratitude for those who served

    giving thanks on memorial day to those who served our nationOn this Memorial day, we’d like to give thanks to those who served, and especially those who gave their lives for our freedom. It’s not something we think about, taken for granted, our freedom is beyond precious, beyond what we could ever imagine America would be without it.

    And even to the four-legged heroes of war, we say thank you for giving your lives in the name of freedom. Here’s a few good pics and posts floating around the web this weekend, in honor of Memorial Day.Four-legged heroes of war are remembered too on Memorial Day

    And a quote from a friend, Jeff Waldman: “When you cringe at the political or religious ideologies of others, and when you get up on the soapbox to espouse yours, remember those who gave their lives to give you the freedom to do so.

    And one more, which may seem corny at first, but worth the read:

    Daddy’s Poem

    Her hair was up in a pony tail,
    Her favorite dress tied with a bow.daddy's poem-for a fallen soldier
    Today was Daddy’s Day at school,
    And she couldn’t wait to go.
    But her mommy tried to tell her,
    That she probably should stay home.
    Why the kids might not understand,
    If she went to school alone.

    But she was not afraid;
    She knew just what to say.
    What to tell her classmates
    Of why he wasn’t there today.

    But still her mother worried,
    For her to face this day alone.
    And that was why once again,
    She tried to keep her daughter home.

    But the little girl went to school
    Eager to tell them all.
    About a dad she never sees
    A dad who never calls.

    There were daddies along the wall in back,
    For everyone to meet.
    Children squirming impatiently,
    Anxious in their seats

    One by one the teacher called
    A student from the class.
    To introduce their daddy,
    As seconds slowly passed.

    At last the teacher called her name,
    Every child turned to stare.
    Each of them was searching,
    A man who wasn’t there.

    ‘Where’s her daddy at?’
    She heard a boy call out.
    ‘She probably doesn’t have one,’
    Another student dared to shout.

    And from somewhere near the back,
    She heard a daddy say,
    ‘Looks like another deadbeat dad,
    Too busy to waste his day.’

    The words did not offend her,
    As she smiled up at her Mom.
    And looked back at her teacher,
    Who told her to go on.
    And with hands behind her back,
    Slowly she began to speak.
    And out from the mouth of a child,
    Came words incredibly unique.

    ‘My Daddy couldn’t be here,
    Because he lives so far away.
    But I know he wishes he could be,
    Since this is such a special day.

    And though you cannot meet him,
    I wanted you to know.
    All about my daddy,
    And how much he loves me so.

    He loved to tell me stories
    He taught me to ride my bike.
    He surprised me with pink roses,
    And taught me to fly a kite.

    We used to share fudge sundaes,
    And ice cream in a cone.
    And though you cannot see him.
    I’m not standing here alone.

    ‘Cause my daddy’s always with me,
    Even though we are apart
    I know because he told me,
    He’ll forever be in my heart’

    With that, her little hand reached up,
    And lay across her chest.
    Feeling her own heartbeat,
    Beneath her favorite dress.

    And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
    Her mother stood in tears.
    Proudly watching her daughter,
    Who was wise beyond her years.

    For she stood up for the love
    Of a man not in her life.
    Doing what was best for her,
    Doing what was right.

    And when she dropped her hand back down,
    Staring straight into the crowd.
    She finished with a voice so soft,
    But its message clear and loud.

    ‘I love my daddy very much,
    he’s my shining star.
    And if he could, he’d be here,
    But heaven’s just too far.

    You see he is a soldier
    And died just this past year
    When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
    And taught the world to fear. But sometimes when I close my eyes,
    it’s like he never went away.’
    And then she closed her eyes,
    And saw him there that day.

    And to her mothers amazement,
    She witnessed with surprise.
    A room full of daddies and children,
    All starting to close their eyes.

    Who knows what they saw before them,
    Who knows what they felt inside.
    Perhaps for merely a second,
    They saw him at her side.

    ‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’
    To the silence she called out.
    And what happened next made believers,
    Of those once filled with doubt.

    Not one in that room could explain it,
    For each of their eyes had been closed.
    But there on the desk beside her,
    Was a fragrant long-stemmed rose.
    And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
    By the love of her shining star.
    And given the gift of believing,
    That heaven is never too far.

  • Bat Houses,  Bats & Butterflies,  Uncategorized

    Consider Bat Houses for Natural Insect Control and more!

    Control Insects using Bat Houses and forget the pesticidesForget the pesticides, they’re literally choking the planet, and with the mild winter we’ve had, you can count on an extremely buggy summer! Because the ground never underwent an extended hard freeze, every creepy-crawly, buzzing and flying pest will witness a bumper crop season! A real nuisance for those who love the outdoors, but it doesn’t have to be….

    Birds eat bugs, and bats eat more bugs – by the thousands per night! Although fuzzy, brown bats may appear a little on the eerie side, they are one of the most misunderstood flying creatures of the planet. Actually considered mammals, bats are essential to our ecosystem. Critical, bio-diverse services performed not only include insect control, but pollination and seed dispersal as well. In just about any given habitat; cities, deserts, woodlands, grasslands, rain forests, and your backyard, bat houses provide roosting spots for these beneficial flying mammals. Mounted high on a pole (15 to 20 feet) or on the side of a structure, bat houses will entice permanent residence if habitat is suitable.

    The Center for Biological Diversity has published some astonishing numbers as far as bats’ value to farmers. The major concern is the quick-spreading White Nose Syndrome disease which has decimated entire bat populations in the last few years. Emerging in the Northeast, the fatal disease has spread south and west, wiping out complete colonies of cave-dwelling bats.

    “Nationwide the loss of bats could mean exploding populations of insects no longer kept in check by these furry, fly-by-night mammals. Scientists have estimated that by keeping insect pests at bay and reducing the need for pesticides, bats are worth $22 billion annually to American farmers. In Colorado, these savings could reach $430 million per year; in South Dakota, $1.1 billion.

    While bats are dying at rates topping 90 percent in some areas, and some species could face extinction, the risk to western bats and farmers is too great to justify easing restrictions for discretionary cave uses like recreation.”

    The Center is asking for everyone’s help in protecting western bats, and preventing the spread of the deadly fungus. Simply keeping caves closed (nature’s bat houses) to tourism is a simple step in protecting bats and thwarting the war waged against their extinction.

    Please take one minute and sign a letter to the U.S. Forest Service, asking for responsible management by maintaining current laws to keep bat caves closed to tourism.