Eating Like A Bird

The bird feeders in my backyard have sustained severe neglect over the summer. The thistle that remained at the bottom of one of them had slowly turned into a dark moldy cement with repeated exposure to rain and sun. The other feeder has small puffy patches of white in it; small spider nests that have been built in there. The clear plastic on both of them turned dingy and yellow. The suet cage nearby has swung empty in the summer breezes for months...

The weather is turning, and the birds that intend to stick around this winter could probably begin to use some help. I was at Ocean State Job Lot this afternoon, and could have just bought new feeders, they're only like 5 bucks each. But wouldn't it be better to take the old ones down, and give them a good scrubbing and reload. A few minutes, a little elbow grease and hand soap in the bathroom sink, and they were good to go. (Kelly's insistence that she'll now catch the bird flu from me washing the feeders so close to the toothbrushes and other bathroom vanities, was easily tuned out, by cranking up the faucet a bit...)

Good as new. Come dawn, there's a new diner in town.



There's nothing to get your mind right like waking up to birds chirping right outside your window.

I sometimes consider Ocean State Job Lot as a Wal-Mart in training...



The stuff is a smidge crappier, and the prices a smidge lower. It's a good place to get odd stuff cheap, like stationary or duct tape or bird feeders. Both store chains as well as Big Lots (an Ocean State in training) are expected to do well in the coming months if not years, of expected belt tightening. I've already noticed a distinct jump in clientele whenever I go in there. It's not just for poor people anymore...

Out in the natural world Fall is in full effect, and a taste of winter is at hand the next few nights.







Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to really get out for some good leaf peeping; and it seems the peak time is nearly passed. The colors are still there and bright as fire, but the branches are getting barer and barer each passing day.







It looks like we'll finally have some time Saturday to go for a look around, though we might just have to take a swing south into Connecticut, where it's just starting to peak to get a good dose of colors.

We'll see what tommorrow brings...