Let the squirrel-times roll… or not

Thanks Morebirds for giving me a way to replace the tube of my old Droll Yankee tube feeder that got eaten by a bear in the spring. Ten bucks, good as new, with just a philips screwdriver and a large nail (this later part I came up with as a way to hold the small nut way inside the feed hold while I screwed in the other side). I took a moment to clean up the metal bottom before reassembling and it really looks like new. I also ordered a small-birds-friendly feeder with collapsing perches to fill in the package and that looks nice too. Holds quite a bit of seed and I already saw some birds checking it out.

I moved the feeder Mom gave me the other day to where the screen tube was but added a top baffle. If that seems to keep the squirrels busy I will probably move the whole thing higher and go back to the screen tube since the larger birds prefer it.

After that arrived but before all the assembly stuff I headed out to get bird seed and managed to blank out on everything else on my list. So I got a few art supplies instead because it was almost not raining. Now it’s raining again. The Kinderhook is raging.

New feeder with collapsible perches, a demonstration movie.

Let the squirrel-times roll… or not

For the Quote Box

Tip of the hat to Robert LaFond:

Painters of marines do not represent the sea well, in general. The same approach may be applied to them as to the painters of landscape. They want to show too much science, make portraits of waves, as the landscapists make portraits of trees, of the earth, of mountains, etc. They do not concern themselves enough with the effect on the imagination; the multiplicity of petty details–even true details–turns the mind away from the principal spectacle, which is the immensity or the depth to be rendered by any given art. — Delacroix

For the Quote Box

Poetry Postcard Fest 2021 – Register Soon!

Just a reminder that a great way to stretch your poetry muscles is to get some daily practice and it’s that time again for August’s Poetry Postcard Fest. Registration ends on July 18, so time is short to sign up but you can do it!

You’ll get a list of 31 other folks and starting just before or on August 1, you’ll write a poem a day, sending it off to each successive person after you on the list. I usually have a short list of possible prompts in case I get stuck but generally once going it’s easier to keep going. Last year as you may recall my biggest problem was a sudden burst of double-sonnets which led to cards with writing on both sides of the postcard. THhere’s no theme or form requirements (there’s talk on the page about composing directly on the card but I don’t do that (although I don’t edit what I write each day in notebook or computer). You do what works for you and what gets the postcards in the mail every day.

The daily commitment is important to both you and your own writing as well as to the folks in your group. Who doesn’t love to get real mail in the mailbox?

Be bold! You can do it! Read more about it and you can sign up here. Small fee supports the Seattle Poetry Lab.

Here’s Harry practicing watching for the mailman. (ok he might be watching chipmunks… but he does watch the mailbox too)

Poetry Postcard Fest 2021 – Register Soon!