Messages From The Heartland

[CellarDweller]

Does this mean you both want to come and play my game?

How are you doing today Kelda and Chuck? I hope everything is well and good in Scotland and New Jersey.

Hiya David!

Things in NJ are ok.....hot and humid, and I hope it passes soon!

[David In Indy]

It's hot and humid here too Chuck. We had some storms come through last night and they helped to cool things down. I think it will only be in the upper 70s and low 80s this weekend, which - if true - will be very nice. Maybe I will get my ass outside and do some much needed yard work. I need to pull the weeds out by the back fence before they get too big. I hate pulling weeds though. I'd rather stick needles in my eyes.

Hey Chuck and Kelda, do either of you have hummingbirds in your yard? I have two hummingbird feeders, both hanging off the roof eaves over the deck. Last year they ate up two feeders' worth of nectar every 5 or 6 days. This year they are going through it in two. Each feeder holds a cup of nectar. I think we have a great many more hummingbirds this year. Have you all noticed an increase in the number of hummingbirds at your houses? It's either that or else the neighbors have decided not to feed them this year and they are all coming over here. I can't BELIEVE how fast they are eating that nectar. That's more than 6 cups of sugar water each week! And they are such little tiny birds. I can't figure it out!

[Brown Eyes]

Heya David! How are you doing Bud?

It's hot and humid here in Pittsburgh too.  We also had storms tonight... I'm hoping the storms will break some of the heat and humidity... but, so far that really hasn't happened.

That's cool about the hummingbirds.  When I was in high school living in Connecticut we had hummingbirds in our backyard and my Dad went through a long phase of being interested in feeding birds.  So, he fed the hummingbirds.  I don't remember ever having as many hummingbirds as you must have for them to be going through so much food!  It must be very pleasant and pretty to have them around.

In my apartment in Pittsburgh I often put suet on the window sill for birds, but I don't have any outdoor space here.  So, I get sparrows and even sometimes cardinals here!  Very rarely do I get pigeons or more typical city birds.  I think of it as entertainment for Vivien.

[David In Indy]

Hi Amanda! I hope the storms will break the heat in Pittsburgh. Hopefully you didn't have any tornadoes tonight. We had some funnel clouds last night but I don't think any of them touched down. But they did over near Lafayette.

You put suet out for the birds? I normally do, but I haven't done it this year. I've been feeding the hummingbirds, and I also fill two bird feeders with regular bird seed. Back when I put the suet out it would often attract the woodpeckers. I miss seeing them. I should start putting it back out again. Sometimes a pilliated woodpecker would stop by. They are very big (think of Woody woodpecker. He is a pilliated woodpecker). I also put corn out for the squirrels and the raccoons. The raccoons also love any of the leftover scraps.

[CellarDweller]

Hey Chuck and Kelda, do either of you have hummingbirds in your yard? I have two hummingbird feeders, both hanging off the roof eaves over the deck. Last year they ate up two feeders' worth of nectar every 5 or 6 days. This year they are going through it in two. Each feeder holds a cup of nectar. I think we have a great many more hummingbirds this year. Have you all noticed an increase in the number of hummingbirds at your houses? It's either that or else the neighbors have decided not to feed them this year and they are all coming over here. I can't BELIEVE how fast they are eating that nectar. That's more than 6 cups of sugar water each week! And they are such little tiny birds. I can't figure it out!

I don't think I've ever seen a humming bird here at all.  I've only seen them on the TV.

One of the members here used to have a pretty awesome pic of a humming bird, I'll see if I can get them to repost.

[optom3]

Hi David
it's hot and sticky here. Every time I go into the house and comer back out, my glasses steam up. Still I shouldn't complain, at least something gets steamed up about me.
We have been having the typical, and pretty spectacular summer storms here. The lightning still scares me rigid, Emma and I shut all the curtains and play cards.
I had never seen a woodpecker till we moved here, I was  surprised that the noise they make is pretty loud. We also have this stunning bird called a red cardinal It is truly beautiful and a really vivid bright scarlet.
My favourite still remains the deer, I will never get over the wonder I feel when I am sitting out here on the laptop and Mum, Dad and the little ones stop by for a quick snack. Deer in the back yard, amazing.!! Not so keen on the alligators in the lakes or snakes in the garage.
It has been lovely catching up one everyones blogs. I think the last time I was here you were in danger of growing webbed feet there was so much water around. So it's good to read that you are o.k.

[David In Indy]

Hi Fi!!

It's so good to see you here. I was reading your blogs and I was really happy to hear about your optomotry job. Did you buy that company? Is it yours? I scrolled back as I was reading your blog to see if I could find an answer. It sounds as if you own the company now. Well, in any event, whether you own it or working for someone else, it sounds as if you are really enjoying your job and are having fun. That is such wonderful news! And it also sounds as if you are very good at what you do. I'm really happy to hear it.

Yes, those cardinals are beautiful. They are the official state bird of Indiana! We see them all year round, but mostly during the winter. They are one of the few breeds of birds that remain here during the winter months. Did you know that cardinals mate for life? They find a mate and pair with that bird until one of them dies. Someone told me about it and I looked it up on the Internet and apparently it is true. They are such beautiful birds but they are so shy. I've tried to take a picture of them many times but they fly away just as soon as I turn on the camera. And you are correct about the woodpeckers. They are very loud, especially the pileated woodpeckers. When they peck on a tree it sounds like a drum and you can hear them from a long way off.

I once took a picture of some deers in my Dad's yard. I'll try to find it and I'll post it here. It's a sad story actually. After they closed Fort Benjamin Harrison (it's just down the road from Dad's house) the city started building many large homes and condominiums in the fort area. Large tracts of woods and forests were cut down in order to make room for the new buildings. The animals, especially the deers had no place to go so they began migrating into the surrounding neighborhoods including the Avalon Hills area which is my Dad's neighborhood. So now one can see a great many deers roaming the neighborhoods during the late evening and night and it's a beautiful sight to see. But it is also very sad because they no longer have their natural home - the woods. It's the very same story with the coyotes. They too have seen their natural woodlands eliminated and so they also come to the neighborhoods at night in search of food.

[optom3]

I had no idea they mated for life, how sweet is that. The magpie is the same. There is a kid song in England which is called magpie and starts off, one for sorrow, 2 for joy. The inference being if you just see one magpie it is sad as it usually means they have lost their mate. There was a kids program called magpie and the song was their theme tune.
Oh that takes me back about 45 years, fighting with my brother whether we were going to watch blue peter or magpie, which was considered the more trendy program. Both of course were watched on a massive great lump of a T.V which was black and white. A concept my kids cannot comprehend.
We were also severely rationed vis a vis the amount of T.V we were permitted to watch. If we had misbehaved, i.e held our knife and fork in correctly, what a heinous crime, got down from the table before everyone had finished and even worse, not asked permission, out would sound  the cry, right no T.V for you tonight!!! In those days that was about the most awful punishment you could be given !! It would reduce my brother and I to tears. plus everyone at school would know you had misbehaved as you could not join in the T.V chatter.
It seems inconceivable to me now, to recall how incredibly simple life used to be.

[David In Indy]

I'm still looking for the deer picture. In the meantime, here's some cute animal pictures I've taken during the past couple of years....





They are willing to hang upside down in order to reach the bird food inside the bottom of the feeders. I call this picture "Squirrel Thief"

[David In Indy]