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Birds and the Birdbrains Who Love Them

10/2/2013

1 Comment

 
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I've always loved birds. I love birds because they are beautiful, and their antics are a
great source of amusement for me, my Hero, and the Kitty Boys.  Especially the bath
time free-for-all. But mostly I love them because they eat spiders. Lots of them.  And
anyone who knows me at all knows that I am hugely freaked out by spiders. 
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Sometime way before we came to live here, someone with wonderful vision
planted two Trumpet Vines and added a bird condo between them. I don't
know if they lived here long enough to see how charmingly it all turned out,
but I hope so.  ( It's a bit grainy and the condo doesn't show up well as
I snapped this one from my kitchen window and did not think to put up the screen. )
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Last year Sandy crashed ashore, the epicenter just a few miles north of us.
She then veered north sparing us the worst and we came through pretty
much unscathed.   But our little bird condo didn't fare as well. It was pushed
forward at an alarming angle.  I had visions of tiny birds, feet planted to either
side of their little round "doorways" trying not to plummet out of their nests. 
If it had been time for egg laying, they would have certainly rolled right out. 
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We stabilized it as best we could, and set about cutting away the
doubled-up 2x4 posts and cross beams. So there we were, my Hero
up on a ladder on one side of the vine-condo and me up on a ladder
on the other side, and he is cutting away old timbers with a Sawzall
electric saw and I'm trying to support this bird condo that is considerably
larger up close than it looks in pictures, and a lot heavier.  About then I
was thinking, "This is probably one of the more stupid things I've done
in a while". That's when one very panicked little bird shot out of her nest
right through my hair, poor thing.  ( She returned as soon as we were done. ).
Luckily, the old vines were so firmly attached to the condo that when my
Hero cut it free with me holding onto it up a six foot ladder they held it in
place with little support from me.  Thank goodness, because I was a bit
worried about going over backwards hugging this thing all the way to the ground.
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One new 4x4, two new cross beams, a hanging flower basket just for pretty,
and it was as good as new.  Best of all, the condo has a No Vacancy sign posted.

Have a glorious day !!!

Cindy

PS   Adding a Disclaimer here:  a) we are old enough to know better
than to have attempted this without better safety precautions, and
b) being too stubborn to admit that, was no excuse.
Please do not follow our example.
1 Comment
Vickie
11/6/2013 10:06:29 pm

Cindy, it looks great!! I have always loved your decorating style and I know you can find a bargain like no one else I've met - and that is saying something coming from me!! I can just see you both up on the ladders saving the birdhouse. I know two other people who would do the same thing. We are so much alike sometimes!!

So keep it up. This was a fun read - great way to start me day.

Hugs, V

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    Picture

    Welcome!

    I’m Cindy, thank you so much for visiting The Quirky Nest. 

    The Quirky Nest derives its name from our Realtor's query, "What are you looking for in a home?" to which my Hero responded, "Something quirky, no cookie cutter houses."  And so this little house became ours.  The fact that it came with no less than five birdhouses plus one vine-wrapped bird condo kinda underscores the whole nest thing
       
    We share our home with one large Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Willow, and two kitty boys named Finneus and Barley.  AKA, the kids. 

    I'm a recently transplanted Southerner. We're not really all that far north of the Mason Dixon Line, but there are moments when I feel a strong kindred spirit with Dorothy.

    I'm the mom of three grown sons and the grand-momma of two beautiful granddaughters. Two fabulous daughters-in-law are an added bonus. 

    I qualify for most, but not quite all, senior discounts.  It’s sort of a blessing with a curse.

    I'm a hunter-gatherer. Antique shops, flea markets, dusty old junk shops and architectural salvage yards are my perfect playgrounds.  Finding that unexpected something that I didn't know I was looking for makes me absolutely giddy. 

    But mostly, I find my greatest joy in helping others, nurturing my family, creating a warm inviting home, and adding a little of my history to the things I touch.

    My Hero and I have a very long list of projects that we are undertaking around our home.  Old houses, with their lath and plaster walls and less than level or straight anything, bring a whole different set of issues to the table and I can’t wait to share our challenges and solutions with you.  

    In 2020 our little house will be a century old.  We, my Hero and I, are working hard to make sure she is ready for the next 100 years and would love for you to join us on the adventure.

    Joy to all!

    Cindy

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