This first part of today's post is just for Sharon. She could use some New Mexico good cheer while she wraps up the last frantic days of their big move. Barely two weeks to go, girl, and then these little fellows will be joining you out under the portales for margaritas!
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About a week ago, I heard the distinct sound of a hummingbird diving in and out of the sage brush. A friend describes the sound well; like tiny Volkswagen Beetles.It wasn't until yesterday that I found our one surviving bird feeder. The other had fallen down late last summer and the UV-beaten plastic shattered, leaving a good quantity of sticky sugar water everywhere.
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So far, this little fellow with just a touch of purple collaring his neck is the main visitor. If he has his way, he will be the only one. He perches up on the cast iron hanger and guards his nectar water intently. But, as you can see in the top photo, the green is returning to our canyon and soon more hummingbirds will join our early bird. You picked the perfect time to migrate, too, Sharon!.
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.Mark Receives a Big Hand
.I owe our friends and family more details on Mark's broken hand so here it is:
We are finally finishing off part of the bathroom. It took me forever to start feeding and juggling four new electric wires through the ceiling and walls and around the shower and sink. The rework unfortunately required removing the flush mount shower light which we had installed last year since I couldn't access its junction box otherwise.
To reinstall the fixture, I was standing on a crate, trying my best to hold the light up in position and not rip up my arms on the shower's jagged edge screws while Mark replaced the light's mounting screws from within the shower. Easy enough.
Well ... there is bound to be a problem with a six and a half foot tall man working in a shower many inches shorter. It was a good thing that he got the first screw into place, too. The second screw slipped out of his grasp and fell to the drain area. He backed up as he leaned down and startled when his rump hit the shower door. So he lurched forward and nearly lobotomized himself as his head connected with the projecting corner shelf. I almost fell off the dairy crate when I heard (and felt) the sickeningly loud whack.
Having too recently performed a nearly identical move myself in our cozy little waterboard chamber, I empathetically recalled the blinding head pain and screeching of neck vertebrae as they compressed and shifted at horrid, unnatural angles. And I was hardly the one to go "Tsk, tsk" when he hauled off and whacked the offending shelf column in his moment of extreme pain.
So the score now stands at Shower: 2, Big People: zip. It is an amazingly robust and most evilly designed fiberglass torture unit. Although I lived with a mild hand fracture for a week or two after my own bout with it, Mark had obviously broken one or more things of significance since his hand swelled up to impressive proportions. A few days later, I finally found an ace bandage and bound his hand up. If nothing else, the binding reminds him to NOT use that hand. But, ya know, sometimes it feels so good to get in a little revenge at such excruciating moments. Maybe we need to pad the thing with rubber walls next or wear helmets in there next time. Someday I may fantasize about a much bigger shower area but, for now, I just fantasize about a real porcelain throne. Possibly my kingdom for one, in fact. One of these days, I will describe life with a composting toilet and gimpy knees. But first I must finish off that bathroom!
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27 comments:
Great picture of the humming bird. Dp you get the ruby-throated ones there?
My vote is for a padded room for both of you.
I can empathize with Mark somewhat, having wrecked my knees today working in a tight little place between the wall and mom's toilet!
Sure hope you two survive the construction!
Since you said you only have one feeder remaing, here are some things you might want to keep in mind when selecting new feeders.
There are two basic types of hummingbird feeders: the bottle or tube type of feeder and the saucer type of feeder. Each type has their own advantages and disadvantages.
The bottle or tube type of hummingbird feeder:
This type of feeder is usually made of glass or plastic.
It often contains red plastic flowers and bee-guards which are little plastic screens that keep insects away from the sugar solution on the feeding ports.
Tube-type hummingbird feeders are very popular with hummingbirds because they simulate the tube shape of many nectar-bearing flowers.
Bottle feeders tend to leak, because of the sun—the air that is trapped in the top of the bottle expands as it warms and pushes the nectar out.
Saucer-shaped hummingbird feeders:
This type of hummingbird feeder is usually made of plastic.
This type of hummingbird feeder has feeding ports in the top, making them bee-and wasp-proof.
Saucer feeders are better than bottle feeders in direct sunlight.
Other general hummingbird feeder considerations include the following:
Any hummingbird feeder should be easy to take apart and clean, because it should be washed frequently.
The hummingbird feeder can even be cleaned by running it through the dishwasher.
Since you will need to clean the feeder frequently, the fill hole should be large enough for you to reach in while cleaning.
The feeder should not be located in direct sunlight, as this causes the sugar solution to spoil rapidly.
The feeder must placed high enough on a branch so that squirrels and other predators cannot feed from it.
The feeder should be colorful, preferably red and orange, and it can have red ribbons trailing off the feeder so it can be easily spotted by the humming bird.
If you would like much more information about hummingbirds, please click the link below. The site contains many articles about hummingbirds, video clips about hummingbirds, an informative tips booklet on hummingbirds, and much more.
Click Here To Visit About Hummingbirds
Happy hummingbird watching everyone!
Zoe Ann Honds
Moose, I caught a quick glimpse of a ruby-throat late this afternoon, right before the little tyrant chased him away.
We have been considering padding the walls in the rest of the Rat for those days where we gnaw through the straps before morning.
Our sympathies, Mushy!!! Anything that involves a toilet and a small space can be similarly lethal.
I wonder if those gardening knee pads might save some DYI wear and tear on our aching knees?
Zoe Ann, I really appreciate your insights on what to look for in a new feeder. While I normally delete comments from commercial interests, I will leave yours here since your products look well-chosen and for reasonable prices. I'm sure I'm not the only one always looking for something beyond the usual 2 top sellers that the big box stores stock.
Great pictures as usual.
I hope his hand heals up quickly, I have never broken anything in my body... yet, hopefully that trend can continue.
Poor Mark! What is it about everyone whacking their paws right now. If I could send a French Dip your way I would. All is on the mend here, medicinal lasagna last night helped. The sauce has among other things Jimmy Dean hot sausage, lots of fresh basil and some cayenne. It will heal anything.
Your hummingbird pictures are stunning!!! - Val
Great pics, Lin. I know how hard it is to catch these lil beauties with a camera... I've tried, with little to no success.
I can relate to taking revenge on inanimate objects, as well. I'm just sorry Mark got the worst of it. I hope his hand is all healed up by now.
Alex, with luck, you won't break anything for a few decades to come. At least that is how it worked for me. Mark, on the other hand, is no stranger to broken bones. Hope you're built more robust as I am - then you will be fine ... if you don't take up extreme adventures.
Lin M, I thought the SAME thing! Is there some planetary alignment that encouraged mangled paws?
Given your preferred prescription of custom lasagna versus my ancient ace bandage, I'm not going to tell Mark about your cure. If we were less than 200 miles away, I would be inclined to whack myself on the hand with a mallet and we'd both head over for your treatments. Now you've done it and stirred up that comfort food lust. I will have to go digging in the larder to come up with some good wounded paw meds for tonight.
Thank you, Val! I must cede the glory to sheer fluke. Even though I have gone digital, I am still a miser on shots from the old days of film development costs. The bird just happened to feel like obliging for those. I'm hoping that I can catch them landing on my fingers as they did last year but that is perhaps a little more ambitious than fate might allow.
Buck, like I just confessed to Val, it was pretty much a fluke that the little guy decided to accommodate the photos for me. I was thrilled when I downloaded the results though!
You hit exactly the right term there ... 'inanimate objects'. We figure that when we start beating on each other and the rest of the Rat Pack, we need to seriously evaluate what effect this adventure is having upon us. Touch wood though - so far, so good!
Cool pic of the hummingbird. Usually their little wings are beating so fast you can hardly see their body.
Hope Mark is "up to snuff" and "handy" real soon:)
Goddess, if it weren't for the feeder, I doubt they'd ever slow down enough for me to see them.
His hand was looking a little better today despite the town run yesterday so that's encouraging.
Lin: I have a pair of those knee pads and for our knees--not much good.
Thank you, Moose, you just saved me a wasted experiment and quite a few bucks! Maybe what I REALLY need is knee pads with big springs in them so that I can bounce back up easier. I swear they are changing the specs on gravity.
Beautiful hummingbird pictures! I live in an older apartment complex with mature pine trees, and every summer we have many nesting hummingbirds. I had no idea that they were so territorial and feisty! Unfortunately, our apartment management forbade the hanging of any kind of feeders on our balconies after the first summer I lived here. I really enjoyed watching the little buzzers feed and dive-bomb each other.
I hope Mark's hand is better! The only problem with padding your bathroom or shower is that it would reduce the space even more...though you'd be less likely to injure yourselves!
Great Bird Shots Lin...I've got a couple of Hummers in my back garden, but they usually wait until the tall flowers are out....mid June is my guess.
Good work!
And speaking of Showers...I've got one in the basement, it's plastic and worn, I need a new one, but it still beats the upstairs main bath/shower, I haven't used that thing in 10 years....best to Mark and his hand.
Christina, it's a real eye-opener when you realize just how rude and territorial they are, isn't it? And they are demanding, too, considering that they are on our sugar dole.
Wonder why your apt. management disallowed feeders? It's not like they leave pigeon-sized calling cards. Maybe they figured someone would get their eye poked out with those sharp beaks and call an ambulance chaser. Sad, whatever the excuse, because they are so wonderful to watch.
Pat, I had never seen many of them but for a few in mid-summer until we moved here either. NM is LOADED with them! Once the hordes roll in, you can count as many as 20 all jockeying and fighting for a spot at the feeders. It is truly AWESOME!
Definitely treat yourself and get a bigger shower unit when the times comes ... we will be here to supply the deep envy. We dislike tub / shower combos as well - they seem like a classic 'jack of all trades' compromise.
Lin, I cannot recommend too strongly that you pad your shower. And any other area where an accident might occur to either of you. If that means the entire Rat, then so be it.
"I was standing on a crate...." You really do seem to be an accident looking for a place to happen. Most of us keep ladders somewhere in our living space to aid in fall prevention. We civilized beings prefer them to unstable, easily breakable crates. But then we don't live in the boonies where peril is a daily event.
As for hummings birds, I had a cat once that would lie at eye ball height to the feeder and just watch them any time they were feeding. He was fascinated by them (the sound?) and never once offered to catch one.
Cat, I know where you are coming from with that ladder idea. The problem is that the bathroom is in the LOWER ceiling part of the Rat and is also too tiny to put up a step ladder (and to think that is space used to be a 3rd bedroom ... for cats, maybe, but surely not for humans). If I stood two steps up on a later back there, my shoulders would be jamming into the ceiling and I'd be playing Quasimodo over the shower light. To make you feel a little better about the crate, I did put a scrap of plywood across the top of it to distribute the weight! Not that it helps when someone inside the shower goes for an unannounced crash test.
Beautiful hummingbird shots. Amazing. And I hope you guys invest in helmets and pads, if you're gonna keep this stuff up.
yeowchers!
Sorry to hear about Mark's paw.
That shelf clearly was asking for it, though.
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