My rooster was getting frostbite regularly until I started rubbing vaseline on his comb and wattles and bought the heat lamp bulb. It's one of those really big red heat lamp bulbs people put in their bathrooms. It's 250 watts and just goes into a regular (but not plastic) socket. It cost me about $10 and has been well worth it. I only run it at night when it's below -15 and the odd day when it is that cold all day. The vaseline helps a lot too. He struggled fiercly until I started stroking his comb with the vaseline. Then he got really still and just stood quietly though the whole procedure. I think he likes it. I've done it a few times. It's necessary anyway, whether he likes it or not. I laughed the first time, as one of the lead hens came up really close, watching, and asking a quiet question. When she got in his face he gave her a little chirp without moving and she went away. I guess she was worried. It was so cute! I remember that about Thunder Bay. The things that do grow well there get HUGE due to the extra long daylight. The blackflies and mosquitoes are fierce but only for a very short period of time, then nothing. They get so bad in May they drive the moose out onto the highways. I saw my only real life bald eagle up north and up close. I actually had to use the break to keep from running into him with the car. He was flying down the highway in front of us. HUGE and gorgeous bird with a wingspan much larger than our car. I had no idea they were so big! I never have the camera when I need it!

Sharbear, I meant to ask Santa for another house to put up, but I forgot. I will have to try to get another one before February, when they start their nesting. This little house has been so fun to watch. Melissa, he was so easy to see. Almost at eye level for me and in full sunshine to warm up! Did not even move a muscle as I scooted around the bananas. Marion, come to think of it, my yard is usually buzzing with dragonflies (because of the pond), but I haven't really noticed one lately. Haven't seen any dead ones either. Will have to keep an eye out. It always feels good to know we have helped a creature survive. The car was a good idea. Kate, I got a new camera for Christmas, so I'm eager to start using it more and more. There is little in my yard to take a picture of right now, though! Denise, most of the banana leaves are brown and sagging. The trunk and the little bananas on the one bunch have some brown spots, but don't look awful. I wonder if the bananas will continue to develop or it I need to cut off the bunch? By the way, the native rosinweed you gave me is looking great and starting to bloom. The dwarf poinciana is about four feet tall and had a few beautiful blooms before the cold came. It should do great this year. Will take pictures sometime. The kalanchoe are still waiting for you if you ever come up this way again. Trini, I seriously need to get more houses! Gary, could the heater be too warm? I've found lizards in my hoses trying to escape the cold. Boy are they sluggish. Anna

My white BoP's leaves have started curling again. I transplanted it about 1 month ago FROM a location where it got 1/2 day morning sun, 1/2 day shade/sun (mulched) TO a location where it gets mostly full sun (mulched). After the transplant the leaves curled (shock?) but then flattened out after a week or so. Now a month since the leaves flattened they started to curl again. Our temps have been mild lately (mid 70's to mid 80's) and we've been in a drought in north FL. However with the soil mulched and watering a fair amount I would think something may be wrong. The temps did drop to low 40's recently... so that may be it. OR maybe it's getting too much sun? I wouldn't think it isnt's the sun cause the leaves flattened out after the transplant and it was hotter then and in full sun. There is new grow, leaves are mostly green. Any ideas? Also it seems my Orange Bird survived the winter and a new stem is coming up. Just trimmed back the old one's some more cause they looked very black (but not mushy).

I'm sorry for not getting back to this sooner, but have been reading responses, while I continued to undo and redo my garden. (Undo = trashing diseased plants, cleaning and bringing in the terra-cotta and decor, gathering the last of the tomatoes for eiither pickling or letting them grow red in cardboard boxes, protecting borderline periennials, cooking and then tossing cream of celery soup - parcel is a bit overpowering - yuck, gathering some plants for composting, etc. Redo = bringing in the herbs and tropical succulents for my attempt at overwintering them, plus bringing in the lettuce and broccoli onto the unheated front porch.) Still not completely done, but the freezing temps have arrived, so not as big a hurry now. It was just too late in the season to plant new shrubs and/or trees, and, with a 16 foot squared yard, even one small tree means, at best, half the yard would be filled with it, considering trees or bushes generally grow as wide as they do tall. It's hard enough to figure out how to fit just the minimum of what I want to grow - considering we both like flowers, herbs, and vegetables from our garden. (The pumpkins were happy accidents, never to be done again -- I hope. LOL) Also, I'm not keeping birds alive to watch a wide variety of them eat my offerings. I can't even see outback from our too high window and I'm in Philly. Our bird population consist of sparrows, starlings, pigeons, and on a rare occasion, robins. I did meet a man, who used to live down the street, who actually had hummingbirds come to his yard (thus the references to several plants hmmingbirds would love), but haven't seen any myelf. My hubby worked at a base with lots of warehousing half a mile from here, and discovered a peregrin falcon was feasting on the pigeons in pme pf the wharehouses, but those birds require accommadations I simply cannot supply (unless I work towards attracting pigeons and rats. LOL) Since most of my life has been in the burbs or country, I do know most of the birds everyone mentione, they just aren't city dwellers. I haven't even seen a chickadee or wren here. I've also only seen a couple of pinecones, including neightbors' Christmas decorations, in the 16 years I've lived here. You'd think a state named "Penn's forest" would plant some pine trees, or leave some around and plant around them, but if they did either, not many have lasted in this city. I did check out the British site linked, which gave me some added ideas, if I run out of regular bird food (cereal with dried fruit in it -- my favorite, too), but kinda hard to figure out the differences in weather for them, since they're more like Seattle cold, not Philly cold. Since my other passion in life is teddy bears, I've come to know some from the UK, and saw pictures of them snowboarding last winter, and I know they brought out their marigolds before we did, so it gives a rough idea of the mild differences. My bears now want to make the birds some grapevine wreathes with dried fruit and millet for them. Not sure how to leave vegetation around for bugs to congregate, since they are usually busy in the bottom of my compost bins (5-gallon plastic buckets and a large plastic trash can all with a bunch of holes in the lower sides and bottoms for easy access for the needed bugs), but will hope the vegetation still left out there will be kind enough to make those piles as they fall apart during the winter. I just hope most of it goes into the containers, so it doesn't end up clogging our drain during rain and snowstorms. (I also hope I don't see the amount of bugs I found last spring in one bin. Folks with bug phobias just shouldn't compost. LOL) Have discovered they do not like sweet peppers or green tomatoes -- not even the squirrels went for them -- but am hoping for our Indian Summer, so a few maggots might pop out of what is left over, since I now know birds need bugs! Thanks for all the ideas and links. I will be asking neighbors for pine boughs and trees after Christmas. Worse comes to worse, they should add some protection from severe storms in the worst of winter for my feathery friends.