Hey Linda - I laid awake all night last week when that NorEaster was blowing through worrying about my newly fledged Blues and the two other birds' nests in my yard. It was terrible here. My Blues were in that MIA period between fledging and bringing the babies back to eat mealworms, so I didn't know if they were ok. My little House Finch was probably seasick from twirling around in her hanging basket, but she and her nest made it through. My Robin - not so much. And then this week my Blues came back with their family, much to my delight, but they only had three of their five babies. I guess the other two were "naturally selected" out, but it made my heart hurt. Still, watching baby birds get fed is a real cure for what ails you. Glad to hear your finally came back too.

You have to think also that maybe when they land in someone else's yard or deck, other people might shoo them away (like my left neighbor) or have cats on the deck (like my other neighbor). So maybe it is in the bluebirds' best interest to be more cautious. If you spend enough time sitting still, quietly waiting, they might get accustomed to you. It might take a lot of patience. (Then somebody else shoos them away and they get jumpy again.) And the birds go through different behaviors at different times of the year, depending on the age of their young, availability of food, competitors, etc. BlueBars

Well, I've called all around and any of the wood "reclamation" companies aren't real interested in pine boards. Those that may be would require me to take it all down, sort by size and stack and bind all the boards up for shipping, and they're in different states I figure they're not going to pay much if anything for it once they figure their transportation costs. I could give it to habitat for humanity I guess, but again, someone would have to carefully dismantle it all, stack and take it there and we don't have a truck. I was hoping against hope there would some company out there that would come and take it down and haul it away - I'd give it to them for free just for their labor. Now if it was cherry, or hickory or something interesting like barn siding I think I'd have some takers! :-)

That “free” propane tank is about as free as a “free” Puppy. Its not. Do some due diligence and make sure you understand what your fees and costs will be for re-fills. Do they charge you a monthly leasing fee? They own the tank hence they have to fill it and they dictate the price. They will also charge you if you decide to have them take it out. We own our tank and can shop around for re-fills. I have paid $3-$5 less a gallon for refills than folks I know that lease their tank from a supplier. I suggest calling around and asking about refill prices for owned (on demand refills) versus leased refills. Over the last 50 months our propane costs for hot water/fireplace/side burners (I have induction for my cooktop and an electric dryer) has run less than $20 a month. Far less than the minimal $35 a month I paid to a natural gas company when we lived in the Orlando area (that was my bill when we were not home and only keeping a hot water heater minimally warm). Our 250 gallon propane tank was paid for in 3 refills. Natural gas was not available and the gas company wanted $35K to run a line 13 houses down the street if we wanted to hook up, We also have solar and one battery backup. It will take us about 6 years to recoup our solar investment less tax credits. We felt it was worth the investment. Our costs should be net zero for electricity and will get a check when the electric company “trues” up after our first year. Tax credits start phasing out after the end of this year unless something has changed. The battery back up was a splurge - they are still fairly expensive. We now travel extensively and are often gone during the peak of hurricane season - we enjoy being able to leave the house with some peace of mind that we will not be coming home to a mess in our fridge and freezer. If we are home without power - we have our fridge/freezer/hot water/garage door openers and lights/outlets/fans in part of the house. We can cook with an induction portable unit and toaster oven if we dont want to use the grill/side burners outside. We can charge our phones and use them to hot spot to stream tv and access the internet from our other devices if we choose - so we can live fairly well - just will not have AC. Good Luck!