You husband has the right idea. Sandblast - then the paint will adhere better to the birdbath. Spray enamel - good quality - We it is done change the water occasionally and I bet the water will be a better quality than most. Good luck - Mike

Y'all are so lucky. I just get the RTs, but that's still outstanding. I've only been HB'ing for 4 years now and started because they were frequenting my garden. I raise and release butterflies so a lot of their plants are attractive to hummers too, like salvias, lantana, passion vines, cosmos, verbena bonariensis, pentas, cypress vine, honeysuckle. I see my hummers all day long from dawn to dusk. Do they fly at night? Seems like they never rest! Have fun at your festival and let us know how it goes. Susan

I must take issue with Tiffany’s comments. Outdoor cats are not a scourge on the land. They are outdoors because WE put them out there. Why do they get put out? Let me count the ways: 1. WE are too lazy to care for them after we get them. Food, vet bills, litter, toys, OUR attention…….WE decide it’s all too much. WE are too lazy to even surrender them to a rescue…….omg, the gas for driving them there! So WE just put them out. 2. WE don’t take the time or spend the money to get their them their vaccinations AND most importantly, WE DON’T SPAY OR NEUTER THEM. WE DON’t want to spend the money or some men have sick notions about removing the testicles from a male cat or dog btw, because they personalize it.(of course neutered male cats and dogs will live longer healthier lives because they don’t roam or fight as much AND they have a lower occurrance of testicular cancer which of course they DIE from). Or without proper vaccinations, they get sick and often get disposed of. I don’t mean creamated, I mean thrown in a dumpster to die. 3. So when unspayed female cat sneaks out of the house or WE let her out for a few hours so she can experience her wild nature……..then WE get surprised that she is PG and WE don’t want kitties…….again, instead of taking her to a rescue, WE open the door and let her go…….forever. She can fend for herself, right? WRONG! Indoor domesticated cats have been fed by US so when put out, they must revert to a somewhat wild state to survive, if they do. 4. As a result of number 3, all the kitties are born outside and then they know nothing except what their mother teaches them. If you knew anything about cats, you would understand that cats do not kill for sport, but out of hunger. What looks like playing with their food is actually killing the prey. Pouncing, shaking throwing it the air is all about subduing prey so they are then ableto eat it. This is also how an outdoor mother teaches her kittens to hunt so they can survive outdoors. Birds are a minor part of their diet. They kill far more mice and rats than birds. Really I could go on and on about why there are free roaming cats, but I agree with functionthenlook. Tall buildings with nighttime lights and habitat loss are the top killers of birds. Now if you want to help cut down on the free roaming cat issue in your area, you can do Trap-Neuter-Return. TNR is the only effective and humane way of reducing the free roaming cat population. I have done it in my neighborhood for years. By neutering cats, you stop the reproduction cycle. Many cities have ordinances to pay for the services. Some vets are willing to offer services for free or a nominal feewe. Over time, numbers reduce. Here’s where you can learn more if you want to help rather than complain and make opinionated remarks. Best friends animal society , one of the best organizations in the country working round the clock to end all unnecessary killings by 2025. Also on the front lines when disaster hits and animals are involved. Think Hurricane Katrina. Alley cat allies Faunalytics Fix Nation Indy Feral and many, many others if you look. debra

I mean, they LOOK like sempervivum! LOL But I have no way of knowing whether they're some sort of hybrid or something. Last year I filled it up with what were labeled as Blacks, Royal Rubies, Cobweb Buttons, and then added a Blue Heron echeveria, Ice Plant, and Lemon Ball. I moved those last three to the greenhouse and left the first 3 in the pot, but they all died. For drainage, I drilled about 20 holes through the cement (I think the bit is 3/8", but it could be 1/4"), and the soil is a mix of potting soil and perlite (I think I did 60% soil 40% perlite, but I can't swear to that). Everything seemed great through the warm months so I don't think that drainage is an issue? I didn't buy new sempervivum this year, I just put the Lemon Ball and Ice Plant back in. They all did well, but it's getting close to time for me to put them in the greenhouse.