I think the problem might be that song sparrows (at least on my property) seem to like the same type of shrub that house sparrows like. In my experience, the song sparrows like trees and deciduous shrubs as opposed to evergreens. They definitely like less tidy spaces.......but then so do house sparrows! Wish I could help you more. Good luck. P.S. Do you feed the birds? I've learned to never have millet in any birdseed I put out, since they like it so much. Actually, I quit feeding the birds because of a coon problem, and I have lots less house sparrows around.....so you might consider stopping birdfeeding for awhile.

That is an awesome CD you got there, Karen! I should would like one of those ;-). However, I did find a Michael Jackson CD this weekend at Walmart! They had three different ones but I got the one with all his Number One songs on it. This time I put my name on it just in case one of my kids borrow it, this way they will know it is their Mother's!! Enjoy, your CD :-) Deb

"IZ' is a legend in Hawaii, not for the 'Rainbows' but for his song "Hawai'i 78", reflecting on lost traditions. I really enjoy present-day Hawaiian singer Keali'i Reichel, especially his song "Wanting Memories". Like Iz, he has no formal training. His fellow high school students raised money for him to record his first songs after hearing him sing in the showers! Unlike Iz, he is a beautifully fit person! He trained to be a dancer/chanter of traditional hula. He has remained a kumu (leader/teacher) hula. His halau (hula toupe) has won many awards. If you've never seen kane (Hawaiian men) hula, you've missed a thrill.

Frieda, re your question about school assemblies and Jerusalem in particular. It used to be the law that every school began each day with a form of religious 'observance'. As far as I know this is still the case, although the large 'secondary' schools get round it by claiming lack of space/time etc. But junior schools, even the non-denominational ones, will have a couple of prayers and a hymn plus 'announcements'. And C of E and RC kids will probably attend weekly/occasional services in their local church. Of course these days, as your friend says we have become a far more 'secular' country plus we have had a huge influx of people bringing in a wide range of faiths, all of which are meant to be catered for within the 'Religious Education' systems of each school area. RE is still taught as a 'lesson' up to exam standard. That is certainly how I learnt the words and tunes of so many hymns. As far as Jerusalem goes. I feel the words don't mean much on their own but with that wonderfully confidant Victorian music, it would be difficult not to be moved by hearing it sung en masse . . . have you ever been/or heard the 'Last Night of the Proms' from the Royal Albert Hall and large parks around the UK when Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory etc are sung by the thousands in the audience? It may be considered very 'jingoistic' by the nay-sayers but it is a truly rousing sound. Below is an extract from the Last Night of the Proms. I hope it doesn't make your fillings tingle . . .luckily I, unlike millions of my countrymen have never needed any 'work' on my teeth so my head is quite amalgam-free. ;-) Here is a link that might be useful: Last Night of the Proms