Hi, Kids, These are my feeders. As you will see, they are kinda close to the house. That's both good and bad...the birds are easy to see and the feeders are easy to fill but it also limits the type of birds I get. ie: no Ring Tails in my yard ;( These are the two tube feeders that are just off the deck. One Thistle and one Safflower. The squirrels don't bother them. The dome baffles are mostly for protection from the weather. I have a seed try for the Safflower tube but I can not attatch it until the tube is empty. This shows the edge of the deck, the suet feeder on the pine tree, the two tube feeders and the heated bird bath. You can also see the older 'bird condo' in the back. This one shows the tube feeder that is hung from the tree that is just outside the den and kitchen windows. It is for black oil sunflower seeds. This is the one that the squirrels have not yet gotten to. I see them on the tree, reaching...but they can't get to it. I see them on the pole above the feeder but, they are unsure of the larger dome baffle. It's been up since Nov. 18th but I have not seen a single squirrel eating from the feeder. Lot's of squirrels on the ground below, but that is as close as they have gotten...so far. Same feeder taken to show how close it is from the house/deck. Same feeder, looking up from the ground. It's about 15 feet up...another reason the squirrels are unsure ? Last one. This is my view of the same feeder from my desk. This is to show you how close it is to the house...about 12 - 15 feet. Also, Claire, you can see some of the plants that hang/sit in front of the window...from the birds hitting the window question. OK...one more. This is my view from inside the house, through the slider screen. My desk and chair are about 4 feet from the slider. From my chair I can look from the tree feeder to the suet and pole feeders...like watching a tennis match. Sorry about the ugly grill. I hope these come through and I hope they are not too big. Let me know. sooey

Hi birders, checking in although nothing too exciting to report here. I'm doing my PFW every week, on a Sun-Mon schedule. This past weekend the birds were sparse. I hardly saw a bird in the yard or feeders for about 2 days during the snow that didn't really stop for about 3 days. Usually they are busy on the feeders during inclement weather, but for some reason they were nowhere to be seen. I do see the Bluebirds frequently, there are more hanging around this winter than the previous 2 years. I wonder if my suet log has influenced their decision not to migrate? If so, lots of pressure on me to keep the home-made suet stocked, wouldn't want those beauties to starve! Claire, that's great you had a male Purple Finch, I see the females from time to time, but the males seem very skittish. They will rarely come to the feeders although I have seen them lurking in the bushes while the female(s) eat. Thyme2dig, no problem about the photo, that day the Waxwings showed up with the Bluebirds was truly a stroke of luck that 1) I was around 2) I looked out the window and 3) the weather/sunlight/etc. was just about perfect for taking pictures! The Waxwings probably followed the Bluebirds there, because they eat from similar food sources in the winter. For sure, they are 2 of the most beautiful North American birds, together in the same spot 6 feet outside my window! :)

Good Saturday morning, everyone! It's sunny and warming up here to 79 this afternoon. I've been up and out to my church women's monthly meeting. Our guest speaker today spoke about her husband's death from breast cancer 5 years ago. He was diagnosed 20 years ago, and with chemo, he had 7 cancer-free years, then they found spots on his lungs, and with Tamoxifen (sp?) he had another 5 good years before it moved to his brain. I'd never thought about men having breast cancer before, but it accounts for 10% of the BC deaths these days. Donna, that's great that your construction is under way! I'd love to see progress pics. Suzanne, at least you're rained in with your hubby at home, right? It could always be worse. LOL Tikanis, I hope you find your perfect bike and new clothes. Have fun out in the garden, too! BJ, I'm sending you good vibes and comforting hugs. Please pass them on to your friends. How sad for everyone. We played canasta with our friends last night, and it was almost like old times. Lots of laughs, bad jokes, and ribbing about our playing. We've been erratic about playing since our friend Larry died, but I hope we get back to playing regularly because it's good for all of us to get together. I think that hubby and I are going sightseeing this afternoon. There's a town called Spring about an hour away from here, and their 'old town' is officially opened and dressed up beginning today for Christmas. I've never been there, so it will be fun to see it at its prettiest the first time. I'm always up for finding fun odds and ends for those little 'extras' at Christmas or even for birthday treats. Hubby has decided to join the church, so tomorrow is the big day. He's been waiting until all our friends could be in attendance to join, and it's taken 2 months to reach this day. He's already immersed in several volunteer things around there, so this is almost just a formality. I'm glad he came to this decision on his own without any pressure from me, too. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Jan- (((((HUGS))))))) It's always too soon. I lost my 36 yr. old brother 21 years ago and I still talk about him like he was here yesterday. And newphew, Brandon (at 21), too young, was an unconsolable sadness that weighed on our hearts for a long, long time. The memories are what keeps them alive in my heart. At this age, unfortunately, many of us realize that the days on earth are never to be taken for granted. Check in when you can. We will think of you... Marci: Happy to see you back. I think of you often. Hope you are getting through the days okay and the holidays aren't too painful for you and yours this year. The first year is the very worst. Peggy: Keep on truckin'. I log on here, wanting to hear that you are taking it day by day and each successful day makes me smile. STAY BUSY and drink tea, pop, whatever...Don't WAVER! We love that you are S-T-R-O-N-G!!! Patti- On a happy note: the wild chickens aound fun to me! I love chickens that just hang out and ACT like they're SUPPOSED to be there! Raeanne and Jan-When you find "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Big?" Don't bother reading it. Peter Walsh is much better in person or on TV or DVD. His books never do it for me. Uh, not that I've actually SEEN him in person---but Ty Pennington, I HAVE seen him...(yum, in an I'd-probably-let-him-eat-crackers-in-bed-kind-of-a-way.) Raeanne-I was hypnotized once--to lose weight, but it wore off. The goal was to actually drink more water, which I did for a while. But it was a VERY relaxing feeling whilst I was under. Dee: Glad you're back at it! YAY! Man, that was a hummer of a cold you had. Signed, -DoombahGizzardButt here. How becoming is that? I didn't even get a "chicken" or a "boob" in my name. I honestly believe I was ROBBED! That's it...I'm changing my name to: -BoobyChickenTush