Well, so far so good with the poison ivy. Got most of it out and no itching!
In other news, Dale and I, fearing that our Harry Potter bubble would break before we could borrow the book, broke down and bought our own copy! We tore through it, setting reading records for both of us (I calculated that I read it at 750 words per minute - INSANE).
However, let's avoid comments on the blog (in case anyone was going to comment) so my mom and sister-in-law have a chance to finish the book. :)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Poison Ivy Attack
Today I launched my offensive against Poison Ivy. It's growing luxuriantly all over our back hedge in the yard. At first I didn't even notice it, but once I found 1 sprig and started pulling, I noticed the huge vines and bushes of it. Ack!
For Round 1, I sprayed as much as I could find with Round-Up. I was gleeful this afternoon to notice that the rich green leaves are already browning up. If they are fully dead tomorrow I plan to uproot. So far, no poison ivy oil has made it past my armor of clothing and rubber gloves. We'll see how it goes tomorrow...
For Round 1, I sprayed as much as I could find with Round-Up. I was gleeful this afternoon to notice that the rich green leaves are already browning up. If they are fully dead tomorrow I plan to uproot. So far, no poison ivy oil has made it past my armor of clothing and rubber gloves. We'll see how it goes tomorrow...
Baffle 3.0
Well, the hideous baffle didn't last very long. After only a few days, the squirrels decided that they had had enough of this disgusting, ugly thing, so they chewed right through the twine and ate to their hearts' content. Dale and I just laughed, because apparently the squirrels had better taste then we did!
But we were not stopped for long. Dale ordered a lovely expensive pole feeder with a guaranteed to work squirrel baffle. It has 4 arms, so you can hang four lovely bird feeders on it. And that's just what he did! And the great thing is, the baffle worked! The squirrels tried to climb the outside, but it moved too much. Then they tried to climb inside, but it was a dead end. They spent hours hanging on branches and our porch railing, eyeing the distance to see if they could make the jump, but no, they just couldn't. Now they hang around the base, sadly eating whatever the birds knock out. But don't feel too sorry for them. Dale feeds them critter food every now and then!
But we were not stopped for long. Dale ordered a lovely expensive pole feeder with a guaranteed to work squirrel baffle. It has 4 arms, so you can hang four lovely bird feeders on it. And that's just what he did! And the great thing is, the baffle worked! The squirrels tried to climb the outside, but it moved too much. Then they tried to climb inside, but it was a dead end. They spent hours hanging on branches and our porch railing, eyeing the distance to see if they could make the jump, but no, they just couldn't. Now they hang around the base, sadly eating whatever the birds knock out. But don't feel too sorry for them. Dale feeds them critter food every now and then!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Baffle 2.1
So the pathetic ball and duct tape baffle didn't last very long either. I think we stumped the squirrels for about 6 hours. Finally they figured out that they could drape themselves across the ball and still reach the rope on the other side. Plus the Pam spray dried up after a few hours.
So I was at the grocery store and figured that maybe what we needed was a second ball. I found a cheap purple one and brought it home. I was going out of town for the weekend, so I left it prominently on the kitchen island, assuming Dale would know what to do with it.
And he did. Dale boldly went out and added the purple ball, taping it on the other side from the orange ball and wrapping the entire structure in duct tape. Now we had perhaps the ugliest structure ever seen: purple, orange, yellow, and brown duct tape. All hanging above a dingy old bird feeder. Wow.
So I was at the grocery store and figured that maybe what we needed was a second ball. I found a cheap purple one and brought it home. I was going out of town for the weekend, so I left it prominently on the kitchen island, assuming Dale would know what to do with it.
And he did. Dale boldly went out and added the purple ball, taping it on the other side from the orange ball and wrapping the entire structure in duct tape. Now we had perhaps the ugliest structure ever seen: purple, orange, yellow, and brown duct tape. All hanging above a dingy old bird feeder. Wow.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Baffle 2.0
So we had the pathetic yellow twine and plate baffle. By watching the squirrels, we determined that we needed to secure the plate. Whenever the plate laid flat against the rope, the squirrels would happily run down to the feeder. So we took an old orange plastic ball and attached it to the underside of the plate. With brown duct tape. Very attractive. To further complicate the matter, we sprayed the entire structure with Pam cooking spray. Now we had a yellow twine rope with a yellow plate, orange ball, and brown tape wrapped around the whole thing, hanging in our backyard. Combined with our improvised birdbath (metal plant stand with cheap plastic tray on top) the yard was looking quite white trash...
Sunday, July 1, 2007
In the beginning...
There was just one old birdfeeder on a rope in our tulip poplar. With the arrival of spring, we decided to fill it with seed. The birds began to show up immediately, and it was exciting to watch all the different kinds of birds showing up. Having grown up with outdoor cats, I wasn't used to seeing so many different kinds of birds.
However, there was a fly in our ointment. Really a squirrel, to be exact. The squirrels could jump directly from the tree trunk to the feeder, knocking out tons of food in the process. After a few weeks, Dale resorted to throwing critter food around in the back yard, hoping that the squirrels would eat that instead. But of course, they simply ate that in addition to the birdseed!
And so was born the Bayless Baffle, version 1.0. Dale was the crafter, using yellow plastic twine and an old yellow and orange plastic plate. He drilled a hole in the plate and suspended in on the twine about 2 feet above the feeder loop. Then he hung the twine a good 6 feet out from the tree trunk. We settled back to enjoy the show.
The squirrels were a bit miffed when they realized that they could no longer leap to the feeder. Naturally, they scampered down the branch and investigated the twine. Although they could fairly easily climb down it, the plate did confuse them. But only for a short time. Granddad didn't call them "Dr. Squirrel" for nothing! They quickly realized that the plate would just lay down flat against the twine, and that it was so small they could easily cross it. I think the entire baffle delayed the squirrels by about 30 minutes.
However, there was a fly in our ointment. Really a squirrel, to be exact. The squirrels could jump directly from the tree trunk to the feeder, knocking out tons of food in the process. After a few weeks, Dale resorted to throwing critter food around in the back yard, hoping that the squirrels would eat that instead. But of course, they simply ate that in addition to the birdseed!
And so was born the Bayless Baffle, version 1.0. Dale was the crafter, using yellow plastic twine and an old yellow and orange plastic plate. He drilled a hole in the plate and suspended in on the twine about 2 feet above the feeder loop. Then he hung the twine a good 6 feet out from the tree trunk. We settled back to enjoy the show.
The squirrels were a bit miffed when they realized that they could no longer leap to the feeder. Naturally, they scampered down the branch and investigated the twine. Although they could fairly easily climb down it, the plate did confuse them. But only for a short time. Granddad didn't call them "Dr. Squirrel" for nothing! They quickly realized that the plate would just lay down flat against the twine, and that it was so small they could easily cross it. I think the entire baffle delayed the squirrels by about 30 minutes.
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