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Toadtown

TOAD TOWN

Every garden needs a toad town. At least out where I live ,I have so many toads sometimes that they have to have a place to belong. So I made them Toad town. It is full of toads and frogs some of which are just statues. They have to have water so I have a big shallow glass bowl that is their swimming pool and another one is just the saucer of a big flower pot painted iridescent blue to look like a swiming pool. A solar light lights up the town. They have several toad houses, some are flower pots that are broken and painted to look like houses, coffee cups and shells, they have their own little garden with a tiny birdbath I made myself from tiny terracotta pots, they even have their own playground and in the very front of it all there is a garden sign that says welcome to toad town U.S.A. home of about 83 toads and frogs plus a few turtles.

They are treated so well because they provide me with a great service, they eat a lot of bugs. I don't have to spray to keep the insect population down. between the toads, frogs ,birds and snakes, I have a lot of help. That allows me to keep my flowers insecticide free for the birds,bees and butterfies.

The frogs and toads sure are noisy at night though. But it really doesn't matter,there are a lot of night noises out here in the country that you have to get use to, but it's still a lot quieter here than in the city. and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The birdlady

Garden Needs a Facelift
My biggest flowerbed is getting out of hand this year, I have to make it smaller. I have so many different flowerbeds all over the yard and hundreds of plants and even more bulbs, that I can’t keep up with it. Every day I’m reminded that I’m not as young as I use to be. A few years ago I had no problems getting up early and spending the whole day weeding and trimming. Now I sit and weed for about an hour and I feel like I’ve been sat on by sasquatch himself. Smell and look that way too, I waddle to my bench and can’t seem to get up the strength to go any further. I usually give up, put my tools away and go in the house to soak in the tub for a while to soothe my aching muscles. I really hate to make it smaller, But I think I‘ll take out my arbor too, It like me has seen its better days too. I’ll have to find a new place for a lot of birdhousesthat hang and sit on it. But my clematis that grows on it is doing badly too. I don’t think it gets enough sun there, I’ll move it to my side arbor. It already has 2 birdhouses hanging on it but maybe one or two more wont hurt. One birdbath will have to be moved and two birdfeeders,I have a path with stepping stonesrunning the length and width of the whole thing. That will have to be shortened.
There is one thing That I hate about the front flowerbed and that is a bush that keeps spreading by sprouts coming up every where, I don’t know what it is . I call it the bush from hell. I’ve tried several times to kill it and it just keeps getting stronger. Once when we had a small cultivator we had rented to bury some new wiring and piping while we were renovating. We tried to pull it up with that and one of the smaller parts of the bush about pulled that big machine over before the roots gave. And it seemed to like it. It sure didn’t hurt it. If I move my lilies away from there maybe I’ll pour gas on it and burn it. Any one have any suggestions? I’ve tried rock salt, round up max strength, stump killer and brush killer. Nothing has fazed it at all. It is a wicked thing. But it’s got to go.
birdlady

The humble House Wren

Early in the spring, The quiet is interrupted by the loud shrill persistent singing of a male house wren. Where is he, I wonder. I get out my binoculars and begin scanning the large bare area surrounding my house. He's here somewhere. I wish I had a birdfinder. Faithful and persistent my favorite male house wren has returned for the 4th year in a row. He has kept me entertained for 3 years now with his cheery antics. I wasn't sure he would return this year because his lifelong mate didn't reappear last year. I was sad for him, Something must have happened to her. For 3 years in a row she has returned after a long winter to mate with the same male. He is busy checking out the possible nesting areas for the first of two matings of the season. Stopping occasionally to loudly sing his song to attract the female. He is so loud, It's hard to believe thet he is so tiny.

The male has started a nest in the birdhouse on my front trellis, stuffing it full of sticks. It's fun to watch him as he tries repeatedly to cram a stick in that is about 3 times longer than the hole is wide. In the end he wins the battle and the problem stick is in place. He is happy with the nest for now and flies off to start another one. He likes to give his mate several to choose from. I'm pretty sure she'll choose the gourd though she always does for the first batch of babies. She prefers the same gourd for some reason. (Home sweet Home?) He perches on the birdbath for a much earned drink, Singing out his shrill song before taking off to start stuffing the gourd full of sticks too. I hope the female returns this year, She will choose which nest she likes best and start throwing some of the sticks out to make enoguh room, then she finishes the nest herself adding feathers leaves maybe a string or piece of fabric, anything she can find that is soft to line the nest. Sometimes she returns to find a stick he has placed back in the nest only to throw it out again. I think this little wren makes a good mate. He even helps feed the young after they hatch. The babies eat continuously all day long. Most male wrens make the nest, mate, and leave to start another nest for another mate. But not this one ,He is faithful and even hangs around patiently helping the female until she is ready to mate again. Most of the time he is not allowed back in the nest once the eggs hatch, Loudly he anounces his arrival, before stopping in the doorway with his offered tidbit he has in his beak, usually a small cattepillar or juicy beetle. Then he flys off for another. I can sit in my swing and watch these birds all day. They work so hard and are so happy doing it, I knw they sure do cut down on the bug population in my garden, those baby wrens sure eat a lot of bugs.

the birdlady

Fall clean up

Fall is just around the corner, It's inevitable, Winter will be here soon, I hate this time of year, Everything is getting brown, and will soon need cut down and cleared away, some things need covered and some dug up to get ready for winter. No pretty flowers blooming everywhere. No happily singing birds. My birdhouses are in need of cleaning out, The families of baby birds grown and ready to fly south for the winter. Sometimes they get used for the birds that stay here over the winter. My fountains and statues and other things that shouldn't be exposed to the very cold weather we have in Indiana, have to be taken to the shed for storage, My swing and lawn chairs also get put up. My shed is not that big and it usually overflows, the excess getting stuck between the shed and the barn and covered with tarps. Now that's real pretty. The whole process takes me a long time to accomplish and makes my yard look bare and abandoned.

Do all gardeners hate winter? I get depressed and feel like hibernating for the winter. I usually stay in the house, leaving only if I have to, The cold makes my health problems worse, I get a lot of headaches, I start longing for spring. It's a long wait.

The only thing that is good about winter is Christmas time, I get to see more of my family, My sister comes in from Iowa, and I enjoy making gifts for some of them. My indoor hobbies are sewing and crafts, Oh and that's my favorite time to redecorate areas of my house that I get tired of. Last year I redecorated the bigger bathroom. My kitchen is done in birdhouses and it needs to be redone but I don't want to change the birdhouse theme, Maybe I'll just refreshen it.

My husband has been promising to build me a pantry like closet in the laundry room. That would be a great project this year. Maybe we will just hibernate until spring.
the birdlady

YOU C AN GROW YOUR OWN

YOU CAN GROW YOUR OWN
As you know, I sell birdhouses in my online store called All Gone to the Birds. That is one of my favorite things to decorate with. Inside and out. But they also have a purpose, They provide shelter and nesting area for the birds. I also grow and make birdhouses but it’s not for everyone.
I like to grow gourds to make birdhouses out of. The birds love them to nest in. especially the wrens. I don’t grow them every year, because the birdhouses last a while and each time I grow them they’re more than enough for me. I make some as gifts too!
Gourds take a long time to dry, I grow them on my back fence, (and the neighbors too) then I put them in the shed and garage to dry over the winter. I have all my garden decorations in the shed and it’s real crowded, but I just set them on paper, on the shelves with my statues and garden tools. So they can cure over the winter. They say you can leave them on the vines but Indiana gets a lot of snow, so I’ve never attempted that.
In the spring, I scrub them with bleach water, and let them dry in the sun. I cut a hole and clean all the seeds and insides out. Then I paint them and stencil them, or whatever I feel like at the time I like the rub ons too. Most importantly I give them several coats of clear spray to protect them from the weather.
I guess taking about 6 months on a birdhouse isn’t for everyone. But It does give you some unique decorations in your yard and most importantly, the birds love them.
The birdlady

This last picture is of a birdhouse that I made about 3 or 4 years ago, It has been through a lot. The same wren family has nested in it and raised their family every year. For some reason they had made the hole a little larger each year. Last year I took it down and put a new one up , and I left it on the ground intending on taking it to the trash, with the weed pile I was working on creating at the time. When I went back to get it the little wren was checking it out. So I hung it back up thinking that if they used it, I’d leave it there. Maybe it wasn‘t so bad. As a result, It did get used by a small finch this year. It is still hanging to this day.

More Birds to Indiana?

BLUE HERON

Over the years I've noticed a lot of birds you don't normally see very often in Indiana. I'm not sure why they are migrating here, But I'm glad to see them. I love to see new things,but it's nice if other people see them too.

I am always scannig the area for wildlife while we are going somewhere, That's one of the nice things about living in the country.

One of the birds I see more of are the Blue Herons. My husband thought I was nuts the first time I spotted one standing in the middle of a creek by our house. I told him that there was a long legged bird in the creek just standing there, his reaction was yeah right, too much sun for you today, Better lay down and take it easy for a while. Well I guess I can't blame him, We don't have birds like that in Indiana. (Or do we?)

Before too long, I started seeing more of them, after about 5 or 6 sightings by me , he finally caught a glimpse of one. He could no longer say I was crazy.

Blue Heron are rather odd looking birds, and it's hard to believe that they can fly with those long legs and neck, but they do. They fly over my back yard ocasionally now, probably going to one of the ponds on either side of our property. I wish one would come to one of my birdfeeders or birdbaths so I could get a good picture of it. Now I am crazy, Or am I?

birdlady

Great Nature Photos

Hi ALL,

I am sure everyone has figured out by now, that I Love nature photos. This is a great hobby too. Decorating my gardens is something I like to do, as well as my business. although I'm not very good at taking pictures I enjoy it. The photos in this blog are an example of o.k. pictures the ones of my birdhouses and gardens are my favorite photos besides the one I take of my grandchildren. I don't have a good camera But most importantly I'm just not good at taking pictures.
There is a website that I like to visit when I feel the world getting to me. They have wonderful pictures of nature and even offer a free calendar page each month. They are amazing pictures. and they also have nice banners, I have one on my site, allgonetothebirds . Here is another one click on it to check out http://www.thecreatorsfingerprints.com/

New Grandson

Well today I won't be working in the garden. It is my daughters baby shower. I'm almost ready to leave and go celebrate grandchild number 10. He is due October 9th, and is going to be another big one. Toni is getting impatient. I'ts her third baby. My family is my pride and joy. No weeding or sitting in my swing watching the birds at the feeders today.
birdlady

Time to divide

Well it is the end of summer, Most of your plants are done blooming and are drying up. So get out your garden toolsand roll up your sleeves it's time to divide those plants that are getting too large or those plants that you simply want more of. You'll need a sharp shovel, and maybe agood sized sharp knife. taking care to dig far enough away from the plant, so as to not cut into the roots, dig down in at least two places before prying up if it doesn't give easily dig the rest of the way around the plant before pulling it out of the ground some roots go pretty deep. place the plant on news papers and start carefully crumbling the soil away from the root ball, some roots can be seperated by pulling them apart, others will need to be sliced in sections with either the shovel or the knife. hostas and lilies usually will need to be divided with a sharp shovel. Don't worry it wont hurt them. Replant them, water them, and next year they will grow along with the others. Several plants can be done this way.It really helps increase your garden plants or give them to friends and family as special gifts. That is how I recieved some of my plants. After a few hours of dividing plants I'm always ready for a long rest on my swing. I wish I had a hammock to take a nap in, that would be better. ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
birdlady

Salsa Time

Vegtable Garden Time
Today I'm not going to talk about birds, birdhouses or frogs,My tomatoes are waiting for me to do somthing with them. So I have to get up off of my swing, and forget the flowerbeds and make some Salsa. My kids and grandkids like the hot kind. My husband didn't get much last year, so I guess I'll make more this year.
I don't like it at all. But I make it anyway, It's a great way to use the tomatoes and peppers that I get swamped with all at once. My family is worth it too! So I'll hunt out my Ball Blue Book and get to chopping. Nothing can really beat Balls older recipes for a lot of things that are canned. Well gotta run lots to do.
birdlady

Where did the pretty go?

Well it's almost the end of all pretty things big and small in my garden. I't s the time I really don't like. It's time for all of the pretty and colorful plants and flowers to get ready for winter. Soon all that is left will be birdhouses, birdfeeders, and a few windchimes that can handle the cold. My porch will have to be cleared too, because it is not well protected from the weather. A lot of the birds will start gathering to fly south for the winter.

There are a few things still hanging on. But the only things that look promising are the Mums and the Autum Joy, Sedum. There are still a lot of Goldfinches feeding on the Purple conflower seeds and the Black eye Susans. So I'll leave them for a while.

I guess winter's not all that bad. I can work on my website. and I love to sew and we still have work to do on the house. I also make a lot of Christmas gifts, do a lot of baking and Spend time with my family. So I will be O.K. But when springtime comes I'll be ready to get my hands in the dirt again.