I love getting old fashioned 'snail mail'!
And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
~W.H. Auden
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
~W.H. Auden
I have the sweetest friend who not only sends me hand crafted cards, but also sends me little surprises in the mail.
What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters.
~Liz Carpenter
The other day a package arrived with this charming Hummingbird Swing enclosed. We were excited to hang it near the feeders and see the Hummies use it!
To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.
~Phyllis Theroux
I love watching the birds in our backyard and have started keeping note of which birds return each year in my gardening journal. Handyman has caught the bird 'bug' too. In a recent visit to our local Wild Birds Unlimited store he purchased bird seed and was given a Hummer Helper Nesting Material as a free promotion.
It has all natural untreated fiber in it that is perfect for Hummingbirds as well as Goldfinches, Titmice and other birds to use for nest building. Between the feeders - which we keep cleaned and filled - the fancy copper swing and the nesting material, I think we've really rolled out the welcome mat for all the Hummingbirds, don't you?
Here is a simple recipe from
for making hummingbird nectar:
- Mix 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar in a pan (1 cup sugar to 4 cups water). Do not use honey, Jell-O or brown sugar. Do NOT use artificial sweeteners - use real sugar! Do not use red food coloring. It is unnecessary and can harm the little hummers. Do not add anything else that you might think of. Just sugar and water, that's all.
- Bring to a boil then remove from the heat. Stir it while it is heating until all of the sugar is dissolved. Don't boil it for long because that will change the ratio as water is boiled off. The reason for boiling is not to make syrup, but to drive out the chlorine in the water and to kill mold and yeast spores that might be in the sugar. This will help make the nectar last longer both in the feeder and in your refrigerator.
- Cover and allow to cool before using or pouring into the storage container.
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Wow!
ReplyDeleteYou are humming a tune I like! We don't get too many little hummers, but with this recipe,and nest building ideas, maybe I can keep the ones we have coming back every year. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely, wish I had hummers around my house...I did when I lived in the country! I love what you did, it is amazing! How fun too my friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your sweet visit, you made my day. The fringes and tassels I bought later and where placed by me with a glue gun several years ago. I loved it in a magazine and thought it'll be great to do that on my couches and the new apholstered side chair, as well!
Have a lovely Easter week ahead.
FABBY
There is nothing better than snail mail, is there???? I absolutely love what you did with the hummer nesting material! So cool!!!!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful post with all of us, Shawn! And thanks also for your visit to my blog!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love humming birds. We usually see some in August. Have a great weekend. Linda
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Shawn! Your nesting material holder is perfect for this time of year. Happy Spring!
ReplyDelete