My hillbilly home

It was a beautiful day here in Maryland and after work I was able to take my walk in a light jacket. As much as I love winter, it sure does feel good on a beautiful day that holds the promise of Springtime.

Tonight my fingers felt so chilly that I had to make myself a nice cup of hot chocolate just so that I could wrap my hands around it in between sips.

Yum.

Last night, I wrote what I thought was a ridiculous post using a song that got stuck in my head and some bird photos from last year. Then I closed the computer and didn’t check my mail until this afternoon.

When I opened my gmail account, I was floored to find so many comments, as well as a Post of the Week Mention for Good Photography (thank you very much, Hilary). Sometimes the blogging world surprises the heck out of me.

It really was such a nice surprise, though.



A not so nice surprise was the picture below, taken by my husband this afternoon.

I think I will entitle this photograph . . . “My Hillbilly Home”.




It’s almost embarrassing, this picture my husband took while standing at the dogwood tree looking towards the breakfast nook window. Personally, I cannot stand the array of lobster buoys he has strung from the window ledge. I think they’re completely tacky, especially because we live nowhere near the water. But he found them all in Maine, and he brought them home, and he seems to like them.

So I keep my thoughts to myself.

But the rest of it? Ugh. All the ironwork poles you see in the foreground used to be for the bird feeders, but now my husband just keeps them around for the birds to perch upon while they wait their turn at one of the many feeders that he’s got strung across the wire that runs from the house to the tree. This is his squirrel-proof bird feeding system – and let me tell ya – as ugly as it looks, it really does seem to be working.

He has strung a sturdy wire from the tree to the house, supported by the many poles and branches you may or may not notice. Strung across the wire are various bird feeders, hung with ‘S’ hooks and taped with electrical tape to keep them steady.

It’s shabby backyard chic. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

On the anti-squirrel front – he told me today that he watched a squirrel try everything in its power to get to those feeders. It was quite amusing, he admitted. And finally, he saw it come to rest on the roof of the birdhouse on the dogwood tree, staring across that wire and looking so angry. He said the squirrel was seriously upset. And that it actually rubbed its hands over its head several times before leaving in a complete huff.

Husband 1

Squirrels 0

So how was your day? Inquiring minds want to know.