For the Birds!

I confess- my backyard is for the birds- well at least in part. For years now I have been feeding them. Certain grasses and "weeds" that produce berries and seeds are there for them. There are now three main water sources: the pond and two bird baths. The yard is fenced in. It has a hedge and trees and there are evergreens close on its borders. Moe, our faithful dog, keeps the cats out. It has become a refuge for our fine feathered friends. Even the pigeons (properly called Rock Doves) are welcome. We have had quite a few families bring new members in the world on the premises.

The birds reward me by eating a lot of garden pests (helping me stay organic) and provding beautiful music (just view any videos on this blog and listen).



Be sure to click on the pictures for enlargements... really cool!



(I am following in the footsteps of Rose Biggs, my Nana, who was a great lover of birds and my folks Larry and Gladys, who make sure that the birds in their yard are fed every day of the year)

My Wonder Years

Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers; the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place . . . a town. . . a house like a lot of other houses. . . A yard like a lot of other yards. . . On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is. . . After all these years, I still look back. . . with WONDER.

I have been "talking" (actually e-mailing) with my friend, John, about the show and our lives. Like Kevin Arnold we were both born in 1956, smack in the middle of the baby boom. He just finished watching the entire series. What a great show and what it enhances it is that it was such a great time...

Nineteen-sixty-eight...I was twelve years old. A lot happened that year. Dennis McLain won thirty-one games..."The Mod Squad" hit the air...And I graduated from Hillcrest Elementary, and entered junior high school. But we'll get to that. There's no pretty way to put this...I grew up in the suburbs.

I guess most people think of the suburb as a place with all the disadvantages of the city, and none of the advantages of the country. And vice versa. But, in a way, those really were the wonder years for us there in the suburbs. It was kind of a golden age for kids.

There was a time when the world was enormous...Spanning the vast, almost infinite boundaries of your neighborhood. The place where you grew up. Where you didn't think twice about playing on someone else's lawn. And the street was your territory .that occasionally got invaded by a passing car. It was where you didn't get called home until after it was dark. And all the people, and all the houses that surrounded you were as familiar as the things in your own room. And you knew they would never change.

The Real Original Who Is On First

Who's On First? 21st Century Style

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us (like me) who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on... If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out something like this: COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you? COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer. ABBOTT: Mac? COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou. ABBOTT: Your computer? COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one. ABBOTT: Mac? COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou. ABBOTT: What about Windows? COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here? ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows? COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows? ABBOTT: Wallpaper. COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software. ABBOTT: Software for Windows? COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have? ABBOTT: Office. COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything? ABBOTT: I just did. COSTELLO: You just did what? ABBOTT: Recommend something. COSTELLO: You recommended something? ABBOTT: Yes. COSTELLO: For my office? ABBOTT: Yes. COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office? ABBOTT: Office. COSTELLO: Yes, for my office! ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows. COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need? ABBOTT: Word. COSTELLO: What word? ABBOTT: Word in Office. COSTELLO: The only word in office is office. ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows. COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows? ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W". COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with? ABBOTT: Money. COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have? ABBOTT: Money. COSTELLO: I need money to track my money? ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer. COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer? ABBOTT: Money. COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer? ABBOTT: Yes No extra charge. COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much? ABBOTT: One copy. COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money? ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money. COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money? ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT! A few days later. ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you? COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off? ABBOTT: Click on "START"............. Sent to me from Laura, a classmate from High School And for those who still (like me) loved the original one...

The Four O'clocks from China Notice all the various blooms all from the same plant
The orange blooms are the butterfly weed with bumble bees atop. Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them.

And now let's go to the video tape...

Looking Down From Above on The Backyard

A view from the rooftop... well almost that high!

Love That Rain!

We had quite a deluge this morning. The rains came and the Island is well watered. No one even comes close to the rain God sends- no underground or above ground sprinkling system compares with His!

The rain has stopped,

All is still,

Washed by the storm,

Refreshed and filled

Are the plants and the pond

the trees and the grass

Feeling so good

Since the storm has passed.

The LORD up above sends rain on the earth,

And with every shower there is new birth.

The earth is revived where once it was dry,

From the heavenly liquid that came down from the sky.

People complain about storms that come.

But to us gardeners we long for them

It is so needed this plan of God

The wonderful way He waters the sod!

An Evening Walk

Here is a walk through a portion of the backyard
on this beautiful August Evening here on Long Island...

A View From My Chair