Breakfast Al Fresco

My favorite time of day. Early mornings before it gets hot outside. The birds are singing, the squirrels and rabbits are running around, and my neighbor’s dog comes by to say Hi, before fruitlessly continuing his rabbit chasing in the meadow.

This week the Kousa dogwoods are blooming.

They are heavy with blossoms and I baby those trees to keep them from having breaking limbs. We have them pruned, along with the Japanese lace maples, and the crepe myrtles every other year, in order to keep them healthy. They are my privacy screen from my neighbor’s driveway and they allow me to sit out in the morning in peace and solitude.

Friday I went out to have coffee and fill the feeders.

No, that isn’t wine for breakfast. It is hummingbird nectar in a wine bottle. My feeder uses a recycled bottle as the vessel with a copper wire and a cap. A little tricky to assemble but easier to clean.

The empty messy feeder. Pop off the cap. Rinse and throw the bottle in the blue bin. Clean the cap. Reassemble with a new bottle and you have happy hummingbirds.

Notice the double sided sticky tape ant trap. I have to get a permanent ant barrier, but so far this works. We have a hummingbird family who comes every summer and hangs out in my flowers, and my next door neighbor, too. We both have feeders for them.

As for the squirrel log, and the suet, we try to keep the squirrels from the bird food, and it usually works. I give them one of these logs and one unprotected suet but keep the high protein good birdfood away from them. The birds are busy feeding babies, and they are very active. I have a couple of feeders full of nuts, safflower and sunflower chips and cracked corn. It goes fast this time of year and then slows down once the trees and bushes start getting seeds and berries.

While there, one of the younger chickadees came to visit.

There was also a very young house sparrow hopping everywhere, but too quick for me to capture. Two days before, a very young sparrow was unsuccessfully trying to fly high enough to make it to the feeder. Unsuccessful then, but eventually they get the hang of it.

I did wander down to check on my garden and found my first blossoms on the yellow plum tomato.

The tomatoes have survived their planting shock and are doing well. I cluster plant them along the fence, with small cages and then use string and poles to keep them aloft. I find that the support system works better than really huge cages. At least in the area where I plant.

I also noticed while sitting out there that the sage and rosemary bushes are spreading so much they are no longer separate. They have been there three years now. They somehow survived snowmageddon in 2010. I am getting huge beautiful sage leaves, big enough to look really nice as fried sage to decorate gnocchi.

Breakfast on the patio. A lovely way to start the day. Cheers!

A Typical (?) Day in West County

Today started out with lovely weather. I uncovered the plants, fed the blue jays and squirrels their peanuts, put the tomato plants out to get some sun, and cleaned out the bird bath. This afternoon I want to plant some more herbs and finish prepping the vegetable garden.

That was all before this little visitor showed up, at 11 am.

Right outside my kitchen window, and chasing the birds and squirrels. Yes, it did get something.

Took it around behind the garden, then heard me and took off north from behind the pine trees and our shed.

Now I have to worry about what I put outside. Usually the fox hunts at dusk. There must be hungry babies up in a den somewhere on the undeveloped land north of us. There are about 11 acres of natural habitat north of us, that is the home for many of the animals that live here. I need to tell my neighbor to keep the kitties in, or stay out with them.

Well, since the weather improved, it’s back to putting plants in the herb garden and working on cleaning out the vegetable gardens for transplanting tomatoes next week. With the weather looking to stay close to normal, I might have the tomatoes transplanted the week before Mother’s Day, which is the traditional day that there is no longer a possibility of frost.

I may also head out later to Sharp’s to finish buying plugs of cucumbers, and some flowers for around the patio and along the front pathway. The greenhouses are open on Sundays from 12-5, and now that I have figured out the vegetable layout of the garden, it is time to pick up plugs of flowers to put out. They have plugs for 65 cents a piece, 55 cents each if you purchase two dozen or more. It is the most economical way to put in splashes of annuals all around your property.

Just a typical Sunday here in West County. What is your Sunday like? Any grilling tonight? Enjoy the great weather, in spring, the reason we don’t want to move from Howard County. Love this season of growth, warmth and anticipation. Might have to repeat this meal. Get out the steaks and wrap some Boarman’s bacon around some asparagus. Break open a bottle of local wine. Sounds like a great Sunday to me.

hocoblogs@@@

Art Reception This Week, and Earth Day

Two events this week at the Howard County Conservancy. The art reception and auction is tomorrow evening starting at 6 pm. I will be working the event, and who knows if I will get something to finish off the foyer. Lots of good stuff to bid on, particularly these pieces done on reclaimed wood by SOGH.

I keep hearing there is nothing to do in HoCO. For $12, come drink wine, hear entertaining judges, have some My Thyme appetizers, and maybe go home with interesting art for your place. If you have never heard Rebecca Hoffberger, you are in for a real treat. What is showing here is similar to what they are showcasing at the American Visionary Art Museum, or AVAM. All Things Round.

Then, for more to do, this weekend is Earth Day. The Conservancy has a full day planned. For singles, couples, families, retirees, whatever category that fits, there is something to do. Winter is hard on the trees and streams. Sprucing up the property in spring time means lots of little things to do. Easy to hard. Pick your pleasure. Stream cleanup, for example.

Some of us are going birding at 8 am. We may be out for two to three hours, depending on what we hear and see. We have recorded sightings of rare birds, and we have two very talented leaders. Even if you are just getting interested in what is singing in your yard, they are great to walk with. They bring the high powered scopes and generously share the sightings. We have seen eagles on the property, lots of raptors, rare sparrows, and it is spring. Can you say Orioles? We see them often. Baltimore and Orchard orioles. Here is a link to the bird club page with photos of Mt. Pleasant, the farm where the Conservancy is located.

After the bird walk, there are lots of activities that the staff are organizing. Clean up tasks, crafts for children. Check the web site if it rains. Come spend some time outdoors.

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It’s Sunday Morning and Everybody’s Dining Locally

The bunnies are.

So are the finches.

So is my red bellied, but he decided to run up the tree when he saw the glint of the camera. Can you find him up there?

He also decided a little later to sit higher and make enough noise to let me know I was interrupting his meal. Once I went inside he came back down to his nuts and seeds. The little woodpeckers won’t run when I come out, but the red bellied is still skittish enough that he hides in the trees.

As for us, a true local delight for a leisurely breakfast.

My CSA eggs, sunny side up, from Zahradka Farm, made with Trickling Springs butter, and served with buttered Atwater’s olive bread toasted. You can get Trickling Springs butter all over the place now, the organic markets as well as at Atwater’s in Catonsville. I thought I still had sourdough bread in the freezer but only olive bread left. Time for a trip to Catonsville to get a few more loaves to freeze. They work great that way. Get them sliced and put them away wrapped in foil. Pop in the toaster and enjoy.

I have perfected my sunny side up skills by using the trick of putting a lid above them to just set the yolks without them getting hard.

With yolks this orange and the eggs so fresh, it would be a crime to overcook them. Although I did break one putting it in the pan, and my husband graciously chose that one. He likes his over easy anyway.

Gradually working our way through the eggs in the fridge. Time to make some egg salad for sandwiches this week, or a frittata with that spinach from the CSA last Friday. Two more weeks of home delivery.

hocofood@@@

Smarter Than the Average Squirrel

Sometimes I feel that the squirrels are winning. No matter how hard I try, they figure out most of the squirrel proof solutions. The latest is one of those feeders that they are managing to empty by hanging a certain way on it.

We have gone to great lengths to keep them from the bird seed, giving them corn and peanuts but trying to keep them from the woodpeckers’ favorite treats.

This arrangement gives them the cheapest suet I can find, and they have to work for it. They get corn, but if you don’t wedge it in, they run off with the entire ear of corn. My neighbors find the entertainment of a squirrel trying to carry an entire ear of corn to their nest in the old oak trees amusing, but it is expensive to put corn out there every few hours. I usually only feed the squirrels in the winter, and let them fend for themselves when the ground is full of nuts and seeds.

This feeder is truly squirrel proof. The good seed goes here, with the vitamins and minerals the birds need while raising their young. I have had to move it twice, though. Once, it was too close to the bird bath. The second time it was too close to the yucca and deck seats. Squirrels will jump quite far to grab that bar and get the good stuff. Even risking impalement on a yucca tree.

The squirrels do provide entertainment to us too. They know how to descend a ladder quite quickly when startled.

Even the hummingbird feeder isn’t safe.

They scrounge around where the birds push unwanted items out of the feeder on the pole, at least keeping it somewhat clean, but I usually get volunteer plants and weeds coming up where I don’t want them.

When we moved in, we had a lovely cedar feeder out there. The previous owners had dogs, so no squirrels. It lasted just a few months before they chewed through the wood. They will chew on the plastic too, so now we have metal feeders with metal lids and as many baffles as I can manage.

The double baffle works, as does the witches hat over the nuts for the woodpeckers.

Of course, the woodpeckers go where they want, and not always to their little feeder.

I now cram two small suet holders into the large one. Put them at an angle to minimize the area that the squirrels can reach into and grab suet. It doesn’t totally stop them but it slows them down considerably.

I have created a habitat here to keep the birds that assist us in having my garden lush and relatively bug and flying insect free. They have coniferous trees for nests. Water, heated in the winter. A constant source of food, including insect suet when they are feeding their young. We have lots of trees and bushes that produce berries. I leave the pokeweed in the meadow so they can feed from it.

We have lots of worms, good for the soil and for the robins (and their allies).

Of course, they also need to learn how to play nice around here. Looks like a little mom and pop spat going on here.

At least the robins and cedar waxwings get along.

So I put up with the squirrels, knowing that a dog will keep them away, but also impact the birds. Who needs the Discovery Channel when all this excitement goes on, right outside the kitchen window?

Baby Chicks at Tractor Supply

This weekend is baby chick weekend at Tractor Supply. The ad came in the mail the other day. Last year was the first year we were up there when the pens full of little fuzzy ones were set up in the back of the store.

You have to buy a minimum of six. You also have to give them information when you check out. I took a couple of pics but they weren’t clear enough to post. I know that some people believe the chicks are there for Easter pets, but they aren’t. There are pullets if you want egg layers and there are also meat chickens.

There were four black wyandottes left. I really wanted to buy them, but I need a sturdy coop to keep the fox from getting to them. Maybe next year.

Tractor Supply was hopping today. Lots of folks buying seeds and plants. Trailers, too. And, lots of equipment being demonstrated.

I buy much of my bird seed there, too. They have the best prices for basic seed, and not a bad price on the shell free seed that I put up near the patio. Don’t want husks up there. Particularly, since the birds like to shove things off to get to their favorites.

Saturday at Tractor Supply. A West County destination.

Springing Up All Over

The plants and trees are gaining momentum, and as I walk around the property there are new things to discover.

Like, the redbud.

We have a running battle about the redbud. It is heavily shaded and not doing great, but it still tries its best to put on a springtime show for us. I want it to stay. The other half of this family thinks it needs to come out because it is being crowded by the maple and the oaks.

I have no idea what these are. It is one of my goals this year to identify all of the volunteer grasses, weeds, and flowers that carpet our meadow (and our quote, lawn, unquote).

All down the property line, a sea of different shades of green is spreading, and starting to take over in some places.

We don’t have grass all over our property, we have every different type of weed, wildflower, and invasive green stuff you can imagine. I don’t believe in messing with the environment that feeds and nourishes so many of our wild critters around here. The bunnies are happy; the birds are happy. TruGreen isn’t, but I don’t care. This is certainly not the back nine at Hobbits Glen.

Also, the toads are happy. We have three living in the pond at the moment. I don’t know how they get here. The nearest creek is about a half mile away. I like having them there. They will keep the mosquito population at bay. The pond has a small pump and trickle of water, but the lower shallow end has standing water. The toads love mosquito larvae, so they are welcome to live in the pond all summer.

The spring and summer birds are slowly returning. More finches, more red winged blackbirds and cowbirds. The hummingbirds aren’t here yet, but I read that they have been sighted as far north as Canada already. We always have two or three that frequent my feeder and my neighbors. They will come up even when you are sitting out there.

The butterflies are back.

The garlic in the herb garden is coming up nicely.

For me, spring is my favorite season, full of growth and promises of warmth to come. New beginnings.

Time to go out and do some more planting.

Hodgepodge Lodge

How many of you remember this TV show, on MPT? Do you remember Miss Jean? Do you know that the Lodge has found a permanent home at the Howard County Conservancy?

The show was on MPT in the 1970s. I was in college when it was first shown, and I caught it occasionally while I was babysitting. The lodge fell into disrepair after the show was canceled, but it was moved to the Conservancy and restored.

If you take a short hike on the woodlands trails just east of the main buildings, you can find the lodge.

Walk down the hill past Ranger, the barred owl used for educational programs.

Continue down past the monarch butterfly garden, and turn right at the forest display board.

Wander along the creek until you see it on your left just before a large bridge crossing the East Branch. It is locked but sometimes the staff will open it for people to see the exhibits.

This is a good walk to take with little ones. There is lots to see. Bluebird Houses. Butterflies. Honey Bee boxes. The creek. Old farm equipment.

Before you leave, you can stop into the Nature Center, and check out the animals like the tree frog

and go upstairs to view the art exhibit, All Things Round. Details about the current art exhibit, in my earlier post, Art of Stewardship.

Enjoy Spring! Take a hike and a walk down memory lane.

hocoblogs@@@

Attracting Pollinators

One of my most important spring time jobs is establishing the proper environment to be sure the pollinators take up residence in our yard and garden. I know I need the proper mix of flowers, bushes, bird seeds and the habitat that attracts the birds, bees and beneficial insects.

I had a coworker who lived in an area devoid of the bees necessary to pollinate her vegetables, and she resorted to hand pollination. Not what I want to do. Thankfully, we have lots of bees. Carpenter bees, honey bees, bumblebees. They will swarm around the hummingbird feeder to get to the nectar.

The flowers are also important and my perennials like my tulips and gladiola

besides attracting bees give me the pleasure of flowers on the table brightening my day.

The flowering trees attract bees and birds. The birds particularly like them once the berries are set, but in the spring the return of the bees to my cherries, mock orange, dogwoods and red bud trees tell me they are setting up shop and staying around to find my garden.

I have black eyed susans as well, the MD state flower. Once they are almost done, the finches will hang on them to get the seeds out of them.

My yard also contains spirea, which the bees crawl all over until the color has left the flowers. It contains butterfly bushes to attract butterflies and for the birds to nest in. Azaleas in the spring, another big source of color and cover in the yard. Chipmunks and bunnies hide under the wall of bushes along my house.

All in all, I have been creating a habitat to coexist with birds, bees, small animals and beneficial insects attracted to keep my garden productive.

Can’t wait to get out there and plant vegetables. I just need to make sure that I keep this little monster’s relatives out of my garden. He lives under my neighbor’s shed.

The Sounds of Spring

We seem to concentrate on what spring looks like and forget to mention its effect on our other senses, like hearing.

This past week the red winged blackbirds returned to my feeders, with their short sharp calls. As I wake in the morning, the songs of all the birds in the trees are much louder and more varied than in the winter as more returning birds take up residence on the property line. You really know the season has changed for good when the hummingbirds return, and when they become so accustomed to you, they feed right next to you and you can hear their wings.

Plus, with the windows open, you hear them waking you up in the morning instead of the alarm. The catbirds and sparrows return in force. Babies are everywhere. They peep incessantly. They then start to venture out into the grass, and you can always find them running around, peeping and if you get too close, you risk a protective mama making noise and chasing them. This one ventured through the parking pad to the tall grass.

With that open window, I also get serenaded by my neighbor’s lone rooster living among their hens. He crows all the time, but closed homes in the winter don’t allow you to hear him.

The cows on the farm over the hill from us are heard as well. They are venturing farther out in the fields closer to us and the sound carries over to our front yard.

The distant highway traffic noise is still audible, but will fade once the trees get their leaves. Only in winter do you really know there is a highway not far from us. The summer cocoon of forest shields that sound for more than half the year. It is louder these days because so many trees were damaged or fell during the blizzards and the hurricane. I noticed it this winter as some of our buffer is gone.

Last night the first real sounds of spring, my next door neighbor fired up the tractor and took it for a spin, knowing that with this mild weather and week of temps in the 70s, we will be cutting grass sooner than ever. Spring has really arrived the first time you hear John Deere and Kubota motors (the tractors of choice in the immediate vicinity).

And the bunnies and squirrels have babies, which means hunting season begins for the foxes. Have you heard bunnies or squirrels? Do you know what kind of sounds they make? We now do, because of living in close proximity to both.

The first time I hear that screaming of a bunny being pursued or caught by a fox means the circle of life continues just outside our door. We have watched that drama unfold beneath our bedroom window, actually observing three rabbits below trying to lure a fox from their hidden nests and scattering in all directions followed by the sight of the fox chasing them into the brush. I never found any evidence of a kill, but I know rabbits will scream when injured or frightened. The three that scattered were not injured and ran, I believe to draw the fox away.

Life in the country. Different. Worth it.