This morning the same little bird was back at it, trying to come into my bathroom. Either that, or trying to smash the bird in the reflection of the window. I'm not sure that's it, though. I've now seen the bird do the same thing on cloudy days when the sun wasn't shining enough for the bird to see its reflection. Whatever the impetus, it is a determined thing. It always perches on that same slender bamboo stalk. It gets itself settled and then makes a few tiny ruffling movements and then POW! Up to the window it flies, bouncing its tiny little head off the glass. And then it flies straight back to that same stem and settles itself and begins the whole process again. This goes on for hours.
Curious, indeed. As Hank pointed out when I sent everyone a picture this morning, "Well, it is a very nice bathroom."
Perhaps it only wants a shower.
It was another beautiful day and so I took a little walk. It would appear to me that No Man Lord may be building something. He moved the RV that he lives in and where it had been sitting, began to dig what looks like a foundation. There are lines going from corner-to-corner. I never do know what he is doing. I did not see him out today. He has a group of guys who come and hang out with him regularly and I suppose they are helping him with this project. I could see him building something very, very slowly, like they do in the poorest sections of Mexico where they earn enough money to buy a few cement blocks and begin there, adding to walls and roofs as they can afford.
I can also easily see him beginning something and then walking away from it. His projects come and they go. I remember talking to that woman I met in front of his yard one day that I liked so much. I asked her what Harvey was doing. Harvey is his real name. "Oh you know," she said. "Same thing Harvey always does."
It hasn't been much of a busy day. After my walks, I always feel as if I have accomplished enough which of course is silly, but that's the way it is. I took Moana some treats from the kitchen and then I turned the compost out by the garden and planted some onions that had sprouted. I have no idea why it's so fun for me to grow plants that arise from my kitchen but it is. My greens are still hanging in but barely. Almost all of the lettuces were shocked to mush. The collards and mustards and turnips are coming back, and so is the kale, I think. But slowly. The arugula just looks like hell and I should replant it. I think there's enough time to get enough of that for more salads before it gets too warm, especially the way it springs forth from the ground so quickly.
And then I decided to trim the rest of the segos in front of the porch. This time I took before and after photos.
I do believe I got my wish about the Canary Island date palms. They are both dying, I am pretty sure. Good riddance, I say! I was cutting fronds off of them today when I found a little wasp nest from last year on the underside of one.
Or something like that.
The sun is setting. I wonder if the sight of that will always remind me of Ross now. I have been remembering to look up every day, quite consciously, to regard and appreciate what I see. It is a very small moment of mindfulness meditation, I guess.
I don't know.
The bird at the window is indeed a creature to make you think. A few years ago we used to have a long tailed tit who came to sit on the handle of the door in our French windows. With him/her I am pretty sure he/she just saw another long tailed tit. Your bird sounds different.
ReplyDeletePlease keep us posted about what No Man Lord is building. Perhaps it's a new Walmart.
I am not sure what that bird is trying to do. Poor little thing. At least he's not killing himself. Yet.
DeleteYou know I will definitely do updates on whatever it is going up in Harvey's yard. Always fascinating. He is industrious in his way.
I will send your bird to David at Travels with Birds for his opinion.
ReplyDeletehttps://travelswithbirds.blogspot.com/2023/01/black-capped-chickadee-mesange-tete.html. He surely can identify it if you have not, and tell us more about its behavior.
Oh! Thank you! I would love to know what an expert's opinion is!
DeleteWell whatever that little bird is up to, he's determined. I look forward to seeing/hearing what Joanne finds out. I think that Moana needs a friend.
ReplyDeleteDetermined and persistent.
DeleteAnd yes, Moana needs a friend.
And the chicken flock begins:)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that sago palm starch is used to make sizing for material. The things you learn. I went for a walk today as well, it was warm, hovering around 0C and melting in places, but now my feet hurt. Shit.
I just googled uses for sego palm and I see that in some countries all parts of it are used for different things from adding carbohydrates to the diet to treating cancer. Huh!
DeleteI am so sorry your feet hurt. That just sucks so much.
Chickens. What can I say.
ReplyDeleteI love the little dinosaurs.
DeleteYou have a lot of lovely leaf litter there, after the winter it will be composted into mulch, free of charge. I gathered bucket loads last autumn and threw them all over my small patch. Much cheaper than buying mulch and I believe the worms appreciated it too. I like the sago palms and didn't know they were prickly. I'm glad you have Moana.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing about the leaf litter. Beautiful isn't it!
DeleteWe definitely bag leaves for mulch and I leave plenty on the ground too. With all of the oak trees in our yard, we get so many. I'm not overly worried about their presence since I don't have any grass in the front yard anyway.
DeleteThe sego palms are horribly prickly. Needle-like fronds. You have to be careful when working with or around them.
I like having Moana.
I get wasps nesting in the roof just next to my bedroom. I dash out onto my balcony, spray like hell and then run! I've also had hornets nesting there previously but I set those buggers on fire (and ran like hell too)! I don't need either of those things coming into my bedroom, although they still do, of course!
ReplyDeleteI guess wasps live everywhere. People like to think that they freeze in winter but at least the larva must live because they always come back. Like mosquitoes. I surely would not like having them on the balcony outside my bedroom.
DeleteHave you tired the paper bag deterrent methos? Crumple up some paper bags and put them in a brown paper bag, puff it up a bit, then tie it off so it resembles a wasp nest and hang it from the porch. Wasps will think another wasp has already made a nest there and will stay away.
DeleteWe get hornets and other irritable stinging fellers and my neighbor fears them because of allergies. I just don't like being stung, especially when I didn't mean to disturb them.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know what's up with that bird. Territorial pecking at a perceived rival? Can you cover the window to eliminate the reflection?
That's what I meant by "so rude!" We are not intending to disturb or harm them. And if they didn't come out and sting us, we'd never bother them at all.
DeleteI don't want to cover that window because I already have to cover the bottom 2/3's of it for privacy and I need some light in there. I am not quite sure what to do.
Just cover it on the outside until the bird gives up and goes away. A sheet of newspaper and masking tape to hold it so he can't see his reflection. Maybe just the middle of the window will be enough.
DeleteI think you need to put something on the window so the bird doesn't feel threatened by what it can see in the glass. A plant on the window sill or a sticker on the window... something to stop any reflection.
ReplyDeleteYou often say that you didn't do much work but then when you describe all you have accomplished - it sounds like a lot to me! :)
Where the bird is attacking is way up on the window. There's already a curtain below that. (See my answer to Boud above.)
DeleteSome days I just don't feel like I did diddly squat.
There were two trees on my properties I didn't want and would never cut them down. One was a hackberry butt up against the cedar by the gate to the shop yard. I told it one day I didn't like it, wished it would die but I would never cut it down. I swear, weeks later it keeled over and died and it was a pretty big tree. The other was a rain tree in the back yard that I hated because it was a prolific seed maker and every single one sprouted. I was forever pulling up rain tree sprouts. Again I told it I wished it would die and two years ago after that first arctic blast, it froze to the ground. It was a big tree and while they are pretty when they bloom and make their pink seed pods I snapped of every sprout that came up from the still living roots. Two years later it is truly dead. We haven't cut it down as it's at the back of the property and no danger to anyone but provides habitat for other things.
ReplyDeleteEllen! We have magical death powers for trees! Oh my goodness. I hope not. But it is strange.
DeleteIt would be great if you could get Moana some company! But risky too, I suppose. Weird that the Canary Island palms are dying of their own accord! You must be sending them poisonous mental messages. :)
ReplyDeleteEither that, Steve, or else they have parasites or a disease. This could definitely be the problem. I just googled that situation and the pictures of palms that are infested with different things look like mine.
ReplyDelete