I haven’t been able to find the time to exercise lately — partly laziness and lack of desire, partly lack of time — and I find that at certain times of the year, finding the time poses more of a problem than others.  For me, when I can get outside and exercise, I’m much more inclined to make the time to do it. 

I can’t wait for the pool to get ready.  We have a 28′ above ground and I walk around the pool for hours (literally) - but last year I lost over 13 lbs and I have a really tough time losing weight, so that was great for me.

I look in the mirror and wonder where that pretty young thing went … hopefully this summer I’ll uncover some of her. 

This time of year is such a beautiful one, filled with delicate new life in so many areas.  The birds are busy finding birdhouses or other places to raise their first hatch, the flowers are springing to life and coloring the ground with their beautiful colors and filling the air with their gentle scents, the apple trees are in full blossom - a beauty whether up close or from a distance, the mayflowers and violets are among my favorites - the lilacs …. so many beautiful things.   I find myself often in awe at the beauty that God has graced us with.

Today was the first morning I woke up and recognized that the birds were twittering good morning right outside my bedroom window.  Now, I admittedly wasn’t real happy to look at the clock and see it was not quite 5 am, but those beautiful birds have always been early risers.  Now, perhaps they have sung their early morning song before today — but today was the first day I heard them.  It makes me ponder — how many other things happen in life, and we’re just too busy to realize we’re missing out.

I’m going to take time today to appreciate the little things — to listen and see the beauty in everything around me.  I invite you to do the same and feel free to share with me what you find. 

I’ve been adding birding information as I can, but I am admittedly no expert in backyard birds, and there is alot more that could be added to make the Discussion Forum into a truly great resource. If you have information to share, jump next door to the Forum http://www.birdhousesetcetera.com/SMF  and either add the information, or give a shout to pwoodard@birdhousesetcetera.com and I’ll add it in for you … making sure you get noted for the submission (of course!)

Hope to see you in the BirdhousesEtcetera Outdoor Birding/Gardening etc. Forum and you’re welcome to post here as well!

 

As we create our backyards to attract wild birds and song birds, we need to make sure that we provide a clean water source, and that we continue to maintain that water source through the entire birding season.  There are so many wonderful options to choose from today, the water fountains are magnificent and come in such a great variety of shapes, sizes and styles - someone with a patio can still have room for a great fountain (and they are wonderful to listen to as well.)   I love to close my eyes and listen to the running water — a natural stress reliever!

Other great water sources are bird baths - and again, we have so many styles available to us now, that it is sometimes hard to choose our favorite.

If you are out of options, you can also put out a pan of fresh water.  Just remember to change in regularly because if the water goes stagnant, the birds can get ill.

The best possible option would be if you have a stream or other natural water source nearby.  However, since most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have that option, we have to stick with water gardens, fountains, bird baths or pans of water …. do any of you have any other ideas for a great water source for backyard birds?

Today, I did something that isn’t easy for me to do.  I asked for help.  I so want the BirdhousesEtcetera forum to grow.  I believe that great things are in store and I feel the community will be such a great asset to so many people … but how to start.

So, I wrote to a bunch of my friends and told them about the board and asked for them to help … and I could hardly believe the outpouring of support and love.  I received so many positive responses, many have already registered, several have posted, others have emailed their messages of support and I just had to tell you that I feel so blessed to have you all as friends.

Thank you…. your support and encouragement and belief in my dreams — it means so very much!

We own some property not far from our home that is an absolute haven for song birds. We mow a small percentage of it and use it as family camping/picnic grounds, have tremendous bon-fires, make sommores, sing songs — it is absolutely wonderful and we have lots of great memories of camping there when the kids were young.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to spend several hours down there doing some spring clean up. The land is very rustic and we have to cut down the dead trees, clean up the brush, etc. As we were working yesterday, I took a few minutes to take the dogs for a walk to the creek and just took in the smells and listened to the birds. They are happily singing, flying here and there. There is one that my daughter swears is calling her name … Brannnnn dieeeeeee and every time I hear that bird sing out, I think of my daughter.

My father could whistle like birds, and he did it so well that they would talk back to him. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can imagine that it is he doing the whistling instead of the pretty birds. These type of memories just warm my heart.

I have been thinking about adding some birdhouses on the property, but I’m not sure whether that is a good idea or not. It is extremely rustic and at this point, the song-birds are there. I would hate to do anything that would entice the non-native birds to invade the area and turn away the song-birds, but I would like to encourage the song-bird population if I was able to.

I’ll have to do some research, or if any of you have some knowledge in this area, I sure would appreciate some feedback.

Thanks and hopefully you are enjoying listening to your backyard song birds!

I have found Lawn Ornaments to be a fun and creative way to add my own sense of style outdoors. With the price of gas rising each and every day, having a home that is comfortable and appealing is even more important. I like being able to personalize my outdoor spaces to make them a place I truly enjoy being.

Water Gardening is becoming a trend in modern day society. Water had long provided an appeal to many of the senses, sight, hearing, touch … and water definitely adds appealing elements to your lawn, garden or other outdoor spaces. There are many water elements to choose from. Water gardens can contain small ponds, fountains, waterfalls, sprinklers – and these elements can be combined with any number of other Garden Décor items such as Rocks and colorful illumination options. The enjoyment of your outdoor areas will definitely be enhanced when you add the beauty with the soothing sound of running water in your very own water garden.

What is a Water Garden? A water garden can be any pool of water that becomes home to plant life. You can enhance your water garden even further if you add fish or other water beings. You don’t need a large space to have a water garden, and although there are many styles of ponds, fountains and pools to choose from, basically you can turn any container into a water garden of your very own!

Where should you put a Water Garden? This could very well be the most important question you ask and answer as you prepare your own water garden. It is important to remember that most water plants and fish require a fair amount of sunshine, so it is probably best to select an area that gets several hours of sun each day, 6-8 would be ideal. Also, to save yourself time of cleaning out debris, try to select a location that is away from shrubbery and trees.

Does the Water Garden require cleaning? All water gardens (even the small ones) do require some care throughout the year. If you plan properly and maintain a good balance between the living features and the decorative features of your water garden, the amount of required maintenance goes down dramatically. Do some research and put your plan together before you start. Pick out which plants, fish and decorative elements you will be using – the planning part is a lot of fun, and it will save you time maintaining your water garden, once the project is complete and you are enjoying its beauty!

Gardening is a wonderful stress reliever for many folks. Being able to play in the dirt, plant little seeds or seedlings and watch them turn into beautiful flowers or plants … it can be an amazing experience.

Whether you are new to gardening or a have already earned your green thumb, we would love to hear from you. You can ask questions, share secrets and gardening tips, or just share with us your favorite things about your garden!