Oh, my...rain!

Wow, my rain barrel is full! In fact, there is only one partial sunny day in the 10-day forecast. We might even have real spring weather.

I put up a new bird feeder pole with multiple hooks and different feeders; one of which is a wire tube for peanuts. Annoyingly the wide space to allow the birds to remove the peanuts also made it difficult to fill without spilling everything out. My work-around was to put the peanuts into a mesh saucer instead and repurpose the feeder. I slathered a corncob with peanut butter (which I can't eat anyway, thanks, intolerance) and rolled it in the birdseed. I just now filled it again and looked out the window, there's already a woodpecker on it. Yay!

Onto a cautionary tale: very nice youtube couple recently went to the city for a weekend getaway. He became quite ill afterwards. The following week he is recovering but she is now sick. It's obvious from the video that she is quite sick, but they go to a crowded outdoor market and out to eat. I wanted to thump my head on the desk. Have we learned nothing in the last two years? If you have any contagious illness, stay home!

Closing my eyes, breath deeply, listen to birds singing, bring blood pressure down.

Good Hooman

My cat has me trained. When I hear rapid pawsteps behind me, I freeze. She likes to be in front and will either sideswipe me or dash between my legs. I'll take the delay instead of the off-balance feeling.

Happy news: RAIN! With a few snowflakes mixed in, but so wonderful to have moisture. Slight downside is clouds and wind which makes me feel cold even inside. So I'm wearing a hat to increase the cozy. It will be so worth it when the grass greens up though.

A Mystery in One Act

Scene: late evening, me reading (and avoiding the last of the dirty dishes), one cat sleeping on my legs, other cat sleeping on HER chair.

A tinkling noise as if a small glass object had broken. All three of us lift our heads to look. "What was that? If you're both here..." I look at the usual suspects.

We search the house for the source to no avail, but I did finish the dishes.

I may be a fossil

I've been watching movies on VHS. Yes, I actually have one of those rare items, a working vcr. 

There are a number of movies I just held onto the tapes instead of replacing with dvds (or worse, digital). These are shows I enjoy, but can go 10+ years between viewing. Last night I watched Mr. Holland's Opus. Thoroughly enjoyable, but no need to see it frequently.

Regarding digital copies; I just like having something physical I own and can watch any time, even if my internet is down. I'm the same with books; if I really love it, I want a paper version in my library.

Side note: positive aspect of being an empty-nester is I can have a crabby day and not bother anyone else.

Not a genius chicken

There's a space between the back of my chicken pen and the pasture fence. Usually not a problem, but a hen was trapped there. Now I've noticed some chickens are amazing problem solvers and can work out their own rescues; then there are the others.

I made a makeshift ramp so she could get close to the top of the fence and hop over herself. She promptly went underneath and used it as a windbreak. Eventually, I took my net for catching chicks out and she dove headfirst in and kept trying to ram her way further in even though it was only big enough to hold half of her. At last, she is safely back inside the pen where she can tell the others about her grand adventure. Daft bird.

Today I learned...

Have you ever had to reassess your self-view? I've always thought of myself as quite bright, but maybe I'm really a bit dim in the practical aspects.

I was boiling eggs, forgot about them and the water spilled out onto the stove-top.  (This isn't a surprise, it's just normal and why I'm not a good cook.) What was a surprise was discovering that the knobs on the front of the stove come off. They literally pop off for easy cleaning!!! I'm in my 50s and had no idea; always assumed cleaning the front of the stove was a royal pain.

Now I'm wondering what other basic things are all around me that I have no idea about.

People can be strange

The other day I was parked at a store, waiting for my curbside order, and people-watching. It was interesting to watch the ebbing and waning of mask usage during the last few months; I didn't see any at all that day.

What I did see was a woman who parked at the neighboring store; presumably because it wasn't as crowded as the one I waited at. So, after shopping in my store, she pushed her cart over a curb and up an embankment of rock to reach her car. Of course she didn't return the cart. 

I still haven't figured out how that was easier than walking a bit farther in the other parking lot.