Birdhouses and Things

Deltaville and wildlife seem to go hand-in-hand, at least in my head they do.  Pepop (my great-uncle and subject of a previous blog found here), was the former superintendent at Patapsco State Park in Maryland so most of the time spent with him ended up being some sort of lesson on nature.  I am full of all sorts of facts and useless information about the ecosystem of the Tidewater area and all the wildlife that resides there.  While some might think those lessons were boring, I hung on every word,  absorbed every detail and turned into that girl who is bringing home every wounded animal she finds (once had my chorus teacher give me a ride home after I found a baby rabbit in the schoolyard- it's mother and siblings squashed).

I've spent a lot of time watching the squirrels chase each other and throw things at those of us sitting on the deck.  I love listening to the birds (some I can imitate).  No surprise that we have a couple of birdhouses around.  One in particular is a most unique birdhouse.  My grandmother and grandfather fashioned it out of an old coffee pot.  A few years ago, a bad storm blew it out of the tree.  I came across it and took it into the house in the hopes of managing to fix it and hang it again.  I'm one of those freaks people who has a lot of respect for the past and nostalgia.  I hate change, especially in my little heaven on earth.  So the birdhouse coffee pot sat in the corner of the kitchen under the bar stool.  There was also a birdhouse on top of a metal post that had seen better days that I had been planning on replacing. 

Last August, my dad cut down the pear tree in the yard and one of the branches smashed the birdhouse.  I figured it was time to make good on my promise.  My grandmother, who was slowly declining in health, was supposed to be coming to Deltaville for the last time.  Now was a good time to get her precious birdhouses up. 

Ethan helped me find one and he also picked out the paint colors and I let him paint the replacement birdhouse.  I was unsure what to do about the coffee pot.  I had no idea how I was going to attach it to the tree again.  Finally I found an old piece of wood, painted it, attached the pot to it (after several cuts, thankfully I have a current tetanus) and got it attached back on the tree. 

My grandmother never made it down to Deltaville again, but I was able to send her photos of our handy work.  She was pleased.

The new birdhouse on the metal pole.  Paint job by Ethan, I painted the pole.

Coffee Pot birdhouse.  Doesn't matter if nothing nests in it at this point, it's all about the memories