A Chilly Situation

August 16, 2014

If you're a long-time visitor here at Between the Keys you already know I enjoy living in the woods. I'm very blessed to have three acres of land to call my very own but with that blessing comes a duty of stewardship. I pay attention to the flora and fauna on my patch of paradise. It's not like I can do a lot but clean up the debris if a tree falls in my woods, but I at least I am aware it happened. 

In the midst of the outcries about global warming we're having a very cool summer here in western Maryland. In my particular realm there is some snickering regarding the political silence on the matter. And you must allow us our snark because, you see, my compatriots and I live a mere ninety or so miles northwest of the hottest air found on the planet, that being the real source of "global warming" - the incessant talking of the Capitol Hill politician. We suffer from something akin to radiation exposure from the gases they expel. 

I wonder if they've finally shut the fuck up because it was a mere fifty degrees on the patio this morning. 

That I can't drink my first cup of coffee on my patio in the middle of August is virtually unheard of. And I was really looking forward to those fifteen minutes of peace and solitude before I start what will be a Saturday full of activity. Spending quiet time watching my world turn from a dusky grey-green to glowing green-gold as the sun comes up is one of life's simple pleasures. I'm going to miss it this morning and it doesn't please me.  

But never mind what I think about this chilly morning. You should ask my cat his opinion. While I at least stepped outside to take a look around, he retreated the moment his little pink paw pads hit the cold concrete. He looked up at me and screeched his unhappiness. I'm not sure what he thinks I can do about it but obviously I'm to come up with a solution. Seriously - does he look happy to you? I'm going to have  to deal with His Majesty's displeasure until the mercury hits at least seventy. It's going to take a lot of cat crack, er, Mix-up treats, to fix this. 

The first cup of coffee is gone and it's time I find a sweatshirt so I can begin my outside tasks. We're leaving on a day jaunt mid-morning and there are potted flowers to water, a pool filter to change, tomatoes to pick, and hummingbird feeders to replenish before I go, not to mention finding a way to put the cat in a happier frame of mind.

A sweatshirt. In August. It's certainly a chilly situation. 

KC 

One angry flyboy

June 21, 2014

If you’ve been following along here at Between the Keys you know I enjoy living in the country. I know for some there is nothing like the big city, and I confess I love to visit New York and soak up the electric vibe. You see, the real upside of country living is we can go to the city and find hotels. City dwellers can’t come to the country and find our vibe in resorts, bed & breakfasts or campgrounds.

Of course, city dwellers are probably a lot safer from summer’s one great menacing presence. It’s not what you might think. It’s not snakes, spiders, bears, bats, bees or ticks. It’s the Ruby-throated hummingbird.

I kid you not.

The ruby-throated hummingbird is the smallest breeding species of bird found in the eastern USA and Canada. They’re small, tiny even, but they’re one full ounce of pure wily aggression. (If they even weigh that much.) And this morning one nasty little flyboy put me in my place.

I kid you not.

It was my own fault. I knew last evening his favorite feeder (I put out two feeders) was empty and instead of refilling it then, I waited until this morning. Mistake one. I was sitting at my desk, playing around on Twitter, when a flash of movement caught my eye. I paused and looked out the window to find the hummingbird hovering, staring right at me through the glass with his beady little eyes. I ignored him. Mistake two.

When my coffee cup ran dry, I decided I’d refill his feeder (having made nectar last night in preparation) while the k-cup machine brewed my coffee. I stepped outside on the patio to get the feeder and there he was, lurking in the maple tree. I took the feeder off the hook and the little ingrate dive-bombed me!

I filled the feeder as quickly as humanly possible and carried it back to the hook. I barely got it up when he came at me again. This time he hovered in front of my face and chittered in his high-pitched voice. I’m sure I was not painted in a favorable light even though I’d just provided fresh go-go juice.

I hear and obey, oh Master. I’ll never allow the feeder to run dry again.

KC

http://www.kckendricks.com

http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

The new roof and the hummingbirds

There is a big change happening at my place. I've lived here long enough to have paid off the mortgage, so I'm used to certain things like the sun beating down on the patio and cooking me if I'm foolish enough to be out there at high noon.

No more.

Workmen have been here this past week building a roof over the patio. It's been a long time coming, and I can't wait until they're completely finished. The fellows are almost done in that all that remains is for the flashing and gutters to be installed. By next weekend, quiet will be restored, and what outdoor furniture I have will be arranged. I may even go purchase a cheap carpet remnant. Emphasis on cheap. Maybe by next summer the money tree will bloom again, and we can upgrade.

When I let the dog out this morning, I took a few minutes to ponder a very important question: where to place the hummingbird feeder? If you've never had ruby-throated hummingbirds, you may not realize the important of this. Take it from me, you don't want to make a mistake. You'd better hang the feeder where the dominant bird in the neighborhood likes it. Oh, and don't let it get empty. Bad human! Hummingbirds will hover in front of your face and chitter at you. Those little brains 'get it', so you'd better get it, too.

I'm going to be a wimp and hang it as close to the same spot as possible, but a wee bit higher than the shepherd's hook it was on. A bracket can go on a post now. We have at least three males that hang around, and one is definitely The Boss. He guards the patio feeder with amazing aggression for something so small. We're not so sure he's in favor of the new roof. Time will tell if he stays, or opens the territory up for a more pleasant monarch to take over.

As usual, what's going on in my life has crept into a manuscript. A new character will buy his first house - a fixer-upper. I'm not sure if he'll meet a sexy carpenter or the guy across the street. One way or another, sparks will fly, and not from bad wiring. Isn't it amazing what the droning of an air compressor can inspire?

KC Kendricks