Something For The Birds

One of my great joys in life is watching birds in my yard. I'm not one of those "bird nerds" who dresses in Indiana Jones clothes, straps my field guide to my belt and goes to bird watching places around the world, my only weapons a camera and binoculars. (Sorry, nerds.) I'm content with the ones that come to my yard. I entice them with black oil sunflower seeds and Marvel Meal, all the while hoping that they don't fall prey to The Brothers Stealth-Cat, Pierre and Sylvester.

Let me share with you the recipe for this wonderful concoction that turns ordinary birds into peanut butter junkies. First though, the instructions for making the feeder.
SUPPLIES
*1 hardwood limb, at least 3" around (we used oak), length of your choosing
*1 screw-eye
*Power drill with paddle bit to make a hole 1" across
Make holes in the limb at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, staggered around so the holes aren't opposite each other. Drill a starter hole for the screw-eye and put it into the top of the limb for hanging. (I hope this makes sense. Email me if it doesn't.)

RECIPE
*4 cups plain, not self-rising, corn meal
*1 cup all purpose flour, not self-rising
*1 cup peanut butter (I use chunky)
*1 cup vegetable shortening
Mix with electric mixer until the consistency of cookie dough, and store in the refrigerator. To use, fill each hole on the Limb Feeder with this PB mixture. By the way, the recipe is not original. It came from a Birds and Blooms magazine several years ago.

You will love the assortment of birds attracted by this stuff. One day last week as I drank my coffee on the porch, I saw Downy Woodpecker, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Chickadee, Titmouse, Cardinal, Carolina Wren and Blue Jay. Three other birds that usually don't visit feeders but also love Marvel Meal: Brown Thrasher, Towhee, and Eastern Bluebird. And in the winter, the Goldfinches and Sparrows that vacation here literally fight for space on the feeder. The birds will sit in the tree where the feeder hangs, right above me while I fill the holes - as though saying, "What took you so long? We've been waiting."

Happy birdie watching, everyone. I'd love to know what results you get from this little project.

Gateway to the West

St. Louis, the Gateway to the West. It was the stopping off place for many a pioneer as the West was being opened. During World War II, it was a transfer spot for GI's on their way to serve our country. But wait, you may be saying, the Statue of Liberty is in New York. Let me assure you - I am not confused.

Last week I had the great privilege of being in St. Louis for my travel company's annual convention. It was my first time in that city, and probably my first in Missouri. The weather was warm but beautiful, the people friendly, and the convention awesome. There were more than 18,000 people from my company, YTB, at the convention. Taking center stage was a near life-size replica of Lady Liberty that had been commissioned by the company, manufactured in Illinois, shipped in pieces to St. Louis, and assembled for the convention. This beautiful statue was just 21 feet shorter than the original, only because an exact replica would not fit into the Edward Jones Dome. At the end of the convention, she was disassembled and shipped back to Illinois, where she will have a permanent home. All I can say is, "Wow!"

The highlight of the trip, outside of the convention, was going to the St. Louis Zoo. I just wish I had had more time to spend there. My favorite part was the butterfly house, with an amazing assortment of butterflies from around the world. I could have spent an hour there just watching these beautiful creatures move. Seeing them from a Biblical perspective, that God is an all wise Designer and Creator, made me take notice of the diversity in just this one part of nature, God's creation.

Of course we visited the famous St. Louis Arch and learned how it was engineered and constructed. People said it could not be done, that it was impossible to build such a structure, that it would not stand the test of time. But it was built and it continues to stand. All of us have naysayers in our lives who tell us that things we want to do are impossible. They speak the loudest and most often. They seem to be full-time dream squashers. Negative people. Let's not listen to them. We will continue to love them, but tune out the things they say. That was my lesson from my trip.

I'm so glad I was able to go, but am delighted to be back in my little country home. Give me the simple life, with little splashes of adventure thrown in, and I'm a happy girl.