Alright, on to less serious stuff... Do you remember when our backyard looked like this?

Well, no more!

We had the entire lawn covered in a fresh layer of nutrient-rich soil and re-seeded... Oh, it hasn't all come in yet, but it's getting there... Not cheap, but last year, Mrs. CCA won a season worth of lawn maintenance, so it all came out pretty much even.

It's interesting to note the impact that a vibrant and healthy yard has on the value of a home... In general, it barely makes the 'top ten' as far as total return, but, when viewed in light of 'bang for the buck', it's tough to beat... A kitchen remodel might cost $25,000 and increase the home value by $50,000. A lawn makeover might cost $1,000, but stop basement leaks and erosion, and jack the re-sale numbers up five fold.... Okay... I can live with that...

By the lush, ant-free feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference) ]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/post_23.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/post_23.html Sat, 25 May 2013 08:22:35 -0600

Photo from the New York Daily News...

Yeah, it's roughly 20 miles of the above... Right now (2:41 AM, 5/21/2013) there are 51 dead, and that number is expected to rise...

There are only a few things you can do unless you're a trained professional and can go there...

• Pray...
• Donate blood...
• Give to organizations like the Red Cross and the Salvation Army...

By the feeders and thanking my lucky stars...

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/moore_oklahoma_tragedy_how_you.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/moore_oklahoma_tragedy_how_you.html Tue, 21 May 2013 01:39:32 -0600 Thoughts and prayers go out to them...

For those us in the North East, things aren't looking great for the summer... Here's a prediction from WeatherBell...

I've babbled on way too much about disaster preparedness, but once again, here is a great link on the subject...

Getting ready by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference) ]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/tornados_and_the_upcoming_hurr.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/tornados_and_the_upcoming_hurr.html Backyard Sanctuary Sun, 19 May 2013 18:13:40 -0600 garage door wasn't bad enough... That's fixed, but as the saying goes, "No good deed ever goes unpunished..." Enter rot on the trim by the garage door...

Thankfully, I'm ready... I have plenty of implements of destruction like the Sears Oscillating Multi-Tool (above), and a large supply of stock, so this shouldn't be so bad (famous last words...) The plan is as follows:

1. Remove the thin, worn fibrous seal between the trim and the garage door itself...
2. Use the multi to cut away the three trim elements at staggered heights...
3. Pry those 'punky' guys out...
4. Hold breath and look for more structural rot to sill etc. (You'll know if I've found 'other-than-cosmetic rot because everyone in the continental U.S. will hear me screaming...) That will mean that I will have to jack up a corner of the garage, dig out the sill rot, repair, put the garage back onto the foundation, replace any broken glass, and then try to sober up...
5. Replace discarded trim with a synthetic wood and paint if need be...
6. Paint the house...
7. Remove gutters and downspout and replace with a RainHandler gutter-less system. (I've seem mixed reviews, but it has to be better than what we used to have!)

By those high-maintenance feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/yet_another_home_project_rotti.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/yet_another_home_project_rotti.html Sun, 19 May 2013 05:05:52 -0600 Before:

After:

When I say "address the drain on the road beside our house", I actually mislead -- back in the day the town placed it on our property, which isn't necessarily a bad thing -- 'tis the cost of being a good citizen. But what was a pain was that it didn't drain properly which caused the rain to pile up and saturate our lawn as the top photo shows. (The previous owners in fact suffered basement flooding because of this.)

But miracles do happen, and out of the blue the town showed up, removed the old one, gave us back a small chunk of lawn (complete with new rich soil), and a new street drain. Coolness... Now, we'll see how the new drain holds up...

As I said, I don't know how this serendipity came to pass... Did a highway inspector notice that during even moderate rain and snow, we had a navigable lake beside our domicile? Did a neighbor get tired of needing a captain's license to drive down the road on those less than arid days and complain? Maybe one of the selectmen lives on that street... Who knows? But maybe the takeaway should be that things can actually get done if folks just speak up...

By the hopefully dry feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/a_drier_backyard.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/a_drier_backyard.html Backyard Sanctuary Mon, 13 May 2013 15:25:24 -0600

Howdy,

Thought I'd take a look at two related concepts relative to the title about post holes: one in the philosophical (oh God!) and one the mechanical (Whew!) Here we go...

So anyways, sometime around 2 AM last night, I decided that our broken squirrel feeder post had to be replaced... This should come as no surprise to those who know me -- I'm a night owl/insomniac who appreciates the stillness of the night. So with the proper prep work done (more on that in a bit), I turned on the spotlight and ventured back into my old haunts. There's an amazing peace and beauty to the night -- a calm and a fine mist (indistinguishable except through a porch light.) There's a time to reflect (I'm reminded of Hoffer's ' Working and Thinking on the Waterfront', and Frost's 'Mending Wall'... Perhaps the ideal background music would be the wafting of the Warwick/Bacharach/David master stroke, 'What's it all About Alfie?') But that's my thing. The night was as unspeakably beautiful as quahogging on a waning, raining, winter afternoon. (Which stirs the Platter's, Twilight Time'...)

But that's all warmth, fuzziness, and distance. How the Hell do you plant the freaking post in the ground? Step by step:

1. Gather your weapons of backyard carnage:
• Open can of beer... (If you choose to sink the post late PM/early AM, you'll need to have that to convince the cops (who may well show up) that that you're simply inebriated and not trying to vertically bury the corpse of an anorexic wee person...)
• Shovel...
• Post hole digger...
• Tape measure...
• Four foot level and torpedo level...
• Flashlight if working at night...
2. Figure out where you want the post... Remember the "Five Five Rule"... At least 5' off the ground and within 5' of shrubs or other protection...
3. Dig the hole using the post digger... The excavation should be about 2' deep at least... And be sure not to hit a gas line, electrical line, water line etc. When in doubt, call someone like DigSafe.
4. The diameter of the hole should be at least the thickness of the post plus another 2" on each side. So a 4x4 requires a minimum of an eight inch diameter pit...
5. Scrape the rich top soil off the target area and set that aside -- you'll want that later so that you can replant grass...
6. Carefully plop the post in place and begin the back filling. Don't get too persnickety about whether it's plumb -- just use the torpedo level to keep it in the ball park.
7. When the hole is about one quarter full, use the end of the handle to firmly pack down the soil. Repeat this process using the longer level as you go... Don't be afraid the push the post around and then re-tamp mercilessly Note! Do note hit yourself in the face with the shovel blade or shovel foot rests!!!
8. Finally, replace the top soil, grass seed and water...
9. Mount the feeder appropriately

By the well thought-out and plunked feeders...

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/2_am_post_holes_how_to.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/2_am_post_holes_how_to.html Backyard Sanctuary Wed, 08 May 2013 00:49:16 -0600 Here we go...

Last summer, the wife won a contest for a full season of lawn maintenance... Fair enough... The yard was less-than-ghastly, but so be it...

Still, the soil was terribly depleted, and it was just a matter of time until we had our own little Dust Bowl... So something had to be done... Given the free season's service, we figured it was a was if we simply put in a new lawn, and that's what we did... Here are a few pics of the beginning of a work in process...

(Note the feeder in the shot below... It was soon to meet its maker when the landscaping guys ran it over with a Bobcat...)

Ah yes... Nothing quite as exciting as watching grass grow. (Just wait until you see my post about painting our house! We're talking beaucoup excitement!)

Anywho, that's what's happening on the diminutive compound...

Still fighting the good fight by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/new_yard.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/new_yard.html Mon, 06 May 2013 09:03:00 -0600

Alright, don't give me any guff... I swear there was a hummingbird at the feeder just a few moments before I took the shot. (Stupid birds...) Have you noticed that missing nice shots seems to be my forte? And I'm not saying that the ones I do get are any great shakes either, because they're not. But dang, when I think of all the cool stuff I've seen in this world, my lack of photographs is stunning. Long ago, I vowed to carry a camera on my person as religiously as I carry my knife and micro flashlight. (I wear both bolo style, and put them on along with my pants in the morning and never take them off except for showers....) But did I follow through with that vow? Nooo... So I have no actual proof of the UFO I saw, or of the card game I played with Big Foot... (Just kidding about the latter.) But at least Mrs. CCA did get a picture of this gal...

We saw this behavior last summer -- a snapping turtle (the same one I assume?) lurches out of the local mud pond, lumbers a a few hundred yards to the woods beside our house, digs a hole, lays her eggs, and then plod back to the pond... Yeah, it's going to be one of those summers.

Walking gingerly by those absent feeders

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/ghost_hummingbirds.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/ghost_hummingbirds.html Backyard Sanctuary Sat, 04 May 2013 22:58:10 -0600 Just a couple days ago, the wife called out, "It looks like we've got another chickadee checking out the birdhouse." And I smiled a sort of unthinking smile -- one of those deeply rewarding but hardly noticeable smiles.

The reason that smile slowly clawed its way up to my consciousness was simple: our scrap birdhouse cost a couple of evenings and little more. (I was going to throw the wood out anyway.) A couple of bucks might buy you a single designer cup of coffee, and how many soft smiles will that last you over the years? See what I mean? Backyard birding is such a subtle thing... an almost habitual, unnoticeable thing. It's almost weird how many times I've wandered through the kitchen and living room, and never even noticed the show.

So what does a bushel basket of smiles cost? I don't know... A few hours in the shop with a can of beer (twist my arm...)

At ease by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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By the feeders... ]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/what_cost_a_smile.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/05/what_cost_a_smile.html Wed, 01 May 2013 00:21:23 -0600 A real quick post -- take it to heart...

Don't walk... Run to get this video... http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ruby-throat-hummingbird/

(Note the photo credit above!!!)

I sincerely doubt there's a person alive who wouldn't marvel at this one...

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan P.S. Stay tuned for a major landscaping makeover!!!!

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference) ]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/must_watch_video.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/must_watch_video.html Video Mon, 29 Apr 2013 02:31:14 -0600

Lousy picture aye? Well, sort of... I think there are two turkey vultures there, but there may only be one... Just a glimpse, but there is something memorable...

One of my earliest memories is that of watching a seagull when I was in kindergarten. I decided to watch it until it was out of sight, which is what I did... (I still struggle with the alphabet... I wonder if that was what the teacher was teaching while I was bird watching?)

So be it... I was just walking by the window and a black bird flashed by. It might have been a crow, or perhaps a grackle... Just a glimpse... but an exceptional memory...

When all is said and done, no matter what, we leave this world with just memories. A person might own a fur-lined bidet and a limo with a platinum steering wheel... When we take our last breath, the only things we truly own are what's between our ears -- To borrow from the song, "These are days you'll remember... Never before and never again..." Choose your days and memories wisely....

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/a_glimpse_of_birds.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/a_glimpse_of_birds.html Backyard Sanctuary Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:40:09 -0600 If you've been following this New England blog, you know I haven't been exactly nice when it came to the terrorists who planted the bombs at the the Boston Marathon... Well, as it appears right now, the terrorists are out of action, and I make it a point not to waste my time on dirt bags...

Onward!

Remember how bad that garage door was?

Well... Problem solved!

Nothing that a little routing, cutting (I LOVE my "multi-purpose" tool from Sears!), marine ply, and epoxy can't fix... I'll leave the rest for the finish crew (Mrs. CCA...)

And speaking of Mrs. CCA, we took some time and went shooting today... Below is a five shot group I made from a lousy stand using an old K-Mart $100 Glenfield Model 25 with a $25 4X32 from about 30 yards... Not bad -- a 1" group at that distance using stock ammo and freezing my fingers off ain't chump change... Under better conditions, we can probably get to about 1" groups at 50 yards using either the Model 25 or the new Ruger 10/22 -- that's about all we can ask...

Beyond that, I imagine the focus involved to shoot truly tight groups approaches that of Zanshin (look it up!) without the lethal part.

Anywho... Great day... Birds are happy happy, and the garage door closes nice and secure... I guess that's all you can ask for...

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/terror_suspects_deadcaught_gar.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/terror_suspects_deadcaught_gar.html Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:06:55 -0600

One police official said he's, "A terrorist who came here to kill people..."

This guy (or worse his unknown cohorts) are extraordinarily dangerous... If you see this person, immediately contact the police and seek shelter. If you live in the Watertown MA area, stay inside and use extreme caution...

One MIT cop is dead. One MBTA officer is wounded. And now the reports are that there may be overseas ties...

We here in New England need to exercise exceptional caution and remember the saying, "If you see something, say something..."

Keep your eyes open and use your head...

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference)]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/terrorist_update.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/terrorist_update.html Terrorism Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:57:43 -0600

If you recognize either of these men, call: 800-call-FBI or got to: bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov or email to: boston@ic.fbi.gov

Beware, these individuals should be considered extremely dangerous... Do not try to apprehend... Instead use the contact info above.

On the lookout by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference) ]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/boston_marathon_suspects.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/boston_marathon_suspects.html Terror Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:28:31 -0600 No pics today -- not in the mood...

As you no doubt know, two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, maiming umpteen, injuring 176, and killing three... Too close to home -- Mrs.CCA works in Boston and heard both bombs go off... One of the bombs was detonated in the building next door from where the wife used to work... I have a close friend who runs the marathon, and now I can't reach him

I certainly can't speak for eBirdseed.com, but I can speak for myself. On 9/11/2001, I was appalled. But not now... Just pissed.

Thoughts and prayers...

CapeCodAlan

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By Location, Birds and Natural History Books (a global reference) ]]> http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/terrorism_the_beat_goes_on.html http://www.ebirdseed.com/blog/2013/04/terrorism_the_beat_goes_on.html Backyard Sanctuary Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:37:49 -0600