I got a Hummer!

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Or rather, I got about 200 of them. Give or take 50.



For the past 3 years, my spouse and I have put out hummingbird feeders on our porch(es). These noisy little birds eat at our feeders in droves. Jude speculates that there are more than 160 birds eating from our feeders. One of the feeders came with a formula for figuring the number of birds based on the number of ounces consumed in a 24 hour period. We go through something like a gallon every day and a half. That's a lot of birds.

These pictures don't even begin to describe the number of birds that are in constant motion around the feeders. One of the large feeders has 6 feeding areas. We get 8 birds at a time on it, all fighting, sharing, and sometimes standing on each other's back to get to the feeder.



Some of these birds are so intent on their food, that you can stand at a feeder and put your fingers over the perches, so they have to perch on your hand to eat. And they will. It's amazing to have these little birds buzz by and perch on your hand, just under your nose! One year, my 3 year old neice even sat out with the feeder (and grandpa) and had birds perch on her fingers. So cool.

Paint by Number

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We're painting room #2 today: The Living Room.
At the request of some of my avid readers ;) I've included some "before" pictures.

This room was a lovely shade of off-white Cream (such a change from the room that was pure white!) Almost the Entire rest of the house is also painted in this appealing color. The 2 bathrooms have slight variations.

I absolutely love the new color. Oddly enough, the room seems a little bigger than before; the ceiling seems higher. Typically dark feels small, as a few people have said our blue room feels smaller than it did before. This green room is refreshingly pleasant.

It's so nice to make new changes around the house. Might as well change everything in life all at one time!






The paint is still wet in these pictures, and we haven't painted the trim. That will take quite a bit longer than painting the room did, considering how much trim there is!









Aren't the french doors Sweet?!? Sadly, they're not very operable, and the screen doors we have for them are warped. But, that doesn't mean they won't be opened some time in the future. There's another set of french doors in the room across the hall. It's great!

A What?!

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A bat. In the toilet.

I know that weird things happen at my house. Once, I found a dead mouse in the toliet. My husband rescued me that time. This time, I was left to deal with the LIVE bat in the toliet by myself.

I made an ingenious use of old newspapers, fished out the bat, and put him out to dry on the back porch. We'll see what happens. I think he was pretty cold. And angry. He tried to bite my newspaper, while clicking at me.

Here he is. Best of luck, Bat. Hope the cats don't get you.

local oddities

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I found this ad in a local ads-only paper. Coming from a bunch of local people, the ads tend to have errors and funny wording.

I've heard of all kinds of new mixed breed specialty dogs, but this had me giggling so much I couldn't even explain to my spouse why I couldn't breathe. I shoved the paper under his nose and continued to giggle for quite a while.

I hope I don't have to explain why I thought it was sooooo funny. I was very tired that morning.

cool tool

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Alright, since painting is on my mind.

Several months ago, when I was first contemplating the possiblitlies of repainting rooms in my home, I was searching for a chemical free, relatively lead-safe method of paint removal. I came across this cool tool called "the silent paint remover" or sometimes "speedheater." They're both manufactured by the same european company.



Generically, it could be called an infrared paint remover.

It's a sweet concept. Looking at the videos makes it look so easy! I want one!

Alas, using such a nifty device is not to be at this time: We're going for the quick and easy wet scrape what's peeling, and repaint. Some day, though, when we're look to do more than a quick fix, I'm going to rent or purchase one. One of these days...

Blue

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This past weekend, we decided to embark upon some re-decorating.
Our choosen room to begin with is..... this one!



It used to be a former roommate's room, and the walls and trim were all white.

Very white.

Now it is blue. Although the pictures don't do the actual color any justice, at least if gives a feel for the kind of change we've made.



Eventually, we figure that this will be our bedroom while we get around to painting the upper rooms. However, we must first tackle the living room and computer room.

Although the red, white, and blue theme might suggest that my spouse and I are a patriotic pair, the truth is, that's the carpet present. Maybe we'll change it.