Monday, August 17, 2015

A bird feeder with a cat watchdog!

Anyone who feeds the birds knows the suffering of the always attacking squirrels.

Many attempts at thwarting the 4-legged thieves are made. Double-sided tape is wrapped around the pole holding up the feeders. No good.

Grease is smeared on the pole, but the squirrels keep trying until that has worn away and they can still make the climb to the most delicious seed.

Edwin Way Teale professes in his book, A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm, to hanging a feeder to a thin wire from a tree branch. He moves it out further a little at a time to see just how far the squirrels can jump and still get to the feeder. He discovers that when the feeder is finally out of the reach of the squirrels, they still jump wholeheartedly, hitting the feeder, sending the seed flying, where they can then just eat off of the ground. Squirrels surely get an A+ for effort.

You buy feeders that say they are squirrel proof, but somehow the furry beasts eventually find a way.

This morning as I was driving out of my neighborhood to work, I spotted a great sight.


Not the usual pesky squirrels at the feeders, but a big, fat, black cat sitting under my neighbor's feeder, eyes focusing upwards, and tail swishing.

Lesson learned is that nature does what it does.
Put food out, and it is survival of the fittest, or the most acrobatic, as to who gets it.

I am a Putnamaniac that loves to see what happens out my window! 

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Taking a look at a port-o-john, through the eyes of Jimi G.

I have this friend.

He is very sincere, enthusiastic, hard working, fun, nice, thoughtful, smart, talented... and he is really not a close friend.

We have spent very little time together, but the few minutes here and there are always some of the most valuable and pleasant that I spend with anyone.

When I see his smiling face in a crowd, or sitting somewhere, the magnetic pull is irresistable.

Why?

Because we have conversations like this:

"I love my daughters. They grew up so fast!"

"Look at that mother over there, bending down to the stroller, smiling and having fun with her little one. We are seeing that! Isn't it a great thing!"

"That forgotten 45 your requested on WINY Radio was GREAT!"

...and one of the best one's yet... "I remember going along the river trail one day, and there was a guy there cleaning the port-o-john. He was whistling, and going about his job with great pride. He cleaned the inside, then the outside. He was not ashamed or embarrassed of his job. He was proud to be doing a fantastic job! Isn't that great?!"


Yes - it is.

It is also great to know people that value the goodness, hard work and sincerity of others.

THAT is why I love my friends, and that is why I am pulled like a magnet to them, and opposed to those who do not see the value in these precious things.

I am a Putnamaniac that sticks with those who see the good and rise above all else! 





Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Unloading a truck on a rainy day can be fun!

My momma always taught us kids how to have fun!

Whether you were cleaning your closet, out in the woods picking blueberries together, snapping green beans from the garden for canning, babysitting your little brother and sister or having homemade apple crisp in the fresh fall air for dessert, have fun doing it!

That advice has been followed and revisited successfully many times over the years. Somethings are much easier to have fun doing, but you can pretty much always talk yourself into fun!

That happened today!

The Last Green Valley's Walktober brochures were ready to be delivered, and half were coming to my garage. The old truckster followed me up Rte. 395 in the pouring rain, backed in to the driveway, and we unloaded 3 pallets or approximately 12,000 Walktober brochures! One guy in the truck handing each box to me and the other guy one by one.


It was fast, it was fun, we laughed about getting in our much needed cardio work.


It is amazing what a smile and a good attitude can do!

I'm a Putnamaniac that is happy to unload a truck full of boxes in the rain any day!