Birds of a Feather

Spring
During the past winter, with all of the single digit temperatures and more snow than usual, I was very diligent about keeping bird seed and water available for my little feathered neighbors.
Some of them live in the trees and evergreens in the yard and quite a few visit from around the immediate neighborhood. 

In the back yard is a large, about 40 ft. tall, pine tree and I have no idea what species of pine it is as we didn't plant it.  We've trimmed the lower branches up to about 5 feet off the ground and lost one of the large branches on the north side to an ice storm 4 years ago. 

The pine tree is a community within itself.  In the mornings I sit at the kitchen table and watch all the activity in the yard and the pine tree especially.  A couple of doves live there, as do a couple of chickadees.  At this point it isn't known what other critters live in that big tree, but it is visited all day long by dozens of birds; blue jays, wrens, robins, woodpeckers, black birds, sparrows, black-eyed juncos, cardinals, finches, a flicker, a coopers hawk, and that's just in the winter.  In the summer we can add hummingbirds and orioles.

The robins gather during the winter to search for food as a group.

By using a heated dog bowl, I can offer fresh water all winter during all kinds of weather.  At times there are 10-12 birds wanting to quench their thirst.  The coopers hawk has visited the water bowl only one time and it sat on the railing for a full 10 min.  I was so sorry I couldn't move to get a picture but I knew it would fly away the instant I tried to move.

               (This picture isn't very clear as I had to use the zoom option in order to show it's activity.)
The hawk has taken a respite in the big pine tree and devoured it's dinner.  I worry that while feeding and watering the songbirds, I am furnishing a buffet for the hawk.  While I know that's the natural order of things, I would rather it took place out at the park or off in the woods.

The biggest annoyance for me are the squirrels.  I know that many people think they are cute little things with a scatter-brain activity level, however, I just consider them to be the rodent that they are and wish they would move on.  The squirrels do, however, feel that they should be able to partake in the fresh water as well and there just isn't a lot I can do about that.  The squirrel even had the audacity to move his nest from the top of the neighbors huge maple tree to the top of a juniper at the back of my yard! The nerve!

In about two weeks I'll get out the hummingbird feeder and set it all up for some visitors.  Mark and Marcey gave us an oriole feeder that will hold jelly and a piece of fruit, so we will be putting that out also.  More about them as spring progresses.  Have a joyful, Blessed Spring!
                                 
                             

Collecting - Hobby or Obsession

In a galaxy far far away, an African primitive man picked up a beautiful rock of blue and green quartz and, lo and behold, collecting began.  Or maybe not.  Somewhere along the way a lady(we'll call her Leia) here or a gentleman(we'll call him Han) there, decided that two perfect hammers are nice to have on hand but five of them would show his neighbors that he really thought these particular types of hammers were something special.  And, so it began.  Leia had a perfect teapot and decided that she really needed one to match he Christmas dishes.  Then, of course, she needed another that would be special for the church ladies and then a teapot in green since she didn't have that color, after all.

When children collect dolls or cards or toy trucks or frog pins or whatever, they feel a connection with these objects that gives them a sense of worth and a place in society.  They can converse with all ages about their special group of pins or trucks.  Why...they find out that Luke's dad collects toy cars and has 65 of them in his basement.  Little Luke has something in common with his best friends dad.  Wow!
There is the fact that situation makes a difference in price range of the collection.  Jay Leno has millions invested in his big-boy car collection.  Hugh Hefner collects...well, blonds and wives. 

There is the occasional person that will deny ever having collected anything.  After some chatting, though, you may find that, although this person may not be an actual collector, they do still have all of their military 'stuff' from 50 yrs. ago, as well as, every Zippo lighter they ever owned, and every license plate they ever had, and every fishing lure their grandfather and father had.  Saving for good memories is still collecting - collecting memories.  Go visit an antique store and as you walk around looking at old dishes, tools, furniture, think about how many times you say to yourself, "I remember Gramma having one of those."  Our memories are very collectible.

                             
                                               
Try viewing:
          www.rubylane.com/
          www.kovels.com/
          www.collectorsindex.com/

There are numerous other websites that ill whet your appetite or at least prick your interest.
                                                                                                 
Now, it is a fact that some folks get very carried away and then the hobby becomes more, much more.
There was a gentlemen in San Antonio that collected and saved every newspaper for over 20 yrs. and they were stacked in his living and dining rooms.  That's a problem.  That's an obsession.  When I asked him why he told me that they contained a lot in information and he hadn't got to read it all yet.   !!
Some people collect as an investment for future profit.  Some people collect and resale immediately for fun and income. 

Is this a hobby?  Once in awhile you might hear someone use the term 'serious collector' which I have always understood to mean that the serious collector would go to great lengths to acquire the one something that is their heart's desire to add to their collection.  Most of us have never been a 'serious collector' only a hobby collector for the fun of the hunt or the fun of the surprise discovery. 
Whatever the reason the challenge, the hunt, the discovery is a past time that doesn't have to be expensive, but it does have to be exhilarating!