The brand new bird bath might serve as a skating rink this morning.  That is a solid brick of ice!!  A low of twenty-one degrees last night!!  I speculate the Mealworms I delivered quickly became icicles.  However, at 9:05 the Bluebirds were at their dinner table!!

Postscript, Tues. Nov. 27, 2012, 9:30 AM: The Bluebirds were at their feeder seconds after I provided mealworms.

It would have been easy to stay home and work on projects.  I didn’t “need” a single thing!!  **BUT** I wanted to support my favorite “small business”: Backyard Wild in Matthews, North Carolina.  I was in the store for one-and-one-half hours; I spent $167.40.  Obviously, all for my backyard wildlife.  ~~  I learned my Bluebirds will practically “eat out of my hand” if I provide live Mealworms.  I’ve been serving dried (re-hydrated) for nine months.  Had I known… my Bluebirds would have enjoyed live!!  ~~   I bought several garden flags; I can’t leave the “Home Tweet Home” flag out all year.  ~~  Then I succumbed to a big business store, Home Depot, where I purchased Daffodil bulbs and Nasturtium seeds.  (My harvested Nasturtium seeds may not germinate so I’m ahead… by having new seeds.)  ~~  Did you shop at a small business??

Not only shifting, sorting and saving, but stretching, straining, sweating and soreness.  (No swearing!!)  For many months, boxes containing health and nutrition books were along that wall.  Now there is genealogy (family history), office supplies, collector’s plates and a foot locker.  This morning I removed collector’s plates from the foot locker and will advertise the decades-old foot locker for sale.  For all my good intentions, advertising things for sale is no guarantee they will sell.  I’ve advertised the collector’s plates numerous times and have sold very few.  ~~  It’s 2 o’clock and my arms, and back, ache from lifting the heavy plastic crates.  Now many crates??  Twenty-three, and they were handled several times!!  Crates, suitcases, foot lockers and trunks have been great receptacles for storage, and moving, containers.**  See all those suitcases full of photo albums??  (Note the clippings of Calibrachoa plant in preparation for next Spring and Summer hanging baskets.  I’m uncertain of the names of two plants in the large pots.  Since I trimmed them to bare soil, and brought them indoors, they have been growing remarkably fast.) ~~  To my right (as I sit here preparing this blog), my printer sits on an old, old printer stand.  In turn, the old, old printer stand sits on top of one (of two) old trunks*  from my maternal grandfather.  This trunk is full of my parents and grandparent’s pictures.  My “downsizing” project is, regrettably, endless!!  ~~  This is “Black Friday” and I am not out shopping; there isn’t a single thing I need!!!!!!!!!

* Trunks older than me!!  ~~  **Believe it or not, I have some empty crates and plastic storage containers.

I make a feeble attempt to sell some of my exceeding overabundance of personal possessions.  But my number one desire is to find a new home for everything.  Free is fine, IMHO.  This painting was very expensive when I purchased it in 1977.  But “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  Very few share my love of this painting that I titled “In the beginning God created….”  (My husband hated it!!)  I’m delighted to report that it will have a new home in the Vernacular Media Services Department (where I volunteer).  Praise the Lord!!

Did you watch The Dust Bowl by movie producer Ken Burns??  It was on PBS earlier this evening.  I was sitting on the edge of my chair–horrified by what I was seeing!!  Yes, I knew about the event but never knew the depth of the tragedy.  I experienced the strangest sensation: I smelled the dust, I had trouble breathing.

My maternal grandparents left “the panhandle” of Oklahoma prior to the events pictured in The Dust Bowl.  But I realize I have extended family that lived through those devastating circumstances.  In my pursuit of family history, I visited that area.

Kudos to Ken Burns, and collaborators, for this fine presentation.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Postscript, Monday, November 19, 2012, 10:00 PM:  I just watched the second part of the PBS film regarding The Dust Bowl.  I’ve followed Ken Burns’ presentations on The National Parks, The Civil War, etc.   I admire the dedication of this man and his co-laborers.  I praise PBS for superior programming when (IMHO) the major networks present trashy television.

This tired, sick old lady was so encouraged (this evening) while listening to The Unseen Hand performed on Bill Gaither’s Country Bluegrass (on PBS-TV).  I don’t recall hearing that song before.  It came at an hour when I needed “a hug” from my Heavenly Father.

I searched the Internet for the words and was blessed as I listened to several artists’ sing the words. One link was especially heart warming and I urge you to click the link to read and listen.

On Friday evening an out-of-state friend called to let me know they are in this area on business.  “Can we get together for lunch” followed the greeting and chit-chat.  “Indubitably!!”  ~~  We had a delicious lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Waxhaw.  Such a delight!!  ~~  But I suffer an extra measure of depression afterwards because I long for fellowship with my children and grandchildren.  The upcoming holiday season is the worse time of the year for me.

Mid-morning, I was at the local Operation Christmas Child Collection Center.  I “met my match” (so to speak) because they (a Baptist Church) had tables full, with boxes full, of everything necessary to pack over 200 boxes.  (My annual purchases were tiny compared to their gigantic display!!)  I packed four… and visited with several ladies, and the pastor.  ~~  Buying for children, and packing O.C.C. shoe boxes, helps  fill a void in my life.  I wish I could buy for my children and grandchildren (but they deliberately exclude me from their lives).  I’m embarrassed to confess that “depression” is my constant companion.

Remember Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”??  Well, to a lesser degree, today (this morning) I had flocks of birds in my backyard (and they were not violent).  We suddenly have cold weather (and rain last night) so there were several birds–at the same time–on each of the numerous feeders.  (I have a dozen  feeders dedicated for the birds and six feeders dedicated for the squirrels.)  Furthermore, it has been months since I had five or six squirrels in the yard at the same time.  Two squirrels on one bird feeder at the same time (which is strange because usually one squirrel will “bully” another squirrel away from a bird feeder or squirrel feeder).  Several squirrels seemed ravenous as they worked frantically at their feeders.  (IMHO: Better than television, or an old movie!!)

My illusive Bluebirds are back!!  That makes me happy!!  When there was excessive activity in my back yard, and the neighbor’s back yard, the Bluebirds disappeared.  I’ve continued to put mealworms in the feeder every day.  Yesterday, and this morning, lots of visits from “Papa Blue” and “Mama Blue” (my affectionate names for them).

Suddenly I have more birds and more squirrels than previously.  Perhaps a lot of their food natural sources have been depleted so they are delighted to feed at my many feeders?!

Yesterday, I bought a flat of Pansies and a large bag of planter soil.  They are in the planter just outside my patio doors.  The Begonias provided an attractive image for many months but, being annuals, they had lost their beauty.  I bid them farewell a couple of days ago and could not tolerate the starkness of that planter without flowers.

What a joy to sit down to my new laptop computer and prepare a message–without frustration!!  Pictures later (see postscript below); I haven’t retrieved my pictures yet from the backup.  Too many projects!?!?!?  (I’m getting two more “memory boxes” ready to send to two sons.  ~~  Yesterday, I delivered the fifteen shoeboxes to a nearby Operation Christmas Child collection center.  I’m preparing several more shoeboxes, and plan to work at the nearby collection center this next Saturday.  ~~  Furthermore: I’m working at downsizing!!!!  [How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.]  I’m downsizing “one bite at a time.” )

Postscript: I still haven’t gotten the Picasa pictures collection on this computer.  The attached pictures were still in my camera.