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Do you miss them? I do.......sigh....

9 years ago

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Comments (16)

grandma_bonnie
9 years ago
I don't. I still have to keep re-filling the feeder - they buzz me when I forget to burp them...
Terri_PacNW
9 years ago
Those are beautiful Nicole!
We have them year round too.
Well at my mom's house(I told her she HAD to keep them happy!) .. I can't seem to get them to come and stay at the new house...yet!
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Ahh Yarthkin!! You've got the soil I had when we lived in TN! Nope, shovel won't work, maddox or pick ax does. I did have yards and yards of topsoil/compost brought it and we spread that around, so my weeds were pretty much in that top part (the builder removed all of the top soil and didn't replace it, so I had what I call hardpan). I put newspaper and cardboard down and then put the topsoil on that to eventually help bring in worms and help loosen that stuff you guys call soil :o)! In the other half, where it wasn't disturbed by the builder, it was pretty easy to dig. Lots of leaf mold, I suppose? Out at my parents place, in their woods is the same thing. Easy digging, just so many invasives. Their acreage used to be a timber farm. When they bought it, the owners took out all the hard wood in there and sold it. So my parents is regrown timber also. They bought it about 10 years ago, and it's grown up a lot. Unfortunately, it's got tons of multi flora rose and honeysuckle in there. For the medium size stuff, dad bought an attatchment for his weed whacker. Like a circular saw blade, and I had fun cutting the stuff down with that. For the really big ones, we used chain saws. And for the little stuff we used his brush hog. He decided late October he wanted all this done, so we ran out of warm weather pretty quickly. Come spring, we'll be back at it. He's talked about looking into a controlled burn, spraying RoundUp and he talks about using something called Cross Bow. He's pretty anal about how he does things, so I know he won't be spraying willy nilly in there. I just don't like the thought of spraying anything in there. There's also a creek about 1/2 mile from them, so just the thought of him spraying....??? Don't ya just love that multi flora rose and how it grabs you just walking by it, then grabs you as you cut it and hangs on for dear life as you throw in it the fire?! We'd come up to eat and my mom was always gasping at our bleeding arms, necks, foreheads....... Terry
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Sure - I'm going to fill the tub with the same amount of water (which, for the tubs we're looking at, is in the 70-80 gallon range). But, it will take almost twice as long - and yes, the water does cool. Sassinak - you're on my page! (I'm looking for a tub that holds less water, btw - but still, taking 15 minutes to fill a tub vs. 8 or so does seem like an issue). We didn't want a wall spout because it's a two person tub - and we don't want a faucet poking into the head of Bather #2. We did go to a good plumbing store yesterday - and it looks like we'll get the handheld PLUS a tub filler - with just a diverter between the two (no handles for the filler) - and mount the filler on the deck, possibly back side middle - so no having to have it in one's face. I really appreciate the help. Lazypup, in particular - thanks for the clarification on flow rates. We brought home Grohe literature that indicates that one of their tub fillers will reach a rate of 15 gpm! (We have good pressure at the main point of entry to our house and will be replumbing from that point to the bathroom in order to keep that good pressure up where it belongs - so I'll be able to ZOOM fill my tub). Not that it's been much of an issue - I actually have my day planned out right now so that I can fill our current fairly small tub (takes about 15 minutes) while I do stuff in the kitchen. It would be nice, though, to be able to plan a quicker bath!
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Comments (33)
Rich Fruit Cake There's a lot of ingredients but you basically just mix them all together! Makes 8" round cake or 7" square. (I have also used this recipe to make a 9" round cake with excellent results) 1 lb 5 oz currants 6 oz raisins 11 oz sultanas/golden raisins 6 oz candied citrus peel 5 oz candied cherries, washed and cut into 4 pieces 1 oz sliced almonds 1 oz almond meal/flour 1 1/2 teaspoons very strong coffee 2 level teaspoons spice mix (your own preference but I use cocoa,cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and nutmeg) Pinch of salt Zest and juice 1 small lemon 10 oz soft dark brown sugar or molasses (I use 1/2 of each) 10 oz butter 12 oz self rising flour 3 fl oz dark rum 6 large eggs Extra 1 fl oz dark rum for brushing over cake Line cake pan sides and base with parchment paper and outside of pan sides and base with brown paper (using natural string to secure) Heat oven to 250F In large bowl add spices, coffee, almonds, salt, lemon zest, and juice to fruit. Mix well then add rum and leave to soak for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week. I stir it once per day. The aroma is wonderful! In a second bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat eggs one at a time and add to butter mix, adding some flour with each egg. Reserve a small amount of flour to coat fruit by stirring it through fruit mixture. Gradually add butter/egg mix to fruit mix and stir until well mixed. Scrape into cake pan making a very slight depression in the center. Cover lightly with circle of parchment paper with small hole cut in center. Bake in pre-heated 250F oven just above center, until an inserted skewer comes out clean, approx 3 hours. (My 9" cakes have taken up to 5 hours!!) When cooked leave in oven for a few minutes with the door open. Remove from oven, brush over 1 fl oz of rum over top of cake. Leave in pan until totally cold, or overnight in a cool room. Remove from pan, wrap completely in parchment paper, then in foil. Store for minimum 4 weeks to mature. I brush with a little extra rum or brandy every 6 weeks if I store the cake for many months. The cake for this Christmas is over one year old.
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morz8 - Washington Coast
9 years ago
We have them year round, but I'm sure I'd miss them if all the Anna's migrated. I worry about them in some of our winter weather, but enjoy them at the same time.

Two feeders outside this office 12 months of the year, and a third off the kitchen. They've been here and feeding today, it's not even light outside when they begin.

I do miss the rufous, seeing that first little bright red buddy in earliest spring is such a treat. Then by July, those seem to be gone again til the next season.
lindaohnowga
9 years ago
I do miss our little hummingbirds who have gone farther south for the winter. A friend in Florida says she has some and I tell her those are MY hummingbirds that came to her house and she better be taking good care of them. LOL I look forward to their return in late March, early April.
FlamingO in AR
9 years ago
Not yet I don't. I will be glad to see them back in April and I'll hate their little greedy guts by August. LOL I'm really glad we get a good break every year, I get sick of making nectar and cleaning feeders.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
Lol, Flamingo! A few years ago, I went through a period of serious depression. I vividly remember that those needy hummingbirds just about pushed me over the edge....nag, nag, nag.

It's funny when I look back on it. I adore the wee little things, in reality.
kathi_mdgd
9 years ago
We have them year round as well.I was just watching some out on my patio enjoying all the blooms on my xmas cactus.
Kathi
moonie_57 (8 NC)
9 years ago
Yes, I do. DH misses them even more!
littlebug5
9 years ago
Yes, I do. Even though they stuck around longer than normal this year - some were here clear through the end of September. They will return about the first of May.

I miss the sounds they make. The whirr of their little wings, especially as they divebomb and chase each other, and the little chirping sounds they make as they argue over feeding ports.
mboston_gw
9 years ago
We have them from fall migration that starts in August and then some decide to stay all winter. Those leave early April and after that those we see are migrating back to their breeding grounds. We have Rubvthroated and if lucky, perhaps a Rufous will show up to stay. Right now I have two adult males and a female, all Rubies. I am in central Florida. We have a bander come in Jan. He usually catches at least two in my yard. He has banded a number of years now and never has one been recaught in the summer north of here. I am talking about all the ones he has banded in the state. However, he often rematches birds that return to the same yard from the previous winter. A friend of mine had an immature male caught and the same bird returned to his yard each winter for 8 years! Amazing! My female Rufous returned and was caught for two more years. I saw her early the next fall but she did not stay all winter. We were lucky enough to see most of the numbers on her leg band to know it was her.
susanjf_gw
9 years ago
have never had hummers at all....tried one year with feeders but ended up with ants, lol...

shocker? we have 2 pair of ducks and dh found them feeding! then driving today, saw several on a small pond off the road...wodering if the weather is keeping them longer? mi is been warmer than usual...
Adella Bedella
9 years ago
I didn't put the feeder up until fall. We only had them for a few weeks. Filling the hummingbird feeder is usually dh's hobby. I planted flowers this year to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Now we had lots of fun with that.
FlamingO in AR
9 years ago
Nicole, I forgot to say- your photos are fabulous! Wowsa. Are you sure those birds aren't fa....... oh, never mind! Bwahahahahaha

Rhizo, I recently read an article that says that a stronger solution of sugar/water is NOT bad for the hummingbirds, as previously thought, and that if you make it stronger, they don't have to feed as often, so you don't have to fill those feeders as frequently. That's great news for me, we get so many some summers that I was filling 3 quart-sized feeders more than once a day, I hate when it's that busy. I am going to make my nectar a bit stronger this coming year and see what happens. Lydia pointed me to that article, I could kiss her on the lips for it! LOLOL

This post was edited by FlamingO_in_AR on Wed, Dec 24, 14 at 10:46
lindaohnowga
9 years ago
FlamingO, what was the ratio your friend said to use? I make mine with 1 Cup sugar to 3 cups water, and no food coloring and no boiling the water either. Our hummingbirds love that mixture.
Jodi_SoCal
9 years ago
We have them year-round as well and I just love them. I have what's called a Jewelbox feeder that sticks to the outside of our bedroom French door. We have three regulars (one female Allen's, and a male and female Anna's hummingbird) who vie for ownership of the feeder. It's interesting to see the interaction between them. They never feed at the feeder at the same time even though there are three holes. Each bird feeds in the same hole when they visit.

Here is my favorite. She always checks out what we're doing inside the house by stretching way up to get a better look.

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Jodi-
FlamingO in AR
9 years ago
I think this was the article- looks like you can do 3:1 or even 2:1. I'll try 3:1, water:sugar. I want less activity.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nectar info

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