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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here, I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. |
| We've had some problems with the squirrels getting into the bird feeders ever since we moved here. This past summer, fall, and into this winter, they have gotten even worse. Instead of just getting into the bird feeders, they are busting them open. We've tried hanging them with the hope that it would keep the feeders safe, but they soon figured out how to slide down the cable and land on the feeders. Next, we purchased baffles (cone-shaped), thinking they would stop the pesky critters. I mean, that's what they're designed for, so it's got to work. It did for a while, but with a bit of time, the squirrels figured out how to slide down onto the cone, lean to one side enough that the cone dips down, then free-fall and grab the edge of the feeder. So, I decided it was time to try something different; I didn't have much choice, as they had recently busted open another feeder, and replacing them was becoming expensive. One option is to purchase an air rifle, shoot some of them, and cook them on the pellet smoker. Squirrels are good eating, and cooked over the wood fire would make them even tastier. But, before I resort to shooting them, I decided to try another approach. After some research, I decided on a shepherd's hook that's about seven feet tall and has a baffle about midway up the post to stop anything from climbing up. I also ordered another bird feeder since all of ours are now broken. Actually, I let my wife pick out a feeder, since it's her hobby to feed them. The problem is, how am I going to get the shepherd's hook into the frozen ground? The solution, build a fire and thaw the ground out where the post is going to go. So, today I decided, since it's another nice day, to do just that. I dug the truck rim (just a round rim with no center, about 18" in diameter and 10" high) out of the shed. Next, I used the ice scraper and shovel to clear the snow away. Once the ground was cleared and the rim in place, I split some wood for kindling and cut up some cardboard (the box the post and feeder came in) to use for a fire starter. I rolled the cardboard up and saturated it with rubbing alcohol, placed the kindling over it, and with little effort had a nice fire going. Since I needed to get a good bed of coals, I've been adding more wood throughout the afternoon. Since I had to tend the fire, I decided to put some more pork chops on the smoker, along with some ribs, since the last batch turned out so good. I set the smoker up in the portable shower that's now a smoking tent, made a pot of coffee, and took the dogs out to romp and play while I tended the fire and the smoker with some hot coffee. The ground is thawed, but the fire is still burning, so I'll wait for it to go down more, then put the feeder pole up before the ground refreezes. The smoker needs to go until at least six to instill a good, deep, smoke flavor. |
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