Backyard buffet - not quite OT

I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet. I
have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living room. I
eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. Several weeks ago I
noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the door intently at
some birds in the yard. I decided to add to their entertainment - and mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on the
patio and watched to see what would happen. It took a couple of days, but
the birds discovering it. Gradually I expanded my buffet. For one thing, I
also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or two birds at a time
can eat out of the dish. Next, I added about half a dozen peanuts in the
shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see occasionally in the yard. I
started breaking up half a slice of bread and scattering that out there,
too. Then, the last time I bought birdseed, I noticed a bell-shaped cake of
the seed for under $2, so I bought that too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and frequently
a few doves show up as well. When I first started putting out the peanuts,
they were carried off by crows. then a scrub jay discovered them, and the
crows moved on. Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out there. One day a cute
little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell", then run away. He did
this repeatedly for quite a while. The jay that seems to come most often
for the peanuts has an interesting routine. He'll pick up a nut, then drop
it and pick up another one. Sometimes he repeats this until he has picked
up all of them. Finally he flies off with one. Then he comes back for
another. If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes them
all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. They were a brilliant green, with orange heads and
chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the cats
or me. I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy

Absurdity: A statement of belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own
opinion. -- Ambrose Bierce

On 8/19/2011 7:08 PM, Joy wrote:
. Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out there. One day a cute
little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell", then run away. He did
this repeatedly for quite a while. The jay that seems to come most often
for the peanuts has an interesting routine. He'll pick up a nut, then drop
it and pick up another one. Sometimes he repeats this until he has picked
up all of them. Finally he flies off with one. Then he comes back for
another. If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes them
all.

What a lovely story! Quite beautiful and lyrical - I love your writing,
I felt like I was sitting there with you, sipping on a cup of coffee and
watching the action! Thank you for lifting my spirits today Joy.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

On Aug 19, 7:08*pm, "Joy" wrote:
I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet. *I
have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living room. *I
eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. *Several weeks ago I
noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the door intently at
some birds in the yard. *I decided to add to their entertainment - and mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on the
patio and watched to see what would happen. *It took a couple of days, but
the birds discovering it. *Gradually I expanded my buffet. *For one thing, I
also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or two birds at a time
can eat out of the dish. *Next, I added about half a dozen peanuts in the
shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see occasionally in the yard. *I
started breaking up half a slice of bread and scattering that out there,
too. *Then, the last time I bought birdseed, I noticed a bell-shaped cake of
the seed for under $2, so I bought that too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and frequently
a few doves show up as well. *When I first started putting out the peanuts,
they were carried off by crows. *then a scrub jay discovered them, and the
crows moved on. *Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out there. *One day a cute
little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell", then run away. *He did
this repeatedly for quite a while. *The jay that seems to come most often
for the peanuts has an interesting routine. *He'll pick up a nut, then drop
it and pick up another one. *Sometimes he repeats this until he has picked
up all of them. *Finally he flies off with one. *Then he comes back for
another. *If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes them
all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. *I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. *They were a brilliant green, with orange heads and
chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the cats
or me. *I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy

Absurdity: * A statement of belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own
opinion. * * -- Ambrose Bierce

That's really neat. I'm sure it makes for some great cat-TV too. I
think I like
watching the squirrels the most, though we never have more than a
couple.
Once we gathered some native pecans to feed the squirrels. And watched
them bury most of them. Apparently they forgot about many of them,
because
we had several little pecan trees come up the next spring. Two of
those trees
are about 20 feet tall now.

Sherry

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
On 8/19/2011 7:08 PM, Joy wrote:
. Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out there. One day a cute
little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell", then run away. He did
this repeatedly for quite a while. The jay that seems to come most often
for the peanuts has an interesting routine. He'll pick up a nut, then
drop
it and pick up another one. Sometimes he repeats this until he has
picked
up all of them. Finally he flies off with one. Then he comes back for
another. If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes
them
all.

What a lovely story! Quite beautiful and lyrical - I love your writing, I
felt like I was sitting there with you, sipping on a cup of coffee and
watching the action! Thank you for lifting my spirits today Joy.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped

Why thank you, CatNipped! Coming from someone who writes as well as you do,
that is a high compliment.

Joy

"Sherry" wrote in message
...
On Aug 19, 7:08 pm, "Joy" wrote:
I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet. I
have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living room.
I
eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. Several weeks ago I
noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the door intently
at
some birds in the yard. I decided to add to their entertainment - and
mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on the
patio and watched to see what would happen. It took a couple of days, but
the birds discovering it. Gradually I expanded my buffet. For one thing, I
also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or two birds at a time
can eat out of the dish. Next, I added about half a dozen peanuts in the
shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see occasionally in the yard. I
started breaking up half a slice of bread and scattering that out there,
too. Then, the last time I bought birdseed, I noticed a bell-shaped cake
of
the seed for under $2, so I bought that too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and
frequently
a few doves show up as well. When I first started putting out the peanuts,
they were carried off by crows. then a scrub jay discovered them, and the
crows moved on. Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out there. One day a cute
little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell", then run away. He did
this repeatedly for quite a while. The jay that seems to come most often
for the peanuts has an interesting routine. He'll pick up a nut, then drop
it and pick up another one. Sometimes he repeats this until he has picked
up all of them. Finally he flies off with one. Then he comes back for
another. If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes
them
all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. They were a brilliant green, with orange heads and
chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the cats
or me. I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy

Absurdity: A statement of belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own
opinion. -- Ambrose Bierce

That's really neat. I'm sure it makes for some great cat-TV too. I
think I like
watching the squirrels the most, though we never have more than a
couple.
Once we gathered some native pecans to feed the squirrels. And watched
them bury most of them. Apparently they forgot about many of them,
because
we had several little pecan trees come up the next spring. Two of
those trees
are about 20 feet tall now.

Sherry

***

That's pretty neat too! Yes, I tend to like squirrels better too, but I've
really been enjoying the birds. I especially like the brilliantly colored
ones, and marvel at the colors one can find in nature.

The cats do seem to enjoy their TV very much, especially when I add
smellovision. It's too hot to leave the door open much, but my usual
routine allows me to leave it open for a couple of minutes in the morning.
I fix my breakfast, take it into the living room and put it by my chair,
then open the door (leaving the screen shut, of course). Then I go out to
the garage to get the goodies for the birds. When I come back into the
living room, both cats have their noses pressed to the screen.

Joy

On 8/20/2011 1:13 AM, Joy wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Aug 19, 7:08 pm, wrote:
I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet. I
have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living room.
I
eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. Several weeks ago I
noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the door intently
at
some birds in the yard. I decided to add to their entertainment - and
mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on the
patio and watched to see what would happen. It took a couple of days, but
the birds discovering it. Gradually I expanded my buffet. For one thing, I
also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or two birds at a time
can eat out of the dish. Next, I added about half a dozen peanuts in the
shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see occasionally in the yard. I
started breaking up half a slice of bread and scattering that out there,
too. Then, the last time I bought birdseed, I noticed a bell-shaped cake
of
the seed for under $2, so I bought that too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and
frequently
a few doves show up as well. When I first started putting out the peanuts,
they were carried off by crows. then a scrub jay discovered them, and the
crows moved on. Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out there. One day a cute
little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell", then run away. He did
this repeatedly for quite a while. The jay that seems to come most often
for the peanuts has an interesting routine. He'll pick up a nut, then drop
it and pick up another one. Sometimes he repeats this until he has picked
up all of them. Finally he flies off with one. Then he comes back for
another. If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes
them
all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. They were a brilliant green, with orange heads and
chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the cats
or me. I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy

Absurdity: A statement of belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own
opinion. -- Ambrose Bierce

That's really neat. I'm sure it makes for some great cat-TV too. I
think I like
watching the squirrels the most, though we never have more than a
couple.
Once we gathered some native pecans to feed the squirrels. And watched
them bury most of them. Apparently they forgot about many of them,
because
we had several little pecan trees come up the next spring. Two of
those trees
are about 20 feet tall now.

Sherry

***

That's pretty neat too! Yes, I tend to like squirrels better too, but I've
really been enjoying the birds. I especially like the brilliantly colored
ones, and marvel at the colors one can find in nature.

The cats do seem to enjoy their TV very much, especially when I add
smellovision. It's too hot to leave the door open much, but my usual
routine allows me to leave it open for a couple of minutes in the morning.
I fix my breakfast, take it into the living room and put it by my chair,
then open the door (leaving the screen shut, of course). Then I go out to
the garage to get the goodies for the birds. When I come back into the
living room, both cats have their noses pressed to the screen.

Joy



How wonderful for them - as any cat lover knows, they rely *SO* much on
that sense that it must make their experience 10 or 20 times that much
better!

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See all our masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped

See the RPCA FAQ site, created by "Yowie", maintained by Mark Edwards, at:
http://www.professional-geek.net/rpcablog/

Email: L(dot)T(dot)Crews(at)comcast(dot)net

"Joy" wrote in message
...
I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet. I
have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living room.
I eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. Several weeks ago I
noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the door intently
at some birds in the yard. I decided to add to their entertainment - and
mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on the
patio and watched to see what would happen. It took a couple of days, but
the birds discovering it. Gradually I expanded my buffet. For one thing,
I also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or two birds at a
time can eat out of the dish. Next, I added about half a dozen peanuts in
the shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see occasionally in the yard.
I started breaking up half a slice of bread and scattering that out there,
too. Then, the last time I bought birdseed, I noticed a bell-shaped cake
of the seed for under $2, so I bought that too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and
frequently a few doves show up as well. When I first started putting out
the peanuts, they were carried off by crows. then a scrub jay discovered
them, and the crows moved on. Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out there.
One day a cute little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell", then run
away. He did this repeatedly for quite a while. The jay that seems to
come most often for the peanuts has an interesting routine. He'll pick up
a nut, then drop it and pick up another one. Sometimes he repeats this
until he has picked up all of them. Finally he flies off with one. Then
he comes back for another. If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he
eventually takes them all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. They were a brilliant green, with orange heads
and chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the cats
or me. I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy


Isn't it fun! I'm an avid bird watcher. Persia is, too, of course I
recommend filling the cat dish with water rather than seed and just
scattering the seed on the patio. (I've tried all sorts of bird feeders but
racoons raided and broke every single one of them.)

The peanuts are a good idea. I buy them from a local farmer (he and his
wife have a farm stand where they sell fresh produce on weekends) and the
squirrels get them. That's funny about the jay... yes, they do have odd
little routines. They have to make sure they choose the right nut!

I don't think those were parakeets you saw. I've never seen any with orange
heads. (They were the only pet I was allowed to have growing up so I'm
quite familiar with parakeets.) Where are you located? I can look them up
in my bird book.

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Joy" wrote in message
...
I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet. I
have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living room.
I eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. Several weeks ago I
noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the door intently
at some birds in the yard. I decided to add to their entertainment - and
mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on
the patio and watched to see what would happen. It took a couple of
days, but the birds discovering it. Gradually I expanded my buffet. For
one thing, I also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or two
birds at a time can eat out of the dish. Next, I added about half a
dozen peanuts in the shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see
occasionally in the yard. I started breaking up half a slice of bread and
scattering that out there, too. Then, the last time I bought birdseed, I
noticed a bell-shaped cake of the seed for under $2, so I bought that
too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and
frequently a few doves show up as well. When I first started putting out
the peanuts, they were carried off by crows. then a scrub jay discovered
them, and the crows moved on. Occasionally I'll see a squirrel out
there. One day a cute little mouse would run up, nibble from the "bell",
then run away. He did this repeatedly for quite a while. The jay that
seems to come most often for the peanuts has an interesting routine.
He'll pick up a nut, then drop it and pick up another one. Sometimes he
repeats this until he has picked up all of them. Finally he flies off
with one. Then he comes back for another. If the squirrel doesn't beat
him to them, he eventually takes them all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. They were a brilliant green, with orange heads
and chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the
cats or me. I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy


Isn't it fun! I'm an avid bird watcher. Persia is, too, of course I
recommend filling the cat dish with water rather than seed and just
scattering the seed on the patio. (I've tried all sorts of bird feeders
but racoons raided and broke every single one of them.)

The peanuts are a good idea. I buy them from a local farmer (he and his
wife have a farm stand where they sell fresh produce on weekends) and the
squirrels get them. That's funny about the jay... yes, they do have odd
little routines. They have to make sure they choose the right nut!

I don't think those were parakeets you saw. I've never seen any with
orange heads. (They were the only pet I was allowed to have growing up so
I'm quite familiar with parakeets.) Where are you located? I can look
them up in my bird book.

Jill

I'm in Southern California, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles. That
would be great if you could find them in your bird book! I'd love to know
what they are.

Joy

"Joy" wrote in message
...
"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Joy" wrote in message
...
I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet. I
have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living
room. I eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. Several
weeks ago I noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the
door intently at some birds in the yard. I decided to add to their
entertainment - and mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on
the patio and watched to see what would happen. It took a couple of
days, but the birds discovering it. Gradually I expanded my buffet.
For one thing, I also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or
two birds at a time can eat out of the dish. Next, I added about half a
dozen peanuts in the shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see
occasionally in the yard. I started breaking up half a slice of bread
and scattering that out there, too. Then, the last time I bought
birdseed, I noticed a bell-shaped cake of the seed for under $2, so I
bought that too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and
frequently a few doves show up as well. When I first started putting
out the peanuts, they were carried off by crows. then a scrub jay
discovered them, and the crows moved on. Occasionally I'll see a
squirrel out there. One day a cute little mouse would run up, nibble
from the "bell", then run away. He did this repeatedly for quite a
while. The jay that seems to come most often for the peanuts has an
interesting routine. He'll pick up a nut, then drop it and pick up
another one. Sometimes he repeats this until he has picked up all of
them. Finally he flies off with one. Then he comes back for another.
If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes them all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. They were a brilliant green, with orange heads
and chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the
cats or me. I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy


Isn't it fun! I'm an avid bird watcher. Persia is, too, of course I
recommend filling the cat dish with water rather than seed and just
scattering the seed on the patio. (I've tried all sorts of bird feeders
but racoons raided and broke every single one of them.)

The peanuts are a good idea. I buy them from a local farmer (he and his
wife have a farm stand where they sell fresh produce on weekends) and the
squirrels get them. That's funny about the jay... yes, they do have odd
little routines. They have to make sure they choose the right nut!

I don't think those were parakeets you saw. I've never seen any with
orange heads. (They were the only pet I was allowed to have growing up
so I'm quite familiar with parakeets.) Where are you located? I can
look them up in my bird book.

Jill

I'm in Southern California, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles. That
would be great if you could find them in your bird book! I'd love to know
what they are.

Joy

I think what you're seeing is a Lorikeet. They're bright green and some of
them have bright orange or red heads.

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Joy" wrote in message
...
"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Joy" wrote in message
...
I've had a lot of customers since I first started my backyard buffet.
I have a patio slab just outside the sliding glass door in the living
room. I eat my meals in a chair where I can see the patio. Several
weeks ago I noticed that my (indoor only) cats were looking through the
door intently at some birds in the yard. I decided to add to their
entertainment - and mine.

I bought a bag of birdseed, put some in an old cat dish, set it out on
the patio and watched to see what would happen. It took a couple of
days, but the birds discovering it. Gradually I expanded my buffet.
For one thing, I also scatter some seed on the patio, since only one or
two birds at a time can eat out of the dish. Next, I added about half
a dozen peanuts in the shell, hoping to attract the squirrels I see
occasionally in the yard. I started breaking up half a slice of bread
and scattering that out there, too. Then, the last time I bought
birdseed, I noticed a bell-shaped cake of the seed for under $2, so I
bought that too.

I often have 15 or 20 sparrows out there enjoying the buffet, and
frequently a few doves show up as well. When I first started putting
out the peanuts, they were carried off by crows. then a scrub jay
discovered them, and the crows moved on. Occasionally I'll see a
squirrel out there. One day a cute little mouse would run up, nibble
from the "bell", then run away. He did this repeatedly for quite a
while. The jay that seems to come most often for the peanuts has an
interesting routine. He'll pick up a nut, then drop it and pick up
another one. Sometimes he repeats this until he has picked up all of
them. Finally he flies off with one. Then he comes back for another.
If the squirrel doesn't beat him to them, he eventually takes them all.

Today, I had a couple of new customers. I think they were probably
parakeets of some sort. They were a brilliant green, with orange heads
and chests.

I don't know who gets the most out of the bouquet - the critters, the
cats or me. I think we all enjoy it, though.

Joy


Isn't it fun! I'm an avid bird watcher. Persia is, too, of course
I recommend filling the cat dish with water rather than seed and just
scattering the seed on the patio. (I've tried all sorts of bird feeders
but racoons raided and broke every single one of them.)

The peanuts are a good idea. I buy them from a local farmer (he and his
wife have a farm stand where they sell fresh produce on weekends) and
the squirrels get them. That's funny about the jay... yes, they do have
odd little routines. They have to make sure they choose the right nut!

I don't think those were parakeets you saw. I've never seen any with
orange heads. (They were the only pet I was allowed to have growing up
so I'm quite familiar with parakeets.) Where are you located? I can
look them up in my bird book.

Jill

I'm in Southern California, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
That would be great if you could find them in your bird book! I'd love
to know what they are.

Joy

I think what you're seeing is a Lorikeet. They're bright green and some
of them have bright orange or red heads.

Jill

Could it be this one?
http://southamerica.whatbird.com/obj..._Parakeet.aspx

Tweed