fall bird checklist

this came from birds and blooms - george's corner - page 19 of 2010 sometime i believe....

increase the number of feeders - remove sugar water and jelly feeders when summer birds have migrated south.

clean out all birdhouses - use soap and water to remove parasites and insects; leave at least one house out for winter roosting.

collect fall clippings - to create brush piles that will protect ground birds and other wildlife in winter.

shut down birdbaths and ponds - after the last migrants have passed through, unless you live in a frost free zone. otherwise and electric birdbath heater may be used to attract thirsty birds. don't worry about birds freezing their feathers. they know not to bathe in subfreezing weather.

set up hopper style feeders - which are more practical than tray feeders when the moisture from rain and snow can ruin food.

protect stored bird food - by securing it in waterproof garbage cans. use bricks and bungee cords on lids to keep out raccoons and squirrels.

i had lived in a duplex once and my cat never previously had a yard, he was in heaven! then he met the skunk. he was sprayed 3 times in one year before we actually moved not because of the skunk. everyone i talked to, said tomato juice but truly it does not work. my cat was not tinged red but he did have an odor for a very long time, especially when it was damp.

i found this recipe in mother earth news - october/november 2010 issue. i have not had the need recently to concoct such a recipe but one just never knows. this recipe was submitted by richard gilbert of linwood, nova scotia.

1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide

1/4 pound baking soda

bit of laundry detergent

according to the author this can be used not only on your pet, but can be used effectively on stairs and decks where the animal waited to be let in.

Slam Dunk Danger

my son who now stands just six feet tall and his two cousins, 6' 8" tall, center for FGCU and his brother 6' 6" tall play and have played basketball. My nephew who plays for Florida Gulf Coast University had been elbowed in the face, fractured his skull and had to have surgery on his eye. He seems to be alright, but he was lucky. Sports are no longer for fun. i found this little article very interesting and thought others might like to read it. ladies home journal - february 2011 - page 142 - slam dunk danger - more kids play basketball than any other team sport, and as many as 375,000 are injured each year as a result, says a study by nationwide children's hospital, in columbus, ohio. concussions are a particular concern: they're up 70 percent in young players. "head injuries can cause serious short term problems in a child's thinking and behavior and in rare cases can be fatal," says lead researcher lara mackenzie, ph.d. take these steps for your child's safety.

for parents - ask if your child's league, school or district has a concussion policy that keeps athletes out of play on the day of the injury - and that doesn't allow them back in the game until the physician clears their safe return.

for athletes - kids should know the symptons of a concussion, which can crop up right after a bump to the head or day later: headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, slurred speach, ringing in the ears, feeling confused or sluggish. encourage kids to report a suspected concussion.

for coaches - a free online concussion training video from the centers for disease control and prevention is available at cdc.gov/concussion. this tutorial offers prevention tips and outlines the correct way to respond when an athlete has a head injury.

Money Saving Tip - Grow Mats

i found this money saving idea in organic gardening vol 58:1 - pg 14 - letters, tips from our readers:

christmas starters - i am a master gardener in snohomish county. last year i grew 1,000 vegetable starts for our annual plant sale. the cost for grow mats was too high, so i used my christmas rope lights and zip tied them to my wire shelves. i grew the best basil, peppers and tomatoes with that added bottom heat. i thought it was a good use of non LED rope lights. i think the neighbors were a bit confused about the glowing red and purple lights, but they all benefited with healthy plant starts. Janice Tallman, Everett Washington.

____________________

thank you Janice! i bought a grow mat and yes they are quite expensive, they live up to their reputation, my plants are doing wonderful. as you say it is too costly to buy additional mats, so when i read your idea, i was elated! thank you!

Asparagus

We bought property with an established garden, but the contents were never disclosed. We came to discover the asparagus the following spring, almost a year later. We had seen these wonderful fern like plants, very tall and quite delicate. The next year I was intrigued to see if this plant flowered so I cleaned the area where they were found and waited. Mother's Day, there abouts, every year, asparagus appear. I only have one male plant which produces seeds, the opposite of any other plant, and started 36 additional plants. Those plants are now 3 years old, they are too slim to eat, but I'm hoping that this year they will be ready to eat!

I am sharing with you some info that I have taken from Organic Gardening, Vol 58:1. Plant asparagus during its dormant period: early spring where winters are cold; fall or winter in milder climates. dig a trench a foot wide and nearly as deep, incorporating plenty of compost and a handful of high phosphate organic fertilizer. space the crowns about 18 inches apart and cover them with 2 to 3 inches of rich soil. add more soil as the plants grow to gradually fill the trench. (very similar to growing potatoes).

Once planted it is best to leave them for 2 or 3 years before harvesting the first spears. in the fourth spring and thereafter, the plants should be vigorous enough to yield 8 weeks of harvested spears. Charlie Nardozzi, author of vegetable gardening for dummies, offers a technique, dubbed the mother stalk technique, for extending the harvest of established asparagus beds. "instead of harvesting all the spears as they emerge from the soil, allow three large spears per crown to grow ferns," Nardozzi says. "by leaving 3 spears, the crown is constantly fed through photosynthesis in the ferns. you can harvest asparagus weeks longer than normal - right into august in zone 6." Once the diameter of the new spears becomes smaller than a pencil width, stop harvesting and allow the foliage to develop.

10 Mile Yard Sale - Cornville/Skowhegan

my family and i attend this every year, so doesn't half the state of maine! it is an absolute blast, aside from the people that is. i don't believe we have ever made it all the way through. anyone who lives on that road is having a yard sale and they invite or rent the extra space on their lawn for others to set up and sell. it is more junque than you could ever possibly imagine, well at least for this area! we usually start at the eddy in skowhegan, just off route 2, out of town, heading north.

Cornville 10 Mile Yard Sale 2011 Mar 27
The 28th Annual Cornville 10 Mile Yard Sale 2011 will be held on Saturday and Sunday May 21st and 22nd 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Rain or shine! West Ridge Road and beyond! Something for everyone. Furniture, collectables, clothing, toys, tools, candy and more! Refreshments and rest rooms along the way. Come one come all! For info call 207-474-8973 or 474-9319 or email nelsonscandies@myfairpoint.net

Telephone Exchange Numbers for Maine

maine is a pretty big state! gas prices are not user friendly! so if you are looking for a job or possibly thinking about that free item you saw in the paper or on line, you might want to refer to the following website and check out where exactly it is. it just might save you.

http://www.maine.gov/meopa/telephone/maine_exchanges.html

Spicy Pork w/Asparagus & Chile

i found this recipe in the most recent bon appetit magazine dated april 2011, page 61. i have made minor adjustments to it and it was absolutely delicious and cheap too. (i grow my own asparagus). the recipe is just about the same but i have found over the years that in both gourmet and bon appetit, the amount of sauce in a recipe is simply not enough, i double and sometimes triple the sauce portion and it is always a big hit!

8 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of rice wine

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

1 1/4 lb ground pork

3 teaspoons of vegetable oil

1 lb asparagus (thin spears trimmed and cut on the diagonal in half)

hot pepper to taste - i used a habanero and about a teaspoon of finely chopped / no seeds

1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger

6 tablespoons of oyster sauce

1 tablespoon of honey

3 scallions finely chopped

whisk 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch in medium bowl. add pork; toss to blend. heat 2 teaspoons of oil in heavy large wok or deep skillet over high heat. add asparagus, hot pepper/chile and ginger. toss until asparagus is crisp tender about 3 minutes. using slotted spoon transfer mixture to plate. add remaining 1 oil to wok. add pork mixtue and stir fry into small pieces. 2 to 3 minutes (i found this took about 5 - 7 minutes is what it actually took to cook), return asparagus mixture to pan. add 6 tablespoons of soy sauce, 6 tablespoons of oyster sauce and 1 tablespoon of honey to mixture stir and let simmer for a couple of minutes. add scallions and serve with plain rice.