Hummingbirds Wanted

Mini HummZinger Hummingbird Feeder

I finally gave up on my leaking hummingbird feeder since there was more nectar on the deck than in any hummingbirds (and it was seriously leaving a stain on the wood).

After doing some research, I learned that the HummZinger brand of feeders is "the best" for feeding the little guys. So I ordered one and installed it this week. I also made my own nectar this time (spurred on by friends and my research which said that this homemade nectar is better for the hummies than the popular red nectar you can buy. And it's thriftier!)

So far I have seen one beautiful hummingbird fly by, pausing briefly to eye the new feeder before he flew away. I have actually seen more birds when I didn't have a feeder hanging from my deck than I have since I have been trying to lure them.

Smart birds that they are, it seems they just want to scope out the place before they commit to adding my feeder to their feeding schedule. Or maybe they have seen me poised in the kitchen behind my glass door waiting to shoot a picture of them as they nosh.That would scare anything away.

Either way I hope they will come to visit often this summer. What a treat!

Summer's Messiest Job

Along with all the joys I have been sharing about flowers and summer, there are some unpleasant household chores that can usually only be done in the warmer weather.
So on Sunday I tackled the job of cleaning out the grill, not my favorite way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Our grill is attached to our deck which is right outside the sliding glass doors from the kitchen. Since it is so handy, we use the grill all year long except when the snow and ice is piled so high on it that it's not worth trying to clear it. That's when I fry burgers on the stove.

We clean the grill after each time we use it, but once a year at least it needs a thorough cleaning.

It's a process to clean the grill. I have to remove the charcoal grates and grill racks and set them aside, pull out all of the little round briquettes and scrub each off, and remove all of the burned up stuff that accumulates in the bottom of the grill base.

After that, I have to soak and scrub the grates using my wire brush and a lot of elbow (in this instance) grease.

I wore my surgical gloves to do this project (having found out the hard way just how much grease can stain). I guess it really was sort of a surgical strike on my part, and I was glad when the job was done and the grill was ready for the next BBQ.

Now, onto scrubbing out the garbage cans and the recyclable bins.
Ah, summertime, sweet summertime. . .