Under My Apple Tree

March 28, 2011 / Leslie

Mailbox Monday ~ March 28th

Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.

Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. This month’s host is Laura @ I’m Booking It.

Last week I received:

An audio book of Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar from Harper Audio for review.

Loud rock, fast cars, and Cabo. This is the life of Sammy Hagar. In Red, Sammy tells the outrageous story of his tear through rock ‘n’ roll, detailing the backstage antics and nonstop touring that have made his voice instantly recognizable. Beginning with his musical coming-of-age in the blue-collar towns of California, Sammy traces his rough and determined rise to fame, working harder than anyone else out there and writing songs about the things he loved: fast cars, loud parties, and lots of good times.

An ARC of Dominance by Will Lavender from Simon & Schuster for review.

1994:
Jasper College is buzzing with the news that famed literature professor Richard Aldiss will be teaching a special night class called Unraveling a Literary Mystery—from his prison cell. Twelve years ago, Aldiss was convicted of the murders of two female grad students; they were killed with axe blows and their bodies decorated with the novels of notoriously reclusive author Paul Fallows. Even the most elite, obsessive Fallows scholars have never seen him. He is like a ghost.

Present Day:
Alex Shipley, now a professor at Harvard, made her name as a member of Aldiss’s night class. She not only exposed the truth of Paul Fallows’s identity, but in the process uncovered information that acquitted Aldiss of the heinous 1982 crimes. But when a fellow night class alum is murdered—the body chopped up with an axe and surrounded by Fallows novels—can she use what she knows of Fallows and the Procedure to stop a killer before each of her former classmates is picked off, one by one?

March 26, 2011 / Leslie

Weekend Birding: Hermit Thrush

The Hermit Thrush is a North American native that migrates south for the winter and north in the summer. It does not make its home in the Chicago area but does pass through during spring and autumn migration. If I’m lucky I’ll get to see one this month or next as they make their way back north for breeding season.

They are ground foragers and can often be found kicking around in leaf litter. This little guy, or gal, I’m not sure which, was hopping around on the edge of my driveway in the back yard last spring. I rarely see them in the yard, and they never stay still, but I managed to get one decent shot from the back door before he flew away.

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Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Alyce. Head on over to At Home With Books to see more great photos or add your own.

March 21, 2011 / Leslie

Mailbox Monday ~ March 21st

Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.

Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. This month’s host is Laura @ I’m Booking It.

Last week I received:

Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy Deluxe Boxed Set. This was a twitter win from RandomHouse. I was really excited about this one. I haven’t read any of this series yet and it was on my wish list.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

My library had a used book sale sponsored by Friends of the Library last weekend and I picked up a couple of Barbara Kingsolver books that I have been wanting to read: The Poisonwood Bible and Animal Dreams.

March 19, 2011 / Leslie

Saturday Snapshot: Garden Show

Last week I went to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show to get some ideas for new landscaping and because I wanted to spend some time around flowers and greenery after a way too long winter.

One of the most colorful displays was a selection of Azelea.

My favorite exhibit was on sustainable landscaping. It featured using native plants and shrubs, rain barrels and even had a chicken coop. One of these days I’d like to have my own chickens and fresh eggs.

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Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Alyce. Head on over to At Home With Books to see more great photos or add your own.

March 19, 2011 / Leslie

Weekend Birding: Attracting Birds To Your Yard

Spring is in the air. Not only is the weather warmer and the daylight hours longer but I am once again hearing the sounds of birds singing and chirping. The migrants are on their way back to their summer breeding areas and some of the year round residents have already started staking out their nesting territory.

There was a time when the only birds I saw in my yard were sparrows and robins. That’s because I wasn’t offering much of a reason to stay. Providing food, water and housing will attract many species of beautiful birds and keep them coming back.

Housing

Wrens moved into this house.

Birds are looking for safe places to build a nest and raise their broods. Adding a few bird houses, or nest boxes, will encourage the cavity nesters such as finches, chickadee, wrens, bluebirds and woodpeckers to make a home. Other birds such as cardinals, robins, catbirds and doves make open cup nests in trees and shrubs. If there are no natural nesting sites they will nest on platforms which can be attached to the side of a building or under an eave.

Sparrows can't enter, the opening is sized for smaller birds.

Each species has different requirements in what it considers a good home. To attract a specific bird you have to offer the right environment and the right size box and opening size. An excellent resource is Birdhouses 101. There you will find information on the nesting and feeding preferences of many birds.

Nesting Material

Once the birds find a good area to live in they begin searching for construction materials for the nest.

Robin's nested in the shrubs.

Leave small piles of twigs, pine needles, small bits of bark and leaves on the ground. Put pieces of string, yarn, small strips of material, hair and pet fur in mesh bags or suet cages or buy one of those special wire hangers from the bird supply stores.

Do not offer dryer lint. It becomes crumbly and matted when it gets wet and often contains harmful residue from fabric softeners and detergents.

Project Nestwatch

I participate in Project Nestwatch, a citizen-science project and nest-monitoring database of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I have several nest boxes and platforms around my property and my yard and the neighbor’s yards have a lot of trees and shrubs. If you are observant you will see birds carrying twigs and grass to the nest site. It is a wonderful experience to watch the birds raise their young and anyone can participate in Project Nestwatch.

Robin's nested on a stereo speaker.

Last year a pair of robins nested on top of my neighbor’s outdoor speakers. This was not the best choice of locations as it was exposed to predators such as crows and blue jays who will eat eggs, but they did manage to raise one nestling successfully. Their second nest was in my cedar tree, a much better choice. It took me several weeks to locate it. By then the little ones were ready to fledge.

Food and Water

Coming soon, part two on food and water, the other important elements to attracting birds to your yard.

March 16, 2011 / Leslie

Wordless Wednesday: Flower Show

Photo taken at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show last week.
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More Wordless Wednesday.

March 13, 2011 / Leslie

Mailbox Monday ~ March 14th

Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.

Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. This month’s host is Laura @ I’m Booking It.

Last week I received:

Night Road by Kristin Hannah from the publisher for review.

Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, NIGHT ROAD raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.

Iron House by John Hart from the publisher for review.

There was nothing but time at Iron House. Time to burn, time to kill, and time for Michael to emerge strong and unforgiving while his brother, Julian, because a tormented soul at the orphanage for boys. Two decades later Michael returns to North Carolina with a sentence on his head, the mob in hot pursuit, and his disturbed brother in trouble of a different kind.