Birdhouse building 101...

All winter long Pam and I sat in our pentagon room watching the birds come and go, and then watched them build nests this spring.  There were some who built them in trees, some who found a spot on the pergola to nest, and some who were fortunate enough to build in one of the bird houses we have back along the fence and the wood pile.  Other than an intrusion by one of the farm cats or a raiding starling, things go along pretty routinely as far as the spring reproduction cycle goes.

So, then we were getting ready to go visit the grandkids in NY and wondered how all of this happens there.  After all, this is the Big Apple...things have to be more hectic, grander and maybe a bit more dangerous there, don't they? 

They have a small back yard, and it is constantly patrolled by cats and squirrels.  I expect it is quite a struggle for some of them to have a successful hatch.  So -- I thought, why not do something to change some of that and give the kids a little project.

I went to the local hardware store and bought lumber, screws, nails and painting equipment and decided to make some bird houses. 

Of course, I had to make each one of them unique and different for each of the kids, so I chose the ones shown above.  The top one is the "Q" house (for Quinn), the middle one is the "H" house (for Heath) and the bottom one, naturally, is the "V" house (for Vivian).  I cut them all out one day prior to the trip, pre-drilled them and got them all ready.  All they had to do was finish nailing or screwing them together and paint them, and they would then be ready to hang up in the trees in their back yard.

Assembly went pretty smoothly, but painting was the best part.  All of the kids got to paint their own house.  Quinn was all business -- paint it and move on to something else.  Heath was pretty particular and spent a good bit of time squatting over his, getting into the cracks and making sure it was all covered.  Vivian, on the other hand, was bound and determined to do it her own way.  She, too, was very particular and made it clear that she needed no help from anyone.  She was going to paint  that house no matter how long it took.  She had a tendency to do one spot for quite a while and when Grandpa tried to help or move her to another spot that needed paint, she let me know that she was in charge.

One funny thing that came up was when Vivian finally got to a point where she was "done" with her work, I took the brush from her and she started to cry.  I think she wanted to keep painting, and painting, and painting. 

Well, when she was still crying, I used my best Tom Hanks voice and said: "Vivian, there's no crying in painting."  Well, she found that pretty funny, and broke out in a laugh.  I adapted that line to a couple of other situations over the weekend, and each time she went from crying to immediate laughter.  Tom Hanks -- eat your heart out. 

 So, when all the houses were dry, we "hung" them in the trees.  

We added the appropriate identifier to each house so the bird housing authority could keep them straight.  The latest report is that they have not been occupied yet, but we missed the nesting season so they may get to weather for this year and will be ready for occupancy next spring.  We'll get periodic updates.


If you do not do enough fun, silly things while you are young, you'll have nothing to talk about when you are old.
Hooah

Quinn earns his Bear Badge...

I got a text from my son last night telling me that my grandson, Quinn, had earned his Bear Badge in Cub Scouts.  That is quite an accomplishment and we are very proud of him. 

I am so glad he took up scouting and has stayed with it.  I have always been a big outdoor enthusiast and am so glad to see that he has taken an interest in scouting, which will lead to an enjoyment of the great outdoors.  Perhaps one of these days, he and I (and maybe his dad and brother Heath) will be able to go camping somewhere.  That would be super.  I think it is good for young boys to learn a sense of fieldcraft at an early age.  Probably not going to be a mountain man, but those skills come in handy and the respect one comes to have for nature and things outdoors really helps to round out one's development. They are things one remembers all through their life.

I won't start packing up the tents and poles right away; my wife might think I am getting a bit close to the edge.  But all that stuff is out in the barn and I know right where all of it is.  Probably wouldn't take more than an hour to gather it all up and load it in the Jeep.  Wonder what Quinn and Doug would think of trap shooting. Hmmmmm.

I still remember the entire Boy Scout motto. I don't remember the serial number of my gun in the army. I don't remember the number of my locker in school. But I remember that Boy Scout code. Tommy Lasorda
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/tommylasor610903.html?src=t_scout

I still remember the entire Scout motto. I don't remember the entire serial number of my rifle in the Army.  I don't remember the number of my locker in school.  But I remember that Scout Code.  (Tommy Lasorda)

Hooah

I still remember the entire Boy Scout motto. I don't remember the serial number of my gun in the army. I don't remember the number of my locker in school. But I remember that Boy Scout code.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/tommylasor610903.html?src=t_scout

I still remember the entire Boy Scout motto. I don't remember the serial number of my gun in the army. I don't remember the number of my locker in school. But I remember that Boy Scout code. Tommy Lasorda
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/tommylasor610903.html?src=t_scout

I still remember the entire Boy Scout motto. I don't remember the serial number of my gun in the army. I don't remember the number of my locker in school. But I remember that Boy Scout code. Tommy Lasorda
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/tommylasor610903.html?src=t_scout

More about my latest hobby...

I think I mentioned a while back that I took up the sport of trap shooting.  Well, things have been going well and I have really had fun doing it.

Recently, Larry (a friend of mine) and I went up to the shooting club and went after it again.  It was just the two of us, but we put some shot down range.  We fired in 10-round groups -- I used my 20-guage and Larry was using his 12-guage.  Both of us did pretty well, considering how relatively new we both are to this sport.  We're not quite in the 100 hits out of 100 shots category, but being that good is expensive and we're just in it for the fun (no -- we're not too cheap!).

My score breakdown was:  7/10, 7/10, 9/10, 8/10, 4/5.  35/45 isn't really "too" bad.  Kinda like that whole "beauty is in the eye of the beholder (shooter)" thing.  I really like using that 20-guage.  It just fits my shoulder really well and the barrel does not feel heavy.  Larry went 28/40  with his 12-guage, and then borrowed my gun (ran out of his shells) and went 5/5 with it.  Think he might be looking at buying a "20."

Just like any sport you get into, there are lots of "sayings" thrown around by the old hands.  These guys and gals have thrown more shot downrange than most armies, and they usually come up with some pretty good one-liners regarding their ability.  One that I recently heard was:  "They aren't hard to hit...it's just that they're so easily missed."  That one was quickly followed by this one:
"They all broke, even the ones I missed"

Since most sports have a lot in common, that last quote quickly reminded me of Rule #1 from our recent golf trip...
"I didn't miss the putt.  I made the putt...the ball just missed the hole."

Hooah

Do these look familiar...?

I was actually cleaning out my Army room the last couple of weeks, much to the delight and surprise of my wife who will tell you that I have not even scratched the surface.  In the process, I came across some of these old things.  Some of you will remember them.  They were coins used in Iraq and Afghanistan in the PX stores.  Made out of cardboard, they are light and easy to carry in your uniform pockets. 

Contrary to popular opinion that they were introduced into the system because they could easily be thrown away, lost or not taken seriously (a.k.a. Monopoly money), their actual value to the logistics guys was they didn't weigh much in bulk -- at least not as much as the equivalent value of real metal coins.  Remember how much a roll of pennies or quarters actually weighed?  Do you actually remember what a roll of coins was?  So imagine rolls and rolls of coins going back and forth to the theaters, stores and banks.  That cut down weight loads on planes that would be traveling to those countries, and would allow the more valuable cargo quantities like "bullets and butter" (remember that old saying?) to be increased.

Check these out:

 I suppose they are still good at the PX.  Might have to check that out some day.  Regardless, the idea must have worked -- I still have a few dollars wroth of them.  I gave some of these to my grand kids, and still have some left over.

Probably won't throw these out.  I can find a place to hide them that won't take up too much room.

Used to be that a penny saved was a penny earned.  Today, it's all about the Benjamins.
Hooah