Homebodies - My kind of day...
- Details
- Published on Sunday, June 17, 2018
By Rita Friesen
Neepawa Banner & Press
A play day was exactly what I needed.
I puttered about the yard, mounted a bird house designed for robins in the big front tree. You know that is a simple sentence, but it involved hauling the step ladder, the drill and a long cord to the front yard. Allowing the dogs more time outdoors, I dug dandelions for a bit.
I met my youngest sister in Portage and after a leisurely lunch we wandered over to a green house. So much to see and so many ideas! I practiced restraint – only two modest purchases, one of which was a metal bird house shaped like a little barn. [I had many bird houses on the acreage and left the ones for the tree swallows. Little did I know that tree swallows like to live in town.]
The ride home was pleasant, watching the farmers and the fields, although more than once I lamented the fact that shelter belts are being methodically removed. I reflected that we are more than three generations away from the reason for the shelterbelts- the Dirty Thirties- and somehow the lesson has been forgotten. As a planter of trees I know how long it takes for trees to grow, and especially when the seasons are dry and windy.
I longed for companionship for supper so I picked up fast food, headed over to a friend’s home, and came away with a dozen large gladioli corms. Back home before seven and heady with the longer daylight hours, I set to work. First I carefully planted the corms, and with the sun far from setting, I got to work ‘planting’ my sun dial. It stood a faithful sentinel in the garden at the acreage. My friend had meticulously assessed the exact position of the dial to depict the correct time. Not so for me. The dial sits atop a part of a veranda post, still painted green to match the veranda posts on the acreage. It needed to be sunk at least four feet into the earth. Thankfully I have a long handled spade. I believed it was planted straight, until a friend informed me that one needs to view the post from more than one angle. Who knew? With a closer and more detailed review, the post lists slightly to the north, but I see it from the south – so it doesn’t matter!
The bird house I had purchased was designed to be hung. I don’t want my home swinging in the wind so I project that neither would a mama bird. Another project! I managed to drill a hole into the back. Tried three different bit sizes until I had the opening the size I thought I needed. The plan was to drill a long screw into the apple tree- a metal home must be well shaded! - and then fit the screw into the hole. Cat fish! The home still swayed and swung! Back to the garage for a possible solution. Light weight twine. It took a bit but I got the home snugged against the trunk of the apple tree. My kind of day.
