An hour well-spent!

This morning, before I left for work I did two things in the kitchen... First,

I whipped up my CLEAN shake, and then I put out a butter braid for him!

He liked the Apple butter braid I baked a couple of weeks ago so much that I asked the

lady selling them at work to get me two more! Today it's strawberry and cream... Yum!

I say, Yum because I might have had a bite... Or three!

Just don't tell my Spin instructor...

Or my aqua aerobics instructor...

Because they might want some!



If you haven't tried these butter braids yet, find someone
sponsoring a fundraiser that's selling them and get one/some!

You'll be happy you did!

So while his dessert baked and filled the house with buttery soft, strawberry
aromas, and the sweet tea he requested was steeping, I took advantage of
the amazing weather and daylight I had left to work on a project outside!

Want to see what I did?

It has to do with this bird feeder... You perhaps remember it from this post I
wrote last weekend. Well, I got to thinking about how it's seen better days and
while it serves its purpose fine, it clearly does nothing to enhance his beautiful
landscape. And, we know I'm all about enhancing the room with decoration!
So to me, this bird feeder is like topping a dirty garbage can with a piece of
plywood and calling it an end table for the living room. Having said that, I
am also well aware of just how many bird feeders we've gone through and
how much they cost each time we replace one. Of course, it's not the birds
that tear up our feeders. Oh, no! It's the raccoon family swinging from
them every night for a snack, and the tree rats squirrels doing their best
to thwart, squirrel proof bird feeders. So, it was time for this one to go!

But then... Just as I'd convinced him to take a Sunday drive over to Wild Birds
Unlimited for a new feeder, I remembered the dead-person's auction postponed due
to weather Saturday was about to kick off! So we parked the Mini, got into the truck
and headed to Walnut Cove to check it out. Turns out that Mr. Brown was an avid
collector of lighthouse, Indian and eagle figurines. However, after those were
sold and the crowd thinned considerably, they moved to the lower part of
the yard... And, just look what I picked up for a high bid of just $17.50! 

Yes, they needed some serious cleaning! But these are just the bird feeders a busy
landscape filled with wild critters needs! They don't make bird feeders like this any
more. Well, they do... But you have to order them, and they're expensive too! So
I whipped out some elbow grease, a long-handed bottle brush, some softscrub
and the garden hose and got to work. In no time at all, we went from this:

To this!

They're perfect! And, best of all... Instead of filling up the landfill, old
Mr. Brown's bird feeders get a second-life here, with me! And, that cute black
capped chickadee who discovered them 2 seconds after I hung them on the tree!

He's happy, I'm happy, and the heirs to the estate of Mr. Jimmy Brown are happy too!

It's a good thing!

Oh look! Now that the birds are fed, the mallard pair
have decided to join the party for their dinner too!

These guys can't be bothered with my new bird feeders. They
prefer to gobble up their cracked corn right off the ground!

I can do that!

I picked up something else from the auction I cannot wait to share

with you... But it's for another day. For now, Enjoy your evening!