My husband has a "thing" for birdhouses. I'm not exactly sure where he got this "thing" but after giving it some thought, I believe I've figured it out. My dad liked making "things" with wood and one of the "things" he made was, guess what? Yes, birdhouses. Over the years, he gave Lon several of those that he made. Unfortunately, they have come undone from the sun, rain, and other abuses of Wisconsin weather. Lon loved the birdhouses Dad gave him and when they wore out, he went looking for more. Thus, my dad gets the credit for planting the birdseed in Lon's brain, while meanwhile, I've had a front row seat to watch as Lon has gone loony. Oh yeah, he goes ballistic over loons as well, although unfortunately they don't seek shelter in birdhouses so he can't lure a single one here.
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I just went outside and counted the birdhouses in the front and back yards. We have a total of 16. Lon was satisfied with having just a handful until quite recently. We found most of those in the photos at the Apple Tree Hut. After buying their complete inventory, he got the name of the fellow who makes them and ordered a few more directly from him.
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When he started mounting them on posts around the yard, I thought he was going a bit overboard. First, there were three in the front yard. I initially thought that was enough. Unbeknownst to me, he had only just begun. Obviously, a few more of the dormant birdseeds in his brain woke up and took root. He amassed quite a collection of birdhouses; all I could think was "sheesh." I told him what I thought, but he assured me that he knew what he was doing. I rolled my eyes, but didn't argue against his plan. Over the nearly forty years we've been married, I've learned that his ideas usually are good ones. Regarding my remark about Lon going overboard, I must admit that I've been known to get carried away on more than one occasion in my lifetime when I'm passionate about something. And so, I try to avoid throwing roadblocks in his way.
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As you can see from the photos, he did a nice job of placing them, staining some, painting some, etc. (You can click on the photos to enlarge them for a closer look). When I look outside, I like what I see. I think the birdhouses add cheerfulness and life to our outdoor living space.
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P.S. You probably think you've seen it all You ain't seen nuthin yet! We have birdhouses inside the house too. I just counted them. Would you believe me if I said we have 11 that I can locate upstairs. I have a feeling he may have stashed a few in the basement. (He likes to rotate his stock).
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P.S.S. We also have a screen porch off the family room. Are there birdhouses there? Yup. I counted 18, give or take a few I may have overlooked.
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[I'll take you on a tour of our indoor collection another day. 'Til then, think birds.]
4 comments:
We have several bird houses also, nothing close to your collection. Your yard looks nice.
Walk
I really enjoyed seeing the birdhouses! They are great and that's a great story too :) Being a fellow woodworker-kinda-guy myself, I can really relate to having collections. My favorite thing is love-spoon carving right now although I admit I'm in a lull in my "looniness" for it. But I can certainly relate to Lon in getting "carried away" with a hobby. I'm glad you ladies are patient with us men as we have our little quirky times :)
Auntie Babe says "WOW", these are some lucky birds that find these houses, how many are occupied? Absolutely beautiful.
What a beautiful backyard my dear! I would so love to have a place like that to go, yessssss, with all the birdhouses too. Like Lon, I adore them, so I understand his obsession with them. This is a wonderful post...literally! I'm gonna use one of these for wallpaper on my computer, I hope that's ok with you Shaddy?
Oh, and I saw my first loon last week in MN, now I have a major crush on them. I'm madly in love with them is more like it. Before the week was out I saw a half dozen or so...along with two bald eagles. But the loons...oh the loons.
THANK YOU!
xoxo,
Sarie
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