Hummingbirds Short On Flower Nector

Keeping my two hummingbird feeders full takes more time this year than ever before. Very few flowers are out--none in our yard, with the exception of iris, which aren't a favorite of theirs, so they have no nectar. The picture of the feeder on the right

(which was taken through a screen and is not very clear) was filled 10 hours earlier. The whole jar lasts about 24 hours. Can you imagine those tiny little things drinking a whole quart of food a day?!

We have so many hummingbirds here on the island. Most are Rufus and hang around until the end of June, and then all of a sudden, it seems they disappear. Right about now is nesting time and the males are very aggressive and try to keep other birds away when they're feeding. In ordinary times one bird can rule the whole feeder, but they seem to be so desperate now there are usually 4--one on each feeding trough. My other feeder is a different kind--one that is not nearly as popular, but I can't figure out why. The holes for feeding are different, so maybe that's it, but even this feeder will usually have 4 birds feeding at once, which is very unusual.

It's Mid-May & Spring is Dragging Its Feet

Quite a difference in the garden in one month (see photo below), but we've still had only a couple of days where it's been nice enough to work outside.

Our septic tank alarm went off again yesterday so we had to call for service again. Look, if we're going to have to pay for a new septic system I wish to hell they'd get it in. Every time this happens with the alarm I picture something drastic is happening to the drain field. If that goes, too, it's a major problem, not only for the system but for our bank account. A new sand filter (which is what we need) is only about a third of what a completely new system would cost. But they tell us the drain field is okay, it's the pump acting up again, basically not pumping when it should. When I asked when they would get around to installing the new system they said as soon as it dries out, and around here that probably means a long wait!

Then the dishwasher started making a loud noise and I braced myself for the news that it would cost as much--or almost as much--as a new one. Of course it cost almost $100 just to have a repairman come over to the island to determine what it was, and since it's a Swedish dishwasher he had to call the manufacturer to find out what was wrong and then order the parts.

I guess once you've lived in a house more than 10 years you have to expect some major repairs. I'd been fussing about the moss growing on the roof, too. David tried several moss products that didn't perform all that great, so when a man at the hardware store on the mainland told me he scattered Tide with bleach all over his roof, David decided to try it. It worked like a charm. The next time it rained it washed the soap down and the bleach killed the moss.