I Had to Get a New Feeder

I came home the other day and saw the suet nuggets feeder laying on the patio. The hanger and the top were still hanging from the crook but somehow the feeder fell. It still had part of the lid on it but wouldn't go back together. I went to the birdseed store today hoping for the same kind of feeder but all they had was this one that's twice the size of the old one. It takes almost a whole bag of nuggets. 

 

This squirrel sat up on the crook for the longest time gazing down at the new feeder. It tried to figure out how to grab onto it but ended up jumping down, ricocheting off the suet cakes feeder, and landing on the birdbath for a drink. I don't know where it went from there. While I hung the new feeder I also filled the rest of them since I was already outside anyway.

 

While I was doing yoga this morning the male Red-bellied Woodpecker visited the suet cakes but took off as soon as I stopped a pose and picked up the camera. Then when I was just finishing a Flicker hopped across the backyard pecking away at the brown grass. It flew away before I laid hands on the camera. Finally I managed a picture of this Downy Woodpecker on the suet cakes. Three attempts, one success.

 

At the book fair on Sunday I noticed that a bunch of the authors had "gift with purchase" things, like stickers or rubber duckies. That made me stop and at least look at their books so I thought maybe I should find things to give away when people buy a book. First I thought of a palm tree keychain, but the only palm trees I found were tiny charms. Then I found a 64-piece assortment pack of tropical keychains on Amazon. Bingo! These are gifts that go with my three (soon to be four) tropical books.

 

Also on Amazon I found these plastic case keyrings with pompoms. There are 24 of them. I cut up a couple of old, unsatisfactory watercolors to the right size and tucked each little piece into a case. These will go to people who buy a copy of Horizon, which is about a woman who takes up watercolor and is much more successful at it than I am. On Oriental Trading Co. I found some small food keychains/backpack charms that should arrive on Friday. They'll go to purchasers of Better Than Mom's. I'll show them to you when they come.

 

After lunch with grade school/high school friends, I went across town to pick up my taxes. This year I get to pay in to the feds. I guess I'd rather have to pay a little than have them use/misuse my money for a year. Then I drew a gratitude journal page for yesterday. Last night I couldn't really think of what to draw but I didn't have much trouble today.

 

After supper I pulled out the watercolors and painted this. I don't know what to call it. I like it. I like the colors together and I like the rhythm of the brush strokes.

 

I spent some time this morning working on scenes to slot into my new manuscript. I need to get a couple characters more time on the pages. I want to have the bad guy try to make a move on my female main character and get shot down. She also has an old boyfriend who shows up unannounced that she hustles off to the airport but I think he won't go quietly. And I have to have my main characters argue some, avoid each other, date other people, and then come back together. It's complicated but I'm figuring it out. Or I will over the next few months.

Oh, as we were leaving the restaurant one of the women asked if I had a new book because she's taking 2 of mine on vacation and wondered if there was a new one. Not yet, I told her, next month. That made me feel good.

--Barbara