Boring days

People have been asking if I'm OK, so I thought I'd better post something, even if it's boring.

I had been really dreading the upcoming winter. Not only did we have a practically nonexistent fall migration, but the long cold months ahead are hard to endure. The older I get, the more cold bothers me.

I did get an idea that will hopefully make winter more bearable. I'm making a water feature here in Alpine where I spend so much of my cold weather time. I won't have to brave the elements to look for birds. I'll be able to sit by a warm fire (chairs swivel) and look outside the window.

And of course, I'll always love to be joined by other birders, especially if something rare shows up. So, that tub you see outside the window is going to be sunk into the ground. My grandson is going to do the digging Sunday. Then I'll cover it with a grate, sturdier than this example I found online, but it gives you the idea.

Next, I was planning to put a lightweight fake rock on top, like we have at the oasis, only smaller and cheaper (for around $100), but didn't like the color, so since, have decided to put a couple of concrete blocks inside the tank so I can place a real rock on top of the grate, supported by the blocks. Then I'll cover the grate with pebbles and rock so light can't get into the tank-reservoir, where a small pump will recirculate the water, similar to the oasis. I won't have any money invested in this one. I already had the tank left over from the oasis's old water feature. Couldn't use it there because algae plugged up the pump. But without sun getting into this, that won't be a problem. Of course, if I had known this years ago when I built it at the oasis, I wouldn't have had that problem. But by the time I figured it all out, the new, way superior, water feature there was being built (by Mike Gray). Anyway, I'm not dreading winter quite as much now.