I love watching birds. It is a wonderful time of year for birdwatchers. Birds become even more beautiful as they shed their winter plumage in favor of brighter colors. I experiment with different seed mixtures to attract the widest variety of songbirds. My year-round favorites are cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and house finches. I have had the most success with simple black oil sunflower seeds
However, in springtime, my personal favorites migrate back north from their winter homes. The beautiful lesser goldfinch begins to visit my feeders. In contrast with my annual birds, they prefer Nyjer thistle. Consequently. I have to use a feeder specifically designed for this type of food.
Feeding the Squirrels
Alas, birds are not the only ones who enjoy sunflower seed. Squirrels are wily pests who also enjoy these tasty treats. I have spent a lot of time and money trying to outwit these pesky rodents. The feeder shown in this picture is called a “squirrel buster plus“. Amazon sells this for $94.99. The squirrel is standing on a “squirrel baffle”, part of an advanced poll system sold by Wild Birds Unlimited. He outsmarted me by jumping on top of the pole from an adjacent tree. I haven’t seen him since moving the baffle down and spraying the pole with a generous amount of WD-40.
Nevertheless, this entertaining experience reminded me of this song from Mary Poppins. Enjoy.
‘Tis a grand time of year when you’re Irish. Or when you’re of Irish heritage, or simply wish you were. Perhaps you claim you’re Irish even though you’re not. St. Patrick’s Day, which is today, draws out the Irish in plenty of people all over the world.
But who was St. Patrick and why do people everywhere celebrate this day as an international holiday?
St. Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the “Apostle of Ireland”, he is the primary patron saint of Ireland. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.
Irish Music For St. Patrick’s Day
In his book, A History of Irish Music, William Grattan Flood writes, “No enemy speaks slightingly of Irish music, and no friend needs fear to boast of it.” So what is the story behind Irish music?
Today I am going to talk about four different types of Irish music.
1. Traditional Irish Music
Musicians sang early Irish songs a capella. They introduced pipes, fiddles, and bodhrans (Irish drums) later. These instruments have become a staple of what we now know to be “traditional” Irish music. However, other instruments like the accordion, flute, and guitar have also become popular. Groups like Altan, The Chieftains and Celtic Woman provide traditional Irish tunes. They sing some of the most popular session songs. For example “Danny Boy,” “An Irish Lullaby,” “Rocky Road to Dublin,” “Irish Eyes are Smiling,” and “Finnegan’s Wake.”
2. Modern Irish Music
Who said that Irish music could only be old, sad and nostalgic? Many famous music groups from Ireland have blessed us with their sound, including U2, Sinead O’Connor, The Cranberries and Van Morrison.
3. Irish Harp Music
Francis Bacon once said that “no harp hath the sound so melting as the Irish harp.” Irish harp music dates back to the 10th-century Irish court when the harp was strung with wires of brass and plucked with long fingernails. It was the centerpiece of royal Irish music until it was eliminated by the British, surviving only as the dance music of the poor. Irish harp music, therefore, is considered the ancestor of Irish traditional music.
One of the biggest contributors to this form of Irish music was the blind harpist Turlough O’Carolan. The wandering harper lived from 1670-1738 and composed hundreds of tunes.
4. Celtic Music
Is there a difference between Celtic music and Irish music? Yes and no. Celtic (pronounced “kel-tic”) originally referred to a group of people who settled in Ireland, Scotland, Britain and surrounding areas. Celtic music in this sense is not specifically Irish. Nevertheless, it is considered easy-listening, mood music that has an enchanting and relaxing feel.
Therefore, Irish music can be Celtic, but Celtic music isn’t always Irish. Some consider Enya to be modern Celtic music with a haunting Irish sound. Here is one of my favorites.
It was a typical spring morning in a rural south Texas town. Blue sky, a few puffy cumulous clones floating around, and a slight breeze blowing through the mesquite trees. A few residents were gathered outside the gas station/general store drinking coffee, enjoying this glorious South Texas Spring weather.
We were just a couple of College kids from SMSU on our way to South Padre Island. After driving all night we were just a couple of hours from our destination. Seven days of sun, sea, and sand. While my friend took his turn behind the wheel I was taking a well-deserved nap.
Suddenly I woke up from my nap to see a trailer stopped on the road ahead with our car headed straight toward it at 65 MPH.
LOOK OUT! I screamed.
We swerved to the left just in time to avoid a rear-end collision. The right side of our car smashed into the trailer, the impact sending us into a spin. We finally came to rest on the roadside 40 to 50 yards from the trailer we just hit. Miraculously no one was hurt.
After the Crash
Have you ever had a near death experience? It changes your life. I attended church as a kid and always said I believed in God. But this was the first time I felt God was looking out for me personally. Andy had fallen asleep at the wheel. Had I not awoken when I did we would have smashed into that trailer and most certainly been killed. But God had other plans for my life.
Nine months after my near fatal collision I met Linda. We soon graduated and began climbing the corporate ladder. Over the next few years, we got married, traveled across the US and Europe, purchased our dream home, and had Lauren and Amanda. as Saturday Night Live ’s Garrett Morris would say: “Life was veddy veddy good to me.” I felt wide awake and so alive.
Little did I know this castle of sand I was building would soon come tumbling down.
I love watching birds. It is a wonderful time of year for birdwatchers. Birds become even more beautiful as they shed their winter plumage in favor of brighter colors. I experiment with different seed mixtures to attract the widest variety of songbirds. My year-round favorites are cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and house finches. I have had the most success with simple black oil sunflower seeds
Alas, birds are not the only ones who enjoy sunflower seed. Squirrels are wily pests who also enjoy these tasty treats. I have spent a lot of time and money trying to outwit these pesky rodents. The feeder shown in this picture is called a “squirrel buster plus“. Amazon sells this for $94.99. The squirrel is standing on a “squirrel baffle”, part of an advanced poll system sold by Wild Birds Unlimited. He outsmarted me by jumping on top of the pole from an adjacent tree. I haven’t seen him since moving the baffle down and spraying the pole with a generous amount of WD-40.
