Winter lard logs

One of the many pleasures through the winter season, for me, is in watching the birds swing from the lard log as they eat and I wash dishes. I like variety and winter is just one more cycle to find hidden treasures within. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the negativity regarding winter. It seems to be seamless. I was ruminating on this as I played guitar by the wood stove, dressed in a touque and neck tube trying to build a head of steam to brave the wind and get my outdoor chores done after breakfast. I don't desire for comfort to be consistent.

I like to make and hang lard logs out for the wild birds in the winter. My main motivation to do this was to try and keep the downy and hairy woodpeckers out of my oil seed hopper. Now we see others taking advantage of the hanging mix.

I feed a big hopper of the black sunflower seeds right outside the kitchen table window and woodpeckers make a wasteful mess of it. Because they can't crack the seeds, they flick seeds out of the feeder, holus bolus, while they search for kernels that have escaped their shells. I don't know what the ratio is, but ten thousand to one seems about right. So there tends to be refills from an 18 litre pail of seeds in very tight cycles as they unceremoniously dump seeds on the ground while scrounging for kernels.

I use lard and not shortening. Hopefully, for obvious reasons, but maybe not. Here it comes: Shortening is trans fat. The body does not recognise it as food. If I won't eat it, I sure won't feed it to wildlife.

I think I've finally settled on a good balance of seed to lard in these things so I'll share. When I don't have enough seed incorporated, the log doesn't last a week and that's just not long enough. When I add too many adjuncts, the log gets too hard when it's frozen and the fight to get the calories becomes easier at the oil seed hopper, thus defeating the purpose.

The recipe can contain almost anything as an adjunct. I often add a couple of dollops of peanut butter if I'm feeling generous. I've used tame and wild bird seed too, but plain old black sunflower seeds and the ground grain I feed the layers makes up the majority of the mix. I use quite a bit of the chopped grains I feed to the layer flock, but most people won't have access to that so just make up the difference with whatever you think birds might find attractive. Use your imagination. I'm sure that dry fruit would add a nice touch for some of the birds. I'm interested in attracting a wider variety of birds so I'm beginning to mix it up a bit. I'd really like to have the evening grosbeaks back regularly. They add a lot of colour to the yard.

I save mesh citrus fruit and onion bags to hold the logs and tie a simple granny knot to hold it closed. Then I run a heavy, but malleable wire through and under the knot and then bend the top of the wire into a loop that provides a hanger. I use a step ladder to hang the log well out of the way of any cat access. I try and choose a relatively thin branch far from the trunk and as far up the tree as I can manage.

The additives go into a big bread bowl when I add the softened lard. Mixing this by hand is the best winter hand lotion going. Once it's well mixed, I roll it into a log and load it into the bag. Washing dishes with the birds for company is one more way I enjoy winter.

- Set 454 grams of lard out on the kitchen counter over night.

- Get you mesh bag out and roll it down so it will be easy to set the bottom of your soft log in the bottom of the bag.

- Soften the lard in the microwave for ten seconds or so.

- Toss 680 grams of seed into a big bowl

- Add the softened lard and mix thoroughly.

- In the bowl, form the mix into a log shape.

- Pick up the log and rest it lengthwise in your dominant hand and up your arm, while manipulating the mesh bag over your hand, arm and log.

- Remove your hand, tie the bag end and insert your wire hanger under the middle of the knot and you're ready to brave the ladder.

- Be careful out there. Ladders in the snow can be fun.

Adult Principle #1

JPBarlow's twitter contribution. He's been milking these out over the last few days. They've been enough to prompt me to post. I've been a little off my game. Sometimes I despair.

Adult Principle #1: Be patient. No matter what.

Adult Principle #2: Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, not blame. Say nothing of another you wouldn't say to him.

Adult Principle #3: Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you.

Adult Principle #4 Expand your sense of the possible.

Adult Principle #5 Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change.

Adult Principle #6 Don't ask more of others than you can deliver yourself.

Adult Principle #7 Tolerate ambiguity.

Adult Principle #8 Laugh at yourself frequently.

Adult Principle #9 Concern yourself with what is right rather than who is right.

Adult Principle #10 Try not to forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong.

Adult Principle #11 Give up blood sports.

Adult Principle #12. Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Don't risk it frivolously.

Adult Principle #13 Never lie to anyone for any reason. (Lies of omission are sometimes exempt.)

Adult Principle #14 Learn the needs of those around you and respect them.

Adult Principle #15 Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that.

Adult Principle #16 Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun.

Adult Principle #17 Praise at least as often as you disparage.

Adult Principle #18 Admit your errors freely and quickly.

Adult Principle #19 Become less suspicious of joy.

Adult Principle #20 Understand humility.

Adult Principle #21 Remember that love forgives everything.

Adult Principle #22 Foster dignity.

Adult Principle #23 Live memorably.

Adult Principle #24 Love yourself.

Adult Principle #25 Endure.

These are right up there in my mind with the whole detach with love stuff.

Lard logs for the hangers on

I really like having birds around the house during the winter months. I pay them back in feed supplements for adding spectacular colour and vitality to the somewhat desert like conditions here as we cross the winter solstice.

In my over thinking way, I have developed some ideas of which there may be no merit. I like to feed most birds at a rate that is less than possible. Less is more. I could just be lazy. I use oil seeds where the larger sunflower seeds seem to sell better. I use a mixture in my lard logs that's much more dense in grains than the birds would prefer.

They still hound the feed sources and I feel like it's less like a binge and more closely related to the work they do in the wild to eke out a living.

I began providing these lard logs to keep the downy and hairy wood peckers from cleaning out the oil seed hopper as they searched for the odd seed there that was unshelled. They could and would regularly dump eighteen litres of seed on the ground inside twenty four hours. If there are no wood peckers pestering that feeder it will last a few weeks in peak season. More frequent maintenance on anything here is not what I'm trying to encourage.

One more reason I can enjoy the winter months.

Net bag lard log bird feeder. I sometimes use onion bags or fruit bags. This year I've tried winding wire into the mix to leave it more available to the birds, but that's not perfected yet.



Oil seed sunflower hopper feeder with a Chickadee and Nuthatch in attendance




Hairy woodpecker. Great company while doing the dishes





Hairy and Downy wood peckers

But it's so cold! Not.

I heard someone suggest recently that there is no cold weather, only inappropriate clothing. I'm a fan of winter.

This weekend was spectacular for weather. It began with the first of the seasons Arctic high pressure domes settling in and driving the temperatures slightly below seasonal norms and driving the clouds away. The weekend was so very beautiful. The moon wasn't in the way of the deep darkness at night so the stars were on display very well.

I'm fortunate to have excuses to be outside often during a day. There is something to be said for frequency. Wind is not a welcome partner in my love of winter, but we had very little of that this weekend. What we got, appeared to be the lake effect. This provided a constant dusting of fresh fluffy light snow that didn't really amount to much. Utterly gorgeous!

It was a day to ski, or skate in light clothing, rosy cheeked and brimming with vitality. The natural ice isn't quite ready for my skates though. Or maybe just stand there and catch snow flakes on the tongue. Quiet, gentle... peace.

Three sets of random company stopped by today, two loads of laundry, watched a bit of football, stripped a triple chime clock and got it hand cleaned and ready for a bath.

Played some guitar and sang the upper harmony on this little gem that I'm very enthusiastic about just now. Such grace. I've never sung harmony before and I was surprised at how good it sounded and felt. Manon wants to learn this song too so I'm likely going to get to practise a lot more of that type of singing. I'm not sad about that at all.

This will be the third song I've learned this fall. That's some kind of record I'm sure. I think I'm panicking just thinking about Manon leaving me all alone to play by myself again.

On Saturday morning I saw a fantastic sun column. It was short and wide, ending in a thin cloud bank just above the horizon. It was a brilliant orange/red. Gifts for a guy filled with gratitude just now. It's a wonderful place to be.

Wikileaks and mandolins

Wikileaks is coming out of the closet and into the mainstream more every day it seems. I read a lot. I think it takes a lot of reading to formulate informed opinion. Fortunately in the last 12 months or so I've managed to digest more novels than I have in a long time and that tends to lighten my view of the world. Or at least I hope it does. I really enjoy reading for pleasure. No fall knitting yet. Sad face.

I thought this piece was insightful and useful in balancing what might not occur to one if only main stream media outlets are being heard on the topic of Wikileaks. For a guy with the attention span of a gnat, I know others will be quicker to leave this type of information behind. I'm a supporter of the efforts of Wikileaks and any other checks and balances imposing themselves on the rich and powerful.

I'm surrounded by a culture of fear and I think the threats are as much from within as outside our borders. At the very least, these are very interesting times to live in, especially if you're a curious sort like I am.

I've left this place dormant this fall as I attend to my shop and the back log of work there. I tend to completely drop the ball through the summer and enjoy family, friends and the great out doors while the warm weather persists. This summer was a fine example, but the shop was in shambles and once again I do my business no favours by ignoring the needs of my clients and placing my own luxuries ahead of them. There must be balance here somewhere, but it very often eludes me.

So the shop is almost civil now and in the last couple of weekends I've managed to assemble an old mandolin. It was a gift from friends that celebrate a good purge of worldly belongings once in a while. I happened to be standing in the right place at the right time.



Like most of my conservation work I've learned to do as little as possible, preferring to leave history in full view. Functionally it's a passable playing experience, but I fear the structure is not up to the stress of those four double courses. I'm in love with the tone of the thing. The instrument if full of holes, literally and creaks and moans as it is tuned up, but it's so giving and open. A brilliant bit of folk art and a wonderful example about how it's not always all about the new and shiny things that are most valuable. I'm very grateful to have had opportunity to meet this old gentleman.

I've been shopping already, but will have to wait until the new year to pull the pin I think. I've narrowed the wish list to this one that seems to suit me well enough.

Next on the list is to remake my electric guitar. I've got a five way switch, some two position control knobs and a spiffy new single coil pick up to add to the two humbuckers already in place. This should create many, many new tone options for the hopelessly curious.




So many buttons, so little time.

Luke Doucet at the WECC Winnipeg

From: http://www.uptownmag.com/music/features/Its-only-rock-n-roll-but-we-like-it-106630718.html

"I think musicians tend to be a self-indulgent, navel-gazing lot," Doucet says. "Their biggest concern is that they won’t get the credit for creating all of the genius on the record. But I think your personality will always shine though. Your name — and face, probably — is on the album. You’re credited with being the principal songwriter and probably with playing one of the major instruments. You’re the one who tours it. Some singer/songwriters feel like they lose credibility if they’re not doing everything on a record. I think it’s good to let the people do the things I’m not good at, which is why I was so happy to have people like Andrew and David contribute."

I can't wait to see this guy tomorrow. I like my whisky straight up too.
Hope to see you all there.