Simple Useful Work, Part 2

The other minor project was to re-install the sunflower seed bird feeder.  There were problems.  The feeder itself needed some repairs (being 25 years old and damaged a few times), the pole was loose in the ground (just set in soil), and when I had some tree work done recently, one of the crew pulled it up (in case of an errant falling branch).  He leaned it against another tree and it fell over.  I've damaged it twice myself, taking it off the pole and trying to use it on the deck ahead of serious snowstorms for easier refilling. 

Anyway, It has been reglued and rescrewed several times.  I wasn't sure it could be again.  But with some work and more screws, it should last another couple years. 

The pole is designed to thwart Evil Squirrels.  It WORKS!  Just below the feeder, I have a wide flat baffle 5' up the pole.  Immediately below, I have a barrel baffle.  It works perfectly, no Evil Squirrel has been able to get at the feeder.  If you have a problem with the tree-rats, just do THAT!

But it means I have to haul out my 8' stepladder every time I want to refill it.  So I had this idea that if I could put a hinge on the pole, bend it over 90 degrees, and refill it from ground level (with a large funnel though the output opening).  I finally found a pipe hinge designed to do that.

After finally cutting the pole to attach the hinge, it wobbled when attached.  I decided the fitting was actually metric, so I used some metal strapping to tighten it.  It wasn't easy.  And it didn't work!  THe wobble was in the hinge itself.  It allows very little wobble, but over a 5' pipe, that adds up.  It was unsatisfactory.

So (having cut the old pole in half, I needed a new one.  But at least this time I could make sure it would come loose in the soil.  It needed sideways braces in the soil.

So I went to the DIY store and looked at pipe-fittings.  I came up with this...

The aboveground pipe is 6'.  There is a 10" extension, a 4-way connection with  3" pieces out the sides, another 10" extension, and a 3-way at the bottom with 3" pieces out the sides at 90 degrees.  I dug a 2' hole, set the post in it, propped it up level N/S and E/W and added soil back in 6" at a time with water and hard tamping with a 2"x4" board as I went.  When I reached ground level, it was still perfectly vertical.  I gave it a day to dry in place, then rotated the birdfeeder (there is a screw on flange on the bottom) and when it was tight it (wonder of wonders) was facing straight toward the deck.  HURRAY!

It is perfect again.  I still have to use the stepladder to refill it.  I guess I'll have to live with that.  Sometimes you have to do some work just to get back to "normal".   But with those pipe extensions at 90 degree angles in the deeper clay soil, I bet it never leans or twists around in the wind again, LOL! 

So, being pleased with my work and it being only 4 pm, I decided to remove weeds from my butterfly/bee/hummingbird bed.  It is hard to tell, but it is a 10' circle with edging around it.  There were some mock strawberries.  AND some viney weed with similar leaves but small sharp thorns along the stem.  I had to dig them out individually with a trowel.  The roots don't have thorns, so I got down in them to pull.  I got mostly roots, so those are set back a few years at least.

On the other hand, there isn't much growing there either.  I think the seed mix I bought was mostly annuals.  Fortunately, I bought several kinds of perennials that fit the butterfly/bee/hummingbird requirements and will be adding those soon.  And I saved seeds from there that I will scatter tomorrow and cover lightly with compost.  And I planted 4 sunflowers in the center around a 2' tall 12' wide cage to support them.  Being clipped to the top of the cage really helps support them when they reach full height (6').

The meadow bed is growing like mad.  It is mostly perennials, but I am growing some self-seeding annuals that are natural to meadows.  It should look good this year and better next year. 



The separate meadow bed