Life lived OUtside

In our backyard, very close to our patio table, there is a large crape myrtle tree. It has the coolest shape. A nice thick trunk that goes up about six feet, then a sort-of elliptical canopy that is perfectly formed for the corner of the yard. It has become our bird tree, with a few bird feeders hanging in it. (For a while, the girls commandeered it as a fort, but the piece of plywood they lugged up as a seat has been forgotten as of late.) We love having that tree in a spot where we eat at least half of our meals, because we get to see all kinds of birds. Cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, sparrows, birds in all shapes and colors.

But something else loves that tree. Every squirrel in a thousand-foot radius. Not the cute little red squirrels from the old children's book Miss Suzie. Nope. Mean old grey squirrels. Maybe I'm just bitter because they keep eating my mangos, avocados, and macadamia nuts in addition to most of the bird seed. They are just not well-skilled in sharing.

And the birds know it. The other morning, I saw the funniest sight. A squirrel was sitting in the middle of the tree, equidistant from both of the feeders. Surrounding it were four different types of birds: a blue jay, a cardinal, a titmouse and a not-to-be-left out little sparrow. You could tell they were all jockeying for position in the tree. The squirrel was all a twitter going tch-tch-tch-tch-tch and the birds were definitely tweeting at the top of their lungs. Unfortunately, the squirrel won out in the end and helped himself to a huge serving of delightful bird seed. I know that I need to get some squirrel-proof feeders and move the feeders to limit the access the squirrels have, but I don't know, I kind of like the daily drama at the birdfeeder.

Being the first week of summer, the heat is definitely on. Be sure you are staying cool and hydrated and that you are keeping all of your favorite plants watered. One of our favorite summer harvests (when the squirrels don't get them) is avocados. Our trees at home are loaded this year and are about ready to harvest. They are an easy tree to grow at home and a tasty, healthy snack for a hot summer's day. Sliced with a little salt is my favorite way to eat them, but whipped into a light guacamole on some salty nachos is a close second. See below for our tips on growing avocado trees and come see us to get one for your yard today. You'll feed yourself and probably the neighborhood squirrels, too. The drama might just be worth it.