I had to do laundry, so I didn’t have time to build a hoce from start to finish. I did, however, have time to cut the pieces for two hoces. I mixed it up a bit with these; one has a 1.25″ hole, and no perches. The other has a 1.5″ hole, but only two perches. It’s a fatass hoce, just in case some of my birds have packed on a few. I’ll assemble them when I get home tomorrow (Friday!), and then, I’ll have only one left to build, plus whatever I decide to make with the leftover bits.

I managed to do a hoce start to finish after work. It still needs floor insulation, and they all need birdy carpet, but it’s done; badly cupped, knotty board or not. Beautiful, nope, but I did okay with the skilsaw, which saved me setup time, and it doesn’t have to be beautiful to keep my little birds warm and dry.

That’s four blurd hoces. Three for me, one for P. I think I’ll have enough board scraps left to make a horizontal house for the Carolina wrens that keep trying to find shelter in the vent up by the garage roof, too.

On the left, much-despised crapgrass that I missed when I was pulling it up. On the right, a microscopic grass from the seed I threw down last week when I planted the croci.

As many as four to go, depending upon what i feel like doing!

It was raining when I got home from work, so I didn’t feel like getting out the table saw, but I did finish the roost hoce I started yesterday.

I didn’t do notched corners on this one because it looked stupid, so I just drilled a hole for drainage. The house has a 1.25″ entrance, which I will try to face away from prevailing winds, and it’s caulked with silicone, so it should stay pretty dry inside.

One P bought, two I built. Hopefully, the birds will use them, and be toasty warm (or at least not freezing) this winter.

I also got a couple of burlap bags from work. I washed them, and after an extra rinse, just in case, I’ll use pieces to cover the floor insulation. Birdy carpeting, if you will.

I started right after I got home, and probably would’ve finished had it not been for the Board From Hell, which was: a. 8′ long; and b. cupped/warped/something that made the saw want to bind, which doesn’t put me in my happy place when I’m here alone and could bleed to death before anyone found me. Anyway, I did manage to get the last two cuts finished with my skilsaw, and got part of it screwed together, so I’m satisfied. Good enough for after work when it’s basically dark by 1800h. I hope the other boards are like the first, which cut easily, but with my luck, that’ll be the only easy one. One way or another, though, my little birds will have their warm winter hoces!

It was laundry day, and since it’s supposed to rain much of the week, I wanted to get my bulbs and asters (and one mum!) in the ground. I also needed to blow leaves off the patio and skim the pond, and I needed a nap because I couldn’t sleep last night, so I didn’t make any bird roost hoce progress today.

The borage that seeded itself after all the rain in June basically killed it off did get to bloom after all. I’ll plant borage next year, but I think I’ll maybe seed it thinner. It’s prickly and itchy, and hard to thin. Anyway, I’m glad it got to flower.

I ended up just sticking the asters in near the Sweet Tea honeysuckle. I’m not sure what will eventually happen there, but they’ll get sun and drainage. Hell, I don’t even know for sure what kind of asters they are. I think they’re the dark pink double blooms that Buchheit got in after the Believer purple and Hazy Pink sold out, but can’t swear to it. Hopefully I’ll see next fall!

This is what I get for not paying attention. What I looked at as a double bloom aster is actually a pink mum. I’m not a huge fan, but a Monarch used this one for nectar, so it’s already worth the three bucks. I broke more off it when I planted it in the Bee Happy bed, but it’s the roots that matter anyway. It is pretty, too, and next year, it won’t be broken. Poor little guy needed a home as badly as the asters.

I ran the sprinkler yesterday so I could plant my Giant Mixed croci. I did get them all in the ground, and just for the hell of it, I pulled out some of the crabgrass and threw on some of the ridiculously expensive grass seed I’d got when I first built this area up. Might not be any good, but it’s not like crabgrass won’t fill in the bare spot if it’s not.

They’re fading, but still the same beautiful, clear red. I really hope it survives the winter.

I hope these don’t. I hope every one of them dies miserably. I was too lazy to make insecticidal soap, though. I might this week, just to get even for all the times I couldn’t spray these little bastards when I had Monarch cats. Muahaha!

These two are from Friday after work. I topped up the pond, and disturbed a new friend. He’s a Southern leopard frog, so I named him Cletus.

It’s too bad it’s so late in the season, because with a little more time, the gaillardia in Sarah-Flah’s garden would make me a flower.

Now, this morning! I was lazy and got a late start, but I did get out the table saw (thank Christ for that table saw!) and built one bird roost hoce.

Perches are staggered so the guys on the bottom don’t get pooped on so much.

The “plans” (using the term loosely) had weird measurements, so I adjusted them. I thought the perches were too short, but they’re glued in, and birds weigh nothing, so it’s fine that they connect on only one side.

My patio “wood shop”. My Workmate came in really handy for making the first attachment (side to back).

Almost done!

Side swings open for cleaning.

Entrance hole is low because heat rises, and this is for winter warmth.

I sealed the joints with silicone, and also glued them.

In non-bird news, my spicebush is the prettiest bright yellow.

After it got dark, I decided that since birds are wary of entering dark, unfamiliar spaces, my hoce needed a window. I had Lexan (Bayer…Makrolan?), but the only non-wood jigsaw blade I have is dull, so cutting a 3″ square neatly was impossible. Birds won’t care, but I do, so it might get a frame. It’s sealed with silicone.

Inside, I made a X on the window so birds know it’s not an exit. It’s sealed with silicone on the inside, too. The birds officially have better windows than our house.

I went out and got a piece of insulation to put on the floor and block potential draughts from coming in under the swing-away wall. I think I’ll probably just put a little straw or sheep’s wool over it. Dunno. Shiny side is down because birds don’t like shiny.

Random comfy Onje.

I got my mixed giant croci today; earlier than expected! Nice-looking bulbs.

After making one experimental hole, I decided the ground needed wetting before I plant them. It may rain this weekend, and if it doesn’t, I’ll have to put out the sprinklers again. Besides, it was 81 degrees, and I’ve had enough of sweating in the yard for this year. I also had to do laundry.

I did, however, get my little sleeping bags into their winter spot. They’ll be out of the wind here, and I dug holes a few inches deep in the stone…I mean…the ground, then put a couple of concrete edgers and a piece of the crabapple we had cut down earlier this year around the bottom, just in case something climbs on top; I don’t want my dudes to fall.

I was getting concerned about keeping the Spicebush Doot-doots and Luna-to-be indoors with artificial heat and light, when I need them to stay in their little sleeping bags until spring. I’d got 2x2s on Monday (even if RP actually delivered the lattice, cedar board and 2x2s to D’s across the street and I didn’t find out until I called yesterday!) and got hardware cloth yesterday, so I decided I had time after work to build the enclosure so my dudes will be safe from hungry mice/raccoons/whatever eats them.

I had two 8′, so I cut four pieces at 36″, then cut the leftovers in half to make crosspieces. 1/2″ hardware cloth on the sides, and on the bottom so water will drain out if any should enter.

Mouse-proof bottom (I hope).

I put some leaves in the bottom with Luna-to-be. I know he’s alive because his cocoon was moving while he waited for me to put leaves in. Disconcerting to see a moving pile of dead leaves, but Lunas are known for being active cocoons. I wired some of the heavy-duty nylon mesh to the wall to make sure he knew how to get up when he ecloses so his wings can expand (or hers…certainly can’t tell yet).

One of the Spicebush Doot-doots had a small twig attached to his leaf, so I just attached him to the stick with a twist tie.

The other one was just on a leaf, so I had to get creative with thread.

Attached to their “perches”.

I used plywood that had been the bottom of a storage tub kitteh hoce for the roof. Beautiful, no, but they’ll be safe once I put the legs down into the ground enough that it won’t tip. I ran out of daylight, but I’ll make a door by clipping a square/rectangle out and wiring a piece over it. No rush…they won’t be ready to leave until late April or early May. Anyway…the Diapausitron!

Okay, so “crocus” comes from Greek, not Latin, but I think “croci” is funny, so they’re croci. I soaked the soil well yesterday and they all went in easily, except two where I ran into an osage-orange root (HOW!?!?) There were supposed to be 40, but there were actually 38-3/4; 38 that looked really good and one that may or may not grow, but I planted the little dude anyway so he wouldn’t be left out.

Speaking of sad plants, I went to Buchheit at lunch to get potting soil for Palmzilla, and they had three sad-looking asters left. They were reduced to $3 each, so I got them. If they grow, great, but even if they don’t, at least they have a chance. One didn’t sell because half of it broke off, and the other two just look a bit past their prime, but even if they live only long enough to produce a few seeds, I’ll get my money’s worth. I didn’t plant them today because I’m not sure where they’re going, but they need to get in the ground soon. Poor little things.

EDIT: What the hell is wrong with me? I finally got 40 Vanguard crocii in the ground, and just bought 50 Giant Mixed.

I didn’t feel like doing much today, so…I didn’t! I spent most of the morning sitting outside in the cold with my little feet heater, watching birds and shooting at the occasional starling on the suet feeders.

While I was deciding whether to integrate my crocus bulbs into the part of the lawn that I built up when we moved here, I discovered that the few little spots where I’d pulled up witch grass and seeded clover finally grew! I’ve mowed there lots of times and never noticed.

Found another chilled bee on the house, and shared some heat.

I had put Palmzilla in the gradge, but couldn’t repot it because I used my potting soil. It had to come in, though, so I wrapped the pot with a trash bag, and brought it indoors. It takes up a lot more space now!

The soil is like rock where the crocus will go, so I ran the sprinkler for a while. I intend to plant the bulbs this week.

I brought in the last three hummingbird feeders and washed them. The last time I saw a MLB was October 8th. Goodbye, you mean little bastards–you left fat and sassy, and I’ll see you next spring!