Thursday, February 11, 2016

Red loves his new platform feeder!

Earlier this winter, the platform feeder my dad made me back in 1990 when Rick and I moved from our apartment into our first house died. I went out to stock it with seed, and it was shattered on the ground...raccoon, squirrel...Sasquatch? Who knows who dealt the final blow. All I knew was it broke my heart. That feeder was part of our backyard landscape for over 26 years, and because my dad made it, I loved it all the more. It was Red's favorite feeder as well, and I was surprised how hollow it made me feel to look out and not see Red and his buddies crowded around eating sunflower seeds from it. The thought of putting a new store-bought feeder in its place made me feel even worse, so I just threw seed on the ground and ignored the gaping hole until Rick stepped in to save the day by making a beautiful "Cedar Palace" for Red and me...

Northern Cardinals visit a cedar platform feeder covered in snow.
Red and his buddies took to Rick's cedar platform feeder right away. When the snow melts away,
I will take a few closeups of of it. The Cedar Palace is a work of art...no nails, btw...all mortise and tenon.

Rick took the dimensions from my dad's feeder and got to work. He came up with his own design, and even made cedar shakes for the roof by hand. This thing is sturdy and will no doubt last as long as my dad's, which when added to my current age will make me 80...wait...80???? That can't be right, but after a quick re-add, it is. (I think I'm going to ignore that bit of info for now and just keep watching, painting, and photographing the birds.)

If you want to see my dad's old feeder, click here for the post from 2009, "This bird feeder has seen a lot of action..." It was only 20 years old back then!

(Thank you, Dad, for making the best bird feeder ever, and thank you, Rick, for carrying on the tradition. Lots of hearts, lots of smiley faces, lots of love.)

13 comments:

Sue said...

What a gorgeous new feeder. Rick did a very nice job and I'm sure you'll have many years of enjoyment from it. Congrats!

Kathy A. Johnson said...

Wow, what beautiful work. I know you'll enjoy looking at it (and feeling the love with which it was made) as much as the birds will enjoy eating from it.

Roy Norris said...

Thats a super Bird Palace Kelly.

Sandra Reeves Cutrer said...

Oh, no! I am so sorry for the loss of the treasured bird feeder your Dad had made. :( This one is just as beautiful, and I am sure it will last a long time. I love your post.Thank you for all of your gorgeous photos!

Mary Ann Gieszelmann said...

Sasquatch?!! I thought he was only in the Northwestern US. Don't tell me he is also in your area!

Tammie Lee said...

i went and looked, your dads feeder had a good life
housed many birds as they dinned
your new one is beautiful
so good of him to make a new one for you!

Kim Smith said...

Wow, how awesome of Rick to do that for you! And he's obviously very skilled too -- it's beautiful, Kelly.

Ana Mínguez Corella said...

Lovely!!! Have a nice day.. Regards..

Kelly said...

@Sue - Thanks, Sue. I'm so happy Rick has these new-found woodworking skills!

@Kathy - So true, Kathy. When someone you love makes you something, it's special.

@Roy - Haha...Thanks, Roy! In person, it looks much bigger than in the photo. It is a bird palace! :-)

@Sandra - Thanks, Sandra. I know.....uugh. I hated to see it go. The new one is a worthy replacement.

@Mary Ann - Hahahaha...well...Big Foot sightings have been reported at Salt Fork State Park near Cambridge, Ohio. Maybe Ole Squatchy took a little weekend trip down south! ;-)

@Tammie - I know.....how many birds had been at that feeder over 26 years? :-) Rick's new feeder is a great replacement. :-)

@Kim - Thanks, Kim. You know....these are all newly required skills. He dove headfirst into all this woodworking stuff and has learned so much. He amazes me!

@Ana - Thank you, Ana! I hope you have a nice day too. :-)

Elva Paulson said...

How wonderful of your husband to step up to the plate and replace such a treasured object with another you can enjoy for many more years. ... your post warms my heart.

Kelly said...

Hi Elva! Thank you...it made me so happy! Maybe because we are artists we appreciate the creative work and love that goes into handmade works. It takes something special to replace something special.

Mary said...

A work of art! hope it lasts forever. I'm having trouble with bird feeders and bird houses both being knocked out of the trees and destroyed right now. I think I have 4 lined up for Mike to work on. Something violent out there at night.....probably a raccoon. They are such a pain to have around no matter how cute they can be.

Kelly said...

Thanks, Mary! I bet it's a raccoon too!!