The Man Who Sold Me a Bird Feeder Forgot to Tell Me Something

Posted by Barbara Techel

Here’s a hint with this photo above of what the man who sold me a bird feeder forgot to tell me…

You see, I bought this feeder to fill with peanuts for the woodpeckers. And I’ve noticed an occasional wren will stop by to peck away at the peanuts in the shell to score their feast.

The man I bought this feeder from at the Farmer’s Market at the end of summer told me how he designed the feeder to be squirrel proof with the pin that slides through the chain to hold the cap in place on the top. To refill the feeder I have to take pliers to pull that pin out of there and use it to put it back in!

But it has become quite clear that it isn’t chipmunk proof…

See how the cap is pushed to the side (does he carry pliers in his back pocket?!?) Yup, this one tenacious chipmunk has figured it out. I’ve seen him with his cheeks gorging out to the sides as he works to gather as many peanuts as possible.

Grrrrr….I was feeling frustrated this morning as I watched this play out yet again, though in all honesty I couldn’t help but be a bit amused too.

But it was in my frustration after knocking on the window a few times and he’d run away to only return again within seconds, that I found myself in admiration of his determination.

I’ve recently been feeling a bit frustrated by some things that haven’t played out as I’d hoped. When I pondered why I was feeling frustrated, which led to my feeling disappointment, I realized I didn’t need certain things to occur in order to keep moving forward. I’m in charge of making my life happen!

So thank you chipmunk for helping me see that I can do anything I set my mind to.

xo,

Barbara

Animal Wisdom Oracle Guidance – Your Choice Today

Posted by Barbara Techel

I’m doing things a little bit different this week!

Take a moment to think about a question and/or challenge you are pondering.  Then pick the card you are most drawn to of 1, 2, or 3.

Then watch the video below for the particular card you picked and its message for you. Enjoy!

xo,

Barbara

The Bench with a Story that Touched My Heart Gets a New Look

Posted by Barbara Techel
AFTER

Apparently, my story I wrote about this bench touched many hearts (you can read it here). It was fun to hear from many of you! Some of you thought I should leave the bench as it was. But I felt called to chalk paint it. This is the end result above. I share the paint I used below and what I did. But first, here is the before photo:

BEFORE

I didn’t sand anything down and painted right over the top. So it still has it’s rough spots, which suited me just fine. Kind of symbolic in remembering that even through the rough times of life, we can still come out better than before. 😉

I did two coats of the celery. Later in the day on Saturday I sanded the edges of the bench where you’d normally see wear and tear. This morning I put on a coat of antique wax over the top of the celery and wiped that down. You have to move fast as it dries quickly. I let that dry and then topped it off with a coat of clear wax, which I also wiped down as I went along.

I’m really happy with the end result and John approved too. Now I’m hoping that my plants will flourish with their new home. I don’t always have the greenest of thumbs, but I sure do keep trying!

xo,

Barbara