Ice Bound

Many people have heard of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Snow Bound", but have you heard of "Ice Bound"? No it is not a long lost poem. A pair of swans thought the pond next to the woodpile would be a nice place to live. They took up residence. One morning they woke and found the pond had shrunk over night! They were "ice bound." It was the talk of the woodpile.

Happy Hour On St. Patrick’s Day

Welcome to the “Blackbird Tavern at the Woodpile”. I own this famous watering hole. My friends call me Blackie. Take a seat while I get things ready for the big St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I am just setting out the snacks. I better taste a few to make sure they are fresh. This is a discerning crowd, they don’t like sunflower seeds past their expiration date.

Here comes Bushy. He likes to give you the impression he is a beer expert. Here he is giving our finest ale the “sniff test.” Next, he will give the suds the “lick test.”

[Bushy] “My good friend Chippy is fast asleep in his burrow. So I have to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without him. I thought I would drink a beer for him. At the woodpile, we have a long standing tradition. There is only one right way to drink beer.”

[Bushy] “Are you ready? … Drum roll please …On the count of three, let’s dive into the beer head first! That’s some head of suds! Wow!”

A new neighbor moves in

The other night, the Woodpile was kept awake by a loud spooky noise coming from the opposite side of the pond. Chippy did some investigating and found out they have a new neighbor: eastern screech owl. The good folks of the Woodpile were a bit apprehensive about their new neighbor. So, Chippy decided to conduct a "background check" on the owl. He logged onto the internet and checked Wikipedia. He found out screech owls like to snooze during the day (when chipmunks are hard at work collecting their food), plus these owls usually don't eat chipmunks! Phew!

Annual Bird Count & Bird Royalty

Mom participates every year in Cornell Labs "Great Backyard Bird Count." The usual gang at the woodpile shows up to get "enumerated". Sometimes we get distinguished guests. This year it was bird royalty. Prince and Princess Bluebirds made a formal visit. We are always honored when they drop by to get a meal at Joe's Suet Diner. Joe serves up good old fashion fresh raw suet. The best suet diner in five states.

 

Members of the Eastern Blue Bird Royal family on their state visit to the Woodpile.