chops, sucks, blows

This last Saturday of April 2011 dawned bright and crisply sunny with a consistent breeze (take THAT you shad flies!) which made being outdoors irresistible.  Scott and I were both awake and moving about long before 6:00am, which is too early to start lawn mowers and such.  One has to consider the neighbors.  Scott has been creating a really lovely bookshelf for the upper hall and decided to move it into place without its hinges and glass doors.  The thought is that he can complete it on the next rainy day.

Such a dark little dismal image - this bookshelf measures a good eight feet across!  But you cannot tell this from my decrepit photography!

I wanted you to see it sans finishing elements.  The hardware arrived last week -  oooh-la-la!  Scott is an incredibly talented carpenter.  This bookshelf is made of mahogany - in two pieces.  The doors will feature small paned glass windows.  


Scott can envision the projects that I throw at him, turn them around and around, allow them to percolate, and always take them to the next level... case in point, a new bird feeder.  One to replace an old favorite which is coming apart at the seams.

Humble beginnings -

Some serious construction - 2x6 beam coming in ....

The beauty of this piece is in its design -

Scott wanted to create a feeding sanctuary where the birds could come and light in safety and peace.  We have aggressive red-tailed hawks which pick off the bird population on any given day -

The inner works - a removable screen and shelter from the elements for our birds.  We are filling the feeder with hulled sunflower kernels to combat the debris which leftover shells produce in the gardens and lawn.  I really think that Scott nailed it on this one!  Everything comes together to produce a thing of true beauty.
Since we are discussing Scott - here's a look at his newest 'toy'.

When asked what its functions entailed he replied, "it chops, sucks and blows."  Hmmm.  This is one 'toy' that may benefit the gardens, big time.  It can suck up the leaves and chop them into nice tidy bits for compost.  It can also gather grass clippings which I will use to mulch the walkways in the vegetable garden.  I think that I LIKE the Cyclone!

After a few swipes about the yard it is positively FILLED to capacity!  Who knew that grass clippings could be so exciting?

Here it is - the very first asparagus of the season!  We may have a hearty crop this year.  Oh - and speaking of good things - look what I found today at a yard sale -