The birds. . .

Yes, it does seem at times that we are under attack . . . There are dozens of hummingbirds that hang out by the main house where we serve breakfast to the guests. . . There are three feeders and we will fill up each feeder three or four times a day. . . A doctor that was visiting here a while ago, said she had read somewhere that if a human consumed as much food as a hummingbird does in an average day, it would come out to something like 2,000, or more, cheeseburgers. . . This time of year, we only have about 15 or so hummingbirds hanging about, as some have taken off on whatever migratory journey they do. . . The birds are very brightly colored and will buzz us from time to time as well. . . You can feel the breeze and hear the noise from their wings as they zoom back and forth. . . There are big picture windows in front of the house, and there are brightly colored feathers and cd-roms hanging outside to serve as a warning for the fast-flying buggers, but there are still accidents from time to time. . . Luckily, thus far, we've only had a few stunned birds, no serious injuries. . . Interesting fact for hummingbird first-aid: if one does smack itself silly, you pick it up gently, cup it in your hands. . . and blow on its bottom. . . Sounds too good to be true, eh? It's the truth, I have seen it done. . . The first time, I thought they were pulling my leg and wanted me to simply blow up a bird's behind, but it does work. . . Kind of a funky kiss/breath of life, though there's no need to pucker and actually make contact.

Also, hummingbirds are dirty little birds as well. . . They can foul up a bird feeder in no time flat. . . We just mix in sugar with hot water (aka simple syrup), let the sugar dissolve and then cool before putting it in the fridge for when we need to fill up the feeders. . . We probably average about 2 gallons per day of bird juice.