lighter than forcasted

[shepp]

we had a mixed bag yesterday. rain ,sleet, heavy snowfall off and on yesterday. not as much as was forcasted. last nite late we were getting the finest of freezing rain.it snowed after that and this is what i awoke to.snow stuck to everything. i am soft in the head. it is pretty. ok thats enuf snikkering.

[shepp]

bird feeder shot.

[shepp]

dwf miscanthus with bee balm seed heads below it.

[shepp]

another shot of feeder on the homemade trellis with recycled christmas tree for bird cover.

[william.b]

Shepp,
Keep all that white stuff and ice up your way,we've been lucky so far in middle Tn.This time it all went south,Atlanta.But it ain't over yet,we get our worst stuff in Feb. and March.
Thanks,
William B.Z-6

[Ann B.]

Here's another picture that Shepp took. He asked that I crop it and perhaps zoom on the squirrel. Zooming didn't produce a quality picture, but cropping the picture did help.

Here it is...

[Ann B.]

Actually, I think it all looks very pretty, and I wouldn't mind having some 'light stuff' as opposed to the cold rain we have had the last couple of days.

Shepp, the 'Clematis cage' looks exceptionally nice with the bird feeders. That makes for a truly nice winter scene.

And the GRASS! I don't think I ever even thought about the snow on ornamental grasses, but it looks great, doesn't it?

I know you all are having a lot of really hard cold, but when I see pics like those, I think that cold isn't so bad when it is that beautiful.

Unless, it is howling like it is here tonight.... I must say that I don't like howling anymore than I like thunderstorms like the night before last.

Enjoy the light snow scenery, Shepp. It looks very pretty to me!!!!

[3girls]

Shepp, thanks a lot for the pictures. They truly are beautiful. What a lovely spot you live in. We received a light dusting overnight from the same storm. We still have a lot of snow on the ground from the storm the weekend before last. Around 12" at that time--maybe 6-8" still.

I am wild about your bird feeder station. We are building new quarters for me, and I have been trying to figure out how to build some sort of pergola so that I can hang feeders and some plants. I will definitely tweek your design to fit my space. Of course, I will have as much glass as possible on two walls of my space. I have to have light.

That little squirrel is a cutie. Ours are plain jane grey and really challenge the bird seed budget. What brand is your squirrel?

Thanks for sharing--

[shepp]

the tree rat is called a fox squirrel.
one of the feeders has been destroyed by them. i use it as a sacrificial feeder now. i fill it with shelled corn.its going in the trash when it goes empty.
the arbor/trellis is made from what is called hog panels.cattle panels can be used also.rigid yet flexible.they are fastened to the horizontal timbers with very large fence staples. it is raised for head clearence , makes it difficult for stray cats too. the reason for the tall vertical timbers is so it doesnt sway.
i grow clematis on the far left corner and birdhouse,apple and dipper gourds on the other 3 corners during the growing season.

[Dazed_Lily]

Shepp- What do you use as a base(on the ground) for the trellis ?

[shepp]

4 posts.
the hog panels dont go to the ground. study these pics.

[shepp]

the other side.

[Dazed_Lily]

Thanks for going out there and taking more pix !!!!! That's so nice of you !
I got thrown off by the horizontal boards but I now understand the posts are holding it all up. Hmmm...gives me an idea ...the hamster wheels in my head are turning now. :D

[shepp]

isnt it amazing how a thread runs wild.
i guess it the wheels grinding in all of us.
it went from snow on one morning to building a trellis half way thru.
some people build coldframes and GHouses using these panels.
personally its not my way of building GH's or coldframes. well maybe i could make a cheap CF this way.

[Ann B.]

Shepp,

It's not only amazing, it is FUN!

I like the deep, window box type structures on each side.

However, our moisture and heavy rains makes even the best of treated wood not last as long as I would like. Do you think that I could use those metal fence posts that you drive into the ground to add enough structure for cattle fence to hold the clematis vines steady?

All of my clematis are still in pots, but I have found where they do best and would like to plant them in the ground. Some of them are already forming buds, and I just hope that the rest of them made it. They took a pretty hard beating before and after Ivan.

[shepp]

why not all you will be out is some time.
and take the panels all of the way to the ground.
the window box's were a good idea untill i got a golden retriever.
he dug the one empty and killed the clematis vines.
he doesnt dig any more. i broke him. he thought it was a cool place to lay. i need to refill the bed.