Durability

With the arrival of my tax refund, I looked at ways of slightly improving life in the house. Twenty-five dollars spent here or there can give me long-lasting pleasure. One of those $25 expenditures came during February.

It's a big box and has been sitting in the living room for over a month. With all the snow and cold we had, I just didn't feel like opening it up, that the contents weren't ready to be put on the deck. Inside the box is, you see, a new birdbath.

This is a real bird bath, one made for containing water. It's not a lid, although it's the same size as the garbage can lid I've used for 3 years now. Here they are, side by side.

The garbage can lid is much lighter in weight. It's also deeper. But they hold the same amount of water. I could get a stand designed to hold up the bird bath, but I have seen squirrels drink from this and the stand would make it too high for them. So, I'm using the same set up as with the can lid. I have these plant discs that keep a flower pot up off the deck and allow air to circulate under the pot. I've put the bird bath on two of those on the deck.

The dark green color will absorb more heat from the feeble rays of winter sun and therefore has the possibility of more open water in the winter. If I had an electrical outlet on the back side of the house, I could consider a bath heater but that's more of a pipe dream purchase than a real purchase.

Stanley helped fill the bath with water and we are now ready for the birds as they filter back from their winter vacations. I may have to watch water evaporation more in this new bath than in the lid, owing to the dark color.

With this purchase, the garbage can lid can go back to doing what it does best, sitting on one of the garbage cans and getting blown about the yard when the wind picks up.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb