feedin' the birds
So, we're all moved into our new place (in Omaha), and we're still unpacking. We're flat broke, because all the money went to pay deposits on shit to get everything set up. We have this martin house in the backyard, full of sparrows of course. There's a birdbath on the corner of the deck, and this rickety bird feeder that had fallen down. So, I pick it up, make a minor repair, and set it back up. But we have no bird seed. Hmm.
Well, I used to have a cockatiel, died of old age last year, and I have this big bag of Pretty Pets bird food. It's the pelleted, 100% complete stuff, comprised of little rainbow-colored balls. So, I put some of that in the bird feeder.
Sparrows, eyeing it and me: "WTF is THAT shit?"
Oh, well. Maybe they'll warm up to it...or something.
I found a bunch of old pen-pal letters and 'zines from the 90s. Kind of a neat thing that died with the growing popularity of the internet. Used to send decorated envelopes and letters, little booklets with artistically created signatures, stapled copy-machine magazines full of black and white artwork and poetry. That's how the old vamp community was, then, too--a scattered pen-pal network brimming with rumors and a gordian knot of personal connections. It's much easier for people to communicate, now--but then, takes much less time for them to decide they hate each other, too.
For those who haven't heard of it, check out freecycle.org My local freecycle list has 4848 people on it, and if you need it, someone's giving it away. Very high traffic list, here. I'm getting rid of a bunch of old stuff we don't want or can't use on it. I'm hoping to snag a VCR once we're more settled. I saw one go by the other day through the list.
Besides, if the things people offer are strange and diverse, that's nothing compared to the stuff people want. Wanted posts are entertainment. Someone was asking for gravel the other day. "Hey, would you happen to have any gravel you're not using lying around?" "Sure, just a moment, I have a few boxes in my closet".
We have more dishes, pots, pans, and storage containers than any 20 people should own. And my roomates insist on keeping every scrap. Do we really need 3 food processors, 2 bread machines, and 4 crock pots? Apparently we do.
Well, I used to have a cockatiel, died of old age last year, and I have this big bag of Pretty Pets bird food. It's the pelleted, 100% complete stuff, comprised of little rainbow-colored balls. So, I put some of that in the bird feeder.
Sparrows, eyeing it and me: "WTF is THAT shit?"
Oh, well. Maybe they'll warm up to it...or something.
I found a bunch of old pen-pal letters and 'zines from the 90s. Kind of a neat thing that died with the growing popularity of the internet. Used to send decorated envelopes and letters, little booklets with artistically created signatures, stapled copy-machine magazines full of black and white artwork and poetry. That's how the old vamp community was, then, too--a scattered pen-pal network brimming with rumors and a gordian knot of personal connections. It's much easier for people to communicate, now--but then, takes much less time for them to decide they hate each other, too.
For those who haven't heard of it, check out freecycle.org My local freecycle list has 4848 people on it, and if you need it, someone's giving it away. Very high traffic list, here. I'm getting rid of a bunch of old stuff we don't want or can't use on it. I'm hoping to snag a VCR once we're more settled. I saw one go by the other day through the list.
Besides, if the things people offer are strange and diverse, that's nothing compared to the stuff people want. Wanted posts are entertainment. Someone was asking for gravel the other day. "Hey, would you happen to have any gravel you're not using lying around?" "Sure, just a moment, I have a few boxes in my closet".
We have more dishes, pots, pans, and storage containers than any 20 people should own. And my roomates insist on keeping every scrap. Do we really need 3 food processors, 2 bread machines, and 4 crock pots? Apparently we do.