My Grandfather liked to birdwatch. Any Christmas or birthday I knew I could give him a card or drawing of birds and he would like it. When I watch the birds now I always think of him.

It's a peaceful hobby, birdwatching. You don't have to go out on a nature hike to find birds to watch. Instead you can bring them right to your back door, assuming you have one. Bird feeders are pretty easy to come by. See if you can find one that squirrels can't access too easily. Those pesky rodents will climb up or jump on top of just about any feeder and happily munch away. Chipmunks and other small rodents are the same.

Another creature that will bother your birdwatching are cats. Even if you keep your cat locked away while the birds are around that cat smell will still be there, alerting birds to danger. They won't come around as much when there is the scent of danger (cat) in the air. I've found we have lots more birds around now than we did a few years ago when I still had a cat. It does take awhile for the cat area to be neutralized, don't expect instant birds just cause you found a new home for Fluffy.

Stick your feeder on a pole at least a few feet off the ground. Also, keep the bottom clear of bushes or tall grassy type stuff. This way the birds can watch for predators while they peck around on the ground. Feeders set in trees give protection from flying predators like hawks. But, the squirrels will feast on the seeds and you will have to replace seed frequently. Of course, some people like squirrel watching too.

Mixed seed will give you quite a bit of waste, birds are messy, picky eaters. Different birds like different seeds and they will toss seeds around while they hunt and peck for favourites. If you have the birdfeeder on your lawn you can also expect some of those seeds to sprout and grow in your grass.

But, if you really want to get into the birdwatching in your own backyard get a few birdfeeders and stick to one type of seed in each. Black oil sunflower seeds are a good choice. The shells are relatively thin and the seeds pack a lot of nutritional value. Plus, if they grow in your lawn they will be pretty growing or easy to spot and pull out.

If all this bird feeder stuff sounds too complicated and messy try some bushes, trees and assorted other plant life birds eat in the wild. Think of plants that have seeds, berries and nuts during the Summer, not just in the Fall. You can always ask at a garden store or just take a hike and see what the birds are eating in a woodsy area near you. But, don't plant anything from the wild in your garden until you find out more about it. Some of those wildflowers that look so pretty and nice in nature will become an army in your garden and completely take over. Spreading by seed, root, leaf, you won't ever get rid of them without mass destruction to your garden space.

Back to the birds. One other thing you can do is put water out for them. Birds will come just to drink and wash in a bird bath. They also wash themselves in dust (dry, fine dirt) so you know they aren't really fussy bathers. Still, keep the water fresh and clear to avoid mosquitos laying their eggs in any standing water.

Happy birding.

Some Pagans believe in brownies, fairies, and assorted little people. I'd like to. But, the practical side of me just can't quite let me. How cute it would be to see little elven creatures frolicky around in your garden if you woke up early enough some fresh morning.

But, what would those creatures do the other 23 hours of the day? Could you imagine turning over a wheelbarrow to find several fairies sheltering under it from the heat? Then, that really practical side of me gets into the mess angle. Where do fairies sleep, pee or bury their deceased? Every living thing makes waste. Some more than others, look at all the pollution people make compared to animals in general.

So, though fairies would be sweet, magical and all that, I just can't accept them as more than a pretty fantasy. I like them for desktop wallpaper on the computer.

What do you believe? Don't let me knock your convictions if you feel otherwise. I'd like to hear from someone who believes and has answers for my practical questions.

Originally posted to 'BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are' newsletter, June, 28, 2003.

Not tonight, I have a headache.

My car is turning traitor. We've been having such a nice building relationship and now, it's giving me some kind of brush off. I know it's a male car. Zack, my nephew, told me. He named it too "Red Eyes, Black Dragon". I think that's how it goes.

Anyway, for three days in a row the 'service engine soon' light has been coming on. I added oil the first day. The second day I bought coolant but didn't know where to stick it. So, I took Red in for service. I paid $30 to have the oil, air, filter treatment. I don't spend that kind of money on any beauty treatments for myself.

Anyway, I drove away from there thinking things were going to be okay again. Red and I would go back to our previous dependable relationship. But, no, what's this! That light is on again!

So, betrayed by my car. Of course it's the long weekend here so I won't be able to take Red in for more plastic surgery until Tuesday or Wednesday.

I feel so alone. If I had money I'd go out looking at other cars.

Have you got the correct linkage?

I'm reading The Weblog Handbook by Rebecca Blood. Among the things worth noting is using your linkage on a website. It's not enough to display links to other sites. What you need to do is click on your own links. That way the webmasters will see you and know you are linking to them. Otherwise they won't know you have links to them unless they stumble across you eventually.

So, if you have a blog and have links down your sidebar or in the blog itself, click them. Go to the sites and get yourself noticed. You'll show up as a referrer site in their web stats.

Not a long newsletter tonight. I'm behind and just didn't want anyone thinking I stopped sending the newsletter all together. Send me a note sometime. Does the newsletter help you, encourage you to keep writing? Let me know what works and what's just filling up space.

Originally posted to Adult BackWash: Monday June 23, 2003

Sex blogs are getting popular, or at least with people who have an interest in reading or writing about sex. This is sort of a sex blog. Not entirely since, for one thing, I'm not having any to write about. For another thing I don't update as often as the blog purists would say is necessary. Anyway, I still don't see myself being a sex blogger. It would be strange to write about my body parts and what I did with them for mass public consumption. It sounds almost pornographic!

For me, wallflower that I am, this is more than enough. It's not easy pulling out some idea worthy of Adult BackWash once a week. Who really feels that absorbed with sex? Not me.

I do think someone who would write a sex blog and keep it updated must have quite a huge preoccupation with sex and sex stuff. Maybe you think it would be easy to write a sex blog cause you think about sex all the time. But, try it.

Anyway, it's interesting to see who writes them. I like to read about the people behind the blogs. What led them to writing a sex blog, what do they get out of it and mostly, what keeps them going.

At least it is a step up from being a phone sex 'actress', at least as I see it. Sex bloggers can set their own hours, be less available physically and emotionally to their customers/ readers. That is an important difference. Pretty much the main reason I can't see myself becoming a phone sex person even though the money would be pretty great if not highly tempting. But, I don't want to have to listen to some guy jerking off and then hanging up on me when he's done. I want to be an important part of the whole process not just some handy tool.

So, the diva in me rises again. No wonder the part of sex blogging that most appeals to me is the fame. Maybe not the fame I always saw for myself when I was growing up, but fame none the less.

Anyway, if I ever do get a sex life again, I'll slip in a few details, a few interesting tidbits, just enough to whet your whistle and keep you wondering if I really did any of that or am I just another wallflower making it all up as I go along. You'll never really know will you. Hopefully I will.