For the birds

Yes, that was me.

That was me shoveling sunflower seeds off the highway. When I saw those black piles on the side of the road, I headed straight home for a shovel and three of our corn-hauling buckets. AND I'm not ashamed to say that when I ran out of buckets, I used a reusable shopping bag that was conveniently in the trunk of the car.

A truck drove past me verrrrrry slowly. I waved at them as if to say, "No trouble here, I've got it all under control". But like I said, by that point I was shoveling snowy, dirty sunflower seeds into a bright green canvas bag. I wonder what they thought.

It was almost 20 degrees out, but the wind was cold. I had snot dripping off the end of my red nose.

That was a HUGE pile of sunfower seeds on the road. I bet I didn't even take half of it. There were little bird tracks all over in the dusting of snow. They were having a feast, and I left plenty for them. But I just had to get my birds in on the fun too.

I might have taken more, but all my barley garbage cans at home are full, so I have nowhere to store it. As it is, the mice are probably stealing seeds from my open buckets in the barn. The cat has been happy. He wasn't interested in his breakfast yesterday or the day before. Normally that cat acts like he's starving.

So the seeds attract mice, which the cat eats. The chickens LOVE those filthy sunflower seeds, they're acting like it's Christmas. They are still laying between three and five eggs a day, when the neighbor's chickens have stopped laying because of the cold and short days. They are proving to be the cold-hardy birds they were supposed to be. I'm glad I could thank them with a treat.

Happiness all around.