By Sally Gracie
Update: When Patrick Hannigan was here to install my Nice Nest, he also removed last year’s phoebe nest from the eaves of the garden shed so the new nesters wouldn’t come in contact with yucky stuff that might make them sick. If bird health was our goal, we probably should have placed the old nest in the trash and not left it on a shelf in the carport as we did.
For the past weeks, the phoebes have been collecting materials from the old nest, especially cat hair — then flying it over to add to the new nest. What I can’t figure is how they found the old nest. Do birds have a sense of smell that led them to it?
The pair of swallows is nicely nested in the house following a couple of tense days spent fending off other swallows that also wanted the real estate. They, too, are building a nest. Occasionally they will try to enter the house with a piece of straw too wide for the entrance hole. Those pieces drop to the ground beneath the house. For the past couple of days, I’ve watched a swallow turn the straw sideways before pushing it through into the house. Some mornings I’ve sat for an hour just watching my birds at work.
Lloyd Bjerge’s birthday hat could not hold all the candles he deserved.
Lloyd Bjerge celebrated his 99th birthday with friends and family at the Senior Center last Friday. He was feted with cake, “The Birthday Song,” and lots of cards. Alice Glandon, and Lloyd’s daughter Lynn Bjerge, were family in attendance. Lloyd’s other daughter Karen Johnson and grandson Andy, who also live in the valley, were unable to attend. Happy birthday, Lloyd!
Two members of a nine-member team of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) were seated at a table in front of Hank’s Harvest Foods when I arrived to shop the other day. Along with candies that they offered as treats, the young men were distributing information about NCCC and telling about their work in the Methow Valley.
J. Sanchez is a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Rhode Island, his home state. Nineteen-year-old Austin DeOrio comes from the Washington, D.C., area where he graduated from Damatha High. Both young men have signed up for 10 months of service; they arrived in the valley on April 1 and will be here until May 18, then travel to another place and a new assignment.
Each day they go out from their digs in the bunkhouse at TwispWorks to carry out various volunteer efforts. These jobs have included working on the renovation of the North Warehouse at TwispWorks. One or the other has helped at the Methow Valley Independent Learning Center; performed maintenance and helped with classes at Classroom in Bloom; planted veggies for Red Shed; and ushered models down the steps at the Trashion Show. C.J. and Austin are enjoying their stay in the valley (especially compared to their earlier stint in the desert Southwest).
Young people here can find more information about NCCC at www.Amercorps.com or on Facebook at AmeriCorpsNCCC.
Brain Circus NY 2025, which played at The Merc Playhouse over the weekend, tells a good story though the production was a bit long for us old folks. But as director Danbert Nobacon said at the start of the play, “it’s a work in progress.” The 12-member cast was attractive and really involved in bringing the story to life. I was particularly amused by Garrett Jensen and Bryce Tillman’s portrayal of the two “agents,” whose job it was to keep tabs — that is, spy — on the patients in the drug study.
