Thread: For The Birds

I always feed the birds during the winter. Having just moved to this place, I hadn't any plan for the delivery of the food...until yesterday.


Any plan worth more than half a fart starts out right from the gate with a nice big fire.


Naturally, the moment you've decided to incorporate the fire, you have suddenly an irrepressible need for an anvil. As it always happens, I left my anvil in my jacket pocket so I had to make one from a hefty birch log, one with a crotch to provide a nice stable base. I then used a drawknife to flatten a portion of the log's surface. As we would be feeding birds in the New England area, I fashioned my bending jig from a couple lag screws with washers and 3 inch long pipe nipples.


I don't know about you but whenever I have ten feet of 5/8" round bar stock in my hands, there is no reasonable action other than to stick it into the fire.


In no time at all the steel is glowing cherry red. This always brings me right back to my third birthday party. Oh boy didn't we have some fun!


Okay, even hot as Hell that steel isn't going to bend itself. With a little coercion we would soon have a perfectly serviceable curly Q on one end of the bar. The other end of the bar was left straight for approximately twelve inches then bent 30 degrees toward the curly Q (in the same plane).


I stuck the straight end into a section of thick walled stainless steel pipe I lashed to a post on my deck railing. Now I can hang my feeder on the deck and swivel the feeder in or out as I please. I love it! I hope the birds like it.

Here's a similar item offerred by Duncraft: http://www.duncraft.com/Single-Swing-Arm-Bracket-P2371C0.aspx The steel for mine cost me around $30. And mine is way better.

Great idea, Brad - worth at least a fart and a half!

Have you ever written a children's book?

looks good to me, good stuff.

Your dog looks like he's thinking "oh boy, here he goes again...". What a great way to put good use to the fire while keeping the backside warm!!

I wish we were neighbors, we would have some fun!

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Great idea, Brad - worth at least a fart and a half!

Have you ever written a children's book?

Thanks Lee! (Although I have lost track of the most recent exchange rate, Today's Healthy Agressive Pantsbound Punctuation Proclaimation [THAPPP]). No I have never written a children's book. But I have written a children's poem or two. Oh look! Here comes one now:

Why Won’t You Listen?
B.R.Moroni
Did you hear what I just said?
I think I spoke out loud.
Are those your ears upon your head?
Is your mind lost in a cloud?
I want to make it very clear.
I must be understood.
I’m prepared to speak for many a year
Until you hear me good.
Am I saying words you understand,
In a language that you know?
Perhaps you are from some foreign land,
Maybe north of Tokyo?
Would you please listen when I speak?
Act as if you have some sense.
You make my existence rather bleak,
When you strain my nerves so tense.
Is it possible that you just don’t care?
(I hadn’t thought of that)
Your insolence, claws, and that long, long tail,
Indicate that you’re a cat.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Your dog looks like he's thinking "oh boy, here he goes again...". What a great way to put good use to the fire while keeping the backside warm!!

Basil is (surprisingly) my direct supervisor. It seems to frustrate him when I begin a project on which he hasn't been briefed.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I wish we were neighbors, we would have some fun!

I am sure we would Kelly, that is if you enjoy playing that old time kid's game we used to call, "Blow Torch and Balloon".

Blow torch and balloon? Have to admit I haven't heard of that one, can you elaborate?

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Blow torch and balloon? Have to admit I haven't heard of that one, can you elaborate?

Blowtorch and Balloon is a kids game my brother used to play with me but (much like his version of Monopoly) because he made up the rules anew with each roll of the dice. The basic game idea is so:

• It is basically a team sport and there is no limit to number of teams entered nor to the number of players on a team.
• The player who represents his/her team in the Final Destination round, is called a "Torcher". Torchers are selected by tossing the Coin (also known as a Khoyne, it is a standard city manhole cover that the players aggressively pass to and from one another while standing in a circle).
• Final Destination play is where each blindfolded Torcher has a balloon taped to his/her back and is handed a lit blowtorch when they enter the Playroom. The Torcher who is last to have a balloon not yet popped is the winner.

I apologize to the original poster for these seemingly off topic additions to the thread.