Birds & Blooms Newsletter - October 2002 Dear $$firstname$$, Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes a humorous checklist for birders, a traveling flower bed, a pleasing pumpkin pie and more. Read on and you'll discover... > It's Obvious You're a Birder > Flower Bed Is on the Go > The Scoop on Pumpkin Pie > Ducks Defy Gravity > Presto Change-o! > Wildlife Guides Go On-Line > Make a Date with Birds & Blooms ********** It's Obvious You're a Birder PAULA B. of Waynesboro, Tennessee says it's easy to tell she loves backyard birds, even if you don't count the 12 feeders in her yard. "See my binoculars? My field guide? My hair full of seed? It's obvious I'm a birder," she writes. These telltale signs aren't the only ways to distinguish a bird lover, she adds. Use the checklist below to see if you just might be a birder, too: > Traffic near your home slows to look at the variety of birds in your yard. > You plan vacations around migration seasons. > You plan your landscape to meet the needs of feathered friends. > You can recognize most of the birds in your yard by their songs. > You're presented with a sack of birdseed for every gift-giving occasion. > The name of every bird at your feeder rolls easily off your tongue. > Suet is the only kind of cake you buy. > You can find most birds in your field guide without using the index. ********** Flower Bed Is on the Go THE BLOOMS come along for the ride when Eleanor and Harrie A. of East Freetown, Massachusetts go on their frequent camping trips. It all started when Eleanor remarked that it sure would be nice if they could take their flower bed with them when they left home. Her comment--and a little creativity--led to the design of a "traveling flower bed". Harrie made it by welding lengths of electrical conduit into the shape of a bed frame. He personalized it by adding a letter "A" to the design at the foot of the bed. Flowers are planted in two small plastic planter boxes. The portable bed measures about 12 by 18 inches, so it's small enough to carry on all their trips. And the bright blooms of their "bedding" plants add a nice splash of color to every campsite they visit. To view a photo, visit http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=101 ********** Visit CountryTours.com to Make Your Next Vacation the Best Ever! Try a fully escorted, group vacation that takes care of all the planning for you. Bloomin’ Fun Tours Like These: Costa Rica & the Rain Forest Visit http://www.countrytours.com/rd.asp?id=70 Masterpiece Gardens of England and France Visit http://www.countrytours.com/rd.asp?id=71 Florida's Hidden Treasures including Cypress Gardens Visit http://www.countrytours.com/rd.asp?id=72 Plus 48 more exciting trips throughout the U.S., Canada and the World! Visit http://www.countrytours.com/rd.asp?id=69 Request a FREE Country Tours Catalog! Visit http://www.countrytours.com/rd.asp?id=69 World Wide Country Tours--31 Years of Satisfied Travelers! ********** Ducks Defy Gravity By Barbara R., Mentor, Ohio WE HAVE several acres of hilly terrain. One day while I was out for my daily walk, I spotted a male wood duck, and I was amazed to see it fly into a tree and perch on a high limb. Back home, my husband, Duane, thought that I was crazy. "It must have been a pigeon or a crow," he said. "Surely not a duck!" He kidded me for a long time. Then one day he joined me on a walk down by the creek. Hearing a great crested flycatcher screeching weep, weep, weep, Duane followed its flight with our binoculars. Then he saw another movement in the tree. He looked long and hard, then started laughing. "I don't believe it!" he said. "You're right--there's a male wood duck perched in the tree!" I grabbed the binoculars, and there was the duck on the highest branch of the oak tree. Now it's my turn. I guarantee it's going to be hard for Duane to duck my ribbing. To view a photo, visit http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=102 ********** Presto Change-o! HYDRANGEAS can range in size from small potted plants and bushes to 25-foot trees and 75-foot climbing vines. If you're growing bigleaf hydrangeas, you can change the color of the flowers like magic--and you won't need a magic wand to wave over your garden. To make the typical pink blossoms of this unusual plant change to a striking blue, the secret is in the soil. Acidic soil (pH below 5.5) brings out the flower's blue coloring, while less acid to alkaline soil (pH of 6.0 or higher) enhances its vibrant pink color. If you'd like blue flowers, add aluminum sulfate (alum) to the surrounding soil. If you prefer pink blossoms, add agricultural lime. Bigleaf varieties are the only types of hydrangea that have the ability to change their flower color. The dozens of other hydrangea species are most recognizable by their clusters of showy white flowers. ********** Wildlife Guides Go On-Line Trying to identify a bird, butterfly or plant from your yard or neighborhood? Want to learn more about local wildlife...or about the birds, plants and animals in another part of the country? Our free on-line Wildlife Guides can help! Visit the Birds & Blooms Web site at http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=103 and look for the Free Wildlife Guide link in the right-hand column. Enter your zip code (or an out-of-state zip code) to access hundreds of photos and detailed information! ********** Make a Date with Birds & Blooms EVERY DAY is bright and cheery when it starts with a glimpse of one of our Birds & Blooms Calendars. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the colorful country gardens, amazing bird closeups and dozens of gardening and bird-attracting tips in the Birds & Blooms Calendar. Hummingbird fans can see every detail in the delicate, iridescent feathers of a dozen tiny flying jewels in the Birds & Blooms Hummingbirds Calendar. In addition to awesome color photos, it includes plans for a garden designed to attract hummingbirds. These BIG, colorful calendars open to 13 inches by 21-3/4 inches and are printed on heavy, glossy paper. To order the Birds & Blooms Calendar from Country Store On-line, visit: http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/rd.asp?id=293 To order the Hummingbirds Calendar from Country Store On-line, visit: http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/rd.asp?id=294 ********** Lang At Home Fall Special Shop now an get 15% off your order! This newsletter subscriber offer ends October 25. (Suite #L1045) Visit: http://www.langathome.com/rd.asp?id=32 ********** Special Introductory Offer for Birds & Blooms Subscribers-- Get 1 year of Reader's Digest for 44% OFF the cover price! Visit: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=109 ********** HAVE A FRIEND who enjoys bird-watching, bird feeding or backyard gardening? Feel free to forward this newsletter! This email was sent to: $$email$$ If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up for yourself at http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=106 TO CANCEL your newsletter at any time, visit http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=107 TO UPDATE your e-mail address and other information, please visit http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=108 and click on the "Personal Preferences" link near the "Free Newsletters" link. You'll need your current e-mail address and password to log in. If you've forgotten your password or never selected one, there is a link to have it e-mailed to you. HAVING PROBLEMS linking to our Web site? If clicking a link in this newsletter doesn't work, you can simply highlight and copy the link, then paste it into your browser's target address field. ********** Birds & Blooms magazine brings beautiful backyards from across America into your living room--through vivid, full-color photos. It's like a friendly "chat" over the back fence with your bird-and flower-loving neighbors. To subscribe on-line, visit http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=104 ********** BYE for now from the Birds & Blooms staff...see you next month! ********** Copyright 2002 Reiman Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Birds & Blooms, P.O. Box 991, Greendale WI 53129-0991 THIS newsletter is now available in a graphical format (HTML) that includes photos with the stories. The computer code below is HTML. If your e-mail program does not support HTML, visit https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/text.asp?email=$$email$$