Category: backyard

Posted in backyard

The Polywood furniture arrived today

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I was excited when our Polywood patio furniture arrived today. We dragged our rusty “rust resistent” metal furniture out to the curb last night in anticipation of today’s delivery.

Polywood furniture is made from recycled plastic and comes with a twenty-year guarantee.

I was in the garage when the big Fedex truck stopped in front of our house. When the driver hopped out, I asked, “Can you put it in the garage?” He replied, “It will tear up your screen tracks.”

I asked, “How about in front of the garage?”

“I’ll corner it right there.”

After he set a double-sized pallet in place, I said, “You know how it goes: the wife orders and the husband assembles.” He told me his wife left to visit her family in Arizona, leaving him 4 IKEA dressers and 8 end tables to assemble. I chuckled as he drove away.

I unpacked all the cushions first. Next came the chairs, which were mostly assembled. The heaviest piece was the tabletop, which I dragged on the cardboard box onto the backyard patio.

I attached a few chair arms and parts of the table legs. A few of the table leg supports were attached with an Allen wrench-headed screw, which immediately stripped even though I used the correct tool.

It wasn’t a huge problem. I had to run some errands, so I would stop by Home Depot to get some replacement screws.

It took a few minutes, but I found some lag bolts that looked the same. Back home, they fit perfectly, and the new table and chair set looks great.

I can’t be the first to have that issue, but I sent an email to Polywood anyway. I’m kind of an expert on assembling furniture, so I know the issues and what can be improved.

Posted in backyard

Three eggs in a beautiful nest

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When I dragged my Great Dane away from the duranta bush in the back yard, I found out why she was so interested in this particular shrub. Nestled in the branches was a nicely built nest containing three eggs. I scolded, “Get out of there; you’re not going to eat any eggs today.”

So who’s the owner? Who’s raising a family in our backyard? Who’s got the great nest building skills? I looked around and didn’t see any likely parents. A little later I spotted an orange beak poking out just over the edge of the next. It was a female cardinal. When I went over to take a closer look, she flew to the fence and scolded me for intruding. Then I caught the red of Mr. Cardinal in a spruce tree in the neighboring yard. “I’ll be out of there in a minute. I just want to get a picture.”

I’ve noticed this couple of cardinals frequenting my yard for the last two weeks, but didn’t think much of it. I’ve heard lots of cardinals singing on my early morning walks, too, but rarely saw them. Apparently they moved a week or two ago.

The next is exquisite. It’s built with Spanish moss, pine needles, and dried up lily leaves. It’s light, but strong. It’s hidden, but accessible. It’s held together by design rather than adhesive.

I don’t remember ever seeing a nest in our yard. My neighbor across the street has a frequently occupied bluebird house. I’ve also seen osprey nests perched high on the field lights at the sports complex up the street. A lot of wooded lots have been cleared for new construction, so I’ll bet the birds have had to vacate some of their favorite nesting spots.

I’ll do my best to keep my curious beasts out of the bushes for a week or two. It’ll be their job to keep the squirrels out of the yard who would love to get into those eggs. I would love to see baby cardinals!