The first pictures were disappointingly fuzzy, I guess because I was in too much of a hurry. She is a lighter orange than her mate, with more brown rather than black.
But guess what these two were after? Not the bird seed!
Apparently orioles have a sweet tooth. I can only imagine what the hummingbirds had to say about it
Probably something like, "Get your fat orange butt off my feeder!"
They provided some morning entertainment for Larry, who managed to get out to the porch for his morning coffee. He's gotten pretty good with his walker, although he doesn't like having to ask for help, which I can understand. So I have to watch after him very carefully, at least for these first few days as his knee recovers, to be sure he doesn't get too adventurous.
It's funny how many things one has to think about when someone loses a lot of their mobility. Like picking up all the throw rugs, taking coats, etc off the backs of doors so the doors open properly, moving furniture--even if it has a 36-inch clearance--to make moving around the house easier. Getting in and out of the shower and the (new to us) shower chair, navigating small rises like doorsills, finding comfortable places to sit, getting into our tall bed, and on and on. I'm the run-and-fetch girl as well as walker bodyguard, PT coach, meds manager, cook, bath attendant, batman, and more. So far he hasn't lost patience with me, so that's good. in my last position at the library I was the ADA coordinator and that has been a little helpful in this situation. Soon he'll probably be taking corners on one wheel with his walker, knowing him. And we will store away all this knowledge for when he has the next knee replaced.
And since I mentioned ornery old man in the title, why not listen to a little of Grumpy Old Man And Growling Old Woman played by the incomparable Bela Fleck? Cheers!
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
I wonder if your orioles would enjoy oranges? I've seen orange halves stuck on upward-angled nails and I'm pretty sure it was orioles I was told love them!
ReplyDeleteI empathize about the not-wanting-to-ask-for-help AND the thinking-everything-through-for-little-improvements-and-solutions. Kind of a way of life for me. I'm working on a new raised bed and I can only do most of it when my Occasional Helper is available, which is only once/week for a few hours...we are making progress but oh my GOSH it would be so much simpler if I could (still) just do everything myself! I'll try to focus on the progress and not the other, though.
I looked that up, Quinn, and you're right! Heading to the kitchen to make an orange feeder. Thanks for that tip!
ReplyDelete