Cat TV. I put a bird feeder and a bird tray outside my bedroom window so that cats would be entertained. Birds have been scarce, but this squirrel has finally found a way to jump on the tray without dumping it on the ground with his weight. He seems completely unperturbed, even when the cats sit on the window sill.
Anyone have any suggestions for attracting birds? I know it takes some time and although we have an abundance of flowers and bushes in the yard, providing seeds and shelter, the birds are still a no-show. I have feeders in various locations around the yard. Different food, perhaps?
Open thread!
Yarrow
Bird baths. They need water.
I have one outside my kitchen window that I can see when I’m washing up dishes. They love it.
rikyrah
Cute cat pic.
charluckles
Water. Higher quality seed does helps Suet and fresh nyjer seed.
charluckles
Also any neighborhood or feral cats around? If there are zero bird in our yard it’s a decent bet that it’s because the neighbors outdoor cat is paying a visit.
EBT
Birds love cannabis seeds and they are good for them.
rikyrah
JCPenney worker holds customer in headlock, after telling the customers that ‘they don’t belong here.’
3 guesses about the ethnicity of the customers.
Another Scott
@charluckles: Yup. We got a cheap heated birdbath that has lots of birdy visitors every day.
If you want to attract birds and minimize squirrels, this type of “hot” seed should work well. (I’ve used the non-hot version for a while and it attracts lots of birds, as well as a few fat squirrels.)
Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
Motivated Seller
Birds are less likely to visit if the feeder is exposed. A nice thicket will attract more traffic, but obviously takes a while to grow.
Yarrow
@charluckles: Could also be raptors. If hawks are around the smaller birds and even squirrels hide. There are tons of feral cats around my house and still lots of birds. Not sure how they coexist.
Someone’s cat from down the street loves sitting on the front porch of my house. I hear it, open the front door and it dives off the porch and down the street. Must be some good bird watching or something from the porch. Occasionally find a dead bird in the yard, but maybe only once or twice a year.
greennotGreen
Go outside your bedroom window and look in. Can you see your cats? If you can, so can the birds. Also, I read that when birds first show up to a new feeder follows the 2-2-2 rule; 2 hours or 2 days or 2 weeks.
01jack
I helps to have the feeder near a tree or big bush where the birds can feel sheltered / safe, perch and then flit back & forth to the feeder.
For years I’ve had two feeders, one close to a tree and one that was more in the open, and the feeder near the tree was emptied about twice as fast as the other.
Elizabelle
This and the photo strike close to home. Peoples, this is us and Balloon Juice.
ET
I have 16 Cat TVs and two of his favorites are seasonal. The bathroom during acceptable weather actually has smell-o-vision and the other (the font door with the storm door) is wide screen. His other two favorites overlook the tree in the front and the front steps which get enough of a variety of birds and squirrels to keep him happy.
zeecube
Birds like a safe zone nearby, such as a tree or large bush a few feet off the ground, near the bird feeder, to flit to and fro from, safe from predators.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
Use safflower. Squirrels don’t care for it, so they won’t empty the feeders like they will for sunflower seeds. Just about every bird species loves it. I’ve even seen finches at the safflower feeders.
Don’t buy the cheap bird seed mixes. There’s a lot of inedible filler in them.
Get a squirrel-proof suet feeder. Especially in the winter, it’s a major attractant. Even better if you can find the suet cakes with bugs in them.
The feeders need to be reasonably close to the cover.
Need a source of water.
Watch for chickadees. They’re usually the first birds to find a new feeder, and I’ve heard speculation that other birds watch them to see where they go.
bemused
I love watching our two kitties sitting by a window watching hummingbirds in my bee balm outside, their heads turning in unison back and forth.
01jack
Also wire-caget suet feeders for variety. I have one on a post for the usual woodpeckers, and another laying flat on a tray feeder.
That latter brings different birds, even an occasional robin in the summer,
ThresherK
Those are some attentive-looking cat ears.
mel
Such beautiful kitties!
We have had some minimal luck providing a peanut butter ball with various types of seed stuck onto it, but in general, birds have been sparse here, too. We have a resident squirrel who does acrobatics along the shed gutters, staring and chattering at the cats all the while, until he’s sure that our cats are about to have a conniption fit. Then he then calmly sits right on the edge of the eave, tantalizingly close to the upstairs window, casually cleaning his face while they growl and grumble and smoosh themselves fruitlessly against the glass: MUST! GET! SQUIRREL!
Not that it helps much right now, but the best late summertime attractant that we have found so far for finches and cardinals is a planting of zinnias backed with a strip of mid-sized old fashioned sunflowers. The finches do amazing feats of balance on the long-stemmed zinnias, and we have counted as many as 25 goldfinches at one time on a 4 foot long strip of zinnias.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
thanks– I love bird feeders, but I hate feeding rodents
Steeplejack (tablet)
@ET:
Friend of mine in Atlanta had to build a cat window shelf in her laundry room because that’s the only room that gets chipmunk TV.
TaMara (HFG)
@Yarrow: Bingo – I have a hawk who has been hanging around. Didn’t even think about that. He should snack on some fat squirrels, we wouldn’t miss them.
TaMara (HFG)
@mel: I have a row of window boxes and I think zinnias would look great in them. So I’ll try and remember that….
It may just take time – I’m glad to know that the three bushes near my window will help attract them by providing shelter.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: We leave sunflower and corn in tray feeders for the squirrels because one of our cats LOVES SquirrelTV and couldn’t care less about BirdTV.
We also smear chunky peanut butter on a tree that stands just off the deck for the flying squirrels. They’re so adorable! We’ve gotten them to climb onto our hands to grab peanuts in the shell.
Woodrowfan
we have a feral cat colony (a small one, 2 regulars) and the birds ignore them even though the cats are close by. But the feeders are up high (6 feet) in a tree and there are bushes for cover nearby.
I’ve also had good luck using safflower to keep the squirrels from hogging the feeder.
SiubhanDuinne
@rikyrah:
Had to look up WNDU (the tv station in the clip). It’s in South Bend, Indiana. So satby, you might not want to shop at the JCPenney in that mall.
I continue to be astonished an appalled that so many people in positions of authority START confrontations with physical force and violence. To me, that is so clearly a last if ever resort. And yes, obviously it happens far more frequently to minorities, women, the disabled, and any other marginalized people.
jeffreyw
An all season viewer is what you want. Accept no substitutes!
eclare
@jeffreyw: Great pictures!
SiubhanDuinne
@mel:
My dad used to nail squares of wide-mesh screening to the trunks of trees around his yard and then slather them with chunky peanut butter a couple of times a day. The squirrels often preferred the PB to the various seeds he put out for birds closer to the house. At least it gave the birds a bit of a chance.
Pogonip
Are those fat cats, exceptionally furry cats, or both?
? Martin
Since you will inevitably see the headlines that California Democrats just legalized child prostitution, the reality is that there is legislation going through that would change the law so that a minor engaged in prostitution will be treated as a victim rather than as a criminal (a move to more effectively address human trafficking). The individual soliciting will still be charged with a crime, and possibly a harsher one for soliciting a minor.
Yarrow
@TaMara (HFG): Yeah, but even the squirrels are smart enough to hide when the hawks are around.
SiubhanDuinne
NPR ALERT!!
Mnemosyne, if you’re reading BJ, you might want to note in case you don’t already know that Terry Gross is interviewing LMM on today’s “Fresh Air.” I know it airs at different times around the country — it starts in 15 minutes here in Atlanta — but hope you’ll be able to catch it. (I think the Fresh Air website keeps programs up for a week or so after broadcast.)
Steeplejack (tablet)
@Yarrow:
Second the recommendation on birdbaths and water.
When my brother did the big renovation of the backyard at Sighthound Hall he went so far as to run a little pipe over the birdbath that drips every second or two. Keeps it topped up, and the birds love the sight and sound of “fresh” water.
The other other Max
As a general rule of thumb, black oil sunflower seeds + patience should lead to bird popularity. If you can’t tolerate squirrel intrusions (I’ve been able to deter then fairly well), the safflower suggestion sounds promising.
catclub
@Yarrow:
On a morning bike ride we saw a hawk having songbird for breakfast, 20 feet away, in the neighbor’s front yard.
jeffreyw
@Yarrow:
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
gvg
Birds need cover from hawks but if the cover is too close or stiff enough to support weight then a squirrel can jump on the feeder around the squirrel baffles. What you want is something that blocks the hawk sight or flight path but won’t support squirrels or is at least 6 feet away. get good quality squirrel baffles and feeders. they can gnaw through plastic.
My sister wanted birds to come to her office with parking lots and traffic near. she had to invest in high quality seed. I had an acre semi rural and only got the cheap stuff because I was going through more than a 50 lb bag a week in warm weather if I had time to keep refilling.
water helps most times. at the previous house during a drought I discovered that wildlife gnawed holes in my hoses to get to the water left in them. I had to sink a kiddy pool in the back yard (with stones to climb out) to save my hoses. most birds like birdbaths. robins like sprinklers though.
I have never had a cat problem.
jake the antisoshul soshulist
We were watching a nature show that featured birds. The cat watched the entire show with rapt attention. We have photographic proof.
Betty Cracker
@SiubhanDuinne: I had to run an errand so heard part of the interview in my car. I’m 100% immune to Hamilmania, but it was a great interview. He’s a funny, thoughtful guy.
jeffreyw
Oops! Gotta run! See ya around!
Mnemosyne
@SiubhanDuinne:
G subscribes to the podcast version, so we’ll be listening to it tomorrow. Thanks!
Eric U.
I wish we could make a display for our dogs that didn’t involve the barky one barking her head off at every passing car. She’s gotten the other dogs to join in when the neighbors park their cars, which was ignored before she moved in. And the postman is a big crisis, as are school kids being walked to the bus. I had been thinking about putting in a window seat.
Yarrow
@jeffreyw: Your pictures are amazing.
Mnemosyne
@greennotGreen:
Birds usually don’t mind coming around if the cats are behind glass. In fact, they seem to enjoy taunting them. Because birds are beautiful jerks. ?
Mnemosyne
@Betty Cracker:
His WTF interview is also really good. He had some interesting things to say about learning how to code-switch and negotiate between different groups of people from a very early age (seriously, kindergarten).
Pogonip
@SiubhanDuinne: Who is LMM? All I can think of is Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Yarrow
@Pogonip: Lin-Manuel Miranda who created “Hamilton.”
Pogonip
@Yarrow: Thank you.
jeffreyw
@Yarrow: Lucky shots, ‘s all, but thanks!
JPL
Bill and Hillary Clinton Will Attend the Trump Inauguration
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/01/bill-and-hillary-clinton-will-attend-the-trump-inauguration.html
Personally, I think this is a mistake.
Yarrow
@JPL: Is it a thing where all former presidents and spouses, at least those who are physically able, attend inaugurations? I haven’t paid much attention to that kind of protocol.
JPL
@Yarrow: The peaceful transfer of power is something to be revered, but Trump will spend everyday bragging about it.
Betty Cracker
@JPL: Agree.
Yarrow
@JPL: I understand President Obama being there for the “peaceful transfer of power” part. Why any other former presidents? Do they usually attend?
bemused
@JPL:
I can’t decide if this decision is going high or low. Hillary has way more strength than I would be capable of, more spine than just about anyone I can think of. She really got under Trump’s skin so I’m actually starting to chuckle thinking of her sitting probably very close to Trump and him feeling her eyes on him.
Betty Cracker
@Yarrow: It’s custom, but I don’t think there’s any rule involved except possibly for the sitting prez. I think maybe the Bushes are not attending Trump’s event. I wish no one would. It legitimizes the illegitimate bastard. The Clintons sure have every reason to not go, what with the fascist prick Trump ginning up mobs intent on jailing her and his odious minions reviving that talk even within the last week.
ETA: Just saw a headline saying GWB will attend Trumpapalooza. Actually, if anyone on earth has reason to rejoice at Trump’s election, it’s GWB, who soon won’t even be the worst president in living memory, let alone history.
Keth P.
I feed the birds in my yard Fancy Feast Fish & Salmon dried food. It’s leftovers for the cats, but the birds come out FAST (sometimes attacking the cats, sometimes fighting each other over it). They’re very fat birds, too.
JPL
@Yarrow: It’s not unusual for former Presidents to attend, although it is not a given. I haven’t done the research to see what has happened in the past.
Trump only cares about himself, and will perceive their presence as support of him.
JPL
@Betty Cracker: According to the article George and Laura are going.
Whoops just saw your update.
Trump will probably introduce her as Crooked Hillary.
Sad!
trollhattan
@JPL:
It’s weird. But if her presence makes Donny nervous (Vince Foster!) then perhaps there’s an odd value. Such a nasty woman.
FlipYrWhig
@Betty Cracker:
Every Republican elected president in my lifetime — from Nixon to the present — has fulfilled the function of making sure the previous Republican president wouldn’t be remembered as the most embarrassing fuckup in history.
Weaselone
@FlipYrWhig:
That’s not true. Bush Sr. was better than at least one of his predecessors.
JPL
@FlipYrWhig: Bush Sr. tried to repair some of Reagan’s damage, and got booted out of office. The no new taxes pledge hurt.
schrodingers_cat
@Betty Cracker: I am not watching the national suicide, no matter who is attending.
zhena gogolia
@jeffreyw:
God, that looks like a macaw in the second photograph. Where the hell do you live?
debit
There are youtube channels devoted to Cat TV. My cats will try to get behind the tv to get to the birds, and while it was funny the first time, I felt bad for them.
I have minimal cover, but multiple feeders for the birds to choose from, plus a heated water dish close by. I also have suet feeders and get Downy Woodpeckers like mad. I also feed the damn squirrels cracked corn and sunflowers seeds because I feel sorry for them. I don’t know why. (I have, without a doubt, the fattest squirrels on the block.)
Yarrow
@Betty Cracker: I think if Bill Clinton was the only living president who didn’t attend (of those who are physically able; George H. W. probably can’t, not sure about Carter) then it would stand out and be criticized as them being sore losers. Neither is a win.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
he should have been (Souter, compromising on taxes) better than he turned out to be (Clarence Thomas, Pledge of Allegiance hysteria, “card-carrying member of the ACLU”)
ETA: I was thinking today about how Poppy pretended to love the Oak Ridge Bosy because they were the biggest name he could to campaign for him (and for you younglings, they were big). I’m just imagining Trump trying to grimace happily as he pretends to be thrilled to have Reba McEntire and Mr Boot-in-yer-ass (Toby Keith?) at his inauguration. Or maybe just human parade float Victoria Jackson, her ukulele, and her very troubling little-girl voice.
trollhattan
@FlipYrWhig:
Gerald Ford and HW Bush were modest reversals of the downward Republican death spiral, and we all remember how they were “rewarded” for their lack of sufficient enthusiasm for True Conservatism.
Tommy T
Roller feeder. Squirrels can’t eat out of it (although you get endless amusement watching them try and getting trick-rolled) and the birds love it. Had mine for over 15 years now.
http://www.rollerfeeder.com/
Yarrow
@schrodingers_cat: I’m not watching either. Probably can’t avoid clips though. I wish there were some alternate entertainment with tons of celebrities just to get under Trump’s skin.
I also wish the weather would be atrocious with horrible sleeting weather and dangerous ice so crowds are thin. Following by gorgeous warm weather the following day for the Women’s March.
SiubhanDuinne
@Betty Cracker:
Headline just now says that Bill and Hillary Clinton AND the younger Bushes are attending. Several weeks ago, saw that Jimmy Carter also plans to attend (don’t know about Rosalynn).
WTF. I am really disappointed that they are all “normalizing” the awful Trumps.
And I can’t even imagine how painful that’s going to be for Hillary. I mean, we all know she’s tough, but why would she put herself through this?
ETA: I obviously, as usual, wrote this before seeing all previous comments.
JordanRules
Why would anyone want a front seat for the formal beginning of our national nightmare?
trollhattan
BTW, would be remiss to not mention this Florida Family news piece.
Never change, Florida.
schrodingers_cat
I wish HRC had thumped him like this teen did her male opponents in the wrestling ring.
SiubhanDuinne
@Betty Cracker:
Listening to it now. I agree, LMM just comes across as a very decent, engaging guy (not to mention the talent and success).
P.S. Is your NPR station WUSF/89.7 on your FM dial? That was where I started my classical music broadcasting career, when I was still a student at USF.
hovercraft
@Betty Cracker:
Obama has to attend, because he is a good man who is trying to observe norms. This will be the last act in our peaceful transfer of power, that he has to participate in, except when his portrait is unveiled assuming the Shitgibbon invites him back for that.
GW Bush invited all the livings to the white house on 01/07/09 for a photo op, I’ve seen nothing about Obama doing the same. Would Poppy and Carter show, or use their “health” as reason not to, though it’s probably actually legitimate in both cases.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Pretty sure he did, for Dumbya’s portrait unveiling
SiubhanDuinne
@Tommy T:
Very nice!
randy khan
On the topic of Cat TV – when I was growing up, we had a nice big fish tank. One cat would watch it for hours. We also had chameleons, and none of our cats had the slightest interest in them, although maybe that was the camouflage at work.
jeffreyw
@zhena gogolia: It’s not a macaw. Not sure what you are seeing but there aren’t any closer than the St Louis Zoo, and that is a hundred miles north of me.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
file this under “Talk to me when the vote is cast”, but it’s still interesting, and gives Dems a talking point
schrodingers_cat
@eclare: How is the new kitteh and the rest of the gang?
Pogonip
@trollhattan: Scarface has struck a blow for dogs everywhere!
(And why, oh why, would anyone attempt to put cute little clothes on a pit bull so mean that “Scarface” seemed like a good name?)
Ella in New Mexico
@Betty Cracker:
Carter. The Clintons. GWB. Obama…all will attend out of deep respect for the peaceful transition of power and in a desperate but futile attempt to help the people believe that we’re all gonna survive this coup…
Ahh, yes. The Peeeeeeaceful transition to Authoritarian Oligarchy. Breathe the air, don’t fight it! Breathe it deeply!! …Gently now, here we go….ahh, see, all is well…
Isn’t it about time for the fricking aliens to make their presence known? Wait, Clinton and Obama are going to be sitting right there, smiling, clapping…
http://www.morningnewsusa.com/alien-news-hillary-clinton-john-podesta-convince-barack-obama-reveal-aliens-ufo-secrets-23121516.html
Sweet Jesus let it be true. :-D
EBT
@JPL: I see the opportunity for a lot of low brow trumpers to get themselves arrested.
Betty Cracker
@SiubhanDuinne: Yep, that’s my station! I listen to it in the car a good bit. I agree with the general consensus here that NPR’s political coverage sucks, but I like their interview programs and stuff like Radio Lab.
John Livingston
Depends on what birds you want to attract. Wood peckers love
Suet. Cardinals love seed. Oriole’s love
Oranges. Gold finches love thistle. It won’t be long before the sparrows find ya. And then it will be all day activity.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
for everyone (not here) saying Trump stopped Ryan from gutting House ethics oversight
just like to point out that, two months after an election, people who follow the news enough to know about this still have to google the name of their Representative.
ETA: and right after I post that, the JC Penney’s mannequin on MSNBC tells me “Donald Trump did this with two tweets”
hovercraft
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I meant prior to the inauguration, with the PEOTUS as well. I think it was the first time it had been done, but I could be wrong. I remember hearing or reading something smoothing the transition process. Then again, W used the ‘chaotic’ transition process as part of his excuse for why they weren’t prepared for 9/11. The Clinton folk stole all the “W’s” from all the keyboards, so the transition was a failure.
Anyway, I haven’t seen anything about Obama bringing then all in before it is sworn in.
FlipYrWhig
@Weaselone: Point taken, but even if it wasn’t an unbroken bad-to-worse slide or a rightwing to righter-wing slide, each one has made his immediate predecessor look better in retrospect. God help us when the time comes to follow Trump. Chance are it’ll end up being Bristol Palin or somebody.
Phylllis
@Tommy T: We have one of those. It is fun to watch the squirrels try to get to it.
AlbertZ
@FlipYrWhig: Zeno’s Law of Diminishing Republican Presidential Competence extends to infinity. Tortoises all the way down.
schrodingers_cat
@AlbertZ: That is an infinite series but it does converge.
schrodingers_cat
@eclare: Sorry, that was a question for jeffreyw.
Kay
@Yarrow:
But why do they care? They don’t have to play this stupid game anymore. She doesn’t have to subject herself to this bullshit “analysis” of her personality or secret evil nature or any of it. They’re free. They don’t have to do or not do anything anymore based on what someone might say about them or whether it’s a “win”.
schrodingers_cat
@Kay: I am tired of wishy washy Democratic office holders worrying about the so-called optics. When are they going to learn that the MSM is not their friend and as long as they play on the media turf, they are not going to win.
AlbertZ
@schrodingers_cat: Make Infinity Great Again!
Calouste
@FlipYrWhig: It’s like the Habsburgs, except with mental inbreeding instead of physical inbreeding. As far as we know.
schrodingers_cat
@AlbertZ: Infinity is already great, greater than great, it is the greatest.
? Martin
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: My son (18) yesterday asked if he should call our (GOP) rep. “Yep. And then pick up your mothers cell phone and dial it again and put her on. And then dial mine. And then go next door and ask the neighbors to dial theirs.”
He did. They got at least 7 calls yesterday from my street.
He said we should do that more often. I agreed, we should.
Yarrow
@Kay: Who knows. Maybe he wants to go and schmooze and she didn’t want to be the only one not going. It’s hard to say. If it’s just “optics” then it’s stupid. Otherwise, who knows.
Keith G
@schrodingers_cat: They are doing this because the office and other institutions will outlive Donald Trump. There will be endless ways to poke a stick at Trump, but this is one of the most important ceremonies of our civil society and if the historic behavior is to radically changed, let it be the heathen who causes the disruption.
zhena gogolia
@jeffreyw:
I think it might be a cardinal but it looks huge and with an enormous beak.
randy khan
@ Martin:
You should. Do it for ACA repeal next.
And we all should. I’m thinking of making myself a calendar.
Spanky
@zhena gogolia: No crest, and the beak is decidedly yellow instead of a cardinal’s red beak.
Beats me.
Yarrow
@? Martin: @randy khan: I’ve been saying this for awhile. We all need to be on the phone with our elected representatives on a regular basis. Once a week is good. If an issue comes up (like this ethics thing) or a vote is looming, then up your calling. Republican or Democratic representatives – they all need to be hearing from us. Also, if a rep in another state does something you like, call them to thank them. We know representatives get far fewer “thank you” calls than calls to yell at them about something. Be part of the carrot, not just the stick.
I wish Balloon-Juice would do regular “Call Your Representative” posts. Once a week at least. With a suggested relevant topic. Get people involved. Remind others. It’s a positive thing people here can do and sometimes a reminder goes a long way. Plus, reporting back on what your rep said can help strategy and planning.
ArchTeryx
@zhena gogolia: It is a cardinal. They don’t always have crests up or red bills. That’s in part dependent on diet.
glory b
@catclub: Working in downtown Pittsburgh, there are raptor nest boxes on ledges of various tall buildings.
One time we were “treated” to the sight of a raptor of some sort spending well over an hour pulling apart and eating a pidgeon. He did this on the ground, under a tree near the PNC Bank Building.
A few children walking with parents got a bit traumatized. A few people pulled out phones and filmed. The hawk was unfazed.
When he was finished, the ground looked like it had snowed there, a drift of pidgeon feathers.
Mnemosyne
@Kay:
Meh. It’s pretty standard for ex-presidents to show up for the inauguration of a new president, and she is also the wife of an ex-president. This seems too petty to get my knickers twisted about.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@ArchTeryx: I was about to say that a lot of our cardinals have yellow beaks, and there are clearly cardinals with yellow beaks on the ground to the left. The beak is wrong for a scarlet tanager.
Chris
@FlipYrWhig:
Me, I’d say each era of Republican domination of the White House has been vastly worse than the previous one.
1968-1976 (Nixon/Ford) was worse than 1952-1960 (Eisenhower).
1980-1992 (Reagan/Bush) was worse than 1968-1976.
2000-2008 (Bush II) was worse than 1980-1992.
2016-???? (Trump, or possibly Trump/????) will be worse than Bush II.
Ford and Bush are both basically afterthoughts in eras that were defined much more by their immediate predecessors. They came into office as these predecessors’ vice-presidents, without which they would never have sat in the big chair. Most importantly, they may have been less malignant and more responsible leaders than Nixon and Reagan, but each of them did very little, if anything, to undo the very substantial damage that had been done to the country by the predecessors, mostly just accepting and helping to enshrine it as the new normal.
Olivia
@jake the antisoshul soshulist: We have windows and birds and squirrels but our cats prefer the ones on Youtube. There are lots of cat videos and all I have to do is pick up the Roku remote and they go park themselves in front of the TV
FlipYrWhig
@Chris: A fair point.
Patricia Kayden
@JPL: I’m shocked to be honest. Why would you attend the inauguration of someone who: (1) promised not to accept the election results unless he won; (2) is bigoted and supported by White Supremacists; (3) called you “nasty woman” and practically stalked you during debates; (4) is wholly unqualified and dangerous and (5) colluded with a foreign government to win the election?
Why is she normalizing Trump’s win by attending? I don’t recall Romney attending President Obama’s second inauguration. I’m very disappointed. Almost feels as if she doesn’t care about the damage this man is going to do to this country and is okay with normalizing his presidency. Huge sigh.
Patricia Kayden
@Mnemosyne: Secretary Clinton boycotting Trump’s inauguration would send a message that this is not business as usual. Trump is not a normal President and will not govern as such. There is no reason to normalize him in any way. This is a man who encouraged rally attenders to physically assault protesters. This is a man who asked a foreign government to hack into his opponent’s computer. This is a man who uses twitter to attack private citizens (going so far as to direct his supporters to look up a sex tape of a former beauty queen because she criticized him).
Republicans are set to destroy President Obama’s legacy but let’s all pretend that Trump is normal and fraternize with him at his inauguration when he won because of voter suppression and foreign interference. Sigh.
catclub
@Patricia Kayden:
My guess is that former Presidents are specifically invited.
Hillary is going because Bill is an ex-President. I doubt they will stay long.
JPL
@Patricia Kayden: Now that they are attending, will he mention her presence, and lead a chant to lock her up?
Like you, I’m sickened, because he will take it as a sign of support.
FlipYrWhig
I kind of expect that Trump is going to show up without a speech written and just start blabbing about how inauguration day is great, just tremendous, because it’s the day of inaugurating, and where would all the other presidents be without inauguration, nowhere, such a great day, an important day, look at all these people, am I right, yooge crowd, and so many more that are waiting outside, so let’s take the day and make it a great inauguration, God Bless America Great Again.
trollhattan
@FlipYrWhig:
Have they located Himmler’s Bible yet?
geg6
@Mnemosyne:
I disagree. This is normalization. Obama is the only president who is required to be there. And he doesn’t have to stay any longer than required to hand it off to ol’ little hands.
I don’t want anyone I respect to normalize That Man. I don’t want Jimmy Carter lowering himself. I don’t Hillary subjected to another second in proximity with that creep. Bill can be Bill, I guess, and go if he wants. I don’t love him quite the way I do Hillary, Obama and Carter, so it won’t hurt my feelings if he shows up. But the people I respect most should think long and hard before seeming to okay this guy. Like I said, Obama has no choice right now. But I would do anything to keep Hillary and Carter from going. Pretty much anything.
Aleta
I get birds throughout the winter who come for berries–different bushes in different months. Somehow there’s a synching in time.
I don’t know if it’s bc the different berries mature for eating at diff times, or if the last ones eaten are just the least appealing. Or if the last berries are taken by different birds who arrive later.
They were cheap tough shrubs being thrown out at a landscape place I used to work. Several are relatives under the same latin name as dogwood. A burning bush that doesn’t get stripped clean until the tail end of iced over winter. Have needed no care for years, but the birds come in flocks, incl. lots of cardinals.
randy khan
@Yarrow:
This is a fine idea. I’m trying to do that on Facebook, but it would be great to have a resource like that (and BJ has a wider audience than my little Facebook posts).
Chris
@trollhattan:
LMAO! That would be ironic, given the man’s theology.
randy khan
@geg6:
What I want is for Carter and the Clintons to give interviews beforehand saying that they’re going to remind Trump that they will be watching him and his Administration on behalf of all the people who voted for someone else, and also to remind him that the Presidency is a serious responsibility that requires him to up his game beyond mocking people on Twitter. Then every time they show up on screen during the ceremony, someone will mention what they said.
Probably that’s too much to hope for, but it would be wonderful (and potentially helpful, too).
Aleta
Not serious, but : To undercut their jive and upset Trump enablers left and right, I’m tempted to tell them that Clinton agreed to follow the advice of S. Sarandon’s rad minded crew. Didn’t “blow it.” Could have thrashed him easily. Instead she let the boy win. To bring the revolution faster. He didn’t win.
(Sorry to joke. My brain’s inflamed by flu and grief and desperate emotions and running down weird gullies looking for relief.)
Calouste
@trollhattan: Why use a bible when he could use the only book that really matters to the shitgibbon, “The Art of the Deal”?
Aleta
@randy khan: I hope for them to take off their coats and flash protest signs to the cameras.
debbie
Never mind. Asked and answered.
debbie
@SiubhanDuinne:
It really was a great interview. I don’t see him arguing for the defense in a courtroom like his parents had wanted.
debbie
Late as usual, but there are videos on youtube showing the best way to combat squirrels is to put a slinky on the pole. It also provides hours of comedic relief.
Mnemosyne
@debbie:
With apologies to the many lawyers here, I think that “lawyer” is the first panicked thought that goes through most parents’ minds when they have an articulate, creative kid, because they think it’s a steadier job than writing musicals. They’re usually right, but sometimes they aren’t.
Marge feiner
@charluckles: sunflower seed, not a mixture but just straight.
OzarkHillbilly
Shoot the squirrels.
Tommy T
@SiubhanDuinne:
Thank you!
https://youtu.be/vco1rDCAefA
Pat Mc
If you like the little flitty birds (i.e., finches), try hanging a seed sack from a hook attached to the eaves, filled with (denatured) thistle seed. Neither blue jays nor squirrels seem attracted to it. And it offers riveting entertainment for the cats. (Ours use to make that ‘ack ack’ sound in their throats.)
Ken
Black oil sunflower seed is the only thing that works for me (Santa Cruz, California). They ignore everything else I try, even the nijer seed.
The squirrels go for anything.