I love owning things that were handmade or passed down. When you’re young, you have a lack of appreciation for such things. When my grandmother passed away, her belongings were, of course, split up. My dad asked for few things but one of them was her Martin House, not for himself, but for me to have. I am proud to own it because I know how much she loved for those Martins to come in and nest and now I can share in the same enjoyment with the added bonus of knowing that I’m keeping that tradition of hers, going; cleaning the birdhouse, waiting for the birds, and watching them build & live.
We picked our spot in the yard and my very strong husband prepared by digging the hole. Since Martin houses are usually cemented in, we had to find a new pipe for the pole to slide into and sit in the hole. We have lots of scraps around here and found a perfect fit. You can buy these as well.
My husband poured water into the hole, about 3/4 way.
He then poured the cement in. I don’t know how much but it was quite a bit.
Then he used a ‘poker’ to poke all through, allowing it to mix and settle. He did this A LOT. Over and over and over…..He would add a little more water and a little more cement and repeat the poking. teehe..sorry, that makes me giggle.
We let it dry overnight and by the next afternoon, it was like steel! That pole wasn’t going anywhere! He simply put the other two poles together and stacked.
And there it is! All cleaned out and ready for living! Now we wait. The Martins came in late this year and we’ve had two people see their first couple of them in the last few days so I’m hoping it’s not too late and they’ll find a home here. If not, it will be up and ready for next year. Do you have birdhouses in your yard?
What a really wonderful birdhouse you have. I don’t have birdhouses. We have plenty of bird nests in our tree already and birds already in them. The reason I don’t have birdhouses is they peck holes in my fruits and vegetables. We are actually going to use bird netting this year over some of the fruits and vegetables that we plant. The netting has holes big enough for the bees to get in and pollinate (we already have some bees around since the weather has gotten warm early this year, hoping they don’t die off from a small cold snap we are to have maybe Monday). I like birds, but I am allergic to their feathers. I actually got my first issue today of a bird magazine, so maybe I can look and study the pictures in it and start to learn how to paint pictures of birds. I think they make pictures look better when they are in them. Hope you get some dwellers in your birdhouse this year.
How wonderful that he knows how to do this sort of thing!!! Very refreshing to see kids still having a connection with nature and keeping the art of hard honest work alive.
I love birdhouses and have lots sprinkled around the ranch. We always have lots of repair in the winter because the raccoons rough up the houses sometimes. Have never had a Martin house. Do you have to clean them out every winter and if so how do you get it down??!
Yes, I recommend cleaning it out every January. And most Martin houses have a pulley like system when you buy the pole and such. The doors come off and you just pull all the nesting out. :)
How special! My grandmother gave me a cake plate when I was in college that was special to her. After she and my grandfather were first married in Dec., she and her new mother-in-law were in town. She saw this cake plate in the store window and thought it was so pretty. Later to her surprise, it was under the Christmas tree as a gift from her new in-laws. That cake plate is very dear and special to me!