Bubbles: August 2009

Is the joy of gardening on the rise? Even apartment dwellers I know would garden if they had a little plot of land.

I sense people's enthusiasm to develop an exterior environment at home; a relaxing sanctuary filled with fragrance, color, and the cool fresh air that comes with green.

If the garden was a movie set, and flowers were actors, my scene would include the sounds of insects and animals as well.

Many people try to deter the small creatures from their gardens because they are destructive, but its never happened to me, so I decided I should take the unwanted critter posse. The only problem was getting the animals away from other yards, enticing them into mine.
I needed lures.

I loaded the bird feeders and sprinkled the ground with seeds. The clover, dandelions, and chamomile were left to flourish. No lawn chemicals, just water and sunshine. I let the catnip spread, and manicured it into decorative patches. I planted hostas for cover, and tiger lilies for shelter. I donated salad scraps and veggies for bunnies and raccoons. A large bee balm plant seduced the pudgy bumbles.

The scene was ripe and the insects and animals showed up like it was the State Fair.

First to arrive were the birds: chickadees, robins, wrens and cardinals.

Then, bunnies hopped in, raccoons snuck in, and chipmunks dashed in.

Tom cats hung around getting stoned on the bounty of fresh nip. A tiny woodpecker that lives on the farthest end of my property was heard pecking on the underside of my deck. I spied on him and realized he was removing parasites embedded in the wood. What a team player! The birds and bats gobbled up all the mosquitoes. It was thrilling to see the action from my porch perch. When a pair of morning doves made claim to my yard, I actually stood up and”woo- hooed!” They are lovely to hear in the morning.

BUT something was missing…one million critters wasn’t enough, I wanted two million.

I saw the birdies splashing around in a dirty puddle after it rained. Suddenly I envisioned a deluxe 10 foot, three tiered, bird bath/fountain for my special bird guests.

This St. Francis of Assisi moment caused me to plot a course to bring the neighborhood’s greatest bird bath to life. The kind of bird bath that would cause children to flock to my splendorous yard, and declare, someday their own gardens would have all the insects and critters too, just like mine!

I spread the news, letting neighbors and the universe know I needed assistance to bring this dream to life. In my fantasy, the three story bird bath was made of marble or cement, shimmery white, with a finial on top. This is called an estate fountain and they are thousands of $$. I considered building the towering wonderment right in the ground, making it a permanent fixture, (so no one would “borrow’ it, if ya know what I mean) but Dan-Dan the landlord man informed me that there was no source of electricity and without circulation, the triple decker beauty could become a cess pool. I scrapped the three tier idea too. No money, no electricity, no bath. Two months passed.

I repeatedly checked Home Goods for inexpensive baths and bought a large glass serving dish that could work as the basin if I found a proper base. Someone gave me their old plastic bird bath on a three legged metal pedestal. I sat the dish on it, but it was wobbly.

I enlisted my gal pal and extreme gardener, Cocobelle to make it work. We decided the base had to be shorter and sturdier. Years ago the art studio in my building had a class called “making your own garden stepping stones” and while we discussed the bird bath, we happen to be standing next to some pieces that were left behind. The cement stump with a hole in the center was exactly what I needed! Funny that it was right there the whole time. I placed the glass dish on the short trunk and a perfect little bird bath was born! The next day I glued the dish on with clear silicone caulk, and filled it with water.

The birds have discovered and embraced the sweet little bath. Although it’s not 10 feet tall or bubbling, it’s perfect and practical in my urban setting.