Hummer Time in the City

I was surprised this morning when I got up at 6:30 and fogged my way out to the coffee pot, to see that the hummers were busy at the feeder.  It was still dark!!  Do those guys work 24/7??  That would certainly explain why they are going through so much sugar water.

I brought my new feeder in to change the nectar and snap a picture, so that you can see how cool it is.  I got this up at my local hardware store for about $20.  There is nothing plastic on it and it completely comes apart for really good cleaning.  Even the little flower dealies are metal.  My old feeder was plastic with places you could never get to to clean.  And I love the red old fashioned jar with the funky little flowers.

I don't waste money on those mixes that you can buy, preferring to make my own without red dye.  I'm always looking for deals on sugar because the hummers are going through a feeder a day and that adds up.

The recipe is really easy; just use sugar; not honey, or anything like that:

1 cup sugar
4 cups water

When the water has come to a boil, add the sugar and stir until the water is clear again, and all the sugar is dissolved.  When it has cooled, fill your feeder and store the rest in the fridge.  Easy peasy.

Change out the water every couple of days, or, sooner, if it gets cloudy, because we don't want the little guys to get sick.  They need to be good and strong to dive bomb us every time we get in "their" space.

Carpal Tunnel Surgery Bill Update:

I've been nervously waiting for the bill from the surgery, imaging all kinds of horrible scenarios.  Well, that was wasted energy for sure because the bill came to $228.24, after the insurance company paid.  The cost was $1850.00 per hand, coming in at $3700.00 for the whole works.  Not having to be put under and having both hands done at the same time really was a money saver.  And my insurance company really came through on this.

Trader Joe's Update:

Miss Teri left a nice comment on my post about Trader Joe's and my not being a fan.  I so wanted to love TJs.  I remember the morning I was putting away the newspapers at the library when I noticed a headline that said that TJs was coming to Silverdale.  I read it out loud and everybody in the library cheered.

As I mentioned, there are things that I only buy at TJs, but to get good value for my bucks, I need to do most of my shopping elsewhere.  I think that the clerks are great - always cheerful and willing to help.  I did buy a Romaine lettuce 3 pack the other day when I was buying my coffee filters.  It was $1.99 and very fresh.  Next time I'm there (Miss MaggieMay loves TJs) I'll pick up some more.