On birds and pear trees

Sitting on the porch this morning, thinking about looking at email, and drinking a nice strong cup of coffee, I look up and a pair of Cardinals is sitting on one of my yard chairs.  A male and a female (or child). I can't tell the difference but can pick out the male.

It makes me think that my yard is beginning to attract more birds.  I remember when I first moved here, I didn't seem to have many birds at all! I was used to their chatter in the morning.  But now, as I continue to plant shrubs and flowers and small trees, I'm seeing a variety of birds pass through here. 

I had a few bluebirds here a few weeks ago.  For a few minutes I thought they were living in this new birdhouse I put up in the early spring.  But no one seems to be living there yet.  I do plan to plant a vine to grow up the pole under that birdhouse so maybe birds will like it better when there is also some coverage.

Here, let me just add that to my list of things I want to do.

Yesterday, I planted two pear trees.  I had to buy two because pear trees, at least most of them, need another pear tree to cross pollinate. I had bought one in the past, but never got around to buying the other one. So the first one never did well.  I finally dug it up in Kennebunk where I have a house I rent, and moved it here, because I thought it might do better here.  But when I dug it up, it had barely any root system left.  I planted it anyway, but don't hold much hope it'll rebound.  But we'll try it for a few years.  I planted the new ones in front of what now looks like a stick in the ground.  There should be good cross pollination now!  But probably too late for the stick.

Next to go into the ground, as soon as I stop writing, will be a pair of elderberry bushes.  They are from Miller Nurseries that I ordered last fall.  I am probably not going to buy from them much anymore.  When their plants arrive, they are smaller than anything I can buy down at Agway down the street.  These looks like more sticks in the ground with one tiny piece of growth coming out of one of them.  I can buy a bush down at Agway and have it look like a bush, not a stick. Maybe it's because I'm getting old enough to think of the end and I want to be able to see the fruits of these plants I'm buying and planting. I need to buy more mature plants for this mature lady.