Easy, No-Clean Bird Feeders & Seed-Mr. Canary Company-2020

ADA is 30!

Jan Long | July 27, 2020

“The Congress finds that physical or mental disabilities in no way diminish a person’s right to fully participate in all aspects of society…” Those are the first few words of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the signing of that legislation. Around here, it’s kind of a big deal. […]

Birds Do It

Midsummer. It’s when male American Goldfinch are at their most beautiful because, well, they’re dating. Take this guy. I think his demeanor is the Goldfinch equivalent of a dude hanging at the bar, remaining ever-cool, as he ‘prospects.’ In another month, of course, Mr. Debonair will be sprawled across the ‘La-Z-Bird’ and chasing down pre-game […]

Father of the Year

In 1965 I was in 4th grade. My teacher, Miss Troyer, announced an annual county-wide competition and encouraged us all to enter it by writing an essay on this topic: “Why My Father Should Be Chosen Father of the Year.” I was wildly enthusiastic about the idea because I had the perfect father to submit. […]

Worth the Effort

My cousin Gavin is like a little brother to me. He is twelve years my minor, so I have clear memories spanning from his first birthday to now, when he is on the cusp of earning his driver’s license. The time has gone fast, and we’ve both experienced a lot of change. For more than […]

Choose Wisely

Re-opening is causing a great deal of apprehension, from all life’s stakeholders. Businesses large and small have SO many things to consider in attempting to balance conscientiousness with courage. The logistics, alone, can make the whole process seem overwhelming. OR…it can propel us. A book I read recently put forward this simple mantra to consider […]

COVID Date Night

This image made me think of my husband, whom I adore. About a month into Covid Hibernation, I lost my mind. In a moment of clarity, I snapped out of my spandex-haze and noticed that the only difference between our daytime clothes and pajamas was that one wardrobe may have had slightly less elastic. Maybe. […]

Layers of Gratitude

The past couple of months have honestly felt like a couple of years. Between the pandemic outside of my home and the chaos inside of it, days have become pretty long. Add together the pent-up toddler, the teething infant, numerous loved ones who are “high-risk,” 10 extra quarantine-pounds, and mounting cabin fever…
-it can quickly become A LOT.

Mom, Mom, MOMMM!

Time to celebrate her. Sunday, May 10th, 2020, is an ordinary Mother’s Day in an EXTRAordinary year. ‘Traditional’ is out the window, which means you might need an idea for a great gift. So… The Bird & Breakfast bird feeder is the perfect gift for a lot of reasons but here are three GREAT ones: […]

“Wake Up Time” HACK!

If there is such as thing as “time moving too quickly” in this era of quarantine, it would have to apply to SLEEP time. Especially for parents of young children! In the Pre-COVID days, my 3 year old started having trouble sleeping through the night. As her old routine went out the window, it was […]

What IS This?

“Success” in the time of COVID-19 Look closely, you may have to enlarge the image. It’s a blue, battery-powered kids car stuck between two real cars. Sideways. In a garage. (with a 5 yr-old boy in a spikey bike helmet in the background). The Story: Pre-‘Lockdown,’ some families gathered in a neighborhood park. At a […]

The Cure for Kiddie Cabin Fever

I love the idea of winter as much as the next basic, skinny vanilla latte-loving, oversized sweater-wearing Midwest girl. However, just like my Pinterest attempts, the white winter of my dreams is often much more beautiful in my mind than it is in reality. When you throw kids in the wintry mix, things get […]

Drunk Yoga

A few days ago, I received an email encouraging me to consider a rejuvenating retreat this winter, in Cancun, Mexico. During the Mid-west PermaCloud Season, January usually feels like TEN weeks, not four; so a retreat anywhere piqued my interest. But the lure of a few days on a beach with Drunk Yoga AND Astrology? […]