Now, that you have cut and split your firewood its time to store it away for seasoning. Many times you see a stack or firewood using two trees support the ends. We really don’t recommend this type of storage. The weight of the logs leaning against the trees can cause damage to the trunk and may cause smaller trees to bow. Firewood should not be stored on the ground as it only causes the wood to rot as opposed to drying out.

Seasoning firewood is drying the moisture out of the wood. Split wood will dry out much faster than whole logs. The easiest time to split firewood is when it is still green. Once the wood is seasoned its harder to split.

We suggest a log rack that raises the wood off the ground. This keeps the wood off the ground so it can season and helps keep the insects and rodents from making your wood pile their home. Never store firewood against your home or any buildings. This prevents any insects or rodents from entering your home. Always place the log rack out in the open so the wind can blow through it.

During the summer months it is preferred to cover only the top of the stack. This will keep rain off but allow air to blow through the wood drying it out. During the rain season and the winter you can fully cover the wood to keep it dry.

You do not have to purchase a log rack, you can build a log rack using pressure treated 2×4’s. But many times it easier to purchase one with a cover designed to fit.

Humming birds are tiny creatures averaging 3.5 inches from head to tail. They are the worlds smallest bird, and they are spectacular to witness because of their brilliant colors an their motionless, hovering feeding habits.

The best way to feed hummingbirds is by using a nectar feeder. You must place it high enough on a branch so that squirrels and other predators cannot feed from it. A mixture of sugar and water is the best way to attract humming birds. This blend is as close as you can come to flower nectars. You should not use honey, molasses or any other artificial sweeteners. Though they eat small insects for protein, hummingbirds also rely heavily on flower and prepared nectar for their energy needs. You might be able to successfully attract them to a backyard feeder with a proper combination of timing, consistency, and cleanliness.

It is important to hand your humming bird feeder shortly before spring. If a hummingbird is drawn to the feeder at this time, it will likely return throughout the season, well into fall.

A hummingbird feeder has to be clean; otherwise the bird will not feed. It should be colorful – preferably red and orange with red ribbons trailing off the feeder so it can be easily spotted by the humming bird. There are a couple of different types of hummingbird feeders. The dish type has a perch and allows a good view of the way a hummingbird feeds. The gravity fed bottle style feeder has no perch that eliminates the problem of other pests landing on it to feed.

Hummingbird feeders come in many different styles and shapes. Some are beautifully hand blown glass bulbs that enhance the charm of any backyard.

A weather vane is a tool that is used to identify the direction of the wind. Weather vanes are usually found on top of buildings and in other open air places like gardens, lawns, barns, garages, and more. There are three types of metal weather vanes: wrought iron, cast iron and steel. Wrought iron weather vanes are heavy weight, which makes them very durable. They are very functional and also look good. They can be mounted anywhere—in the garden, lawn, rooftops, and more. Often designed to look like antiques, they can be used as garden décor rather than just weather vanes on the roof. They are generally given a black coated finish.

Weather vanes or wind vanes are one of the oldest tools used by man to measure wind direction. They have ornamented buildings for thousands of years. Wrought iron weather vanes are just as popular as copper weather vanes for their practicality as well as for their beauty. They are available in several designs, such as simple arrows, shapes of animals, birds, humans, crests, exotic figurines, or any combination of these. The most common shapes are roosters, Eagles, attack Eagles, ascending geese, ducks, blue herons, pelicans, doves, quail, cows, white horses, bulls, foxes, pigs, golden retrievers, cats and mice, deer, moose, elks, dolphins, whales, bass, sailfish, sailboats, mermaids, lighthouses, angels, pine trees, locomotives, planes, biplanes, low wing planes, moons, suns, stars, arrows, banners, flags, golfers, firemen, lamplighters, handsaws, and more.

Wrought iron weather vanes are also available in several models such as deck or fence weather vanes, lawn weather vanes, roof top weather vanes, table top weather vanes, and more. They are also provided with the necessary accessories and hardware like cupolas, mounting shafts, roof mount bases, spindles, directionals, brackets, and stands. Modern copper wind vanes are also mounted with an anemometer, a device for measuring the speed of the wind. They may also be connected to a remote reading station. Modern weather vanes are rust free and maintenance free. Even today, weather vane artists are enjoying the opportunity to create new kinds of wrought iron weather vane forms in addition to recreating more traditional antique ones.