Looking for tenants

Last year I had wren boxes out and the wrens moved in.  Then, about the time there were likely eggs, the raccoons pulled down the boxes and that was that.  So disappointing and sad.

So, this year I have been noodling on how to hang the wren boxes in a way that the raccoons could not get to them.  I kept thinking higher is better.  I wasn't sure how to get up into the upper branches of a maple tree safely.  I was kind of stumped.

While shopping in Chetek one day, I ran across some cute bird houses made by a local man that are more of the chickadee variety, but cute enough I picked up 3.  So, now I had 5 bird houses to hang...somehow.

Finally I hatched a plan.  

I had an 11 foot length of stair rail that I had hoped to use for hops trellis, 

but I had not come up with a doable and likable plan.  

So, I decided to use it to suspend my bird houses.  

Ansgar's barn village now has bird lodging available.

I'm pleased with my project.  The houses will be easy to take down in the winter to clean and store.
I hope the birds come, but even if they don't, the houses look dang cute.

 I'm pretty pleased with the result 

and now I am hoping the birds will agree that this is a good place to nest.

***

Saturday was also a day for starting to clean out the garage.

Nephew Kris has agreed to take the drill press and band saw that Dad had here, as well as a lot of the good lumber & specialty woods that Dad had held onto.

He also took Dad's table saw to our cousin Ty Tretsven who will store it for now.

My Grandpa Ansgar bought this table saw, I'm guessing in the early '40s.  

I think electricity came to rural Wisconsin in the very late '30s

Dad used this table saw all his life, he never had another.

He talked aboutonce needing new bushings in the motor and using aluminum from beer cans to fashion his version, and it worked.

This table saw made many cabinets for many kitchens around the country.

It has a lot of history.

In a way I hated to let it go, but I was not going to use it and now maybe it will get used again, 

and that would make Dad happy.