It's a Humm Zinger..

 Without a doubt, my HummZinger Mini hummingbird feeder is my absolute favorite! I've had it for years and years.

I even shared a photo (taken a few weeks ago) of a male ruby-throat visiting the HummZinger feeder in our backyard.

I have a variety of different hummingbird feeders located around the backyard. One hangs from the deck, one from the cherry tree, one from the mulberry tree, and one from the swingset deck sitting area.

 I have been saving my pennies and finally decided to treat myself (and my hummingbirds) to some new HummZinger Mini's to replace all of my other style feeders.

When you have as many feeders as I do, cleaning them can be a chore, but not with the HummZinger! 

There are no deep crevices or tubes or ANYTHING! Just smoooooooth surfaces to wipe clean with a dishcloth. Since I'm a bit obsessive, I do use a pipe cleaner to clean the three holes if I feel they need it.

There's a little ant moat in the center that, when filled with water, keeps crawly bugs from getting into the nectar (I have a problem with ants and earwigs getting into my other feeders - ewwwww!)

 In addition to being SUPER easy to clean and "crawly" bug free, the Mini's also take a smaller portion of nectar than a lot of hummer feeders, which is good for me because we don't have a gazillion hummers visiting our feeders and drinking up all the sugar water. We're in a busy neighborhood setting and I'm very grateful for the few "regulars" that do visit our yard (usually 2 females and 1-2 males, but more during migration periods). The sugar water has to be changed often, especially in this HOT and HUMID weather, so having a Mini 8 oz. feeder suits me much better than the larger 16 oz. size (which is also available from HummZinger for those of you who get a lot more visitors!).

The HummZinger design also makes it very easy to watch the hummingbirds at the feeder because there is no cylinder or tube to obstruct the view of the feeding ports. My experience with the hummers who visit us is they often flit from port to port at the same feeder!

And another HUGE bonus - I know that a lot of you are intentionally looking for American-made products. As you can see, the HummZingers are proudly made in the USA! 

So I now have my brand new HummZinger Minis hanging from the deck...

... from the cherry tree...

... from the mulberry tree...

... and from the swing set deck sitting area.
(Even though our yard is small, I have them placed so that there are distinct feeding stations. Hummers are very territorial and will chase each other off if another hummingbird approaches the feeder they're at. By having several, I've watched several hummers sip away in peace, blissfully unaware that another hummer is on the other side of the backyard doing the same thing at a different feeder.)

This little movie was taken right before I swapped out all of my (harder to clean, larger capacity, less visibility) feeders for HummZinger Mini's.

I had been making a little video of the flag waving in the breeze for my 4th of July post when I caught our little male hummer flying in to visit the feeder in the background. Talk about great timing!

And here's a perfect example of what I mean by excellent viewing with the HummZinger Mini. Had my little friend landed on one of the ports behind the cylinder, I would not have been able to enjoy watching him! Thankfully, in this instance, he stayed in view! But with the HummZinger, that is never an issue - it's always a great view!

And let me state in closing that this is my own personal opinion based on my experiences with hummingbird feeders (I started feeding hummingbirds in the early 90's). I've not been paid or compensated by HummZinger or anyone else to write this post. They don't know me from a hole in the wall! But I thought if any of you were in the market for a Hummingbird feeder, the HummZinger or HummZinger Mini would be an excellent choice!

I hope you all have a lovely week!

This week I'm linking to My Favorite Thing Saturday at Claudia's Mockingbird Hill Cottage,
 Tweak It Tuesday at Brenda's Cozy Little House,
and the Cottage Garden Party Tracie's Fishtail Cottage.

Donna 

God bless the U.S.A.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Is it possible that this November will mark 50 years since President Kennedy was assassinated? I was eleven years old and I remember it as though it happened yesterday. On our nation's birthday, this most special holiday, I hope you enjoy the following JFK quotations.

 "We dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first revolution." John F. Kennedy

(colored pencil filter)

 "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." John F. Kennedy

(watercolor filter)

"We stand for freedom. That is our conviction for ourselves;
that is our only commitment to others." John F. Kennedy

"A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles, and dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality."

John F. Kennedy

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.

John F. Kennedy

"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God."

John F. Kennedy

(dry brush filter)

"And so, my fellow Americans - ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address

"With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own." John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address

In closing, I hope you enjoy God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July, everyone!!!

Linking to Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
and Cottage Garden Party at Fishtail Cottage.

Donna

Rainy days and Mondays....

 We certainly got a good soaking yesterday...

(Ajuga)

... with several heavy downpours from afternoon into evening.

(Basil)

Therefore, all of my photos were taken from the deck, under the protection of our canopy.

Here's a little clip of the rain coming down....

Once the rain stopped, I went back out on the deck. While taking another little 'camera video' I captured a male ruby throat zoom right by me, totally ignore the feeder, and go for the hanging plant. In the background, you'll also see Sammy Squirrel coming out to play now that the rains had ceased.

A few minutes later I captured the female ruby throat hovering right in front of me. I didn't even realize she was there until I played back the video.

(Red Nasturtium)

I've yet to see any hummers at the nasturtium that I have planted on the deck, so I moved the pots very close to the feeder. Hopefully they'll visit them now with the change of location.

(Orange Nasturtium)

And they very well may be visiting the nasturtiums on a regular basis, just not when I've been out there. The new location also allows me a better view of the plants from the dining room window.

So far my flowers are holding up pretty good...

I do NOT have a green thumb and by mid July my flowers really showcase that fact.

But they're so beautiful before they start going downhill.

The flowers I always have the best luck with (no need to deadhead or fertilize) are impatiens, and they were hard to come by this year. Many nurseries weren't even selling them, and the ones that were had a 'disclaimer' of sorts up. So far they're all doing great...

After photographing the deck flowers...

... I turned my attention to some of my Sammy Squirrel friends.

This cute guy was watching me from the top of the arbor...

... while this little guy was hanging out on the swingset...

... and this smart Sammy, knowing my peanut basket was right next to me on the deck, decided to come right up and beg for a treat.

Wishing you all a beautiful month of July...

Donna 

The new patio tent and a mish-mash of flowers...

This is the new tent we picked up last week for over our little backyard patio.

We would love to have gotten a few more years out of the old tent...

... but during the high winds and heavy rains of the past few weeks, several branches fell right through the tent to the patio below (Glad I wasn't sitting out there when it happened!).

 And although the little white wicker set under the tent is water resistant, it's not waterproof. As it is, it's deteriorating faster than we'd like so we want to keep it as dry as possible to get as many (more) years out of it as we can.

 While I was out photographing the tent, I noticed one of the bright clematis blooms right by the deck. I focused first on the new tent in the background....

... and then on the clematis bloom right next to me. I have to say, I'm really pleased with my little Canon Power Shot Point & Shoot. I know it's nothing fancy, but it has served me well over the years.

I did the same thing on the other side of the deck, focusing first on the impatiens on the dining room window 'screen feeder' flower box...

... and then on the clematis cascading across the arbor over the back yard gate.

This last photo is just the hanging basket I put together that hangs from the deck with the girls' old tree house in the background.

A couple of posts ago I shared a photobomb I recently captured, and in my next post I'll share a videobomb that I caught today! It's all in the timing...

I hope you are all having a beautiful weekend. 

Donna

The cardinal climber vine loves our homemade tree branch obelisk!

 The cardinal climber is now in bloom!

What a beautiful burst of (much needed) color to our little backyard garden!

Last year I planted cardinal climber from seed. Sadly, the few vining tendrils that did take off didn't even bloom until late September, long after my hummers were gone.

 

(watercolor filter)

So this year, I purchased plants that had already been started. And yippee! They took off like a shot, quickly climbing the branches of the rustic obelisk we built last year.

Less than a week ago, the vines were covered with buds...

... but only an occasional bloom or two.

The bright red trumpet shaped flowers...

... are supposed to be very appealing to hummingbirds!

(I say supposed to be because I've not seen a single hummer at the vine yet!)

But now that more and more flowers are blooming, I'm sure my little friends will take notice.

These should bloom until the first frost...

... long after my hummer friends are gone.

A photo from last week, before the vines started blooming. 

Here the focus is on the cardinal climber in the background...

...and here, the focus shifts to the purple flowers in the foreground (on the deck).

And if the hummers do get tired of hovering at the blooms once they've discovered them, they can always take a rest on one of the feeders. Right now, this feeder hangs from our deck...

This one from the cherry tree...

This one from the mulberry tree...

And lastly, this feeder hangs from the swing set deck.

Last week I switched the various feeders around a bit. I had just finished hanging this feeder from the swing set deck when a hungry male ruby-throat zeroed in on it. Luckily I had camera in hand!

He shifted positions a few times, looking right at me in this photo, before going back to sipping the sugar water. I so enjoy these little visitors!!

We are in the middle of a heat wave here in the Northeast so I'm filling all of my bird baths twice a day. Hopefully the muggy weather and high temps will take leave soon!

I hope you're all having a wonderful week!

This week I'm joining Claudia, Mockingbird Hill Cottage for A Favorite Thing Saturday,
Brenda, Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday,

Tracie, Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Garden Party

and Cindy, My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday

Donna