Columns

How the Hen House Turns:

Mr. Fluff was a self-assured scrub jay. He came every morning with other scrub jays to take unsalted peanuts from the front porch railing and hid them in the garden. He earned his name one day when he arrived a little later than usual and saw us eating breakfast in the kitchen. The Steller’s jays had already hid the morning’s eight peanuts.

A scrub jay takes peanuts from the railing. Courtesy/Cary Neeper

Sitting on the end post of the porch railing with his eye clearly focused on us through the window, Read More

Fitness Column: Exercise to Ease Arthritis Pain

For those of you who are experiencing arthritis pain, exercise may be just the right prescription for you. Whether your arthritis is rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, several studies have shown that a regular program of moderate exercise can be one of the best ways to reduce arthritis pain.

Arthritis affects the joints of the body. To stay healthy, the joints need to be mobile and strong. Regular exercise helps keep joints strong and healthy.

When arthritis strikes a person, it can make activity more difficult and painful. This causes Read More

How the Hen House Turns:

Wild jays never fly over the house to the backyard’s Hen House pen for a snack of lay pellets, but a few small birds do, even when Lucy and the gang are there.

On the front porch bird feeders, only one scrub jay watches and waits for us, but he or she (we can’t tell which) keeps a distance. He doesn’t come in for the peanuts if I wait outside on the porch, but will snatch peanuts off the porch railing when Don has turned away to fill the hanging feeders.

Years ago, two generations of scrub jays frequented the feeders, Read More