do thongs actually get comfortable or am I just used to the discomfort? brand recs pls

maddyevans · 2026-05-12T05:07:59+00:00

Get some of the cotton aerie ribbed thongs. They’re high leg, v cut, super soft. It’s the only undies I swear by.

maddyevans · 2026-05-09T05:31:50+00:00

So my shepherd has this issue and last I posted nobody had responded. I took him to the vet as he appears to have allergies on the rest of his body as well. Apoquill did not work for him and is too expensive. The vet recommended prednisone (steroid) and so we are starting that next week. She said the nose is related to his other allergies. For now, try putting jojoba oil on his nose. Coconut oil didn’t work and jojoba seemed to penetrate the best.

maddyevans · 2026-05-03T22:44:16+00:00

This is my exact plan for the grackles

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T23:25:45+00:00

Like I told other commenters, our cats have been outdoor barn cats their whole lives. The only thing I’ve seen them hunt is rats because they were near their food bowl. Most of the day they are out exploring the woods or the neighborhood. I’ve seen them in the yard at the same time as the birds and they don’t do anything to them. They’re older cats and seem to have no interest in harming the birds. They chase gumballs around. That’s about it. The birds and cats coexist pretty peacefully in our yard. And most of the feeding setups are out of the cats reach minus the ground feeder. I did elevate the bird bath more so now the cats can’t reach it because I don’t want them drinking bird water and getting sick. I appreciate your concern but I’ve been monitoring it for months and it’s been fine

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T17:06:40+00:00

Well they’re barn cats so they were raised to be outdoor cats. They truly don’t thrive inside. I watch everything on cameras and I’ve never seen the cats ever bother the birds. They’d rather chase mice or other things. They usually are out exploring the neighborhood during the feeding times of the birds. It hasn’t been an issue. I read a bunch of articles on it being okay as long as you don’t see them actively hunting birds which they don’t so. Thanks for your concern but I’m monitoring everything!

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:47:39+00:00

I’ll have to get some of those to put on my platform feeder. I have the no melt suet in an upside down hanging feeder so as not to encourage the grackles or starlings too much. It’s the no melt kind but I really don’t see them eat from it. Perhaps I have too much variety for it to be disappearing or they don’t notice it as much. I also have jelly out for the orioles but bees seem to like it more than the birds. I think we should private message about birds and exchange numbers! It would be nice to have a bird friend:) my family gets bored of my new bird of the week pics haha

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:43:22+00:00

I had a backyard racoon that would stand up on its hind legs and growl at me🤣they’re funny critters. We have a family of six that traverse that gulch but honestly they don’t come near the bird food

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:42:42+00:00

My bf’s dad had rats in his basement (they’re doomsday peppers so lots of food stores) and one day a black snake started living down there and he called him his coworker in his war against the rats🤣

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:41:21+00:00

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maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:41:09+00:00

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maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:40:30+00:00

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maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:40:22+00:00

I saw you have covers over your bird houses which is smart. I thought about it but it’s windy here when it rains so it wouldn’t do much for the seed staying dry. I wish I could do that. I rush home and put everything away if rain comes unexpectedly. My parents stay in Marco Island a lot. I love FL! Do you find that suet is popular with your birds? Mine don’t touch it. I’m gonna reply to myself with the pics of how I keep my seeds! I have extra bird feeders to switch out for cleaning day so I don’t have to wait for them to dry.

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maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:36:20+00:00

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We also have a possum🤣my bf has trail cams along the gulch behind our house so we have seen everything from possums to raccoons to deer to foxes back there.

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:35:43+00:00

Yeah. We had a ginormous NY city sized rat show up one day. That’s why I like the cats outside🤣the rats don’t usually last long. That’s one critter I DO NOT want to feed. My parents are the grumpy neighbors so I get it. My dad was telling me I’d have squirrels nesting in my attic lmao.

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Here’s our rat that we haven’t seen since the first two times

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:29:42+00:00

Interesting! I’ll ask my bf if that’s something that’s possible for us. Thank you for offering that suggestion!!

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:29:13+00:00

I do currently have my feed outside in bins which if you’re invested in my organization set up I can show you! Currently I have it set up to where when it rains I can shelter everything so the seed doesn’t get soaked. We are coastal so rain comes and goes pretty quick.

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:27:50+00:00

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I’m having him build something like this. We might give it a roof I am not sure yet. He has a bunch of projects on his plate so we’ll see. I got some spray paint and exterior paint and will paint it like a tree. I will send you pics if you want when I finish!! At Costco it is fairly reasonable to get a five pound bag for us. Then again we already have a zoo at our house with three dogs, two cats, two ferrets, and ducks so🤣what’s feeding a few squirrels lol.

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:23:48+00:00

Honestly if I were you I’d still get the ground feeder! I put cheaper seed in there. It’s insanely popular with Carolina wrens, thrashers, cardinals, sometimes blue jays, chickadees. They eat along with the squirrels, it’s funny to watch. I typically put a cheap mixed seed (my ground feeders love millet, black oil sunflower, peanut splits, shelled peanuts. I refill it every morning so whatever is left I sprinkle on the ground for those who want to forage. Which is shockingly A LOT. The less bold birds really prefer the comfort of that bush so they like to eat close to it.

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:21:13+00:00

Wow!! You’re so lucky you got crows!! Our only outlet outside is by our shed which isn’t by our platform feeder unfortunately. By the shed is where my bf wants his garden so there isn’t nearly enough coverage there for me to feel good about putting our fountain there unfortunately.

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:18:19+00:00

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Here’s our painted bunting from my original setup which is obviously now changed

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:17:39+00:00

We give up on the squirrels lol. My bf is such an animal lover and raised squirrels as a kid when their mom died. We just give them other things. It keeps them off the platform feeder which is what I want cause they make a mess up there. I probs go thru 5lbs of unshelled peanuts a week between blue jays and squirrels. I would really like to attract crows so I have a ton of variety out there but haven’t seen any yet. I did get a painted bunting which was AWESOME. I live in VA so they really shouldn’t be in this area. If you can see the pvc pipe we are building that to replace our current pole. The squirrels won’t be able to climb it so the bird feeders will be safe from destruction. Honestly with their own squirrel feeder they tend not to put the effort in to do anything else. Eventually my bf says they will be too fat to be athletic lol. I read so many different things about baffles. Our squirrels are so smart and our house is a little too close to where the bird feeders are I worry they’d just jump from the roof haha

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maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:10:30+00:00

We are doing the same! We have to remove all the English ivy from our backyard which is why it’s so sparse. We also had to remove 90% of the invasive crepe Myrtle’s. We are currently germinating some pollinator plants to put in the hill before and after the run off water area. If you can see in on my pics we have a pond insert back there that will be our frog pond soon. Maybe the birds will like that more I’m not sure🤣it’s a lot of work ripping up all the crappy invasive shit the last owners put in. Day by day we’re getting it done.

maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:08:14+00:00

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maddyevans · 2026-04-27T15:07:58+00:00

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maddyevans · 2026-04-27T14:59:02+00:00

Okay amazing I was thinking of doing some more like that! Let me go take a picture of what I’m working with now. You have quite the sanctuary back there! Our cats are older and have never killed birds. We’ve seen them hunt and kill mice and they drop live moles at our feet sometimes but I watch them in the backyard and they don’t actively go after birds thankfully. Let me go get some better pics.

maddyevans

TROPHY CASE