Flat Matthew, the flamingos and other birds

Yesterday Flat Matthew stayed inside because the weather was bad. We had snow, sleet, freezing rain, thunderstorms and hail.

Today is a bright and sunny day, but it is still cold and windy out and the roads are icy. So I took Flat Matthew around and told him about our flamingos.

Tom built the house where we live on part of the farm his family has owned in Wisconsin since 1844! Most of the neighbors knew him, because he and his family used to camp here when they lived in Chicago. Rich and Peggy, though, who live in a beautiful log home across the road did not know us. They have a very nice yard and gardens that they keep in great shape, and Peggy teased Tom that she didn't want to look across the road and see a bunch of pink flamingos in our yard.

So naturally we went looking for pink flamingos. Today we have about 30 pink flamingos that we set up in large or small groups and move around the property. In the picture Flat Matthew is standing in front of a row of flamingos coming through the woods beside the driveway. Another flock is right by the entrance to the drive, which makes it easy for people to find us.

Fortunately Peggy thought it was funny as do our other friends. People even started to give up flamingo things, like this neon flamingo that a friend who is a priest in Chicago gave us. That one stays in Tom's office and studio beside his art supplies.

Other people have given us flamingo ornaments for the Christmas tree, a cookie cutter shaped like a flamingo, a flamingo wind chime and a small flying flamingo for the flower pot on the deck.

Tom made Peggy a flamingo that he painted purple and covered with glitter, and she now has it in her front yard. But the best flamingo is one she made and gave to us. Christmas morning of 2007, we went out and standing in the snow at the end of the sidewalk was this wonderful flamingo Peggy had decorated with beads, sunglasses and tophat. Today it is on the bench by the front door to greet all our visitors, including Flat Matthew.

Peggy and Rich also gave us a bird feeder, and Flat Matthew has been watching the birds with us. Because of the winter weather, there have been lots of birds at the feeder. In particular, we get a lot of woodpeckers, including pileated woodpeckers. You may never have seen one of these large birds, but they are the model for the cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker. We have seen up to three at a time in our backyard.

We also have an opossum that visits from time to time and a couple of squirrels. There are albino squirrels down the road from us, but we have never seen them in our yard.

I showed Flat Matthew our bird guide book where we keep a record of the birds that we see. We have noted over 30 different kinds of birds, including a large flock of wild turkeys and even an eagle.

Do you know anyone who is a birdwatcher? (Or who has flamingos in their yard?)

Michael