Phil From Florida Says Hello...

[Philbert]

Hi all,

My name is Phil.  I'm a code nerd, thus the screen name Philbert.

I'll be 60 in a few days (for the first time!) so I should be incredibly wise any day now.   Either that, or I'll forget my name and where I put my glasses.   One of those for sure!

My wife and I are nature nuts, and nature is our therapist.   Nature is on call 24 hours a day, which comes in handy.    Our house is always filled to overflowing with birds and squirrels we are rehabbing.  My best friend is a retarded squirrel (seriously) so that should give you some insight in to my amazing social skills.

Psychology is an amazing topic, though I must admit, sometimes I wonder if the more we think about problems the worse they get.

Ok, that's enough for a start.   Looking forward to meeting you all.

[SWM]

Hi Phil,
welcome to the forum.
Thank you for your input so far it is good to see people who give encouragement and support to others on the forum.
you will fit in well with the other regular members here.

[S. Earl Martin]

Hmmm! I posted a response to this a few hours ago. It posted and now it is gone. I know it was there.

Hello Phil, I am also a nature lover. I live on a biodynamic farm and build shelters for everything that crawls or flys.

It is possible to over analyze something or to worry to much about things that are not in your control, but foresight and caution are a good plan. The old saying. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Peace Earl

[Philbert]

Hello Phil, I am also a nature lover. I live on a biodynamic farm and build shelters for everything that crawls or flys.

Thanks for the welcome guys.   Earl, what's a biodynamic farm? 

I've built a couple of big squirrel cages off the back of our house, where our litters spend their last month before being released. 

[S. Earl Martin]

Hey, It is also known as French Intensive. It is where instead of putting your crops in rows of one kind of crop. They are spaced out in a natural formation. You might have a couple of tomatoe plants. Then some corn. Then a couple of cucumbers on trellises. Also the plants are placed to repel and confuse the harmful pests. I also have a number of different types of plants that just grow wild in my yard. Carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, berries, garlic and onions. This saves garden space and I don't have to do anything to grow them other than just harvest them. Sometimes when people who are first timers here are walking around I will pull a carrot out of the ground or pick a lettuce leaf. Then rinse it off in a rain barrel and eat it. They freak out. "Isn't that gonna make you sick?" LOL!

I have brush piles that are home to all kind of animals. People come here and say" when are you gonna burn that?" I have maintained them for over 25 years. I add new brush every year. Generations of rabbits, birds, lizards and snakes etc. Have been born in them. I have hundreds of species of mushrooms and other things have been transplanted here. I leave dead trees standing so the woodpeckers have a home. I can look out my windows and see nature when ever I want. Because I don't kill them and I actually protect them. The animals will hop or crawl right by me. I had a snake that I rescued as a baby. It was stuck inside a container and was about to drown. It was only a few inches long. I took it out and placed it were it could warm up in the sun. For years it would crawl right up to me and just lay beside me when I was sitting in the yard. Same with the rabbits and birds. I have rescued their babies or nursed them back to health when they were hurt. So they are not afraid of me at all.

Peace Earl