My dad loves birds. He has been supporting the greater wild bird community of Northern Virginia for years. I don't recall when he got the first bird feeder, but they've been a constant in my parents' backyard for at least 10 years. They like to sit in their kitchen and watch the birds. It's actually quite soothing. Their backyard sits near some woods so it's a definitely wild kingdom; they also have at least six regular squirrel visitors, bunnies, deer, raccoons, voles (although I don't think they come around anymore), and recently a skunk and a possum. Wild.
I'm of the belief that my dad has created an entire generation of lazy birds and overweight squirrels. The squirrels are particularly problematic, as there are also two hawks in the area just waiting to swoop down and catch a slow squirrel. A few years ago, I started referring to the backyard as a stop on the hobo bird trail, and in honor of my dad's birthday today, I created six symbols birds might leave for their bird friends.
What's a hobo bird trail? Well, it's not a real thing, but it's loosely based on a communication practice of itinerant workers during the Great Depression. Many used trains to get around, and created a system of symbols to communicate with others about safety and other things of interest along the rails, including who might have work or if there was someone in the area who might provide a meal. I learned about hobo symbols on an episode of Criminal Minds back when I used to watch procedural dramas. Not long after, I wrote this blog post about how my dad created a hobo bird trail in the backyard. It's become a family joke, and we all support the trail by doing things like buying heated birdbaths and bird books.
I settled on six symbols for today's piece (starting with the top left box, down, then to the top right box, down):
- Peanuts - the birds and squirrels get peanuts on Sundays
- Squirrel - alerts the birds to the fact that squirrels are around
- Hawk - they have to know about the hawks
- Multiple Feeders - there are at least four feeders, plus a hummingbird feeder
- Trees - lots of trees in the yard
- Vegetables - my dad tries to grow tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs - the birds and squirrels make this incredibly challenging
Stitches: back stitch, straight stitch, fishbone
Thread palette: DMC 310 (3 strands)
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