Two words......Awesome Photos

I just received in the mail this week ,the second of the magazines that I subscribe to from Reiman Publications, Birds & Blooms. The other is Country Discoveries of which I have also written a review.

If you haven't seen a Birds & Blooms magazine you cannot imagine what you are missing out on with their photography and interesting articles pertaining to backyards, gardens and birds, insects and animals that live and visit in them. This magazine is loaded with the most gorgeous photos I have even seen. The photos are so life like that you feel like you can reach into it and touch the subjects, or if it's a photo of a flower, you can almost smell that flower. The photographs are supplied by the authors of the articles pertaining to the photos.

Like all Reiman Publications, Birds & Blooms is filled with articles written by readers, or in other words, folks like you and me who are not experienced writers but subscribers to the magazine. These photos run the gamut of the outdoor world in gardens or backyards in North America.

As with all Reiman Publications, Birds & Blooms has no advertising except, they do have a page or two selling things from their store. For instances, in this Oct/Nov. issue, the inside front cover does have a full page article telling you about the latest test of "Bill Bird-in-Hand" and how you can purchase him. He is a very interesting creature.

This article tells you about the thrill of getting wild birds to eat out of your hand. Normally, you could take several weeks training these birds. What you would do is start by observing the birds normal feeding time. Then on your first day of training you would position yourself about 30 feet from the feeder, make like a statue and stand there for about 30 minutes or so. Each day thereafter, you move a step or so closer to the bird feeder until you are right alongside the feeder and the birds still feel comfortable coming to feed.

Then when you feel the birds are ready, you empty or cover the feeder and put seed on a plate which you hold in your hand near the feeder. When the birds are brave enough to eat from the plate you then put the seed directly in your hand and wait for your "close encounter of the bird kind!!!"

Because many people don't have the time or patience it takes to train the birds they come up with "Bill Bird-in-Hand." 'Bill' is a dummy which you place your shirt and cap on, place in a chair, and let him do the work of training for you. On the day after the birds feel comfortable enough to eat seed from 'Bills' hand you will put the shirt and cap on yourself and sit in the chair. 'Bill' sits in a chair so that even a handicapped bird and nature lover, who uses a wheel chair, can have birds eating out of their hand. So if you buy 'Bill' you would sit him in a chair for the whole training process.

'Bill' sitting in a chair shows again how Reiman Publications listens to its' readers. 'Bill' was initially made standing but a reader who is an activities director of a nursing home wrote and suggested that they make 'Bill' sitting so that people in wheel chairs can also benefit from him. Reiman thought this was an excellent idea and thus was born a 'sitting Bill'.

Also found in Birds & Blooms are articles such as Garden Chat where readers can make suggestions or comments. Garden Variety where a couple of pages are dedicated to a family who transformed their yard into a work of beauty giving you a diagram and the plantings they used. Questions Across the Fence where readers can ask gardening or birding questions, or inquiries into repairs of garden equipment, etc. Bird Tales where readers share amazing stories of their experience with birds. Top Billing where this issues feature is the Wild Turkey. Fantastic Feeders or Houses where readers share their talents of making bird feeders and bird houses. You will find lots of unique and delightful feeders and houses, some made from materials you would never think to use. Glad You Ask where you can ask their resident authorities questions on backyard gardening or birding and they will provide you with an answer. Good Enough to Eat where they feature a few recipes using seeds, herbs or veggies grown in a backyard garden. This issue features Sunflower seeds and three recipes using them. Here's the Plan where in this issue is plans for a thee tiered plant stand. Readers Scrapbook where readers prove some of the best photos are just outside your back door. You will also find a plant hardiness zone map so that you can learn what will grow best in which hardiness zone.

Article after article, picture after picture of plants, flowers and how to grow them, take care of them and let them also, help feed our feathered and furry friends.

Last, but certainly not least, and my favorite article, is found on the next to the last page and it is KinderGarden. Here you will find pictures of young children and stories of their "backyard moments" in Mom's, Dad's, Grandma and Grandpa's or Auntie or Uncles backyard and gardens.

The middle of this magazine always has their Flying Flowers feature. They have a photo of a flower or two covering both pages and on the flower is a butterfly that they want you to try and identify. They give you a hint and then the page number where you can find the answer. This issue has a Gloriosa Daisy with an earth-toned butterfly with its wings spread and perched on the daisy . The hint is: This winged wonder is named after the Greek goddess of love and beauty. You flip over to page 57 and find that this is an Aphrodite. I always try and guess (can't say that I have ever gotten one right) before I turn to the answer.

Reiman, in each of their publications, has a little hidden something. In Birds & Blooms it is an acorn. Find the acorn, send them a note saying "I found the acorn on page......" and your note will go into a drawing and 50 names will be drawn for the prize they are offering at that time. This issue is offering a digital indoor/outdoor Talking Thermometer.

When this magazine is delivered, I put aside everything else, make me a cup of cappuccino, head for the patio and read from cover to cover in one setting.

You can either get this magazine where your favorite magazines are sold or by subscription. Single issue price is $3.50 U.S. and $4.99 Canada. Subscription costs are: $17.98 U.S. for 1 year, $29.98 for 2 years, $39.98 for 3 years. Canadian subscriptions are $23.98 for 1 year CDN plus 7% GST or 15% HST where applicable ( I have no idea what all this means.) International subscriptions are $25.98 per year, U.S. funds prepaid.

My husband and I both love to watch birds in our backyard and have lots of feeders and houses up. We get lots of information and ideas from reading Birds & Blooms

I get double use out of the Birds & Blooms magazine by using the beautiful full page photos to make envelopes to send little notes to my grandchildren.

Here is how you do that:
Take a small envelope no bigger than 5 inches long and 4 inches tall (you can use a smaller one but a bigger one won't work as well) and take the envelope apart, now you have a pattern of the envelope. Place the pattern on the page you wish to make the envelope from and trace around the pattern. Cut the pattern out and then fold the pattern as the original envelope was folded. Using a glue stick glue the side flaps to the bottom flap. Write your note or letter, stick in the envelope and using the glue stick glue the top flap and seal. Put the address on a small sticky plain label and affix to the envelope and use a return address label in the upper left corner. Stamp and stick in the mailbox. It will soon be on its way to thrill the recipient of your choice! My grandchildren love getting these letter from Granny!

Of course, you would never want to do destroy the pages of this magazine until you were completely through with reading Birds & Blooms.