New data reveals that the American dream of home ownership is on life support for first-time home buyers.
With mortgage rates hovering near 7% and a median-price home near $422,000 Americans need to make six figures to participate in the housing market nowadays.
To put this in perspective, in 2004 the number of first-time home buyers totaled 3.2 million according to the National Association of Realtors. By 2024 this number had plunged to only 1.14 million.
Complete story here at Fortune.
A toy-lover's paradise nestled on 25 idyllic acres at the North Pole –
perfect for spirited reindeer games. The home, constructed in the 1800s
of gorgeous old-growth timber logged on site, is steeped in Old World
charm but offers modern-day amenities thanks to a recent renovation.
That's right.
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At the end of last month Jill discovered a robin nest in the ancient pump house.
Having left the windows open to air the shack out a robin determined that a most excellent spot for a home was to build a nest in a basket on a shelf in a building.
A house, in a house, in a house.
Brilliant.
Monitoring the three eggs laid in the nest there are three babies now that are close to fledging.
It will be interesting to see if mama chooses to raise a second brood in this location......
Leave the windows on the old pump house open to air it out at your own peril.
Because mama robin is going to build her nest in a basket on a shelf.
It's a house, in a house, in a house.
Smart bird the American Robin is.......
An engineer dies and goes to hell. After a while, the engineer gets dissatisfied with the level of comfort in hell and starts designing and building improvements. After a while, hell has air conditioning, flushing toilets, water fountains and escalators - making the engineer a pretty popular guy.
One day God phones Satan up and asks with a sneer: “Hey buddy, how’s it goin down there?”
Satan snickered back, “Things are going great actually. We’ve got air conditioning, flush toilets, escalators and the works. Hell, there’s no telling what this engineer guy is gonna come up with next.”
God replies, “What? You’ve got an engineer? That’s a mistake - he should never have been sent there; send him back up.”
To which Satan replied, “No way dude. I like having an engineer on staff, I’m keepin him.”
God retorted, “Send him up here or I’ll sue.”
Satan laughs loudly and answers, “Yeah, right. And just where are you gonna find a lawyer?”
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Last year I gave one of my homemade nest boxes to my cousin who also happens to be an engineer. And just like the engineer in the whimsical (but true) story a basic nest box wasn't sufficient. It would appear that the level of inspection protocols for this cedar birdhouse was insufficient. As a consequence he designed and installed improvements.
At the recent Conclave of the Cousins and annual summer Rib Fest a couple of weekends ago I was witness to this:
Yes, that is a nest box built of my own hands - now sporting a solar array.
It also has a skylight designed to allow a diffuse soft light to enter.
Nobody took-up residence in the box this year although a bird did leave an "offering" of nesting material likely in hopes of attracting a mate. So, you'll have to be patient and await the arrival of some avian tenant to take-up residence next season.
Stay-tuned....
From our walk the other day it was encouraging to note that of all the nest boxes we inspected there were nesting song birds occupying them. Plenty of orderly tenants occupying the local affordable housing.
Including this tree swallow nest....
It looks like we're going to be grandparents again.
Much to celebrate. Got to find me a cigar....
For as long as we've owned our patch of wildness there have been nest boxes for the song birds. It began in the first year with a couple fashioned out of scrap lumber and evolved thereafter with a dozen boxes or so being added in alternate years. After a couple of decades passed the inventory of bird boxes plateaued around five-dozen with the standard of bird box design evolving to this - a pine box, treated with a sealant and manufactured in the basement workshop using a template. The hinged and latching roof can be flipped open for inspection or cleaning. Constructed of affordable materials it also boasted standardized, interchangeable parts.
Taking a page from Henry Ford's success story the beauty of this design was that if a roof or wall failed it could easily be replaced new or with parts salvaged from an earlier box. Some boxes that remain in use contain parts traceable to three different generations.
The 2010 boxes on the left have received a new roofs and a coat of UV sealant.
The drawback to this design is the wood used in its construction - pine. Even if sealed - the effects of sun, precipitation and the outdoors eventually compromises the wood with the roof usually going first followed by a wall or floor.
The latest iteration of nest box is this…
Clean design lines with minimal hardware - including a wall that flips-open for inspection and clean-out. It is also constructed of rot-resistant cedar and the exterior treated with a non-toxic UV wood sealant for lasting duty.
Following their roll-out the new cedar box design has held-up nicely over the last seven years of service without any replacement parts required. Nevertheless, these are also constructed of interchangeable parts – and a supply of spares can be found in the workshop.
If you decide to place affordable housing on your property for your fine feathered friends always remember to clean-out your boxes late winter or early spring before nesting season to provide for a clean and sanitary place to live.
Out with the old - in with the new.......
The bird house that you see here is of my own design. It has a hinged roof that opens for inspection and cleaning. A hook locks the lid in place. And it features an entry hole too small for English sparrows.
For decades I've been building and installing nest boxes to provide homes for cavity-nesting song birds. You know - tree swallows, house wrens and blue birds namely.
The first two boxes a built in 1994 were constructed of scrap plywood and lasted exactly two seasons before returning to the earth. Nevertheless, it was a whim that took root. Since then I have eschewed nails and Thompson's Water Seal - although after decades a remaining few of those 1997 boxes remain in service.
The box that is pictured is somewhere around the third generation prototype. It is built of inexpensive pine and treated with a sealant/stain. The design adheres to a standard template and it has a life expectancy of about a decade - give or take. As a consequence of being assembled of standardized parts I can build multiple copies and if a box is damaged and requires a fix the repairs are simplified. A busted lid is the most common complaint followed by the occasional split wall. All I have to do is back-out the screws, slap-in a replacement part and we're back in business with a genuine factory rebuild.
Just like the new roof on this 2006 box.
After peaking with a census of 60 boxes we’re down to about 50 strategically situated on three and a half miles of trails. The original pine boxes have held-up reasonably well but require more care, time and attention. Beginning in 2013 an updated and redesigned cedar box was adopted, constructed and deployed. This design model is performing exceedingly well. The third cohort of cedar nest boxes has been constructed and is ready for installation. Eventually, all of the pine boxes will be retired and replaced.
Check back in a couple of days for more about out with the old - in with the new.....
If you are a Wizard of Oz fan and recall the soliloquy of the Cowardly Lion you already know the answer to the title of this blog post – Courage!
On Friday Blonde Dog and I were out for a walk and we figured we’d take advantage of the frozen conditions around the pond to check on one of our resident aquatic residents.
Meet Ondatra zibethicus – The Muskrat – aptly named as a consequence of its long naked tail and musky odor (quite noticeable in the male during the breeding season).
The muskrat is ideally-suited to living in a watery environment and sports a waterproof fur coat, webbed feet and a tail that can be used like a rudder. This chunky rodent can stay submerged for up to fifteen minutes before having to surface for air.
Since the spring of 2012 muskrats have called our large pond out back between the house and Silver Creek home. They built and enlarged their original home and constructed a second one several years ago. By the close of 2020 the second lodge had disappeared into the depths of the pond.
Muskrat lodges have one to two underwater entrances and may have a second chamber for different occupants. They’re fastidious about their den and will not use it as a bathroom.
The muskrat does not hibernate and is active year-round. Living up to ten years in age breeding begins in April and ends with the return of fall weather. Around half a dozen young are born two to three times a year and the little ones can swim at two weeks of age.
Unlike the beaver - who occupies only one lodge per lake or stream - the muskrat may build multiple abodes.
However, overcrowding will cause the critter to disperse and to find a new home.
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