Nesting birds make homes in her fern baskets

Dear Heloise: Hopefully you can come to my rescue. I have a very nice front porch and have fern hanging baskets along the front. Birds build nests in the baskets, and I cannot water the ferns for fear that I will drown the babies.

Is there anything I can put in the baskets to discourage the birds from building nests and hatching babies in the baskets? I love the birds, but they are ruining my hanging baskets. Shirley Heist, Nashville, Tenn.

Shirley, I know what you mean! Some people have had good results from putting a ceramic or fake owl close to the baskets. Light catchers also work.

Dorothy Jones of Youngstown, Ohio, may just have the answer to your problem. She had a similar situation and solved it by hanging wind chimes close to the baskets.

Birds don’t like them, and most of us do! You can make a free one from old knives and forks, using fishing line to tie them up hanging at different lengths. Heloise

Dear Readers: Laura Cote of Manchester, N.H., sent a photo of Leadbelly, her beautiful pewter-colored cat with yellow eyes.

Laura says: “When I adopted my wonderful cat from our local shelter, he had had his belly shaved to be surgically altered. His tummy was the softest thing I’d ever felt. It took several days for me to find an appropriate name for him.

“I finally chose Leadbelly (after an old blues singer). This name fits him to a ‘T’ and brings many smiles to people hearing of him. He is a truly personable boy who brings much joy to my husband and me.”

To see the photo of Leadbelly, visit www.Heloise.com. Heloise

Dear Heloise: My husband and I both enjoy watching the birds at the feeder, so we have extra birdseed available. We normally keep it in the garage.

In order to keep any little critters from helping themselves to the food, we now keep it in an ice chest, and haven’t had any mess to clean up. This works for us. We enjoy your column. L.M. Schmidt, Kane, Pa.

Thanks for the hint! A sturdy ice chest is perfect to store birdseed. Any container that is waterproof and has a tight-fitting lid works, too. Heloise

Dear Readers: Hairballs can be such a problem for cats and kittens! The fur that is ingested as the cats are grooming themselves usually just passes through, but in some cases, if there is a lot of hair, the cat gags and throws it up.

You can put just a small dab of plain petroleum jelly under the cat’s nose or on the paws once a day for three to four days.

As the cat licks it off, the petroleum jelly will soften the hairball, making elimination easier. There also are commercial products available that your veterinarian can suggest. Heloise

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate