Good vs Bad birdhouses

Many people keep removing birds nests from their houses, which isn't legal. So I set up providing birds food and shelter. While exploring the shopping spree of wild birds baths, feeders and houses, I found so many birdhouses that I bought a fruit shaped one. Exotic birdhouses can look fairy tale but after the first day, I took it down to empty the water as it rained in the night. I plan to redesign my birdhouse so it's dry inside and got plenty of fresh air,    

Some birdhouses are very good, shaped like normal houses with rooftop canopies. It shields them very well from the weather, and offers air ventilation and some drainage, comfort and shade from the sun during hot weather. 

But some fancy nice looking bird houses made to look like decorations are not very good for birds to live in. These are made with wood and paint, rounded shaped and no other holes or crevices apart from the entrance. It's fine for birds only indoors, and even so it can't even be cleaned inside. 

Fruit shaped bird houses carved from solid wood and painted, like these are okay for offering shelter for wild outdoor spiders, but due to a bit of rainfall, it would become hazardous. If these go wet, especially inside, for long periods, mould will develop and this is toxic for all wildlife. 

If you get anything like this fruit birdhouse made of wood, drill four holes at the base to act as a drainage. Also put in 1/8 inch holes along the sides and top for airflow.

 If you want to add a rooftop or canopy, or even make a birdhouse from scratch, use cedar, white pine and redwood. For soft roof materials use pinecone shingles, copper sheeting and or roofing felt. Use water-safe glue such as Titebond 3. Don't use toxic pressure-treated lumber, as this is a green tint, because it gives off horrible fumes while damp. 

Make sure you get plenty of advice. 

Storm Valkyrie

Poison maidens and other toxic people

In a gothic story "Rappaccini's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there is a young woman made of poison, immune to it and can become deadly. Beatrice, daughter of a botanist raised in her father's incredible garden of freakishly weird experimental plants, and exotic poisonous flowers. This made her immune to their poison, so when a man touched her, his skin turned purple and sore. 

This is very similar to the Vishakanya, poison flower women from Sanskrit mythology. These women were poison to anyone else, after feeding on small amounts of poisons from a very young age. This made them physically toxic, and anyone in close contact with them perished. They were used as assassins and seductresses to kill enemies. The story about these poison maidens comes from the time of Chandragupta Maurya (c. 320-298 BCE) the first emperor of the Maurya Empire in India.

Could all of this be so far fetched? 

There was Mithridates VI Eupator (134 - 64 BCE), king of Pontus in Anatolia. He was crowned at the age of 14, An enemy of Rome, was nicknamed "The Poison King" who ate toxins to build an immunity, often small amounts of diluted poisonous plants. He was a mad king, who fought in wars against Rome,  and he was responsible for the massacre of 80,000 Roman citizens. He wanted to increase his Black Sea empire. He had multiple wives, dozens of mistresses and many opffspring. All of them suffered a dreadful fate after the king committed suicide.

Because of this king, the scientific term "Mithridatism" applies to those taking poisons to get immunity, in slow small amounts, such as people living in the Andes who can tolerate certain poisons. For them it's a genetic immunity for higher land environment arsenic levels in the water there. 

Some like Tim Friede have exposed themselves to snake venom, to make themselves resistant and survive bites that would've dangerous to everyone else.

The truth is humans can't be immune to poisons but some could build up a tolerance and resistance to poison. It also doesn't make these people poisonous to others, but they might carry antibodies to the next person.  

Storm Valkyrie ☠️

Diamonds and blossoms

 

April is when colourful flowers bloom, and everywhere are blossoms growing on trees and shrubs. While spring birds and insects amplify their song and dance. We come out from cold slumber like emerging butterflies. What else could happen?

Spring is not all sweetness and light. It can be tough, as the hard winds and rains fall, drinking the landscape, but threatens cold snaps too, the occasional snow and hailstones pounding on the rooftops. A sudden freeze in temperature during spring is a shock to everyone, and can even kill plants. April snow causes a bad harvest. 

Another dark side of April is the violent traits of both Aries and Taurus. The April born Aries tends to be far more domineering, harsh, strict, imposing and fiery tempered than a March born Aries. April Aries children can be jealous, impatient, demanding, unforgiving and destructive. April born Taurus children are stubborn, possessive, materialistic and vindictive. The raging bull and the battering ram.

In The Wasteland by T. S. Eliot, there is written "April is the cruellest month." The rest follows: "breeding/Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing/Memory and desire, stirring/Dull roots with spring rain." It describes the sadness after the most brutal events of WWI and how difficult it is to enjoy anything. 

What's more dark is the ongoing violent shadow hanging over the world right now, that began during Mercury retrograde. How can we cope with this? First of all April is a secret healing time. It's headed by the diamond, which is the birthstone of April babies. Diamonds are the toughest stones, amplifying the energies of other stones. Diamonds are able to clear negative energy too, by healing mental pain, removing fears, reducing depression and enhancing a positive view inner and outer. Diamonds are the crown chakra, linked to the highest spiritual self. Diamonds can protect against evil. 

Diamonds represent eternal love, positivity, peace and harmony, and they are part of the April power house. 

Storm Valkyrie   

Happy Ostara message

Fresh new beginnings, blossoms and flowers. Life and innocence. Eggs are a motif of fertility, life and abundance. The goddess of spring is named Ostara (or spelled Eostre) in Germanic myth. In Greek myth there are more than one goddess of a kind such as Eos of the dawn, and Persephone that brings spring. 

Everyone enjoy the Easter break. Have a merry Ostara and a lovely blissful Eosturmonath. 

Storm Valkyrie 🌷🌹