Cooperative Living August 2017 - 6

Mailbag
WRITE US!
WAS THE PEWEE
REALLY A PHOEBE?
As a birder, I was pleased to
read Spike Knuth's article on
the eastern wood pewee in the
July 2017 issue of Cooperative
Living. He gave a good
description of this great little
bird. However, I think his
sketch was of the eastern
phoebe (another wonderful
local bird), rather than the pewee.
Keep those Feathered Friends
articles coming!
- Patricia Thacker, Bumpass
We want to hear from you - comments,
opinions, suggestions. Your letter must be
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edit for grammar, style and length, with
a 250-word maximum for acceptance.
Write: MAILBAG, P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA
23058-2340; or email mailbag@co-opliving.com.
Please include your name and city/town of
residence, with Mailbag as the subject.
READER DETAILS A HAPPY
HOLLYHOCK MYSTERY
I was very interested in the July Garden
wing bars on the pewee. Patricia does
have a point, since that would be one
of the few ways of identifying it; but
overall they are look-a-likes. In fact,
all the small flycatchers are hard to
distinguish except by eye rings, wing
bars, and various habits and song. Its
call is probably the best field identifier
for the pewee. "
Muse column about Happy Hollyhocks.
That picture brought back many fond
memories. I wanted to share with
readers my photos of this year's hollyhock.
It had always been a pink single-stalk
until this year, when it started out with
many stalks (see photo above).
I gave starts to my vet for their flower
garden and theirs bloomed red. I decided
to put one in my backyard flower bed.
This week it bloomed. It is white!
Several strangers have stopped to ask
about mine, and one told me this week
that theirs had multiple stalks for the first
time, too.
Stranger than fiction!
- Tresa F. Quarles, Harrisonburg
WhatzIt?
Take your best guess at this photo of a
familiar but unidentified object. Send it in
writing with your name, address and phone
number to WhatzIt?, c/o Cooperat ive Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340;
or guess online at www.co-opliving.com
under " Contests. " Dead line for entries is
Aug. 18, 2017. All correct entries will be
put into a drawing and a winner announced
in the October 2017 issue. The winner will
re ceive a check for $25. 
Editor's Note: Our Feathered Friends
columnist, Spike Knuth, responds: " The
two birds are very similar in appearance.
In the July Feathered Friends illustration,
the angle of the wing shows so little of it
that I didn't add the two narrow white
A NOTE ON AVIAN
'GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'
This is in reference to a question
posed in the July Rural Living column
( " Robin family's lively progress ends
in empty-nest syndrome " ). Hey
Margo, your Mama Robin in the
azalea bush was doing what all Robin
moms and dads do. They give baby a
bug, the baby turns around and gives
mom or dad a " present. " Mom or dad
takes the little poop bag and drops it
away from the nest. It may seem
gross, but that's how they keep the
nest clean.
- Rebecca Adams, South Boston 
JUNE
WHATZIT?
The June 2017
WhatzIt?
was the stitching
on a baseball
glove, and reader
Laura Haycox of
Dunnsville was our
$25 winner.
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
4 | Cooperative Living | August 2017
Congratulations,
Laura!
www.co-opliving.com
NOTE
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ADDRESS
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Cooperative Living August 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living August 2017
