I couldn’t take the relentless mix of fear and negativity on “Nextdoor” so I unsubscribed. But it’s one of those subscriptions that makes it especially difficult to unplug so I keep getting occasional summary “digests”. From which the above missive comes.

C.W. is on a mission. And maybe my right wing nutter friends are right about me and I’m just a snowflake since C.W. has 83 “hearts” and counting.

But it seems to me, if the goal is to effect change, the tone is all wrong. What evidence is there that chastising improves behavior?

HAD C.W. employed me as their* editor, the first thing I would’ve suggested is change the Frump-like all caps because what evidence is there that yelling improves behavior?

C.W. seems to think the future of hummingbirds depends upon their righteous indignation. The whole damn bird/insect/nature ecosystem, if not life itself as we know it, seemingly hangs in the balance.

Other edits. Because less is more, delete the first two and last two sentences at minimum. Make it less personal and accustory and insert a “please” or two. In other words, more sugar water and less fire hose.

The “free of charge” final draft.

Recently, I saw a hummingbird with it’s tongue out which made me think that some people may not know how important it is to clean their feeders with soap and water every few days. And please, if you see white filmy crap, use white vinegar and water to get rid of bacteria. Mother Nature, the hummingbirds, and I thank you.

p.s. Great 60 Minutes segment last night on how birding has revived parts of Colombia’s forested areas and economy that until recently were riddled with political violence. One of Colombia’s, and the world’s most well known birders said that hummingbirds “are complete warriors always fighting for territory”. Who knew they were so agro?

*Why do I assume C.W. is female?