Solmate Socks and Wild Birds Unlimited

I noticed this morning my feeder was almost empty so I headed over to my very favorite birding store, Wild Birds Unlimited on Piedmont Road in Marietta, GA.  The folks who work in this location are so wonderful.  They bend over backwards to help you solve any squirrel problems and can answer any question you can dream up about birds.

I bought a bag of Choice Blend.  The birds love this stuff!   In addition to birdseed, Wild Birds Unlimited carries lots of wonderful garden accent pieces and other fun extras, so I always have to look around while I’m there.

Wild Birds Unlimited Choice Blend Seed

Right now they are stocking these fun socks I’ve read about online and have been wanting to try.   They are called Solmate Socks and they are “Mismatched with care in Vermont.” Have you heard of them?  I love that they are made in the good ole U.S.A., are 80% cotton, and are designed to look mismatched. 🙂

I bought a pair for me and a pair to give for Christmas.  They come in all colors.  I’m not sure if all the Wild Birds Unlimited are stocking these, but I just love ’em.  Wanted to share them in case you’re looking for a last minute gift or stocking stuffer.  If your WBU doesn’t have them, you can find them online by googling Solmate Socks.  By the way, I’m not affiliated with them…just sharing the fun stuff I find, as always.

Solmate Socks from Vermont

I also bought this pair called the Blue Spruce.  Love these fun colors!

The Blue Spruce Socks

Once home I filled up the feeder and in no time at all I had lots of visitors.  I took the photo below through the glass of my kitchen bay window using my Nikon 18-200mm lens.   My birds love a freshly stocked feeder.  The nuthatch  (top left) has been going for the peanuts this morning, while Mr. Cardinal has been enjoying the sunflower seeds.  Mrs. Cardinal has been by, too.  A little Black-capped Chickadee is feeding from the other side in this photo.   This is one of the reasons I like the “choice blend” seed so much.  You get a  nice variety of birds with this seed.  I’m sure the downy woodpeckers and bluebirds will be stopping by today, too.  They all love this seed.

Cardinal, Chickadee and Nuthatch on Feeder

Wild Birds Unlimited also included a little extra something in my bag.  Can  you read the label?   I’m going to try it.   I could use some good luck in 2013.  🙂

Feed Birds for Goodluck in the New Year

 

Update:  Here’s a second post that went up today with some good closeups of the other beautiful birds who came calling this afternoon. 🙂  Birdwatching: Cardinals, Bluebirds and Woodpeckers Came Calling

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



 Never miss a Between Naps on the Porch post! 

*Subscribe to have updates delivered to your Inbox. 



Comments

  1. I’ve heard of that Scandinavian tradition before. I may do it as well this Christmas!

    The socks look fun but would drive me insane that they don’t match. They do look warm and the “made in USA” is a huge plus.

  2. I love WBU too Susan!!! I’ve never seen the socks at my Richmond, VA store but once I go in there I can’t pull myself out. I’m almost in need of restocking but I’m definitely waiting until after the holidays are over!!

  3. My granddaughter is 13 and has never ever worn matched socks!! It makes me smile and I appreciate her individuality!!

  4. My mother loved birds so much. She could name all of them by site. We have an abundance of finches and hummingbirds. When I see them I always smile and think of my mother.

  5. I have the very socks on the left! They are so comfy and they do make me smile. We luv our bird friends and I get endless hours of enjoyment watching the different varieties eat at our feeders. franki

    • Franki, I put on a pair and wore them today. They were so comfortable, I drove back and bought a couple more. I’ve been wearing the same 6-7 pairs of socks each winter for years and they are pretty much worn out, so I needed some new ones. What do you wear yours with? I can see how they would go well with jeans or black pants.

  6. You’re such a good “mommy” Susan! I’m glad you took these pictures and look forward to the next. I’ve never seen a cardinal in real life! In fact to see one and to see fireflies are two must do’s on my bucket list. Thanks for taking the time to share these.

    • Thanks, Vicci! You don’t have cardinals in your area? What area are you in?

      • Hi Susan~
        Hope your Christmas was wonderful and cozy.
        I am in Oregon just outside of Portland so no cardinals. I think they are in Southern OR though…that’s what my son just told me so I see a trip South in my future!

  7. I too love the E. Piedmont WBU family. I have been their customer for years. My feeders are very busy with the cold weather we have had. So many bluebirds and goldfinches. I love when I spot a bird visiting for the winter months. What a treat.

  8. OMG! Susan I love your birds and the socks rock! So much so that I had to have a pair. Where I live there isn’t a store but I called the closest to me in BC and they just recd a shipment and will mail them to me. Can’t wait to rec them – I’m going to keep them for the hubs and son as funky valentines gifts. Thanks for the tip! Patty/BC

  9. Susan,
    I love birds very much, (especially in spring when they wake me up chirping every morning at 5 a.m.!!! LOL) but for the first time, this summer we have had a big problem with ugly, fat crows, for weeks! They suddenly started to appear everywhere in the town I live in. People were really scared of them (me, too! 🙁 ) and everybody thought of Alfred Hitchcock!
    Those crows were no interested in our trees, but they loved to land and to sit on our roofs and nobody knew what to do, neither the police did! They only recommended us: don’t leave the windows open! (Thank you for the good advice!!!) Sheesh!
    Fortunately they disappeared completely (the crows, not the police! lol) without someone’s help or intervention! We hope they will never come back!
    Susan, I love those Solmate Socks! (Are we too old for a pajama party? What do you think? 😉 )
    ~Hugs to you~
    Cecilia

    • We have problems with those too Cecilia and I don’t like them. When they take over the feeder, the other birds run off and stay away. They are a real nuisance. I hope you don’t see them again!

  10. Love the bird pics. You are a great bird lover for feeding them good stuff to help them survive the winter. Don’t know if it’s cold/had snow there but we finally got a good cold spell and a few inches of snow (we live about 18 miles west of Grand Junction, CO). Finally. It’s really late this year, usually we’ll have snow from mid-late Nov. on. We’ve had pretty low day time temps most of the week (about 12-20). At night it’s been 5 quilts on the bed nights for us. Our heater is in front of mfg. single wide home and we’re way in back so by time heat gets to us it’s pretty darned chilly. Today I showered in guest bath which is right next to heater.
    Love your blog. Hope they have those socks at the bird place. We actually have the same bird store in G.J. We don’t have a bird feeder but think I’ll be looking for an affordable one to help our bird friends survive the winter. Our cat won’t go out when there’s snow on the ground so won’t have to worry about him bothering the birds. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

  11. Susan,

    I watched this 5 minute youtube of this cute little chef. She is from England and went to France to pastry school. She has written a cookbook. I could swear she is wearing those socks. Take a look when she puts the tart shell in the frig to rest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw_YFQ8xVzY&feature=endscreen

  12. Forget that! If I spread that on my doorstep I would have rats, raccoons, opossum, and skunks. We had rats/mice after the bird food in our garage one year and they got into the car and munched on the electrical wiring. So, $600 later, my husband decided we weren’t going to feed the birds anymore. I hope you store yours in a metal can. Oh, so sorry to sound like Scrooge, just wanted to share our experience. I do miss the birds.

  13. Oh Susan, this is a post that warms my heart! I love watching the birds at the feeders & with the colder weather beginning to settle in, they’re visiting them a lot now. I usually just buy my seed at Walmart, but I’m going to try Wild Birds Unlimited now because of all the beauties that visited your feeders! I need help with squirrels, too. My husband loves those lil rats in their fur coats, but their stealing the bird seed drives me crazy, lol. I checked & my local WBU also has the socks! How cute are they?! I know everytime I looked down & saw them, it would bring a smile to my face. Thanks.

    • Alicia, I wore mine today and love them. I actually went back and bought a couple more pairs. Love all the fun colors. Your birdies will love the choice blend! I love the variety of birds it brings to my feeders.

  14. Sonia Cornwell says

    I just love your posts. Thank you for doing this. I’m so glad there are other people out there that inspire us .

  15. Last January I went to the funeral of a family friend and learned that he never wore matching socks. From that day I decided to free myself of the ‘matching sock saga’. It is SOOOO liberating! It also makes people laugh when they spot them. xx

I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment!

*