Who remembers the Birdhouse Man?

Who remembers DoDo, the Birdhouse Man?  His real name was Richard Keeney and he passed away in 2015. For those of us of a certain age in Maryland, you could find the Birdhouse Man just over the Frederick County line, in Tuscarora.    At the corner of Routes 28 and 85, there was a wooded corner with a little shacky house on it.  It was surrounded by bird houses and other Americana built out of repurposed wood and garden implements. There was a "honor box" where you put your money when you bought something.

For years, I kept horses in various stables around Boyds, Dickerson and Adamstown.  Over the years, I was back and forth over the Point of Rocks bridge over the Potomac to horse shows at Morven Park, Middleburg and Upperville.    At the stop sign at Routes 85 and 28, I'd always stop and look at the Mr. Keeney's creations, thinking how wonderful they were.  One day, I pulled to the side of the road and bought my very own Birdhouse Man bird house.

My particular bird house was made of repurposed wood, painted in a faded burgundy.  It had a corrugated tin roof, and was attached to an old shovel and a pair of rusty garden shears.  My bird house has been at three homes and is always the center of attention! He's getting a bit shabby now, and maybe needs a little new paint and a couple of nails, but the shabbier he gets, the better he looks.

At the last house, he lived in a big bank of blue hydrangea for eleven years.  My current house had no existing garden per se, so for the first year, he held court over Black-eyed Susans and morning glory.  Hopefully, next year he'll have bee balm and coneflower to keep him company, too.  Maybe even a new coat of paint, too!