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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Since I gave you the horf-dorfs ...

Here it is cold and rainy and blergggghhh (that's a fancy technical weather term, don't try and understand) but spring is trying!  Really!
Cherry trees on my walk into my office.  
A little robin who is all like, "I migrated for this?  WTF?"
Speaking of birdies, my fat jar was full of leftover fat in the fridge, so I made suet the other day since the weather was turning cold and I'm trying to make my backyard the most bangin'est  birdy hangout around.  
Start with melting leftover fat in a saucepan until it liquefies completely.  
 Stir in natural peanut butter, cornmeal, rolled oats, leftover nuts if you have them (but they are so daggone expensive, who can afford this?), dried fruit, and cheap birdseed.  I bought some birdseed at Acme that the birds completely shunned, but they have wolfed it down if I include it in suet.  Mix thoroughly, then cool and package.
Package?
Yes, in these - leftover berry containers
Just line them with plastic wrap or wax paper (so the suet doesn't leak out of the holes in the bottom) fill them with suet,
wrap the plastic wrap over the suet, and snap the container shut.  I usually stick mine in the freezer until I'm ready to use them.  This container makes them the perfect size and shape for any standard suet cage.
Remember my post about my backyard flooding issue and the rain gardens?  While trying to find out more about local native plants, I stumbled across a state-sponsored website with a "Backyard Wildlife Habitat" program.  They have a checklist of requirements for your backyard (native plants, no fertilizer or pesticide, rain barrel, compost bin, etc.) all of which we meet, except that they ask that you have a rain garden to manage runoff from your yard.  Yes!!  They will even send someone out from the Cooperative Extension to survey your backyard and discuss plantings with you.  The Mister is already bemoaning the fate of this individual, who I may very well talk into a coma :-)

2 comments:

  1. I love the cherry trees. It's one of the things I miss the most about Washington, D.C. And you, my little lady, have made my birds very happy!

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  2. Gorgeous cherry trees! Springtime is so beautiful. Wonderful suet recipe. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete

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