Well, all I have to say is, HOLY COW Susie!! :)))) My birthday came a few days early, that's for sure! You are so sweet Susie, I can't believe how much you fit in that box, it was stuffed full! And things were wrapped up so pretty, I had so much fun opening everything! And here are the presents that were wrapped: Well, let's see here, I shall attempt to list everything that she sent me: -A book about growing plants indoors, which is just great for me, because I sure do need help with that, lol! Looks like some good info in there! -A very cute windsock -Shower gloves, which look really neat, I've never had them before -tulip and hyacinth bulbs, which I love, and will plant in my yard in the next couple days! -Eggnog flavored coffee! I love eggnog and I love coffee, but I never would've thought to put the two together, lol! I will definately be trying this, I bet it will be quite tasty -A really cute santa soap -Some fruit-scented incense, which smells very nice. I really like incense, so I will enjoy these! -Some doggie biscuits just for my babies! Thank you so much for including them, that means a lot to me. -An eye wear care kit, which comes with some glasses cleaner, (which I definately will use because my glasses are always getting dirty,) some lens cloths, and a tiny screwdriver with several little screws, which is so funny, because one of the screws on my glasses has come loose many times, and I've had to take them in and have the screw replaced and have them tightened. So now I can do it myself, how did you know Susie? -A really cute little green notebook, which I really like because green is my favorite color -A package of foot repair lotion -A light fixture to illuminate paintings and other such things! -A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup scented lip balm, which smells very yummy -Some yummy chocolates, crackers, and licorice candies -Some homemade raisin suet cakes, which I'm so excited about feeding to the birds, they will just love them!!! I was also wondering if I could have your recipe for these? I always buy the storebought suet, and would love to be able to make them myself. A little stocking filled with seeds! A very special little snowman figurine, which is just so cute and I have it sitting on my desk right now. I couldn't seem to get a good photo of it, and this pic doesn't do it justice at all, it's just so cute! -And there were also some delicious little jelly candies, I couldn't quit eating them, lol! Did you make them yourself? -And a very special gift, a cookbook on preserving what I grow. Susie says it has been her bible, and that there's a wealth of info in it. It looks like a really great book, and just what I've been wanting, too. I know I will get a lot of use out of this, thank you so much for passing it on to me! Can't wait to try the recipes out with next year's harvest. I sure hope I have not forgotten anything! I think I've remembered everything, forgive me if I left anything out. There was just so many great things in this box, I was like a kid in a candy store opening all these gifts, LOL! Thank you so much again Susie, you are so wonderful, you have no idea how much you've blessed me with this package. I have really been through a lot lately and have been pretty down, but getting this box from you has really lifted my spirits, to know that someone cares that much to send me all this neat stuff. ~Summer

I have a up red headed one that visits my feeder, but he swoops in quick grabs nuts and the larger pieces of dried fruit and then whoosh he's gone. The dowdy woodpeckers are the ones that love my suet feeders. I wish the red head would stay longer. I hadn't seen him for a couple of months, as the housing plan I live in cut down thousands of trees even ones very close to me and many of the birds moved on. I was so excited that he came back. He use to visit more when there was a thicket of trees for him to go to that was closer to my feeders.

the one thing i like about it is that you can add whatever you have on hand. i mentioned in another different post that i have added leftover trail mix or cereal or old marshmellows. the local health food store carrys rolled oats or rolled barley or rolled rye or rolled triticale. which we use to get around the same old oatmeal for breakfast. i have tried them all in the different mixes. even used up leftover chips or crackers and currents and gooseberrys and other fruit from the garden and orchard so far they have eaten them all some a little better than others.

Robins really like fruits, too. While I have never seen one eat an orange slice I have seen them eat a number of ornamental and edible fruits like strawberries, cherries, etc. They eat a lot of crab apple and mountain ash fruit in the late-summer-fall and once most other fruit has fallen or been eaten they switch to hawthorn berries which persist through the winter. At my house I only put out oranges for the orioles, I don't like to fuss with jelly and sugar water, but we've got juniper/cedar trees as a windbreak and they are laden with "berries" and filled with robins. Several years ago, when we lived in an apartment, there was a huge flock of robins and cedar waxwings in the hawthorn trees one day in December or January.