This is maybe the 3rd time I've read this one, and it's still funny. That woman Anne has a wry sense of humor. I think dogs are great, but they sure can be disgusting (like eating poop, rolling and hiding in dead carcasses, etc). Below is a link to a funny thread I stumbled across in the "Home Disasters" forum. Not sure that it qualifies as a "home disaster" but it is very funny. Cat threw up in washing machine

whenever I hear people discussing ways to discourage the sparrow I have to ask myself why? As You can easily see from my photo's when there is an abundant supply of food the birds will all mingle well. From my observation it is only when the food is in short supply that they really begin to be territorial. The question then becomes, why is the seed in short supply? No doubt the answer here is simple economics. People don't care to spend a lot of money on expensive birdseed, only to have it consumed by the less desirable birds and they don't get to see the species they are really interested in. From my experience the solution here is to shop around for your wild bird seed. By example, we have a local store that caters specifically to feeding and attracting wild birds. They sell a general mix of wild bird seed for $15 for a 20lb bag. On the other hand, Walmart has 20lb bags of the same seed for $10, however at Walmart it is a seasonal item and by now you probably can't find it. How would you like to find a year around source that has a better selection at prices far below the average retail store prices? In almost every community there is a store that specializes in selling feed, grain and hay for horses or farm animals. When my sister goes to the feed mill to buy feed for her horses I tag along and buy 50# bags of premium wild bird seed (mixed seed & peanuts) for $12 plus I buy a 50# bag of black oilseed sunflower seed for another $13. I then mix the two together and I end up with a premium blend for an average of $.25/lb. If you cannot find a Feed & grain supply in your community check out TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) TSC is also a great place to find feeders of all types for prices far below what you find in the regular retail stores, but then feeders are so simple to build i don't see why anyone would pay the prices they ask in most stores. While we are on the subject of bird feed, you may be surprised at how much you throw away every month without realizing it. When you bake a ham or a roast trim off the excess fat and put that in your suet feeder, the birds love it. At my house we all love to eat acorn or butternut squash. When you hollow out the seeds put them out for the birds, here again, they love it. Making a salad? Save the carrot peelings of the birds and by all means, be sure to save your orange or grapefruit peelings. I have seen a Bluejay grab an entire half section grapefruit peel and fly it up into the pine tree. Stale popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, breakfast cereal and cookies all go over well with the birds and as silly as it may sound, even leftover porky beans, whole kernel corn or green beans will quickly disappear when the birds find them. As you can see, I have taken feeding the birds rather seriously however to tell the truth it is more an means to an end. Since I retired last June I have taken up nature photography as a hobby, and since it is a bit too cold to get out in the woods like i would like to do, this is a way i can bring nature to me while i comfortably sit in the house...LOL. Gein that the subject of this thread was how to attract cardinals I thought i might post a couple more Cardinal Picks, along with one of my favorite pics of a Bluejay.

mmomof2: You are the boss and remind Hubby of this fact. It does help to make the house temps a little more even in the summer by running the fan. It also tends to keep the air a little cleaner by running it through the filter more frequently. You are waisting very little $$ by running the fan only. Figure a 3 amp fan motor with electricity at 10 cents/kw-hr (insert your own electric cost for more accurate figure). So: (3 amps x 120 volts)/1000 watts/kw x 10 cents/kw-hr) = 3.6 cents/hour to run the fan at high speed. Running the fan for 12 hours/day for 1 month will add about $13 to your electric bill. I would gladly pay $13/month to keep my wife happy.

Interesting responses. I agree - stale fondant tastes terrible, but freshly made from scratch can be pretty tasty. Did anyone check out the cake flavors and fillings? Yum!! I think these cakes are for more than just for show. But y'all don't have to eat them - more left for me. LOL! Strawberry Lemonade Torte  citrus poppy seed cake layered with lemon cream, fresh strawberries folded into strawberry mousse and lemon curd. Carrot Cake infused with Pineapple & Apricot and filled with Cream Cheese and Maple Pecan Butter Cream. Lemon Framboise Cake layered with a tart Lemon Curd, Fresh Raspberries in a Raspberry Mousse and a Lemon Cream. Chocolate Grand Marnier Cake with Marinated Oranges, Citrus Butter Cream and Dark Semi-Sweet Chocolate Cream. Pistachio Pear Fizz - butter cake infused with pear liqueur and layered with pear, champagne and pistachio mousses. Strawberry Shortcake - Light Sponge Cake layered with Fresh Berries, Strawberry Mousse, and St. Honore' Cream. Mai Tai Cake - Layers of Rum Glazed Pineapple Almond Butter Pound Cake filled with Chocolate, Citrus Butter Cream and Pineapple Cream. Banana's Foster Pecan Cake - 4 layers of Banana cake filled with Pecan Crunch Cream, Rum, flambéed Bananas folded with Crème Fraiche and Penoche Custard. Pumpkin Spice Cake - Pumpkin Pie cake filled with cream cheese, Caramelized Apple Chunks folded in Whipping Cream and Pumpkin Cream.