Just a follow up to my feeder dilemma. I filled the tube feeder with sunflower seeds and it just kind of sat there until last weekend. I went out of town for a few days and during that time my large feeder in the back yard was raided by our resident squirrel leaving it next to empty. When I came home on Monday the finches had re discovered the seeds in the tube feeder. So at least for the moment I can watch them from the living room again. Thanks! Kate

Sorry I haven't responded here in a couple of days. I know you all understand, though. Jeanne, your photo is gorgeous! What a lovely walk that must have been. Oh, and I'll have deviled egg appetizers waiting for you when you get here. I love them, too! I have one of those storyteller candles! I bought it years ago when we were in Taos. That's where they make them. I've never lit it, though, and don't ever plan to. Here she is: PartyMusic: thanks! You're more than welcome to jump on the Holiday Bus and come along for breakfast, too. MM: too funny! I get the same way when I see pics of Huevos Rancheros. Most restaurants out here serve it all day, because so many of us love them anytime. Last night when we went out to dinner, I almost had them again but chose Chile Rellenos instead. Mmmmm! Luvs: You are always welcome here! And, scrambled eggs are wonderful with salsa or red chile on them. I always have some on the table when I make scrambled eggs. I hear you regarding Spanish pronunciations! I took 7 years of it as a kid in Michigan. Never got to use it much, because you hear more French there. But, once I moved to NM, a lot of it came back to me. The "LL" sounding like a "Y" throws most people off and so does the "J" sounding like "H" do, too. Funny! As for my seed placemats, I'm really liking them. At first, I was going to take them back as I was worried that they'd be very hard to keep clean, but they're not that bad. I just have to be careful about what I serve when I use them. Drips down between those seeds would not be a good thing! Kathleen, I'm Scot and I love them. I think it becomes an addiction when you move here ;^D When DS was in college, I had to send him chile on a regular basis. The main requests our NM service men & women have from home are canned green chiles and salsa! I can't imagine getting on without it now. OK, I'm making myself hungry! Karen: they sure can be made with scrambled eggs! Do you ever make Breakfast Burritos? You roll a flour tortilla around warm scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, sausage or ham, add some hash browns, beans if you like, shredded cheese and then salsa or red chile sauce. That's got to be New Mexico's other favorite breakfast! Even the McD's out here serve them. Punk: I'd love to have you come for breakfast! I love the pinecone napkin rings that Jane sent me, too. They look great with three of my dish sets: these pinecone ones, the ones with actual pinecones painted on them and my green Solare dishes. They get used a lot! Glor: Yes, that dip is very popular out here. We usually add diced jalapenos or green chiles to ours. I've had it used as a stuffing for enchiladas and burritos, too. Have you ever had Green Chile Roll-Ups? They're a pinwheel-type appetizer and very popular out here. Luckygal: I don't care for very hot food either. But, what I now consider mild, I find that my Michigan family thinks is medium-to-hot. I guess I've just gotten used to it over the years. OA: thank you :~ ) Yes, that brown pedestal is from HL and was meant to hold a candle, I think. I keep looking for a more rustic one to use on a table like this, but haven't found it yet. I'd love to hear any ideas you might have for a substitute. That pedestal is probably the main thing I don't like about this vignette. The pottery comes mainly from two NM potters, one is my neighbor. I love his work and, as I've mentioned, use it every day. I feel the same way you do about centerpieces! I have several 5x7 frames with easel backs I keep just for adding an interesting card to for a centerpiece. There are so many possibilities out there these days and the frames are so quick and easy to change out. Well, now I'm REALLY hungry for something with chiles! I think I'll go make myself a grilled cheese with green chile sandwich for lunch. Lynn

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I cooked dinner for 11 people, and we had a sit down meal. DH has to bring another table in to do that, and it crowds the living room, but prefer a sit down meal. Two people were missing from our table this year... DD and her b/f broke up and my SIL passed away in May. From now on, I guess I'll be the one cooking the meal, but I love doing it. DH usually helps out quite a bit, but this year he was away in the day time. He did all the dishes, though. Here is my pastry recipe that I use for butter tarts (I cut them out with a glass) and the butter tart filling recipe as well. With pastry, the technique is just as important as the recipe: Double Crust Pastry: Put approx 1/3 cup of softened butter in a 1 cup measuring cup. Add shortening to fill, mix well, and refrigerate until chilled. Chill approx ü cut of water, add a splash of vinegar and chill. When chilled, add 1 egg and beat into chilled water. In deep bowl, mix 2 cups of unbleached flour, a dash of salt and some icing sugar. Cut in shortening/flour mixture with pastry blender. Cut in until shortening is in pieces about the size of peas. Add enough of the water/egg mixture to just hold together. Roll out pastry and cut with a cutter or a glass to get the right size shells for your tart pan (you can use a muffin pan). Butter Tarts 1 cup raisins 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg, well beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla Pour boiling water over raisins. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain, add remaining ingredients. Stir together well. Add mixture into unbaked pastry shells and bake at 375ð for approximately 15 to 18 minutes. I make my own pastry, and I usually freeze the tarts before baking⦠they donâÂÂt seem to boil over that way. In fact, I chill the filling before I put it in the shells, as you don't want to melt the fat in your pastry. Makes about 24 tarts.