Thanks everyone. I might adjust the windchime some and remove the beads that sit up on top of the star, not sure you can see that from the picture but they look kind of odd up there. Patti, I love the idea of using a teacup. Did you have any trouble drilling holes in it or did you just tie string to the handle? I think using a teacup as the top hanger part (where my star tealight is) would be awesome. But I'm kind of afraid to drill holes in one. Maybe a thick one like a Fiestaware cup, I have a ton of those we don't use (too small for coffee and we're not hot tea drinkers). This is at least the 2nd year that we've had birds in the propane tank. I don't see the birds though because it's under my deck and I can't see it from inside the house. My water spigot is right next to the tank and once I was under there turning on the water and the bird flew out right past my head. But it was so fast and I was so startled that I didn't see what kind of bird it was. I imagine it's something small though, although the eggs are about the same size as robin's eggs so I don't know. I'll have to research it. thanks again for all the nice comments on my chimes! Robin

I pray it's not voles that I have. I think i was mice because I found a little nest and the roots were exposed enough (I dug it up kinda sloppily) so that after eatting the rosette of foliage the mouse could suck up the roots like little tasty strands of spagetti. The garage can warm up on a decent winter day.... the furnace and water heater are in a side room that vents to the garage so that adds to the warmth. It probably stays in the 40's. Ok the fig tree I keep in there is starting to sprout now too. I wonder if I can put it somewhere colder.... I already put all the potted bulbs outside, I gave up on winter. Terrene: open up one of their tunnels, put peanut butter on a trap and cover it with a board or something... if you can catch a few dozen it might make a difference. (from someone who was shocked one spring to find a mature cherry tree dying because it's roots were completely girdled and stripped)

Oh yeah I know how that is Angie! I'm not all that open about birds but my closest friends know I'm a bird watcher and seem to respect it. I'm still into a lot of other things for my age but I was born a nature lover and look to maybe have my 1st career being landscaping. And yes, they are awful birds. I've told others that I trap but I try to get them to understand that I'm only doing it for good reasons...:)...the 1st time I had euthanize a HOSP it was tough...real tough...but now, after seing what they do to our good, native, beautiful insect eating birds, I feel no contempt eliminating them. Whatever it takes to restore the balance and keep our good birds alive... By the way...read my post in the other thread...my neighbor owns a Martin house that I remove HOSP nests from.

Sounds like it will be a great evening. I'm sure the chef will be thrilled! This is very nice and can be made ahead of time as well. The Tannery’s Crab Crème Brûlée with Pickled Cucumber and Melba Toast adapted from Paul Flynn via The Afternoon Show and Paul Flynn: Irish Food Serves 4 as a starter “Any time you have something creamy, you need something sharp to offset it. This is why we serve pickled cucumber with this dish. You need something to cut through the cream, and the pickled ginger is the starting point of that,” says Paul Flynn. One of the keys to this dish is its lovely creamy consistency, so keep an eye on your oven temperature: “You put it into a low oven because you don’t want the eggs to soufflé, you want them to gently set, like a custard.” 400 ml (1 3/4 cups) cream 1 egg 2 egg yolks 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped (or grate it directly into the custard mixture with a Microplane grater) 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, drained and finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper 150 g (1 cup) picked white crab meat, finely chopped 50 g (1/2 cup) freshly grated Parmesan pickled cucumber, to serve (see recipe below) Melba toast, to serve (see recipe below) lemon wedges, to serve Place the cream in a bowl with the eggs, garlic, pickled ginger and some salt and pepper and mix well. Add in the crab meat, ensuring there is no shell, and mix well again. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to allow the flavours to infuse for at least 30 minutes, but ideally up to overnight. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Ladle or pour the mixture into the ramekins, making sure you get an even amount of crab in every ramekin, as the crab tends to fall to the bottom. Place the ramekins in a roasting tray. Fill the tray with warm water until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place this bain marie in the oven and cook for 45 to 60 minutes (check after 40 minutes). When cooked through, the mixture should be set but still have a slightly wobbly consistency. Remove the ramekins from the bain marie and allow to cool ��" the crab crème brûlée should be served at room temperature. When ready to serve, sprinkle a very thin layer of Parmesan on top of each ramekin and brown under the grill. Serve with pickled cucumber, really thin Melba toast (“sort of a retro addition that you don’t see very often”) and a lemon wedge. “So there you have it,” says Paul. “The Tannery crab crème brûlée ��" my classic.” Pickled Cucumber 1 cucumber pinch of salt 50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar 50 ml (1/4 cup) white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce Slice the cucumber as thinly as you can (a mandolin or food processor’s slicing attachment is perfect for this job). Place the sliced cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside. Bring the sugar, vinegar and chilli sauce to the boil and reduce for 30 seconds. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely. Once it’s cool, pour the liquid over the cucumbers and stir gently to coat them all. This will keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days ��" any more and the cucumber loses its colour. Melba Toast Toast slices of white bread and remove the crusts. Slice the bread laterally to make two slices that are half the original thickness of the bread. Rub off excess bread from the untoasted side, then cut diagonally into triangles. Place the untoasted side under the grill until the edges curl. The Tannery Restaurant