Thanks to everyone for the compliments and encouragement. Now if DW thought it was worthwhile - LOL! Belle, I have a tripod set up just inside a window. When taking pics the window is open (have had a few near misses on them flying inside!). My camera is a Sony Cybershot PS8. I set it at maximum zoom and on the Scene Selection for Sports, with flash. I read the camera's manual and found that the minimum distance for maximum zoom is 19 3/4 inches. I used a tape measure to set the feeder (using the ports on the far side) that far from the camera. I had to take the camera off Auto-Focus. By the time it focused the bird would be gone! So I set the camera to fixed focus and every once in a while, I get lucky. Most of the good ones are in the late evening, when the feeder is in shade and the hummies are getting their last fill for the night. I broke out my old 35 mm SLR and had it set up and got some nice pics, but determined that not all the settings still work, but it is over 30 years old. When I got it out, it still had film in at that I had no idea what it was. I had the film developed and it had pics of the kids that were taken 12 years ago!! A couple came out well, so that was a nice bonus. Dave

plllog- If you soak nuts and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in lightly salted water 12-24 hours and dehydrate them until they are crispy dry, they are easier to digest and you increase the nutrients. For more information check out "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. I use this method with all nuts and peanuts we consume because it germinates the nuts which increases the enzyme activity. Another way to offset difficulty digesting large quantities of nuts is to take an enzyme supplement to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors. I also stick to sprouted and dehydrated sunflower seeds for the same reason. You can purchase sprouted seeds from Nuts.com or goraw.com, but I make my own. Here are some tasty ways to consume chia seeds. CHAI CHIA PUDDING 2 c. boiling water 2 Chai tea bags 3 T. chia seeds small amount of milk of choice (cow, goat, nut milk) sweetener of choice (to taste) Steep tea bags in boiled water for 15-minutes. Remove bags and add sweetener and a small amount of milk to "lighten" the mixture. Add chia seeds, mix well. Let sit for 5-minutes and mix again. Refrigerate overnight. CAROB FUDGE \- a terrific high\-energy treat! (source: The Magic of Chia \- by James F. Scheer) 3/4 c. maple syrup 1 c. peanut butter 1 t. vanilla 1 c. almonds, chopped or ground 1 c. walnuts, chopped 1/2 c. sesame seeds 1/4 c. dry chia seeds 1/2 c. sunflower seeds 1/2 c. carob powder (I use 1/4 c. cocoa or cacao powder) Mix maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add carob powder (or cocoa) a little at a time. Mix until well blended. Mix all nuts and seeds together and add slowly to carob mixture. Press firmly into a lightly oiled pan. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve chilled. Must be stored in refrigerator or may be frozen. Makes 24 pieces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ \-Chia gel: 1 T. chia seeds + 9 T. water (you can use other liquids if you'd like). \-I add chia seeds or chia seed gel (water and chia seeds) to all yeast breads. It helps keep homemade bread stay moist longer and increases the fiber. If you don't like the dark seeds in your breads (slightly bigger than poppy seeds), mill it into flour and add it. \-Egg replacer. To replace one large egg, use 2 T. of chia gel. \-Fat replacer. Chia gel can be used to substitute for up to half the butter or oil in baked recipes without altering the taste, texture, or baking method. To replace butter or oil, use 1 T. of chia gel per tablespoon of butter or oil removed from the recipe. (Source: "Chia Seed Remedies") \-You can mill chia seeds into a flour in a coffee/spice mill. I regularly mill a 50/50 chia seed and flaxseed mixture and store it in the freezer. I add this mixture to our morning smoothie, baked goods, oatmeal, etc. \-I add chia seeds to homemade "energy bars". \-I add chia seeds to lemonade made with whey from draining my kefir. Chia Fresca is a favorite Mexican beverage. CHIA FRESCA 16 oz. filtered water 6 T. lime juice (fresh\-squeezed, about 2 limes) 1 T. chia seeds Your choice of sweetener. -Chia gel works in hot or cold beverages Add it to 100% fruit juice beverages, coconut water, etc. WATERMELON CHIA SLUSHY (source: "Chia Seed Remedies" 2 c. watermelon chunks 1 T. dry chia 1/2 c. crushed ice squirt of lime juice Sparkling water or seltzer In your blender, plus or chop the watermelon chunks. Be careful not to reduce it to liquid. Add the chia to hydrate and wait about 10-minutes. Add a squirt of lime juice, the crushed ice, and your amount of sparkling water. Pulse once to combine. Now you're ready to pour a glass of sweet, cool, refreshment. -I add chia seeds to my homemade popcicles. homemade tortillas, homemade pudding, granola...... CHIA COCONUT PUDDING (1 serving) 1-2 T. chia seeds (I like to use white chia seeds in this recipe) 1 T. coconut milk powder (Wilderness Family Naturals) 1 c. water Grind seeds or use whole (I grind them). Mix milk powder and water and heat to boiling point. Whisk seeds into liquid. Whisk again after a few minutes. Serve hot or cold with a drizzle of honey. -Add 2 T. chia seeds along with bread crumbs per 1-pound of ground meat when making meatballs or meatloaf. I use 3 to 5 pounds of chia seeds each year. -Grainlady

I also had been giving dream bones mini chews to my dogs. About 4 months ago my 7lb Chiweenie started throwing up blood and bloody stool 30 minutes after giving him the treat. I immediately took him to the vet where he had to spend the night. $400 later he got to come home. I didn't realize it was the treat as the vet said sometimes dogs get a intestinal virus. 3 days ago my short legged jack russell started the same thing. I took him to the vet the next morning when I found all the blood. 3 days later he got to come home. $1100 this time. I threw away all the dream bones treats that I had and will never buy these again. My dogs loved them and ate them for a couple years but my vet said that it was the treat that caused this. He got severely dehydrated and his kidneys were in bad shape. His white blood cell count was off. He was in really bad shape within a few hours. I am going to email the company and send them copies of my vet bills. We trust people to make stuff for our babies and then they poison them. I will never buy this product again and I will do everything I can to make sure no one else does either.

I did that search and saw the following on the first page of findings. I'll offer the links after each: Univ of Chicago article, Debunking the Health Benefits of apple cider vinegar, says "It may have some benefits to our bodies, but overall, we need more studies to truly understand the health benefits and side effects " Debunking the health benefits..... Consumer Reports Article, Is Vinegar Good for You, quotes a PhD dietician who's a spokesperson for the American Academy of Nurtirition and Dietics who said “Vinegar is absolutely a great tool in cooking,” she says. “However, consumers should be wary of vague health claims about it." Is Vinegar Good for you? Harvard Med School article, "If you are trying to lose weight, adding apple cider vinegar to your diet probably won’t do the trick. Of course, you’d never suspect that was the case by the way it’s been trending on Google health searches. But the popularity of diets frequently has little to do with actual evidence. If you read about a new diet (or other remedy) that sounds too good to be true, a healthy dose of skepticism is usually in order." Apple Cider Vinegar Diet, does it really work?