My "Eagle-eyed" Plan For Today

 
As we approach eight weeks of being Safe at Home we are continually looking for things to do.  It's amazing how many little things were left undone before this.  It was much easier to make an excuse to go shopping or leave the house just because we could.  Now each day is divided up into what we should do and what we want to do.  I am afraid when this pandemic is under control and we are free to come and go, there will still be things to do that we have still put off.  It reminds me of the job jar I had for my husband.  I thought it was an awesome idea because every time I would have a project to do, I would write it on a piece of paper and put it in a jar.  Then he would reach into the jar and pull out the next project.  It sounds good in theory but only if you do that project.  I soon figured out that soon all the easy projects were finished and all the hard projects remained in the jar.  I hadn't made it clear that an unpleasant job could not be returned to the jar.  For the record, I had my own job jar too and I did the same thing.

Today is going to be an easy day to fill.  It is carp spawning season on our marsh.  The carp are very active today and that is fun to watch.  They splash around on the surface of the water and sometimes jump out of the water.  I have written about the carp bow hunters that come in at night to fish for these carp.  They come in very late so I wasn't looking forward to last night but it was way too windy and we actually got uninterrupted sleep.

As I was watching this morning, I saw two eagles sitting in the tree about half way across the marsh.  They are very patient birds and can sit for hours just waiting for that perfect opportunity.  I watched off and on along with them.  In situations like this, a longer zoom lens would certainly be nice.

I got some coffee and returned to glance out the window.  Oh my gosh, there was one of the eagles sitting right below our deck in the same location the turtles have been sunning themselves.

I grabbed the camera and got a picture before he flew off.  My first thought was that he was after a turtle, but I then realized that it was the carp he was after.  It was a buffet right in front of him.

As the young eagle flew off, he grabbed for a fish.  I didn't get a shot of him catching one, but that is what I plan for today.  Who knows.  I will be busy watching.

This Eastern Phoebe's Poor Choice

Our excitement for today involved relocating a bird nest.  A darling Eastern Phoebe was spending a lot of time on our deck rail.

They like building nests under the overhang of the house.  We have three nests right now that I didn't catch in time.  I checked often but this afternoon I saw her fly in directly above our patio door.  It was the worst possible choice because with us going in and out and disturbing her plus I didn't want bird poop dripping down the screen.  I put on gloves, a hat and got a small shovel.  I took down the nest, but to my surprise it had four phoebe eggs and a cow bird egg in the nest.

I have no idea when she built that nest and how she and a cowbird laid those eggs without me noticing.  Mike's chair is right on the other side of the door and he hadn't noticed her either.  I relocated it to another spot not too far away and under cover, however Mike said the phoebe eggs or the babies would not have survived anyway because when the larger cowbird hatches it either forces the babies out of the nest or they won't get enough food to survive.  The weird part is that it's illegal to remove a cowbird egg from a nest.  I hope this Eastern Phoebe doesn't try to build another nest in the exact same spot as before.  We may have a little conflict of wills if she does, but she doesn't know who she's dealing with and I will win.

I will monitor the nest to see what happens, but I did my best. 

Here is another reason I don't want the nest near the entrance to the house.  It's the reason I used gloves and wore a hat....mites.
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/06/handle-bird-nests-carefully.html

Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day

I usually try to see the bright side of situations.  I still do, but it has been a challenge today.  My day or actually last night started out with falling asleep easily.  That was great, but a short time later sometime after midnight, my husband's CPAP mask started making sounds like the air was being let out of a balloon.  I could hear him adjust it, it would stop for a few seconds and start again.  I grabbed my pillow and headed for the other bedroom.  It isn't the first time I have been forced to do it, but last night I wasn't happy about it.  I had been sleeping so good.  After getting as comfortable as I could in that bed, I fell asleep only to dream and dream and dream.  I can't even remember most of the dreams, but they were outrageous.  I dreamt we had two dogs tied outside that weren't ours.  We had dug out some underground tunnels for them to shelter in.  People were coming and going.  Most of the people I didn't recognize.  Then the dogs turned into two children which I rescued.  We didn't know who they belonged to until this woman waltzed in and said they were her kids but she didn't want them anymore.  Good God, where do some of those dreams come from?  I don't have a clue.  There is nothing in that dream that resembles my life.  Finally it was about six, and I could justify getting up.  The day was going to be rainy, windy and gloomy.  I warmed my bone broth and then made my coffee.  I had a piece of home made bread and noticed it was time to make more.  I looked around the house and thought everything should be spic and span with all this time at home, but it is not.  I do a lot better keeping things in order when I have a schedule.  My schedule has hit the skids.  I vacuum at 10:00 at night, I do a load of laundry when the basket looks full and dishes whenever.  From the middle of the afternoon I am trying to figure out what to have for supper.  Food is always on my mind.  Either how I am going to get it from the store or what I can snack on.   As of this moment, I am out of chocolate, cookies and potato chips.  Not the end of the world, but when you can't have something you want it more.

In order to salvage my day, I decided to make bread.  That usually turns out good even though at this time and maybe forever, my husband can't have it.  It is full of white flour and gluten.  He came in the kitchen and said "I bet that Krunka would sure taste good".  The Krunka is the crust of the warm bread.  His grandma was pure Polish so we think that word came from her. 

 I thought I really should make him something.  I created a pie that was gluten free, dairy free and egg free.  Making that was not without moments of frustration.  The crust was sticky so I pressed it into the pan instead of rolling it out.  Why I didn't use my tried and true gluten free pie crust recipe is a mystery in itself, but I ventured off the beaten path into the weeds.  When that was done, I found a can of peach pie filling in the pantry.  I really couldn't remember buying it.  There was a reason for that.  It expired in 2016.  I opened it anyway and the peaches were brownish and obviously not fit for human consumption.  I had one more option. With this stay at home situation, my pantry is looking pretty pathetic.  I found a can of cherry pie filling which was still good.  I opened it and poured it onto the crust.  I thought I'd make a little topping for it like you would for cobbler so I mixed gluten free flour mix, brown sugar and some shortening because I can't use butter.  It looked pretty good so into the oven it went.  One hour later I took it out looking delicious and bubbly. 

A couple hours later I asked my husband if he wanted a piece.  He did.  I tasted it first and it tasted like chicken feed smells only with cherries in it.  I bought it to him and he ate it.  He didn't say anything because he is a kind man, but then I asked him if it smelled like chicken feed.  Not being familiar with that smell from being a city boy, he just laughed and suggested I scrape some of the topping off next time so he just gets the cherry pie filling.  Then I thought I should check the label of the pie filling.  What did they thicken it with?  It was modified food starch which didn't sound good.  I looked it up and "Modified food starch is starch that has been treated with an acid or another chemical to change the protein structure of the starch. This process should alter the structure of the starch molecules, making even wheat sources unlikely to cause a reaction in those with gluten sensitivity."

That was a good thing which brings me full circle in this story.  I have to find the bright parts of the day.  First I took a shower this morning and washed my hair so I smell good.  I will skip over the part where I found a tick on my rear end which had to be removed with a tweezers.  The next good thing is that a new CPAP mask and headgear came in the mail so I may be able to sleep in my own bed tonight.  We also received a new battery operated chain saw which wasn't supposed to ship for a month.  I will skip over the part where we ordered a new battery for our old chain saw but it wasn't the battery that is the problem with the saw..  Today my granddaughter was going to Costco to do my shopping.  I called and they are allowing people to come in to shop for others.  I'll skip over the part where it was too windy and rainy to go today.   Ok, so finding the bright side today is a bit of a challenge but we feel fine, we are alive and even without chocolate and potato chips, we will not starve.  So as the old folks used to say (even though we are old folks), tomorrow will be a better day.  In fact, it looks brighter already.  

Happy quarantine everyone.

Reflections of the Pandemic of 2020

Stay Home and Stay Safe

Today I am writing a new blog post mostly to document this time in history from my perspective for my blog book.  I am hoping my future descendants will get a feel for what our life was like during the world wide pandemic of 2020.  This pandemic is COVID-19.  It is a virus that mutated from an animal to a human.  It was easily spread through human contact before it was truly identified and understood.  It still isn't completely understood because individuals are reacting differently to this virus, but they are getting a better handle on it.  I won't elaborate on the disease and it's symptoms.  There will be volumes written about what it was, how many died and what treatments and vaccines are being developed.  Anyone reading this even twenty five years from now probably can't even imagine how this even got out of control.  How it was handled and how quickly it was taken seriously depends on leadership and the media. Wisconsin, where we live has done a great job of containing the spread by making people aware very early and invoking a Safe at Home order for residents.  They closed all the schools including the colleges and universities.  The city of Madison and Milwaukee have the most cases.  One of the first cases we heard of in Wisconsin was from people coming home to Fond du lac Wisconsin after being on an Egyptian river cruise.  Fond du lac has had a few deaths and several cases mostly from people on this cruise or people who associated with those people.  Once the cause of the illness was detected, the city of Fond du lac has done a great job containing the spread.  With the Safe at Home order people are encouraged to stay home except to get groceries, prescriptions and other essentials.  I believe people are abiding with this order.  There will always be a few who think it is a hoax, and they won't let anyone tell them what they can or cannot do.  I believe these people are in the minority.  It took a while before a few got on board, but most are doing well.  After a few weeks of this state order the curve is flattening and less new cases are happening.  History will tell the story.  We don't know what that will be yet, but future elections will have something to do with how this time is remembered.  I hope things are being learned everyday to keep this from happening again.

Living in a big city is entirely different than living in rural Wisconsin.  We don't have mass transportation or taxis, high rise apartments with elevators or crowded sidewalks.  People here do not live and work so close together so it is a lot easier for us to social distance ourselves.  My husband and I were born to self isolate so it isn't much of a hardship.  We were food and product gatherers  before this started so we didn't have to rush out to buy toilet paper and antibacterial wipes.  This is a terrible time for people who work in health care and essential businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations or any business that people need to survive.  People are being forced to stay home from work without pay, and they aren't sure when or if they will be able to return to work.  I don't know how that will play out in the future, but society will survive.

It's been more than five weeks since we went to a grocery store. We ordered groceries to be delivered to get some produce and some essentials.  This allows us to stay home and away from people.  We have made some car trips just to get out and to deliver some items to our daughters' door steps.  We would wave but stay away more than the recommended six feet.  That's what I miss most.  Interaction with our family.  We have had to cancel family dinners like our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration and the Easter egg hunt, but if it means staying safe that is what we will do.  Older people like us have a greater chance of dying from the virus.  Both our daughter's work in hospitals so just in case they contract the virus, we don't want to get it.  They would feel so guilty if that happened.  This is temporary, and we can do it if we all cooperate.  It will be a while, probably several months before we feel comfortable going about business as usual.

As I mentioned before, my husband and I have taken to this like fish to water.  I am sure I was a pioneer in a former life.  I'm not sure what my husband was, but he can sit and be perfectly content to watch movies and you tube videos or read.

Today for example, I made a large batch of bone broth.  I had made several containers six weeks ago and I am down to my last serving.  I make the broth in my pressure cookers.  I have a six quart and a 12 quart. 

I make decaffeinated tea by the pitcher, but I like lemonade in it.  I was out of the organic lemonade I usually have on hand, so I made lemonade out of organic lemon juice, sugar and water.  It is 1 cup of sugar (any kind), 1 cup of lemon juice and 6 cups of water.  It is very good and probably more economical than the prepared juice I usually buy.

Next I wanted to make a gluten free apple crisp.  I kind of made up the recipe, but found out I didn't have enough brown sugar.  I am running low on the basic staple items.  To remedy that situation I just mixed 1/4 cup of molasses and 2 cups of white sugar.  This makes dark brown sugar.  If you want light brown sugar just mix a lesser amount of molasses.  Mix it until it's completely combined and the final product looks exactly like packaged brown sugar.

My grocery delivery gave us the wrong kind of french dressing.  They gave us creamy French dressing which contains high fructose corn syrup and skim milk.  I will have to make my own Catalina dressing.  I didn't get at it today, but I will make that soon.  Here is the recipe to make your own.  Put all ingredients in a blender.  1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup mild oil.  I use avocado
or olive oil.  Pulse the blender until it is mixed.  Store it in the refrigerator.

I also had some canned beans in the pantry that had been there for a while.  I decided to make a 3 bean salad with them.  I drained a can of green beans, a can of northern beans and a can of kidney beans.  I sliced one onion and mixed it in with the beans.  Then I combined 3/4 cup sugar, 2/3 cup white vinegar, 1/3 cup oil,  a little salt and pepper and 1/2 t. celery seed.  I poured it over the beans and let it sit overnight before I put it in whatever jars I could find.  I got a quart and a pint from this batch.

 
I play pioneer woman all day but then I have to clean up my mess.  That's the worse part, but at least I have a dishwasher and I don't have to haul water, heat it on a wood stove and wash the dishes.  This quarantine situation isn't even close to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.  We have modern appliances and technology.  Technology makes us know how bad things are but it also keeps us connected with others.   It won't be easy for many, and there is a lot of controversy connected with every aspect of this, but hopefully we will learn from this experience and life will continue on better than before.

Gray Hair Is Not So Bad

I found this blog I wrote on November 3, 2018.  I never published it.  I guess I didn't want anyone to feel bad if they choose to color their hair.  As I mentioned, if it makes you feel good then do it.  The only reason I thought about it now is the beauty shops are closed indefinitely because of the COVID-19 virus.  Some people may not have a choice and will be able to see what their true hair color is.

So here it is:

I haven't blogged for quite some time.  When I do, it's usually about our local wildlife or how the seasons and landscape changes around our property.  Once in a while, I get a bee in my bonnet about one thing or another.  Usually it's about my love/hate relationship with Facebook and No I am not writing about politics.  I know what I believe, and nothing I can say will change another persons mind.  I don't understand it, but I can't change it.  Too many factors come into play that I can't change.  People vote against their best interest because their parents and grandparents voted that way.  The political parties have changed, but people are stuck.  Which brings me to what I want to write about.  GRAY HAIR.

Gray hair has a bad rap.  The actual definition for Gray doesn't help.  "The color gray is an emotionless, moody color that is typically associated with meanings of dull, dirty and dingy, as well as formal, conservative and sophisticated.  The color gray is a timeless and practical color that is often associated with loss or depression."  Back in the day gray hair meant old, old and older, even more than now.  When I first noticed my gray hair, my mom encouraged me to color my hair.  I don't even remember when that was.  I was probably in my 40's.  I suppose my mother didn't want to be the mother of an old lady.  I had pretty dark hair so every gray hair showed up.  I colored my hair lighter and lighter to hide the gray.  I even convinced myself that I was blonde.  I wasn't fooling anyone, but the light bulbs in my bathroom gave my hair a golden tint.  Eventually I had no idea what my natural hair color was.  Then I got cancer.  I went through the whole process of losing all my hair.  It sounds terrible but when I had my husband shave my head, I felt more free than I ever had.  It was like a brand new start, and it changed my life.  I wasn't prepared for how it felt.  My hair is very thick so having no hair on my head felt really good.  I loved being able to wash my head with shower soap, and I didn't have to waste time drying it.  In public I was self conscience and got a wig.  It looked fake, it was hot and I was more uncomfortable wearing it than not.  I remember the day I pulled it off and gave it to the kids for Halloween.  It was that feeling of freedom all over again.  After treatment, my hair began to return.  It was pure gray.  I actually liked it.  I felt the same, I just looked different.  I didn't take pictures and I wish I would have.  This photo I am showing is the only one I have as my hair was coming back.

I would not have had the courage to grow it out if it hadn't happened naturally.  To this day I would have been trying to convince people I was a natural blonde.

There are so many advantages to going gray.  First of all, it's cheaper.  No more long trips to the hairdresser.  I know hairdressers need to make a living, but I'm pretty sure none of them are getting rich from those on Social Security.  All I do is go in for a haircut now and then.  $20 every two months and I'm good to go.  Someone estimated that 25 years of getting your hair colored added up to $65,000.  Imagine what you could do with an extra $65,000.  Think about how many people aren't satisfied with their natural color anyway.  They are getting their hair frosted or highlighted or whatever else is in style.  I figure you might as go natural and if that is gray, so be it.  You are still yourself.

Next it frees up tons of time.  I don't have to go to the store for coloring or sit in a beauty shop for hours.  I don't have to obsess about my roots.  My roots are always gray.   I have hours of time to do what I want to do.

Lastly, you may as well admit your age.  How many times have you seen a woman (or man for that matter) with lovely raven locks.  Then they turn around and the face gives it away.  Would you rather be noticed for beautiful gray hair and a face that matches or that other person I just described.  You can't fool anyone, especially all the Facebook friends you graduated from high school with.  Maybe 10 years or so younger, but not 30 years.

There, I said it.  Some people naturally never turn gray and that is wonderful.  I also realize most people who color their gray will continue to do because it just makes them feel good, but for me it was something that weighed me down and I didn't even know it.  Fact is, your hair color isn't what draws people to you or away from you.  It could be what comes out of your mouth, but that's another story.  Just be yourself.

A Tenth Birthday Party To Remember

Every generation has its struggles with famine, wars and terrorism, but who would have thought that a virus that mutated from an animal would bring the world to its knees.  We don't know how long this will last and I suspect we will never approach door handles, key pads or shopping carts the same.  My family has been very careful.  We distanced ourselves from each other early on.  Our daughters both work in hospitals, and they were especially careful to protect my husband and me.  We have not even been to a grocery store for almost three weeks.  I'm not convinced grocery stores are that safe.  People will say that they are staying safe at home except for going to the grocery store.  It's like being on a cruise ship with food to catch all the particles floating around in the air.  I got my first grocery delivery today but before I brought it in the house, I wiped down everything including the plastic bags.  You may laugh and think I'm crazy, and maybe I am.....but it can't hurt.

Every year we have a traditional St. Patrick's Day celebration at our home.  We postponed that until later.  It was a disappointment but the hardest to miss is our youngest grandsons tenth birthday.  Tomorrow is actually his birthday, but today was a beautiful day for a drive.  We drove out to their house with his present.  We drove up to the front of the house.  I got out and put his gift on the porch.  Then I got back in the truck and let them know we were outside.  They came outside, got some chairs and we actually got to talk in person while keeping a safe distance. 

Since there would be no family party and because we were already sitting in the driveway, Ewan got to open his present a day early.

Any one who has read about or met our youngest grandchild knows he is an outdoor kid.  I always tease that he will be like Grizzly Adams.  He will be a Mountain Man or a Cowboy.  He has wanted cowboy boots in the worst way.  Most kids who are ten years old have out grown that but not Ewan.  So what do you think we got him?  Real leather authentic Cowboy boots.  When he saw the box, he thought it was a big puzzle.

I think he liked them.  Hopefully he won't out grow them too soon.  Next thing you know he will want a horse, but that won't be coming from this set of grandparents.  For now, he will just have to ride his pretend horse.

 Happy Tenth Birthday Ewan.  If nothing else, it will be one you will remember. 

Knit or Crochet a Swiffer Cover

Since I have mostly run out of things to blog about, I have to improve on things I have already done.  In 2013 I blogged about making fabric Swiffer covers.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/01/swiffer-sheets-from-fleece-fabric.html  The fleece fabric covers work out fine and I still use them, but lately I have been seeing Pinterest posts for some knit and crochet covers.  Since there isn't  a pattern I liked for making them, I just experimented with some yarn I found.  I found some chenille yarn at Walmart.  It was 5.3 ounces of Lion Brand Vel-Luxe yarn for $4.98.  It is very soft and seems durable.  The fleece fabric covers are still in good shape after seven years.  Time will tell if these new ones hold up over time.

My first attempt was basically a long skinny rectangle the width of the Swiffer (about 4 inches) and 15 inches long (10 inches actual size plus 5 inches for folding over).  It looked like a slipper with two toes.  I set stitch markers in 10 stitches on each end to make it easier to seam later when I sewed it together.

With size 8 needle,  I cast on 50 stitches and knit the garter stitch (knitting every row) for 24 rows or 12 bumps on each side.  Fold in at the stitch markers on each side and sew the flaps to make pockets.  That's it, just slip it on the Swiffer head.  By the way, people give away these Swiffers all the time.  Almost every thrift store has them for little cost.  I suppose buying the disposable covers gets annoying and wasteful.  I purchased a micro fiber "dust mop" as my mother called them.  It was larger, awkward and pivoted in odd directions.  I like the small Swiffer so much better.

The next one I made was similar but it wrapped around the Swiffer head.

With a Size 8 needle, I cast on 30 stitches and knit the garter stitch for 60 rows (30 bumps).  It makes a rectangle about 8 by 9 1/2.  Smaller is better than too big.  This yarn stretches some.  Seam in about 2 inched on each side and close the ends.  This one looks like it would hold a small box of Kleenex. 

The last one I made was crocheted.  It was faster to make, and although it looks very similar to the second one, I liked it better.  With a size H crochet hook I chained 30 and joined to make a circle.  I crocheted in each stitch around until the beginning.  Then join in the first stitch, chain 1 and make another round until the piece is a tube about two inches long.  At this point I stopped working in the round and turned my work.  Crochet back and forth on the 30 stitches until the piece is about 7 1/2 inches long.  Then crochet around again for two more inches for a total of 9 1/2 inches. 

To finish this piece the ends just need to be sewn shut.  This yarn is very forgiving and if you miscount or don't line it up perfectly, it won't show.  It's just a Swiffer cover after all. 

This yarn picks up fine dust and doesn't just push it around.  It also washes beautifully.  After cleaning the floors, the cover is easily removed and tossed in the laundry.

I made 6 covers with one ball of yarn.  The cost is less than 85¢ each.  Now I have no excuse for dust bunnies under my bed.

Our Miniature Mountain Man named Ewan

Life with grandchildren is always interesting.  Ewan our youngest is particularly entertaining.  He is a nine year old with an old soul who can read between the lines and pick up on subtle nuances.  He always knows when the adults in his life are leaving out some important information or discussing something he really doesn't need to know.  He can hear better than any animal in the forest.  We are convinced he is going to grow up to be the next Grizzley Adams, a true mountain man.  He loves our cabin in the woods.  He said it would be the perfect place to live off the grid, and it has good wifi.  I'm not sure if living off the grid includes having wifi, but I left it at that. 

I may have mentioned that his favorite Christmas gift this year was a hatchet.  He already has a Bowie knife.  Both of these items are never far from his sight unless he is in school.  He was also thrilled to receive a portable shovel for digging.  You never know when you have to survive in the woods. 

Before the dust settled from opening Christmas presents, Ewan headed outside.  He had important work to do.  He was going to build a shelter.  A shelter from what, I don't know.  He convinced his cousin Jack to help for a while even though Jack prefers the comforts of inside shelters.

They worked very hard until it was time to go home.  I had no idea if it was still standing.  No one had checked since Christmas but today Ewan's parents wanted to go shopping to an outlet, about a half hour from our house, that sells chicken   They had to go right past our house, so Ewan asked if he could stay with us instead.  He ate a snack of bacon and eggs and then wanted to head out to check on his shelter.  Of course he brought his knife and hatchet.  I told him to be careful and let him go out.  About ten minutes later I went out to check on him.  I found him chopping down a twenty foot cedar tree.

I watched for a minute, and he was really going to town on the tree.  He had it almost chopped down.

It was hung up in the other trees, but he was determined.  I asked if I could help push it down, but I couldn't budge it.  Next thing I know, down it came right next to the stump but was still standing straight.  No that isn't blood on the tree stump.  It's a cedar tree and the heart of the tree is red like that, but at quick glance it was a little frightening. 

By that time his parents returned.  His dad helped him finish the job for now.  They pushed the tree down and he cut it in half.  I'm not sure what he will do with it, but he chose it because it was so straight.  At this stage of the project, he had to go home.  Our next family get together will be in six weeks when we have our annual St. Patrick's Day meal and Leprechaun search.  Hopefully it will be a nice day for working outside because I'm certain he will have his knife and hatchet with him.

Embellishing Plain Millet Suet Cakes

We feed the birds.  Anyone who knows us, knows we love watching the birds dart in and out of the feeders.  It's especially important to supplement food in the winter when natural food is scarce in Wisconsin.  There are many birds who don't migrate and need the fuel to survive the cold temperatures and snow.  I blogged about a recipe more than a year ago.  I have made this many times.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2018/12/diy-for-birds.html?showComment=1577082921309

Recently I didn't have all the ingredients for this recipe, but I did have a bunch of pre-packaged suet cakes.  We pick up a box now and then when they are on sale.  Sometimes they can be as inexpensive as $.50 each.  I checked my supplies and saw I had two boxes on hand.

If you look carefully, these are two different types of food.  The box on the right states it is No Melt and is marketed as Woodpecker dough.  I learned the hard way that these do not melt just as it says on the box.  It's perfect for the summer heat but is not suet.   The cakes look similar but are not. I did break up these blocks and put them on a platform feeder for the birds to enjoy that way.

Woodpecker Dough

 

I have a spindle feeder, and I wanted to melt the suet cakes so I could reshape them into the cylinder shape.  The cakes look slightly different from the woodpecker dough.  They feel greasier, and you can see seeds mixed in the product.  The ones I have only contain millet and millet is not a favorite of the birds.  Some birds will eat them, but most of the birds will not unless they are starving.  My remedy for this situation is to first melt the blocks.  I put three of them into a microwavable bowl and microwaved for two minutes.  I have also put them in a saucepan on low heat.  It is your choice as to what method works best for you.  When melted, stir them together into a greasy, seedy slurry.

At this point I stir in sunflower seeds and/or peanuts.  Stir until the suet cools to the point where the seeds incorporate as opposed to floating.  It cools in a couple of minutes.  At this point, I pack the ingredients in a container sprayed with cooking spray.  Spraying makes it easier to release.  Make sure you pack it tight to get all the air pockets out.  I used a five pound cottage cheese container.  While it is soft, I put a large metal bolt through the middle to make a hole in the center so I can fit it over the spindle feeder I have.  It isn't pretty, but it works.

I let it firm up overnight.  In the morning or after a few hours, remove the metal piece and turn the container over like you would a layer cake.  The embellished suet cake pops right out.  A bonus is the cost savings.  A pre-made suet cake of this style and size runs about $12.00 whereas my home made cakes cost less than $2.00.

The birds love these.  It attracts all kinds of birds.  The cardinals and all types of woodpeckers especially like them.

Red Bellied Woodpecker 

 

Male and Female Northern Cardinal 

 

White Breasted Nuthatch 

 

Red Breasted Nuthatch

 

Hairy Woodpecker

 

Downy Woodpecker

 

As you can see, the old suet cylinder is nearly gone.  The new one is ready to go.  Most of the sunflower seeds have been picked out of the old one, so the new one will be welcomed.  It's like I am making them finish their main course before bringing on the dessert.