or. . . What To Do With All That Leftover Holiday Food
Have you seen her yet? 
Here she comes! Act normal.
. . . Moments later. . .
Mmmm. . . now that's what I'm talking about - peanut butter on a stale dinner roll!
Wow, that overripe pear looks good! Can I have some?
I'm kinda partial to the banana bread myself. The walnuts are to die for. I hope they get more Harry & David next year.
My squirrels seemed to like the leftover Christmas pudding
ReplyDeleteBoy, those are some happy squirrels with a nice coat of winter fat to keep them warm.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, HA, we are NOT feeding the devil squirrels here. We want them to go dine elsewhere and stop the insane digging in every part of the garden! :-) But yours seem to be more in need with that snow cover so good use of leftovers, cousin!
ReplyDeleteFrances
I was quite surprised to see Squirrel Nutkin in my backyard noshing on someones discarded bagels and old Christmas cookies. Interesting how we're moving the fat, sugar and flour down the food chain. Wonder if their diet starts in February?
ReplyDeleteLinda,
ReplyDeleteMy squirrels are so spoiled they pound on the patio window when they run out of food! I don't mind feeding them, so far they do leave the bulbs alone! I might have to add peanut butter to their mix! Gail
Doing a bit of Blog Catch-up today! First Happy New Year! How wonderful, a new addition to the family. A little gardener in the makings for sure! Harry and David is a must on my moms list of Christmas morning goodies! We missed them this year as we were in VA with the Saints family but mom did send us some of her yummy fudge instead! The squirrels are too funny scampering around in our yard but like Frances, says, I dont like them digging all over my garden! They are eating the corn we provide for the deer and the little bit of seed the birds drop and also fluffing up their nest with my fake snow from the porch so I guess you could say our squirrels are pretty happy!
ReplyDeleteHi Patient Gardener, I would have liked the leftover Christmas pudding too!
ReplyDeleteHi Tina, Oh yeah, they are happy! They congregate every morning waiting for me. They look like they're making it through the winter just fine!
Hi Frances! There's a method to my madness - they strip the bark off our two small cedars every single winter. I'm hoping by feeding them during the worst part of the winter they'll leave the cedars alone. So far, so good!
It's very cold here, ground is frozen solid, and there's about a foot of snow cover, so I suspect pickin's are pretty slim for them right now. Thanks cousin!
Hi Barbara, it's good to get the fat and carbs out of the house. I'm not even sure it will all gone by February! That's ok though, we're having cold, very snowy winter so far, so the squirrels can use an extra layer of fat!
Oh my gosh, that's funny Gail! They haven't banged on any windows here yet, but I won't be surprised if they do. They've gotten quite used to being fed this winter and start gathering like a little gang shortly after sunrise.
Our squirrels have been enjoying all sorts of treats - today they got macadamia nut cookies with peanut butter on top and a couple of apples. I figure the peanut butter makes their bread and cookie snacks more nutritious.
Hey Skeeter! Happy New Year to you too!
I'm sure my little grand-niece will be a gardener with all the good influences she'll be growing up with, especially her mommy and daddy.
I'm with you and Frances - I don't like their digging either. They've dug up and carted off more new plants than I want to think about! But it's so cold out there, and everything's frozen. I guess I'm just an old softy. (maybe a little soft in the head too! ;)
Thanks to my soft hearted husband, in addition to five bird feeders in our small backyard, we now have a squirrel feeder as well. (When I calculated we are spending $40 a month on bird and squirrel food, he was a little shocked, but I've noticed that none of the feeders have disappeared). Your idea of leftovers is probably more economical.
ReplyDeleteI read your bio and we have something in common. I left a corporate career in marketing 7 years ago to study landscape design, and have been designing full time for the last five years. A very rewarding career, good luck.
I'm a pitcher also, Linda, and you should see my FAT squirrels ... no wonder they keep searching for tasty morsels and dig up my bulbs for dessert :) Think I would learn but it's so cold and I worry :(
ReplyDeleteFirst thing I thought of was Harry and David. I'll send you some of the thousand or so nuts cluttering up my backyard. We had record crops this year and all the squirrels are going to be pregnant. I'm going to give them your address and spread the word about the gourmet squirrel smorgasboard. Love Frances and Gail's responses
ReplyDeleteThis is another great idea for going green, Linda--instead of throwing out leftovers, feed the squirrels:) Great photos!
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures Linda, they look so cute - it does help sometimes to feed them, then they dont wreak the garden so much. (hopefully)
ReplyDeleteK
Wow, those squirrels look pretty happy. I put out some moldy bread the other day but I think our neighbor dog ate most of it on them.
ReplyDeleteThough the squirrels in our yard can be aggravating creatures, they're just so darned cute you gotta like them!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
I do the same thing. It is a shame to throw it away when they are searching for food in the cold.
ReplyDeleteAren't they so appreciative? And unlike the birds, they stay still long enough to get some good photos!
ReplyDeleteLOL, I love squirrels! Mine love peanut butter on [anything] but they don't seem as wild about overripe apples. (I haven't tried pears, though!)
ReplyDelete~Monica
Such excellent advice, what a pity that I don't have squirrels in my garden. Oh well, the birds will have to do.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, it's so much fun to watch them isn't it. Kudos to your soft-hearted husband! I have one of those too!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new career! Thanks for your good wishes. Last year was very successful. Hopefully the poor economy won't put too much of a dent in our business.
Hi Joey, it seems so much less wasteful to be able to put those leftovers to good use. They can't dig anything here so far this winter - the ground is frozen solid.
Ours are looking fatter too since I started feeding them.
You crack me up Anna! I can just see the squirrels hitchhiking from North Carolina to Chicago!
Thank you Rose, I agree. I feel good about not sending all this stuff to a landfill.
Hi Karen, they are awfully cute aren't they. So far feeding them does seem to be keeping them away from the cedar bark.
Hi Cinj, hopefully the squirrels got some before the dog! It's rare for dogs to be loose around here. Our town has very hefty fines for "dogs at large." So far I've seen only squirrels, birds, and rabbits at the feeding station. It's hard to tell whose tracks are there - that spot in the snow has well-worn paths coming from all directions!
Hi Brenda, I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the varmints! They are very entertaining, but they sure can wreak havoc in the garden.
Hi Donna, especially this winter - coldest in ten years, and so much snow cover.
Hi Amy, they do seem to be appreciative. Do you think that means they'll return the favor and leave the garden alone when the ground thaws?
Hi Monica, oh yeah, peanut butter seems to make everything yummy! Maybe it work on apples too. They LOVE pears. Years ago I lived in an old farm house that had a mini-orchard. Most of the pears got nibbled before they even ripened.
Here they've been enjoying everything I give them, except carrots, and they didn't seem to like the snow peas either. But that's ok - the rabbits took care of those!
Hi Yolanda, you're lucky not to have squirrels! They can do a lot of damage in the garden with their digging.