Something we're all ready to do by now!

A very interesting quiz!

What to do with all those leftover snacks? Its easy and fun to make ornaments for the birds and hang them in your yard or on your porch. Then sit back and watch your feathered friends enjoy the treats!

PRETZEL GARLANDS - Weave a ribbon or string about a foot long through UNSALTED miniature pretzels to make an edible garland.

SUNFLOWER SEED AND GOLDEN RAISIN ICICLES - With a needle and waxed dental floss, thread striped sunflower seeds and golden raisins on a string about six inches long. Don't make it too long or the birds will get caught in the icicle! Tir the other end with a small pine cone, a shelled UNSALTED peanut, or a dried flower seed head.

STALE BREAD TWEETS! - Take a loaf of stale bread and use your holiday cookie cutters to cut out festive shapes. Use string or wire ornament hangers to hang up. After the shapes are cut out and hangers attached, you can spread shortening or lard on the bread and press it into a bowl of bird seed to coat.

BIODEGRADABLE BIRDFEEDERS - The birds will use everything in these, even the yarn to make their nest. Just get some day-old bagel halves, bird seed, shortening or lard, and some short pieces of yarn for a hanger. Loop the yarn through the bagel and tie it. Spread the shortening on the bagel, roll bagel in birdseed and its ready to hang. You can also use peanut butter but lard or shortening has a lower freezing temperature.

CITRUS CUPS - Cut oranges or grapefruits in half, remove all the pulp. Tie the ends of 3 strands of raffia together to make a 5 inch hanger. Prick a hole in the bottom of the fruit cup for drainage. Fill with seeds or suet.

SNOWY DOUGHNUTS - take a dozen of those yucky little white powdered donuts and a narrow red ribbon. Cut the ribbon into six inch lengths and tie loop through each donut.

I always string popcorn to decorate my tree and make an extra string for outside to feed the birds. Food can be scarce for them in the wintertime. Our feathered friends appreciate a holiday treat too! Add some raisins, berries or slices of apple to the string for extra specials. Its hardly any trouble at all to smear some peanut butter on a few pine cones and roll them in birdseed, then tuck them into the branches of your backyard arbor. For more fun ideas, visit the National Wildlife website here and have fun!

I finally got my garden tucked away for wintertime under a blanket of light mulch and fallen leaves. The yard looks so bare and brown now. The basil plants are all doing well since I potted them up and brought them inside. Rosemary and thyme sit together in a sunny spot like two old friends. I will leave the sage in the garden to winter, as usual. It has survived for several years now so I'm not worried. One thing I've learned is that you can't fuss over herbs. They are weeds and do best when treated as such. You can let them have their way to a certain extent but then you have to let them know who's the boss, or like weeds they will try to take over the whole garden. Tough love works best. Tough love for plants is having a good pair of pruners and not being afraid to use them. I talk and sometimes even sing to my herbs and other plants. They never complain. When they are doing well, I praise them. When they are not doing so well, I give them a good shake and tell them to snap out of it. Seems to work. If my singing and talking does nothing for them, it still isn't wasted breath simply because I have fun with it. I think every gardener must be always a child at heart.