Dewdrop Gardens: Christmas tree

Last weekend I finally took down the Christmas decorations...and the tree. A sad day, I really wasn't ready for this.

I played my new Bing Crosby Christmas ~~album~~ oops, CD I mean. My husband laughed at me, but I play Christmas music when I decorate for the season, so why not when I dismantle it all?

I couldn't see putting the tree in the burn pile or to the road for recycling pick up. I paid money for it, (ok, I got a discount because I bought it at work, but still) and to only use it for a month...well, it seemed like a waste of money.

So, I had Larry put it on the deck off the dining room, stand included. I piled snow around the base like a tree skirt, but also to add weight against the wind. I love it there! The deck has looked so empty since I brought all my tropicals in and this helped fill the space again.

I've seen pine cones used as bird suet feeders and thought it was such a sweet idea. I figured they'd look awesome hanging on the tree outside the doors so I used the ones I had left over from Christmas.

I love the natural bokeh created from the sunlight streaming in the kitchen window.

(I didn't end up doing anything with those red leaves.)

I had a lot of baking supplies left over so I searched for bird friendly ingredients to add to the suet.

I put equal amounts of vegetable shortening and chunky peanut butter over low heat.

When melted I added the oatmeal, graham cracker crumbs...

...raisins, frozen blueberries, chopped dried apricots, chopped unsalted cashews and mixed well.

I put the pot on the deck in the snow to speed up the cooling process.

In the meantime, I tied string around the large pinecones. They still had their stems attached, bonus!

More bokeh, love how it looks!

Home Made Suet on Pinecones @DewdropGardens

Time to smear the pine cones with the suet. I made sure to push it inside,

there was a lot of room in the large ones.

Not as much fit in the small ones, but they look cute and already had ties on them for decorating. The leftover suet I shaped into a square to fit in the suet holder I have. That will hang on the shepherd's hook in the garden beside the Frazier fir.

Time to hang them up! (ok, I'm sloppy...yes I got some suet on the branches)

I don't think I'll get many birds if the cats keep hanging around the tree. lol

The one picture you can see Pepsy sitting on the 'cat tree' inside the dining room door.

Hopefully the birds won't see him and still visit.

We had to move the feeders and bird baths behind the new fence last summer because the chickens like scratching under them. But they also like scratching for bugs in the gardens and were destroying too much around the courtyard, hence the feeders had to be moved. Since they are farther from the house, it will be nice to have this close so I can see them while sitting at the table.

Now all there is to do is wait...