If you have hungry squirrels in your area this time of year, you can treat them to a nourishing cold winter snack. First, help your child use a butter knife to coat the outside of a dried corn (available to gardening and pet supply stores) with peanut butter then roll it into bird seed until it is well coated. Set the treat outside attached to a log or to a tree the squirrels are seen in. Then watch the little guys go crazy once they have discovered their new found treasure.
They boost iron and add a sweet touch to dishes. Even more ways to love them:
O Mix in with chicken salad to perk up a sandwich or wrap.
O Put raisins, a pinch of saffron and a sprinkling of cinnamon in cooked rice. Presto: a fragrant side dish.
O A new twist on PB&J: whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and raisins.
Blend sweet, juicy fruits in a chopper or blender and add to unsweetened plain yogurt for a healthy treat.
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When raking leaves, use this handy-dandy hint: Rake your leaves directly onto a sheet you’ve spread on the ground. Gather up the corners and drag to your compost area.
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Use a paintbrush to dust wicker furniture. It can get into all the nooks and crannies better than any cloth.
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Shower curtains can be hung inside a regular curtain to insulate from window drafts.
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Unwrapped bars of soap can be used in closets or dresser
drawers as nice-smelling sachets until you’re ready to use them.
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Use pretty photo albums for holding recipes. The recipes will be protected in the kitchen, and these books prop open for viewing better than most books do.
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Electronic items like cameras and cell phones come with so many accessory cords these days. Store them in snack-size plastic baggies. Write on a small piece of paper
what the cord is for and then stick that in the bag.
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Use the plastic lids from large coffee cans underneath bottles of cooking oil or syrup in kitchen cabinets.
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To store cast-iron cookware, it must be completely dry. It can still get scratched up, though. Try inserting a paper plate between stacked pans to protect the cooking surface and to absorb any moisture or excess oil.
“Beware all enterprises that require new clothes.” — Hemy David Thoreau
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“The bird of time has but a little way to flutter — and the bird is on the wing.” — Omar Khayyam
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“It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs.” Margaret Thatcher
“If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him.” — Benjamin Franklin
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“If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.” — Napoleon
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“Don’t do things to not die, do things to enjoy living. The byproduct may be not dying.” —
Bernie S. Siegel
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“Human beings are the only creatures on Earth that allow
children to come back home.”
— Bill Cosby
• • •
“The bird, a nest; the spider, a web; man, friendship.” —
William Blake
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“The world belongs to the energetic.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• • •
“No man ever listened himself out of a job.” — Calvin Coolidge
“Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.”
— Herbert Hoover
• • •
“A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.” — George Bernard Shaw
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“What does it mean to pre-board? Do you get on before you get on?” — George Catiin
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‘To be rich is not the end, but only a change, of worries.”—Epicurus
Toast the holidays with a
better-for-you take on the
original—same good cheer,
half the calories.
In a large bowl, beat together 1 quart
reduced-fat (2%) milk, 1 cup egg
substitute (such as Egg Beaters),
2 ounces brandy, 3 tablespoons sugar,
1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Beat 5 minutes
until foamy. Cover and refrigerate until
chilled. Makes 6 servings.
Country & Victorian Times 