B
lack-chinned Hummers returned to Mountain City last week. If you took your feeders down for winter, now’s the time to get them back up.
The formula for hummingbird syrup is just over one part sugar to four parts warm water, well-stirred to dissolve sugar. For safety of birds, do not add red color.
If you took down your feeders, that was not necessary. Rufous Hummingbirds travel here, mostly from the Northwest, to winter.
Now’s as good a time as any to post my favorite recipe for “Bird Butter”, which can be hung in suet feeders or smeared on peanut butter feeders or onto tree bark.
Bird Butter
Soften together in glass bowl in microwave on low setting, until they can be stirred together
1 cup lard (do not substitute shortening)
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
(if they melt completely, not a problem)
Add:
2 cuts quick cooking oats
2 cups plain cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
Stir together and pat into an oblong baking dish to form 2-inch thick “suet cakes”.
Freeze and cut into squares.
Keep excess stored in freezer in baggies.
Take out squares as you need them and place in suet holder or plastic margarine tub with hanger.
This isn’t my original recipe, but friends call it “Pauline’s Bird Butter” since they get the recipe from me. I often quadruple the recipe. It DOES attract the birds … once they find it. I hang one just outside my kitchen sink window.
As birds partake, science benefits as you enter quantity of species you see on eBird.org. The app makes record keeping very easy.
• • •
On March 4, our city council approved an amended Development Agreement with Anthem, the 1400-home development west of Mountain City, almost abutting the city’s limit. The final revision between the two entities arrived from legal review 45 minutes before the public hearing. The city proceeded with the public hearing and vote rather than delay the vote in order to give citizens an opportunity to take a look and offer feedback.
March is the first month our water bill can be paid with a credit card. Find the URL on the city’s home page, www.mountaincitytx.com
The next council meeting is at 6 p.m. April 8.
Dumpster Days happens in April this year so that it’s not so uncomfortably hot. For many years, Dumpster Days occurred in June, after the annual Citywide Garage Sales the first Saturday in June. Now, it’s bi-annual. April 27 – 28, 2019.
Please make me comfortable when I sit down to piece together “Montage”. Send tidbits to [email protected] (subject: tidbit) or 512.517.5678 Thanks! Love to you, PTom
