"But in this season it is well to reassert that the hope of mankind rests in faith. As man thinketh, so he is. Nothing much happens unless you believe in it, and believing there is hope for the world is a way to move toward it" Gladys Talser

It was a wonderful Christmas week. The kids and granddogs were all here on Christmas Eve for lasagna and a rousing game of "The Office," followed by late-night Christmas Eve services at church. Jeff and Conni sent us a lovely gift box of coffees, scones, crumpets and muffins, which we enjoyed on Christmas morning with "The Wake-Up Casserole." Then we opened presents.

Lindsey models her new pink coat.

Candace and Rob monitor the dog activity on Christmas Eve


I got Chanel No. 5 and chocolate cherry kiss coffee from Rob and Candace, and a gift card for Talbots and some red leather Ralph Lauren gloves from Bob. From Lindsey and Brent I got some workout clothes, and probably the best gift of all time, the first year of this blog published into book form. Here it is:

Bob is on the back cover in his jammie pants. I guess the lesson for all of us here is that if your picture happens to appear on this blog, look out, because it just might end up in print ENLARGED and everything. I love it!!!

For Christmas dinner, we served our standing rib roast with our new traditional shitake mushroom gratin, apple/walnut/cherry salad with maple dressing, corn from the freezer, rolls, and cherry pie. We also enjoyed shrimp and The Other Cheeseball as appetizers.

The next day, December 26th, Boxing Day, we did nothing. I mean, absolutely nothing. We did bathe, and watch some movies, such as "The Other Boleyn Girl," and "A Christmas Carol." (1951 with Alistair Sim) We also babysat granddog number 2, Bonnie the Barbarian while Brent and Lindsey went out with friends. Here she is under our Christmas tree, on some Navy SEAL covert operation, no doubt. Lindsey was lamenting the fact that Bonnie does not have a really cool AKC medallion around her neck, like Roxanne wears. I told her that her dog should probably wear one of those iron balls with spikes on it, like the Vikings used to carry. This dog needs a project, or maybe a job. We spent a lot of time outside with her, sliding around on the ice, while she rooted around in our bushes and under our deck. "What in the heck are you doing???" I wish we had some rats or weasels to entertain her with. Oh, speaking of sliding around on ice, did I mention that I fell coming out of church on Christmas Eve? It was probably Bob's fault, because he insisted that I take a different route to the car than the one I took entering the church. He THOUGHT it would be a better way to go. I might have internal injuries.

December 26th, the slick-ice day of doing absolutely nothing, - Boxing Day, was also the birthday of Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog. Maddie is nine years old which is 63 in people years, and this causes me to pause and ponder her progress:

Maddie: You're 63 now, and that's pretty old. You're also a Shetland Sheepdog, number 6 on the dog intelligence according to breed list, and this means you really should be pretty darned smart. But, I've decided that there are some things that you're never going to get! Every Monday morning sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 AM, that truck that comes by - it's the garbage truck. Those guys come by EVERY MONDAY. No need to blow a gasket. And those people who live next door? We've been living next to them for ELEVEN YEARS! You KNOW THEM! They talk nice to you. Why must you charge over there at them every time you see them step outside the house like you think they're coming to get the good silver? (if there was any good silver to get.)

And why is it necessary to run downstairs and bite the back of the treadmill belt every time you hear it start up? A little rotating dog slobber and my job is done here? Is that it? Why do you do the same things over and over again?? And the vacuum cleaner - what has it ever done to you, and why must you be so vicious? It's not like anybody has ever chased you with it - okay, well, maybe just a little. Then, of course, there's always the obvious question - what's up with all the barking? I don't think we'll ever know what's going on inside your head. Perhaps having a brain the size of a walnut limits understanding. Happy Birthday.

This Week in Cakes: Thank-you carrot cakes to the people who allowed the boys to hunt ducks and geese on their land - to be followed by "Happy New Year" carrot cakes for the neighbors

Recipe of the Week: Is Vera Bradley's Glazed Pork Roast. I fixed this Sunday night, and will put the leftovers in the crockpot and serve on buns for Monday night's supper.

Vera's Glazed Pork Roast

1 rolled boneless pork roast or tenderloin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup ketchup 1 cup apple jelly

2 tablespoons vinegar

Rub the pork with a mixture of the chili powder, garlic powder and salt. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Place in q 450 degree oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees. Roast 40 to 45 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 185 degrees.

Whisk the ketchup, apple jelly, and vinegar in a saucepan. Baste the pork with the sauce 15 minutes before the pork is cooked through. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve with the pork.

"Sometimes, when I lie in bed at night and look up at the stars, I think to myself, "Man, I really need to fix that roof." Jack Handey

We had Christmas in Effingham this past weekend. Bob, Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog, and I (Rob did not accompany us) got there on Saturday afternoon and had supper with Bob and Darlene at the Lone Star. Lindsey stopped by on her way in from Indy. Then we went to Maw-Maw's and met up with Lori, Baleigh, Jeff, Conni, Chad, Megan, and Landon, and we tried again, to do some caroling. You may or may not recall, that last year it rained so we couldn't go and had to resort to singing to each other in the living room. First, we ran through our repertoire of three songs (with just a small disagreement about correct lyrics) - The opener - a peppy Here We Come a Caroling - the middle song, something slow and meaningful, Silent Night, and, for the big finale, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, as we waved and exited the premises. We also had jingle bells and we had candles.

Well, we got outside and it was very, very windy, which blew out our candles. And then, you won't believe this, but, it started to rain. Again! Conni turned around and went back in the house. The rest of us trudged up the road to carol our cousin, Lisa, and her family who just happen to live on the same street as Maw Maw. We sang and sang and they finally came to the door, and Lisa had a terrible cold, and truthfully, it looked like they had all been asleep, but they were very gracious and appreciative of our singing (I think) and we got the opportunity to point out to them that the wind had knocked over their Christmas lawn gee-gaws. Then we went to another neighbor's house and I guess they must have been in their basement because they never came to the door. Then we went to Baleigh's old second grade teacher, Mrs. Carpenter's house, and sang there, but they weren't home. It started raining harder then, so we went home. sigh. Maybe next year.

The next day we all went to church. Jeff and Conni both sang in the Christmas Cantata. Landon and Lindsey got a little loud in the pew discussing a monster book. That afternoon we added more family peeps to the crowd and had a fine time together. Here are some pics:Lovely ladies on the couch - Lori with broken finger from quarterbacking the women's faculty team that pummeled the senior girls at Carbondale high school a few weeks ago. Landon entertains us all with a little Christmas ditty.

Snacking

Baleigh and Baby Layla



From the Archives: It is a family tradition each Christmas to take the "couch picture." which means all the grandchildren sit on the couch and get their picture taken. Here's the very first couch picture, taken in 1983. The color has really faded. I don't know why that is. Michael didn't feel well that day, as I recall. Here are six of the grandchildren and one spouse in 2008. Five of them are absent. It's hard to get everybody together.










The Best Christmas Songs - and there certainly are a lot of really good Christmas songs. I guess these are my favorites:

10. Joy to the World
9. Deck the Halls - Puts me in a Christmasy mood, just like that
8. O Come, O Come Emmanel
7. Good King Wenceslas
6. Come Thou Long Expected Jesus - I hope we get a chance to sing this one on Christmas Eve
5. Sleigh Ride - Love it!
4. Silent Night - THE Christmas hymn
3. White Christmas - From one of my favorite movies, Holiday Inn
2. Carol of the Bells - Here come the bells, I hear the bells, you hear the bells, we hear the bells. Great song
1. Oh Holy Night - Beautiful


This Week in Cakes:


Happy Birthday Cindy!











And Happy Birthday to my great-nephew, Landon, who will turn 2 on the 28th. He loves the Muppets, and most especially, the Swedish Chef, so Aunt Lou made him a cake, which will go into the freezer until his birthday celebration in Springfield on Saturday. Bork, Bork, Bork.


Finally, the Recipe of the Week: Revival of the Other Cheeseball Long ago, in another state, I used to make a cheeseball that we liked a lot. But that was twenty years ago, before we moved to Indiana, before the Tri Kappa cheeseball came into our lives, because after that, we would have no other cheeseball. Lindsey asked me for this recipe, so I decided it might be a good time to bring it back. I plan to make one for Christmas. Here's the recipe:



The Other Cheeseball

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 small package of cream cheese with chives
1/2 pound shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 package Buddig pressed beef
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Finely chop or shred the beef and mix all the ingredients. Roll the cheeseball in the pecans.



"If you ever feel like you're on the verge of a nervous breakdown, just follow these simple rules: First, calm down; second, come over and wash my car; third, shine all my shoes. There, isn't that better?" Jack Handey

The squirrel is sporting a new holiday hat this year, mainly because even though it has a chin strap, Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog, can flick it right off her head in a snap, and somebody's got to wear it. Speaking of squirrels, on Thursday, I was looking out the bedroom window at two of them frolicking in the yard, and I said to myself, "These are some fine looking squirrels." They were quite large. They had big, bushy tails, and their coats were magnificent. I congratulated myself on the high-quality crop of squirrels we are able to sustain, here, in the Hickory Hill Hood. And, as I stood there, all puffed up with squirrel supremacy, this lovely doe walked out of the woods and up to the birdfeeder. She ate a little bit, and then Bob tossed an apple out in her direction and she ran away. Way to go, Bob.














On Saturday evening we went to the 75th annual Purdue Christmas Program and then enjoyed a wonderful supper at Lindsey's in-laws' home in Lafayette. Sunday evening the Book Babes (and their men) shared a holiday dinner at Shorty's Steakhouse in Garrett. They opened up just for us, so that was kind of fun. The food was good, and the mood, festive, as the group, (heavily weighted with teachers) kicked about the possibility of a fog delay in the morning. I forgot to take the camera to either of these events. Bob took this picture with my cell phone. It's the best we could do.

The Most Annoying Christmas Songs: I've been doing some research on this and I was shocked because, almost every list I came across, included, Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer, which is a song that I get a big kick out of. In fact, I've been making the ladies in my aerobics class do push-ups to that song every Christmas season for years. Well, in light of this discovery, I decided to yank it from the playlist and this year, they're doing push-ups to Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, by Bing Crosby. Here's my list of annoying Christmas songs:

5. A Wonderful Christmas Time - Yes, we love you, Paul, we "simply" just don't love this song

4. All I Want for Christmas is You - It's just played way too much.

3. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - This song was recorded in 1953, but I had never heard of it until a couple of years ago. Who let it out, and why?

2. Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk this Christmas - I don't think I have to explain this one

1. That Song about getting Mama a new pair of shoes so she can meet Jesus on Christmas Eve. It's just plain way too much, period.

Next Week - The Best Christmas Songs - Be thinking.

From the Archives: Our 1989 Christmas Card. Rob was eleven months old and weighed twenty-nine pounds. If Lindsey had let go of him, he would have rolled off that piano bench like a basketball.





Recipe of the Week: This tasty holiday punch can be frozen without the vodka for the kiddies and non-drinkers. If you do choose to add the vodka, make sure you give it ample time in the freezer.


Holiday Punch

1 lg. box strawberry jello
2 C. boiling water
1 - 46 oz. can pineapple juice
1 - 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 - 12 ounce can frozen lemonade
2 & 1/2 cups vodka

Dissolve jello in water. Add remaining ingredients and freeze. Takes a couple of days.

Serve in glasses and fill w/ 7 UP or Sprite.


"We like to praise birds for flying. But, how much of it is actual flying, and how much of it is just sort of coasting from the previous flap? Jack Handey

Good King wants his applesauce,

At the feast this evening.

Hm hm hm hm hm hm hm,

Keep it nice and even

Yes, gentle readers 'tis the season to be jolly, and to jingle all the way and to deck them halls and what-not. We got our tree up this week and Bob put the outside decorations out, but he has yet to put the lights on the hedge. You might remember that he is supposed to be on vacation the entire month of December, but that hasn't happened yet, either. Maybe after a trip to California this week, he'll actually have some time off, but we shall see.

If you were reading the blog about a year ago, you'll remember that Bob coveted the safety, no-skid socks that they gave me at the Heart Center when I had my colonoscopy. Well, here you can see that he now has his very own pair, as we decided to make the colorectal screening a yuletide tradition, and he submitted to the exam. One of the nurses even remembered us from last year. They were amazed at how healthy Bob is. They showed his chart to each other. "This is the healthiest patient we've had in here in a long time," they said to one another. This did not impress Lindsey, because, as she pointed out, Bob was the one giving them this information. Also, the medication they gave him didn't put him out, so he was awake through the whole thing. He told them afterward, that he had paid close attention and thought he could perform the procedure on one of them, if they liked. He had an attractive nurse name Cindy who apologized up and down when she had to yank those heart monitor thingees off his chest. "I'm sorry - I'm so sorry," she said.

"Oh, that's okay," Bob consoled her, "If it was anybody but you."

Then he looked over at me, the woman holding his socks and tennis shoes - the woman who was going to drive his sorry carcass home and said,

"Oh, and you, of course, and you."

Um-hm. I took him to the Culver's off Dupont and bought him a double butter burger with cheese. He hadn't eaten in two days.

Our Sunday Night Candlelight Supper guests were Jim and Kathy. We used the Christmas dishes for the first time this season. I inadvertently turned the back burner on the stove on, where the carrot souffle was sitting, and burned a hot pad and the bottom center part of the souffle. We just ate around the outside. We had a great time.

From the Archives: Christmas 1961. This photo really needs no comment, because I'm sure we all went through that Dale Evans cowgirl phase, right?......Didn't we?

Recipe of the Week: We served pie at our Sunday Night Supper - pecan and caramel apple. I just copied down the recipe for the caramel apple pie, when it occured to me that it was already on the blog, so how about one for Almond Joy Cheesecake. Even people who don't think they like coconut seem to be okay with this one:

Almond Joy Bits Cheesecake

Chocolate Crumb Crust:

In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa, and 1/3 cup melted butter. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare chocolate crust and press into springform pan or 9 X 13 baking dish.

Cheesecake Filling:

3 packages (8 oz) cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 - 8 ounce carton sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 eggs

1 & 2/3 cups (10 ounce package) Almond Joy Coconut & Almond Bits

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until well-blended. Gradually add flour and continue beating. Add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extracts and eggs, one at a time. Stir in bits. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, prepare the chocolate drizzle, pour over the cake and refrigerate a few more minutes until the drizzle is set.

Milk Chocolate Drizzle

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

1 & 1/2 teaspoon regular Crisco shortening

Microwave on high about one minute, or until melted.

"During the Middle Ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not putting on your armor because you were just going down to the corner." Jack Handey

So, who needs to rely on the Gods of Great Parking Places for Black Friday shopping when you have your very own driver? Here's our driver. That's right - Bob took the ladies shopping at 4:30 in the morning. He would drop us off at the door. Park. Sleep. Pick us up. Drop off at the door. Park. Sleep. You see the pattern. At the Castleton Mall there were strolling carolers in 19th century costumes, reindeer on stilts, and jugglers. And we got free light bulbs and coffee at Keystone. It was Baleigh's first Black Friday adventure. Here she is before we left the house. She held up pretty well. I wonder if she'll want to try it again next year.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving. Bob went on to Effingham to visit his mom and dad and I came back to Kendallville to work on my Tuesday Club presentation that I have to present, well, on Tuesday. I'm getting there, but not finished. I just took this time out to blog a bit.



Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog is handing out congratulatory woofs this week, as if they were pills and she, a doctor. Yes, Maddie salutes the girls who passed sections of the CPA exam: They would be:
Lindsey - who passed Financial
Rachel and Laura - who both passed B.E.C.
Hey, these tests are really hard,
so, congratulations, you smart number girls and

Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof
Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof
Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof

That's five woof's apiece for those of you who are not so hot with numbers.


Maddie has been in trouble with Bob because he took her to be groomed and when he was driving her home (after spending $50.00 to get her all spiffed up) she had diarrhea all over the back seat of the new company SUV that he just got last week.




Hey Kids, Guess who's leading in the East?
Green Bay sent him "packin"- didn't seem to care in the least.
Now I bet New York hopes he'll stick around
You know they're 8 and 4
I'm sure they'll win some more
I just read it in a magazine
Brettie and the Jets
Brettie. Brettie. Brettie and the Jets






No recipe this week - but I will be teaching another cooking class at the Park Department on Tuesday. We'll be making carrot cake and decorating Christmas cookies. You local peeps can still get in on that action if you call Sally at the park department tomorrow. There's just nothing like a cookie!

"If you're a circus clown and you have a dog that you use in your act, I don't think it's a good idea to also dress the dog up like a clown, because people see that and they think 'Forgive me, but that is just too much."' Jack Handey

Happy Thanksgiving! After much negotiation, it looks like we will travel to Indy and have dinner at Brent and Lindsey's house, and will, hopefully, be joined by some of our Illinois peeps. I'll help Lindsey with the turkey and dressing on Thursday morning, as this will be her first bird, one of the most memorable milestones in a woman's (or man's) life. We'll take pictures.

We've decided to spend the night down there on Thursday and move our BLACK FRIDAY shopping experience to Indianapolis as well. I've composed a little BLACK FRIDAY song here on the blog. It should be sung to the tune of Black Water by the Doobie Brothers.

Black Friday

Well, I've loaded the car and she's ready for shoppin'

Target and Best Buy, they're callin' my name.

Sales clerks a jumpin'

Crazy people keep bumpin'

Into each other as we head down the aisles.

Oh Black Friday, keep on shoppin'

May the Gods of great parking places keep on smilin' on me

I baked another baby shower cake this weekend. The baby's initials will be T.N.T., so they had a dynamite themed shower. The mothers-to-be these days already know if they are having a boy or a girl and have already named the baby by the time they have a shower. What is up with this? Where is the surprise? What happened to the fun of guessing? If you already have two boys and you know number three is also a boy, where is the incentive to push???? I personally think this takes some of the joy away from the whole experience. Ashley - hold your ground. Let it be a surprise.

We all enjoy a fully-dressed turkey at Thanksgiving!

From the Archives: Little Rob runs through the leaves at Pokagon State Park, wearing the sweater that Grandma Darlene knitted for him. (I did not know that he was a boy - I did know that he was big)

Recipe of the Week: Who doesn't love fudge? This maple fudge is yummy, although a little expensive to make - enjoy!

Prizewinning Maple Fudge

1 1/3 cups (1 can) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup nuts

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan except nuts. Simmer slowly, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking mixture, stirring occasionally until it reaches soft ball stage or a temperate of 236 degrees. Cool without stirring to a temperature of 110 degrees, or until mixture just feels warm. Beat until thick, add nuts and pour into butter pie pan. Allow to set.

"Somebody told me it was frightening how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared." Jack Handey

I almost did not blog at all this week because, I've got nothin' - That's right, no peculiar fungus to report, no musings, reflections, or theories - nuttin.' Oh, we did have an upsetting critter incident in the hood this afternoon. Our neighbors across the road came over and told us that a young deer had jumped the fence into their yard and broken both legs. They called the sheriff's department and were waiting on somebody to come, but, they were very distressed about it. I didn't go over and look, but Bob did. A deputy came and took care of the situation, and the carcass is in their front yard at the edge of the road. I guess somebody will come and pick it up??? I'm also told that Kathi Lee Gifford will be coming to Kendallville in a couple of weeks because East Noble High School is putting on a musical that she wrote, called Key Pin It Real. I worked for Sally at the park department this week, and will be working for her until Thanksgiving. Bob and I were given charge of our granddog, Roxanne from Thursday until Monday, because Candace's family (accompanied by Rob) went to a wedding in Florida. Roxanne is a lap dog. If you're sitting, she'd like to be sitting too, please, on you, if that's alright. Here she is helping Bob with his expense report.



Bob and I did have a discussion about best cartoon characters. He has always liked Foghorn Leghorn, Baloo the Bear, on Jungle Book, and Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. We both really liked Yogi Bear, although, I think my fondness for Yogi might have something to do with his pic-a-nic baskets. And, tell me if I've got this wrong, now, but I'm almost certain it is universally known that the best cartoon episode of all time is..........



KILL DA WABBIT







From the Archives: I'm posting this picture of Lori, Lindsey, and me, taken before the start of the Indianapolis 500 mini marathon a couple of years ago, because if I want to do it again in May, I have to hurry up and register or there won't be any spots left. Thirteen miles. Do I really want to do it? In the picture, I am the only one of us who is wearing the shirt they gave us for the race. I was told that wearing the official shirt is a very dorky thing to do - apparently you're supposed to wear shirts from OTHER races you have competed in (as they are wearing). So, I guess, if I wear this shirt at the 2009 race, I will be cool. So much to worry about.

Recipe of the Week: I got a request from Lindsey this weekend for some recipes. This is one of them. It's rather out of season, as you prepare these on the grill, but, you can fix them in the oven as well.

Blue Cheese Grilled Potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1 (4 ounce) package crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
4 medium baking potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
4 small onion, sliced 1/4 inch (about 24 slices))
4 (14 X 12 inch) pieces heavy duty aluminum foil


Prepare grill; heat until coals are ash white. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together butter, blue cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Spread one fourth of butter mixture on cut sides of both halves of each potato. Top one half of each potato with six onion slices. Put each potato back together. Wrap each in aluminum foil; tightly seal top and sides. Place on grill. Grill, turning potatoes every 15 minutes, until they are fork tender. (50 to 60 minutes)

Oven Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare potatoes the same way. Wrap in foil. Place potatoes in a 13 X 9 inch baking pan for 55 to 65 minutes, turning them once, about half way through baking.

"If you see an animal and you can't tell if it's a skunk or a cat, here's a good saying to help: 'Black-and-white, stinks all right. Tabby-colored, likes a fella,"' Jack Handey

We had to memorize this poem in the sixth grade. It's one of my favorites and I usually think about it every fall:

Something Told the Wild Geese
by Rachel Field

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go,

Though the fields lay golden

Something whispered, "snow."

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,

But beneath warm feathers

Something cautioned, "frost."

All the sagging orchards

Steamed with amber spices,

But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese

It was time to fly,
Summer sun was on their wings,

Winter in their cry.

And here's another reason not to hang around.

Maddie Salutes: This is a new feature on the blog that might appear again from time to time. When anybody does anything of note or import, Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog, will honor you by barking her fool head off in a most congratulatory way. And this week, Maddie gives out a five bark salute to Emmet, in Cleveland, because the front page that he designed for the election day edition of the Plain Dealer was talked about on both CNN and MSNBC. Congratulations Emmet! You're knocking us out down here! And to you from Maddie:

Woof, Woof.....Woof, Woof, Woof!

The rest of you should get busy and try to come up with something that impresses Maddie.

I was putting together a playlist of songs for Thanksgiving Dinner this week. One of my favorite Thanksgiving hymns is We Gather Together. It always makes me think of Thanksgiving Day on Captain Kangaroo, when, at the end of the show, Mr. Green Jeans (or maybe it was the Captain, I'm not sure) would carry out a beautiful turkey to serve to everybody at the Treasure House, and that song would play, and then we would be whisked right off to the opening of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which bored me silly after seeing four high school marching bands and the Underdog balloon.

Oh, how I loved the Captain, and Mr. Green Jeans, and Bunny Rabbit - it was so cute the way he would whack his little head on the counter, demanding carrots. And Mr Moose, with his ping pong balls, was hilarious. Yes, I loved them, but not Grandfather Clock, because he was just creepy and Dancing Bear? What a farce! That bear was only shuffling his feet. I read that the Banana Man was an old vaudevillian, whose costume couldn't be cleaned. It smelled terrible and when he was on the show, nobody wanted to be anywhere near the set.

From the Archives: 1961 - Brian, me, Jeff, and Shorty Pants

A baby shower cake that I made this weekend

And finally, the Recipe of the Week: I made these for Rob this weekend.

Scotcheroos
1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

Bring sugar and syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter. Add rice krispies. Press into a butter 9 X 13 pan. Melt the chips and spread over the top.

"Instead of putting a quarter under a kid's pillow, how about a pinecone? That way, he learns that 'wishing' isn't going to save our national forests." Jack Handey