Week in Review: Two things this week, no three. 1. Finally over the flu. 2. Saw robins. 3. Saw Hickory Hill Hans out and about, although, I thought he was moving oddly. I usually think of him as a lumberer, but he was running, like a cat - I guess though, when I think of it, there's nothing (no clover or garden goodies) for him to lumber about in. Bob took down some old produce for him, but later, he told me he stuck the produce, broccoli and celery, in his hole. I told him that Hans was probably terrified down there in the dark with his door blocked. Bob said that Hans is surely smart enough to eat his way to daylight, and also that Hans has another door. Whatever.


I hope he's right. I haven't seen him since. Here's a picture of one of our squirrel friends swinging around in the bird feeder. At night, the raccoons are out there doing the same thing.




I've been thinking a lot about meatloaf this week, mainly because Oprah had Billy Joel and his new wife on her show. Billy's new wife, Katie Lee, is about 26 years old. She made a meatloaf. Apparently she has a cookbook out and would like to have her own cooking show (yeah, so would I). She said that she won Billy Joel's heart with her meatloaf. I doubt that. Anyway, it made me want to make a meatloaf. I don't have an actual recipe, but my Aunt Kae makes a mean meatloaf, and I'm going to ask her to fork it over (ha-ha) so that I can share it with you all. For Sunday Night Candlelight Supper this week, we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, homemade yeast rolls and carrot cake from the freezer left over from Easter Sunday. Stormy joined us, because, she's a woman alone, and needs to eat too.

"It is not without enormous effort on my part that this district has one of the most sought after postal codes."

-Hyacinth telling Richard why the tone of the neighborhood is her business.

Landon and his beautiful mommy at Easter

Recipe of the Week:

For days I searched for my "Yeast Breads in Your Meals" 4-H cookbook, but I cannot find it. I ended up pulling a recipe for rolls off the internet. Yeast rolls are wonderful things. Enjoy.

Dinner Rolls

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup hot milk

3 Tablespoons shortening

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

4 cups flour, or enough to make stiff dough

melted butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Scald milk and put in a bowl with shortening, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in yeast and egg. Add 2 cups flour and beat until smooth. Gradually stir in more flour until dough leaves sides of bowl.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a large buttered bowl. Turn over once to grease upper side of dough. Cover and light rise in warm, draft-freed place until almost double in bulk, about 1 hour. Press dough down into bowl to remove the big air bubbles. Put a little shortening or butter on hands. Divide dough into small pieces. Roll into balls and place in a shallow greased baking dish with sides touching. Cover loosely with cloth and let rise in warm place about another hour. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes and then brush with melted butter.

"If you go through a lot of hammers each month, I don't think it necessarily means you're a hard worker. It may just mean that you have a lot to learn about proper hammer maintenance."

Jack Handy