Week in Review: So, today I found Bob, holding court out in the driveway, wearing his mukluks, snowman jammie pants, and USDA Choice Bob shirt.

"Are you out here talking to neighbors looking like this?" I asked.

"Yes, and I'm waving at every car that drives by." Pretty cute, huh?

Bob spent the week working at home, dressed in other very similar ensembles. This week he'll be out in Merced. I subbed three days and we finally polished off Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury in my 20th century fiction class. Hey, Book Babes - and we thought As I Lay Dying was a difficult read. That Faulkner!

"Drive carefully, Richard. Remember, upon you depends the safety of my select Norwegian prawns."

I found Richard and Hyacinth Bucket paper dolls online today. I ran some extra copies for friends. You have to color them yourself.

Recipe of the Week: I didn't cook anything special this week. I did make some puppy chow yesterday for Rob. When I buy a round steak, I either use it to make beef stroganoff, or I make this tasty and easy oven steak.

Oven Steak (Tasty and Easy)

Cut up a round steak in four or five pieces, flour them lightly, and brown them on both sides in a skillet with some oil. Place the pieces in a large, covered casserole dish. Put two cans of cream of mushroom soup and two cans of water into the skillet and stir until it comes to a boil. Pour it over the meat and place it in a 350 degree oven. Bake covered for 2 hours. After about an hour, take it out and stir it around to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom. Serve this with some mashed potatoes because that cream of mushroom soup makes a rich and yummy gravy.

"Whenever I need to 'get away,' I just get away in my mind. I go to my imaginary spot, where the beach is perfect and the water is perfect and the weather is perfect. The only bad thing there is the flies. They're terrible!"

Jack Handy