Snow has covered the ground for well over a month now, and the deer are really getting hungry. We've had them in the backyard eating at the birdfeeders every night this week. In fact, Wednesday night, when Cindy dropped me off after Book Babes, a deer was actually in the driveway. "Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you to be mindful of the deer." A neighboring farmer gave us a big bag of field corn, so we have been able to leave extra out for them. Usually there are just three or four does, but Friday night, there were eight!

Bob bought a mineral block at Rural King and put it out for them. He said it smelled good, like alfalfa - so good, in fact, that he considered giving it a lick himself. The deer don't seem to be interested in it. As we watched them from our bedroom window in the dark, Bob kept muttering behind me, "Go to mineral block. Go to the mineral block, you big dummies. I paid seven bucks for that mineral block."

The next day he put the corn on top of the mineral block, so they HAD to notice it. I did see a squirrel sitting on it yesterday, but I think he was just using it as a chair.

You might see some deer eating at birdfeeders right now if you go to http://www.snowmancam.com/. This guy up in Gaylord, Michigan, set up a webcam in his backyard so that people could see wildlife. He added the wooden snowman just to make it interesting and apparently it's a big hit, visited by about 2000 people, daily. A couple even flew in from Scotland to have their picture taken with the snowman. I just visited it and saw a deer.

The local newspaper is going to run a series called "Silver Linings," which hopes to find something positive and life-changing about our current economical climate, which is a challenging assignment, as it's hard to find anything positive about so many people suddenly out of work. Lindsey's pastor spoke about our troubled economy at her church this morning, and about how possessions don't make us happy, and that living simply clears the path to God. He suggested that we should start spending less on entertainment, inviting friends and neighbors over for the evening instead of going places and spending money. He also challenged members of his congregation to check their lives for areas of excess and ways to change.

Now, this, for some reason, immediately put me in mind of a show Bob and I were watching last week on PBS. It was about people who dress up ferrets and drive them all over the Midwest trying to win ribbons at ferret shows. One lady had these plastic tubes going up and down the stairs and all around her house, and her ferrets would run around in them. This other man had a real bed made for his ferret, and the sleeping animal was covered up with a little quilt that had ferrets on it. These very well-fed Midwesterners were all kissing and stroking their ferrets at this show and this one woman, she was about sick to her stomach with worry that her ferret wasn't going to win a ribbon.

I turned to Bob and said, "I think this might be one of those examples of American excess and mixed-up priorities, although, I could be wrong."

Oh, I know what you're thinking. This criticism from a woman who puts hats on wooden squirrels, and address signs in front of groundhog holes?? Well, okay, you got me there, although, I prefer to think of my shenanigans as "whimsical." However, the very second you hear about me driving come costumed ferret over to the Buckeye Bash Ferret Show in Columbus, Ohio, well, just come and get me.

Recipe of the Week: The menu at last week's inaugural luncheon was inspired by the favorite foods of President Lincoln. It started with a seafood stew, and was followed by herb roasted pheasant with wild rice, duck breast with cherry chutney, molasses whipped sweet potatoes, winter vegetables, and for dessert, apple cinnamon sponge cake. Bob really liked these whipped sweet potatoes. I thought they were good too, but I guess I'm not wild about the cumin.

Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until fork tender, about 1 hour. Peel the skin off the potatoes while still hot. By hand or with the mixer, smash potatoes until all large chunks are gone. Combine the potatoes, butter, salt, orange juice, brown sugar, cumin, molasses and maple syrup an a large bowl. Continue to mix all together until all lumps are gone. Adjust any of the seasonings to your specific tastes. Can be made the day before.

"You can kidnap me and force me to be your watchdog if you want to. But I'm telling you, I will bark at any sound I hear and it will drive you crazy." Jack Handey