Good news. It appears that sometime last week, Hickory Hill Hans exited his hole. I haven't seen him yet, but at least I know he did spend the winter here. I gave this information to my sister and she is going to check for any activity at the residence of her groundhog, Bartlett Pear Pierre.



The squirrels didn't let Sunday's lousy weather keep them from eating. They have their own umbrellas.






What's the Good Word? The good word this week is amazing. It's an amazing word and I'm truly amazed at how freely this word is used these days. I saw the young actors from Slumdog Millionaire on some talk show and they were firing that word back and forth like nobody's business. And apparently (although I didn't see the show) that bachelor dude on The Bachelor used the word "amazing" about 40 or 50 times each episode. It seems he thought every woman who was trying to win his heart was "amazing." Amazing means "causing great wonder; astounding" The pyramids at Giza are amazing. Macchu Pichu is amazing. Doing four miles on the treadmill is not amazing, it's just a good workout. A cobb salad is not amazing either, it's just a good salad. And those twenty-five lady contestants on The Bachelor? They couldn't really all be "amazing." The fact that twenty-five women would preen and strut and scratch and claw at each other on national television just to win over this goofy guy, I guess that's pretty amazing.

**Overuse of the word "amazing" does not apply to people who have Amazing Barking Dogs.



Speaking of dogs, some of our other family dogs have made it into cartoon form. My niece, an elementary school teacher, who knows her way through a book, is thinking about using them in a story, as crime fighters, maybe, or, at the very least, problem solvers.

















I am working on Oliver, a wiry little dog, and a Puppa Sade.

The dogs have a money saving tip that will help you in your struggle against TET (tough economic times, remember?)








Recipe of the Week: These yummy poppy seed mini-loaves were the favors one year at our Tuesday Club guest luncheon. They were accompanied by the recipe. I think it's the glaze that makes them so tasty, and the almond, butter, and vanilla flavorings.
*Another "Even Rob likes these" entry




Almond Poppy Seed Bread
3 eggs
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/8cup oil
1 tsp butter flavoring
1 tsp almond flavoring
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups milk

Cream together eggs, sugar, oil, and flavorings. Mix together dry ingredients and add alternately to the mixture with the milk. Spray pans with Baker's Joy. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool ten minutes, then pour glaze over the top.

Glaze:
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring



"I hope they never find out that lightning has a lot of vitamins in it because, do you hide from it or not?" Jack Handey