Yes, we've had a little visitor this weekend. Bonnie, the Barbarian is staying with us while Brent and Lindsey celebrate her birthday in Savannah and Charleston. They ate at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House, and Elizabeth's and at Paula Dean's restaurant, But, I'll let her tell about this adventure on her blog. It's been fun having Bonnie here, (although, I'm not sure Maddie would agree), and tomorrow, I'm taking them both to Judy's to be groomed.

Friday was my last day of teaching. The 8th grade graduation was held on Friday morning and it was really something to see about a hundred horses and carriages angle-parked around the baseball diamond. I really enjoyed my teaching experience there, and it gave me a new appreciation for the Amish culture.

It's time for the daisies to do their thing and it's a pretty good year for the rhododendron.

Hey! Look what I found in your yard. A rib bone. This is some place.

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Recipe of the Week: I was watching some cooking show on PBS and this guy was talking about the great hearty meals his mother used to make on a limited budget. He said many of her tried and true dishes started with a pound of ground round. He was making a Shepherd's Pie, and although this is not his recipe, it contains the one pound of ground round, and Bob and I both liked it. (and that Bob, he just hates peas). So, this is a real TET recipe. Enjoy!

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 pound ground round

1 onion, chopped

1 cup each - chopped carrots, corn, peas

2 pounds potatoes

8 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Peal and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a frying pan.

Saute onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 minutes) If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put carrots in with the onions, but add corn or peas at the end of the cooking of the onions. or after the meat has initially cooked.

Add ground round and saute until no longer pink. Add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Add the beef broth and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Mash potatoes in bowl with the remainder of the butter and season to taste.

Place beef and veggies in a baking dish and spread mashed potatoes over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Broil for the last few minutes if necessary to brown.

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at that word itself. MANKIND. Basically it's made up of two words, "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It's a mystery and that's why, so is mankind." Jack Handey