I didn't post anything last week - partly because I've been pretty wrapped up in the high school English teaching gig, but mostly because I just didn't have anything. Wait, I don't have anything this week either, but I'm not going to let that stop me this time. My very wonderful sister-in-law, Dena, sent me these canned apples. Remember, I told you they were hard to come by? Well, she purchased these in South Carolina, for Pete's sake. Then she drove them down to Florida and then back home to Illinois and put them in the mail to me. Now I can make more apple dumplings. Thanks, Dena. Bob's been traveling quite a bit this month, and we spent the last couple of weekends watching football with friends - Go Colts - Go Brett . That is all.



Musings about Facebook: Now, first of all, I really do love Facebook. It has allowed me to reconnect with people from my past and it lets me keep track of my friends, and see lots of great pictures I would never otherwise have the opportunity to see. Why, just last Friday night, in a thirty minute period of time, I was able to chat with Addie in Texas, my niece in Illinois, and Todd, the president of the Apple Festival Committee, who lives just down the road.

But, one thing I don't like about Facebook is that it is constantly reminding me how old I am in those little adds in the sidebar. Things like: "Help for overweight 53 year-old women in Indiana." How does Facebook know how much I weigh? And: "President Obama wants 53 year-old women to go back to college." He does?? And: "53 year-old women can win gas in Illinois." Hmmm. It would take me a lot of gas to drive over to Illinois and try to win some gas. The only worse thing than being constantly reminded that I'm 53 (for just another two months) is that out there in cyberspace, my age is 62. Seriously, on all those people-search websites, my age is listed as 62. What the heck? Where did they get that, and how does one go about setting the record straight, I would like to know????




The other bad thing about Facebook is that Farmville is taking up too much of my time!!!! It all started when my niece, Baleigh, begged me to send her some farm gifts to help her with her farm. She said I didn't have to really play the game to do this for her. She was wrong. Before I knew it, I had goats, and trees, and all kinds of neighbors, and I have to fertilize their crops and feed their chickens and I have to plan my day around the time my Farmville crops will be ready for harvesting because if you ignore them, THEY TURN BROWN AND DIE. And that's embarrassing. I've got so many cats, I can't keep track of them all, and I would like to know how many more red tulips I have to plant before they give me one of those cool "tulip master" signs. It's just all too much for somebody who's 62.

Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog is waiting for more snow. She just loves to help me feed all the critters in the back yard and to bark at the deer who come for corn. Maddie doesn't have a lot going on.

Recipe of the Week: I've had this recipe in my recipe box since 1992 and never tried it, so I thought perhaps it was time. It came from Winifred Winch in Wetmore, Michigan and it was published in Reminisce magazine. Winnie said, "It's perfect for parties, because it can be prepared early in the day and baked later on when the guests arrive.

Potato/Spinach Casserole

6 to 8 large potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onions

1/4 cup butter

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except cheese. Spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer.