Wednesday's News Reel In Brief

If you see streaks, don't tell!

Dog escapes house. Runs around muddy yards like a maniac. Has crate-bound, bed rest more rigidly applied due to new level of limping and increased inability to keep from happy-doggy-dancing in the kitchen. Dog owner is driven nearly mad from the incessant nose-whistling whine.

Tea is best taken on a crammed kitchen table with stories of visits to Africa.

If my chores aren't done, my excuses follow.

• We need to cover all the owls in the book.
• A missionary we are already familiar with isn't from the proper country and finding a missionary to India isn't easy.
• A simple bandana is the last resort to pirate hats after stapling two pieces of card stock together and finding they do not stay on a head.
• Assistance is needed to erect a flag for the pirate ship.
• Little boys want to help walk lame dogs on semi-freezing mornings. (Do you know how long it takes to convince a two-year old that a coat and gloves are necessary and then get them on said two-year old who just wants to walk his beloved 90 pound dog.)

There is always time for a clean house when we don't need to learn and play.

Need Graham Cracker Crumbs Anyone?

I may start a petition to relabel seven-layer bars. Gluttony and to poach the Lays Potato Chip jingle. So much for my diet. Though I have lost 5 pounds total, and I've become convinced of two things.

1. Sugar is really bad. If I stay away, severely limiting the stuff, I forget it exists. But if I give way, in say a pop or grilled stickies, the next day I eat say 10 oreo cookies or 12 seven-layer bars.
2. In all my food research obsession, I have reached an important conclusion--too much food is eaten overall, and whole foods are best. We will be increasing our vegetable intake while decreasing our intake of everything else to meet a diet kinder to ourselves and the world. Animal products humanely treated in life will remain a part of our diet.

Coats are now able to be hung from hooks in our newly defined mud room.