Happy New Year

Happy New Year from Bailey Fish, Sugar, the Keswick family, Sparrow, Elmo and Feather Phigg, Justin, Fern and all the folks in the series, including me. And Mudd, Art, Pie, Uncle Foozle, Auntie Pine and Marshmallow also say hi, and do green things for Mother Earth.

We are looking forward to more school visits and opportunities to meet readers. Book 7 is in the works and it already has some pretty exciting moments. Lots more work to do before it comes out.

We received nice notes from kids attending the Ladysmith Baptist Academy. They are reading Ghost of the Chicken Coop Theater and are acting out several chapters. Apparently Li'l Bonbon is an especially fun character to portray.

Keep reading, studying, playing music, and finding kind things to do for others.

Sugar's cookies

Sugar, Bailey and I made Christmas cookies today from her favorite sugar cookie recipe, which we printed on page 184 of my new book, Trouble in Contrary Woods. After we finished decorating the angels, trees, cats, snowflakes, bells and snowmen, I heard Sugar exclaim, "My goodness me. I forgot to include the baking temperature ion the recipe. What will people think?" She was very embarrassed.
Bailey said, "Sugar, in the old days, everything was baked in brick ovens with fires for heat and they couldn't set the temperature. Remember we learned that at Monticello?"
Sugar said, "I guess you're right. When we made macaroni pudding from a Monticello cookbook recipe last summer we had to guess at how people would do it in today's electric or gas ovens."
Bailey said, "Let's guess at the temperature for the cookies."
Sugar said, "My guess is that 350 degrees for about ten minutes is right."
So, we tried our first sheet and it worked out pretty well. And her cookies were delicious as usual. After we made about 10 sheets of cookies (eating a few each time we took them out of the oven) we also made spice cookies. There were other cookies we planned to make, but Sugar had yard work to do before it got dark. We packed up half the cookies for her and Bailey to take home. They said they would invite me to their house next week to make more so we have plenty to share with friends and neighbors.
Bailey, Sugar and the Keswicks plan to go caroling next Tuesday night. We might join them.