Peanut Wisdom - The Gift of Friendship

Hello dear friends. There are few treasures in this world that can compare to friendship. It is a fundamental truth I have known my entire life, but recently, I was reminded about it when I received a very special package from a very special friend.

It all started a few weeks ago when I bid on my dear friend Jiff's picture that was up for auction on an animal rescue site. The picture he had posted was one of my favorites. The money was going to a great cause so my mommy helped me put a bid in. And guess what? I won! I was so excited. I received notice the picture was on its way, but little did I know, my friend had sent me something extra special. When the mailman delivered an entire box and I discovered it was from Jiff, I did a big happy dance in celebration!

There were all kinds of goodies in the box! There were 2 beautiful pictures of my dear friend Jiff...

Including the pawtographed one which was my all time favorite that I won in the auction....

There were also lots of fun toys and nummy treats too that made my mouth water. Delicious!

There were so many fun things to play with, I had a hard time deciding which one was my favorite. I explored every inch of the wonderful gift box, thanking God for my sweet friend and the wonderful surprise he sent me.

Then I found the squeaky pig, and I knew I had the best friend EVER! After all who doesn't like a squeaky pig?

Of course, a warning for those of you who find yourself in the presence of a squeaky pig. They have been known to trigger odd, often scary fits of uncontrollable playfulness followed by unexplained memory loss when the fit is over. This could just be an urban legend, but I am not so sure....

Now, where was I? Shoot, I forgot what I was talking about. Well, at any rate, there was so much in my beautiful box, I decided to share.

There was way too much for just one little pup, so I brought the box out and let my puppy and kitty brothers and sisters enjoy the bounty as well.

It was a night to remember! We played games, we squeeked toy, we ate lots of treats together, all in honor of my dear friend Jiff. I won't tell you how many treats I feasted upon that evening, but I left narry a crumb to give me away.

In the end, the best gift was the gift of friendship....and the beautiful reminder that I was loved by my friend. Knowing that fact was better than all the toys, squeaky pigs or nummy banana treats the world could make.

Thank you Jiff for being so wonderful, but thank you most of all for making me feel special and for reminding me that friendship, above all other things, is the greatest gift of all.

Peanut Economics - The Shiver Me Timbers of Finding Square Fish!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum raisin me maties! Shiver me timbers it has been a long time since my last post, but I have a mighty good excuse! I've been taking my fill of the salty sea air and trying my paw at commanding a vessel as a Gorton's fisherman.

Don't let the little duckies on my slicker fool you....it hasn't been all fun and ball games. Okay.... there were a few ball games, but even us crusty sailors need a break from time to time from the hard-driving grind of sea life.

At any rate ...... back to my salty fish tale. There I was, the great Captain McPeanut, tasked with finding a new source for the delectable flaky entree for the nummy blue and yellow Gorton's label .... but where does one find flaky square fish?

It was a challenge I was ready to take on, preservatives and all! Or my name wasn't Captain McPeanut!

My crew and I set off in search of a school of square fish. We searched high, and we searched low, but we could not seem to catch a break. I am ashamed to say at times, tempers flared a might warm, and I, as captain, barked a few orders now and then.....may the crew forgive me.

Finally, after weeks of sea and shame, AVAST! We caught our break. A crusty crab let loose he had spotted a school of fast moving square fish off the coast of Japan. We had nary a moment to lose. We set sail for the oriental seas, feeling as though fairer winds were behind us.

I knew when we arrived at our destination, we couldn't risk just dropping our nets and hoping a few square fish would happen into them. Oh no. I had to go the way of the great explorers like Jacques Cousteau who sought other elusive creatures in their natural habitat - creatures like the great white, the colossal squid, the loch-ness monster, the yeti, and the fair deal. I decided I had to step off my ship and go where the fish were, so I did the only thing I could do. I became a fish myself.

A hammerhead shark to be exact. It seemed a natural choice. They are always depicted as such happy fish with all those teeth. Always smiling. Always saying hello to all the other fish. Very sociable from everything I had ever seen.

I took my deep dive and started working my magic. I mingled. I charmed. I said hello to everyone. I talked about the weather. I wished each fish a good day. I asked after their mothers. The only problem was, every time I came near enough to ask any pointed questions about the square fish I was seeking, all of the other fish swam away in fright. As a matter of fact, no one would really talk to me, no matter how nice I was. Even though I smiled my best smile.

I felt so self conscious in fact, I went back to the ship without ever seeing a single square fish. And you know what I found out later? A big secret I wish I had known ahead of time. Sharks aren't really happy fish; they're scary fish! All those teeth are for EATING not SMILING! That's why no one would talk to me! They thought I was hungry, not happy. Boy did I feel silly!

You know what though? That's okay. I also found out the fish I was supposed to be looking for aren't naturally square, and they don't come breaded in the water. I wasn't supposed to be catching flaky, breaded, square fish filets. I was supposed to be catching real live fishies that are pretty and colorful, and I couldn't do that. (To be honest, I kept wondering how the breading on those square fish filets was supposed to keep from getting all soggy in the water anyways.)

So I guess I didn't make a very good fisherman, but I sure had fun shivering up those timbers. You know, you don't have to be the best at everything or even particularly great at most things as long as you can find joy in the things you do. Here's hoping you find your joy in the midst of your fish tales!

Peanut Economics: The "Hare" Raising Adventure of an Easter Bunny Cattle Call

Hello dear friends! In honor of the Easter holiday, I decided to try my paw at one of the most prestigious holiday jobs ever. I answered the call of the Easter Bunny!

It was a cattle call actually, so I put on my ears and away I went. The location of the tryouts was top secret and really hard to find. Thank goodness I had on my magic bunny ears and was able to find the special stick that marked the spot. Otherwise I might have missed my chance.

I was a little nervous when I first arrived because there were so many bunnies there! They were all drinking coffee and eating donuts like crazy. With that much caffeine and sugar being tossed around by so many nervous, high energy bunnies, I knew it was going to be a long, hard day!

The director of the Easter Bunny project came in and gave us all our instructions. There were a series of categories we would be graded on, earning points on them throughout the day. The bunny with the most points at the end of the day would win the title of Easter Bunny. I was hoping to at least win the title of the Easter Bunny under study. (I hear they get paid in jelly beans!)

The first category was the bunny hop. Apparently, they take the bunny hop VERY seriously! I did the best I could, but they said it looked a little too much like I was taking a tinkle, so I only got 5 out of 10 points. Not a very stellar start to the day for me. I was disappointed but undeterred! I still had two more categories to go!

The next category was egg sniffing. Being able to tell the difference between a good egg and a rotten egg is extremely important. As a matter of fact, much of the Easter Bunny's reputation hinges on the ability to prevent rotten eggs from being left for little children. Since I have a powerful, sniffy nose, I knew I had this category in the bag (or the basket!). Yep....the pink one definitely had to go!

The final category was the talent category. Competition was stiff so I knew I had to pull out all the stops! After all, with cooking bunnies, singing bunnies, and furniture arranging bunnies, I had to do something that would help me stand out above the rest. So I did the only thing I could......I performed my world famous bunny tap dance!

My feet flew! I razzled! I dazzled! I had more razz-ma-tazz than all the other bunnies put together. When it was all said and done, I knew I had given it my all. All of the bunnies gave a standing ovation. Even the director had a smile on his face.

It was a very long day, and all of us Easter Bunny hopefuls were exhausted by the end of it. While the officials huddled in their hole to tally all our scores, all us bunnies took a little nap.

Unfortunately, my low bunny hop score disqualified me from being either the Easter Bunny or the Easter Bunny under study. The good news is I made a lot of new bunny friends, and that is way better than a bunch of store bought jelly beans! I realized just because things didn't work out the way I planned, didn't mean I couldn't find the blessings hidden in between the disappointments.

Mommy often says when God closes a door, He often opens a window of blessing. I never really knew what she meant until I walked away from the Easter Bunny cattle call without my Easter Bunny title but then had all my new bunny friends. My title only would have lasted a single day....but my friendships will last the rest of my life. I think in the end I got the better deal. I will take God's window any day!



Happy Easter dear friends and may you find your open window!