On a beautiful day like today, I suggest you take your mom to a National Park!

Find a National Park near you.

“Can you draw a picture on the blackboard when somebody doesn’t want you to?” asked the rooster promptly.
“Yes,” answered Kenny, “if you write them a very nice poem.”
“What is an only goat?”
“A lonely goat,” answered Kenny.
The rooster shut one eye and looked at Kenny.
“Can you hear a horse on the roof?” he asked.
“If you know how to listen in the night,” said Kenny.
“Can you fix a broken promise?”
“Yes,” said Kenny, “if it only looks broken, but really isn’t.”
The rooster drew his head back into his feathers and whispered, “What is a very narrow escape?”
“When somebody almost stops loving you,” Kenny whispered back.

—Maurice Sendak, KENNY’S WINDOW

Dear T,

We are not interested in stories about vampires. We don’t care about werewolves, either. Or ghosts. And especially not mermaids! What we ARE interested in is the Yeti or Abominable Snowman. Here is a story we’ve written about the mighty Yeti called SNOBEAST. We both worked on the cover drawing. Those are the Himalaya mountains in the back. What do you think?

T replies:

Thanks for letting me read your Yeti story, Keylan and Jake! SNOBEAST sent chills of terror and excitement up and down my spine. I have long been fascinated by tales of the Yeti. I’m a believer!

I ran across Tock from THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH while out on a walk today. He was just chillin’ in someone’s front yard. For a legendary celebrity, he’s just a normal guy. Not stuck up at all!

My love for this holiday treat started early. Here I am, your not-so-humble author, proudly showing an Easter bunny cake I helped create. I haven’t made one since. It’s baking time!

Happy Easter, everybody!

No, not THAT kind! THIS kind!

May the luck of the Irish Setter be with you!

I’m gonna chow down my vegetables

I love you most of all

my favorite vegetable…

So sang The Beach Boys in their song “Vegetables.” Beatle Paul McCartney joined the band to chew raw vegetables for percussion effects on the recording. The unusual result ended up on The Beach Boys’ album Smiley Smile. Have a listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvpMGK8a8Jk

The Vegetable Orchestra is an Austrian musical group that uses instruments made entirely from fresh vegetables. The group consists of ten musicians, one cook, and one sound engineer. A concert of the Vegetable Orchestra appeals to all the senses. As an encore at the end of the concert and the video performance, the audience is offered fresh vegetable soup.

Have a listen to their vegetunes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUADjV_QVNk

And…two brothers in China have caught the vegetable music bug. They’ve carved out an odd career, turning vegetables into musical instruments. The creative pair began their craft two years ago and spend most of their time scouring food stalls for the perfect pieces.

I’m never going to look at the veggies on my plate the same way again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPH4icwT9Eg

Oh, and Batman? Please refer to our friend Jude for advice on how to properly distinguish between “its” and “it’s”.

It’s brand new…

It’s never been seen before…

2012 is here!

No need to save the wrapping. Just open it up and have the best year ever!

Share the love.

Spread the wealth.

Keep on truckin’.

In an earlier post I wrote about my distant relative, American songwriter Cornelius Power, and his fierce, artistic rivalry with his BFF, composer James Lord Pierpont, author of the immortal classic “Jingle Bells.”

Cornelius’s sleigh-ride song, “Horsey Snow Ride,” is not as well-known. The sheet music has been lost in the sands of time, sadly, but the lyrics can be sung to the tune of “America the Beautiful.” Whether or not it’s snowing outside, it makes a rousing holiday number. Let’s all sing along!

HORSEY SNOW RIDE by Cornelius Power (1821-1915)

Let’s take a sleigh ride on the snow

And travel to and fro

While snowflakes pile on our heads

As we cry, “Here we go!”

Oh horsey ride, oh horsey ride,

You are so fast and fun!

You make us glad that winter’s here.

God bless us, every one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOrkI66d5fU