January is almost over

January is finally making its way out and February will be here tomorrow.  Groundhog day is day after tomorrow.  I think I will stay home from work so I can find that silly groundhog and hold an umbrella above his head so he doesn't see his shadow.  Spring can't come soon enough for me!
This has actually been a good week.  Phil went for his doctors follow up on Monday.  I am happy and thankful to report the tumor was non cancerous.  He will be going back to work tomorrow.
I have been ducksitting for our neighbors while they are on vacation.  Every evening after work I stop at their house to water and feed their ducks.  Even better, I am able to collect the one egg that is laid daily and keep it.  My other job is to feed the wild birds.  Both jobs are fun to me.  Caelum came out yesterday to spend the night, so he collected the egg yesterday and today.  He thought it was pretty darn cool!
We still have some butternut squash left from our garden last year.  Unfortunantly they are starting to spoil so I am looking for new and different ways to use them up.  I stumbled across a recipie for squash "cookies".  I am up for a new adventure ...... these cookies are made from squash, a little honey some spices and pumpkin seeds.  You put them in the dehydrator for about 10 hours to "cook" them.  They are suprisingly good.  Certainly not like a cookie, I don't know what to call them but a very good flavor indeed. 
I have been trying to find a healthier alternative to the granola bars I buy for our lunches and snacks.  In the same website I found the squash cookies I found a recipie for granola bars.  The old odd thing in the recipie was buckwheat ... that sealed the deal I had to try it.  I didn't realize buckwheat would be as difficult to find as it was.  I found it at a nice new Hy-vee with a great health food section.  I had no idea how to cook it, or how it would cook up.   If the recipie calls for 2 cups of cooked buckwheat, only use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of raw buckwheat.  I have tons of cooked buckwheat left over and I have no idea how to use it except to make more granola bars.  They have lots of fruit, honey from our bees, oatmeal etc and are quite yummmmmmy.  I think I just might make more.  A great advantage of making my own, not so much waste with all the wrapping. 
Caelum's mom is here to pick him up this is it for January.   Happy February to us all.