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The Late Show with David Letterman

Just when I thought the farm had already welcomed every possible critter into the fold -- 20 cats, 2 dogs, a baby calf, Roadie the Roadrunner and the family of rabbits I dubbed "The Hilltops" -- Mother Nature brought another animal into the mix.

I walked outside over the Christmas holidays to find that Ole St. Nick had deposited a delightful present in the garage for me -- a big huge skunk. I thought it was just a fluke, but every night, I'd go out and check, and there was the skunk.

The strange thing was that the other animals didn't seem to care. The dogs were lying on the porch. The cats were snuggled up in their respective places about the place. And there was the skunk in the garage. (Pop guessed that the skunk had found its way into the garage and had fallen in love with dog food, so just stuck around. I didn't realize skunks were so sociable.)

So, after three appearances, I had to give the new critter a name -- I figured David Letterman hits the mark, seeing as they both only show up at night.

Posted by Lara Richards at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Return of the Chicken Strip Girl

When I first moved to Wichita Falls back in 2000, I hit a bit of a food rut. I couldn't eat enough chicken strips. I tried to switch it up a bit, hitting all the fast food chicken huts (KFC, Church's) and then I'd go to all the grocery stores as well. But soon, my chicken strip craving was only satisfied by the crunch-tastic taste of the chicken strips at Albertson's on the corner of Kemp and SW Parkway.

I guess it didn't really occur to me that I was going to Albertson's and getting chicken strips that much. I was just hungry.

But I guess it was about a month into my chicken strip binge when I walked up to the counter at Albertson's. I asked the girl behind the counter for my usual - three strips and a side of barbecue sauce. And the girl turned around and the other lady behind the counter goes, "Oh, it's the Chicken Strip Girl."

The Chicken Strip Girl? I had a nickname, and it was Chicken Strip Girl?

Well, needless to say, I stopped eating chicken strips then and there (after that final order, of course.)

I officially retired Chicken Strip Girl . . . until one week ago.

I started going to a new grocery store here in New Orleans and passed by their prepared foods section, and voila, there were chicken strips. I grabbed a few, got home, took a bite, and holy crunch-tastic magical heavens! The best chicken strips I've ever tasted. The crust was really thin. The breading was light and had a Creole New Orleans spicy kick. The chicken inside tasted like real meat.

I'll heartily confess that I've eaten chicken strips every day for a week. But sadly, I don't see this infatuation ending anytime soon, mainly because there's no chance I'll be shamed into quitting by observant grocery store clerks. You see, these chicken strips are self-serve. I can eat as many as I want, as often as I want, and no one's gonna judge me.

Viva la Chicken Strip Girl!

Posted by Lara Richards at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fixin' to?

Went to the farm this weekend to take a break from the pressure cooker that is law school. Noticed a very distinct and pungent smell when I walked in the door -- cat pee. Pop said we need to change the indoor cat's name from Blue to Marks-A-Lot because the tomcat is marking every single inch of the house.

I told Pop that I'd heard that there were ways to reduces the chances of Blue/Marks-A-Lot acting up, such as getting the cat fixed.

Pop looked at me angrily. "Well, we could just shoot the cat, too. That'd take care of it." Needless to say, Pop's not to keen on the whole idea of "fixing" the male cats out at the farm, as evidenced by the fact that there's about 20 cats out there . . . and counting.

Speaking of "fixing," the mama cat named Lady Bird was awfully friendly with me last weekend, even letting me pick her up and pet her. While I enjoy the attention, her affection is an ominous sign. The only time she ever lets me touch her is when she's pregnant.

20 cats . . . and counting.

Posted by Lara Richards at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)