Mother Hen luuuvvves Alex Trebek – mostly because he’s Canadian but also because he has been hosting Jeopardy for absolutely forever, and it’s MH’s favorite game show!

There is just one thing missing to make Jeopardy perfect. There is a college version and a celebrity version and a high school version—but where’s the animal version, for heaven’s sake? Mother Hen would be sure to clean up, what with her experience pushing buttons and her legendary mastery of the Internet.

Here are a few suggestions, in case those game show people need a few hints.

Some eggcellent categories might be:

Animals in Literature – e.g. Animal Farm, The Incredible Journey, Black Beauty, Three Little Pigs, Moby Dick

Four-Legged Stars of Film—eg. Lassie, Morris the Cat, Uggie

Herd Sweet Herd—names of animal groupings

Tracks Without Trains—identify animal footprints

Gone But Not Forgotten—extinct animals

Humans and Their Habitats

Fine Feathered Friends—types of birds

Alex, dear, Mother Hen is ready and waiting for your call!

Mother Hen Presents…is an occasional series in which your favorite typing chicken writes about things she may or may not have seen, heard or read.

First, a confession…Mother Hen loves George Clooney. He could only be more perfect if he was a rooster.

Now that her bias is declared, let’s take a look at this movie called The Descendents, shall we?

Where to start? There is this bratty kid who is a girl but named Scotty sort of but not exactly like the terrier dog or that guy from Star Trek. There’s an insolent, rebellious teen who is also a girl named Alex which just goes to show you can never tell by a name these days.

Then there is George, who plays Matt or Matty or Dad (whatever) who is all messed up because his wife is in a coma, and he can’t deal with his mouthy daughters and his wife has a  secret but Mother Hen can’t tell you about that because it is a spoiler and Mother H. is not a party-pooper. No sir, no poopin’ on parties for this chicken!

There is also this dufus teen boy who hangs around Alex for the entire movie whose only purpose in life is to say incredibly stupid things and add “dude” whenever possible. Is he Alex’s boyfriend? It’s a mystery, which simply means Mother Hen can’t figure it out either.

The best actor in the whole movie may be the chick who plays the wife because she does a great comatose imitation, but does anybody nominate her for an Oscar? No siree-bob! Like it is supposed to be easy lying there with your beak hanging open and not drooling or something. MH was watching like a hawk and she never saw a blink—not once! Amazing stuff that!

Anyway our buddy George did get nominated, which Mother Hen can hardly object to because he does cry on cue and everything, plus he never punches the dufus which takes an awful lot of self-control if you ask her.

Oh, Mother almost forgot to mention that Beau Bridges is also in the movie, which would be easy to overlook because they only throw him a bit part, but he does such a great deal with it that he deserves a shout-out anyhow. He ain’t a looker like George but he is a good ol’ boy and all.

Now comes the moment of truth. Is The Descendants a fantastic, life-changing and/or side-splitting movie? Nope, but it is worth seeing because there are so many great performances, including the young’uns, who need their mouths washed out with soap but otherwise do a bang-up job.

Mother Hen gives this movie three and a quarter eggs, which is rather messy but about right.

You peek your furry mug outside

To say if winter still will blow

For six more weeks: will there be snow?

Now Mother Hen ain’t one to tell

A pro a subject he knows well

But your approach (it seems) is flawed

‘Cause don’t you think that it is odd

That when you see your shadow, guy

Which means the sun is in the sky

That’s s’posed to mean that Spring is late

When it should mean an early date?

Look up, oh hog and see the sun

The grass is green and winter’s done

There are no snowflakes in the air

(Although it’s true the trees go bare.)

A shadow, Phil, should mean that Spring

Is closer still, if anything

So change your forecast, be a pal

And raise this chicken’s poor morale!

The Cooptown chickens sing this song

No eggs! No eggs!

Ah, the Cooptown yard is one barn long

Not layin’ eggs today!

Goin’ to cluck all night, goin’ to cluck all day,

Well if Farmer Brown won’t give us more

These chickens ain’t gonna lay!

The Cooptown roosters sing this song

No fair! No fair!

Ah, the Cooptown roofs they need repair

‘Cause they leak today!

Goin’ to crow all night, goin’ to crow all day,

We’ll drive the Browns around the bend

Just so they won’t delay!

Well, our union, the Chickens and Roosters Of the World (CROW) is at it again: fighting for the rights of everyday hens! We will not be taken for granted!

The cry has been raised! More yard! Patched roofs! Better feed!

As usual, Mother Hen is out there in the thick of things, handing out picket signs and rallying the troops.  Management (that would be Farmer Brown and company) refuses to budge on our reasonable demands, but wait until they listen to crowing and cackling 24/7! Then they will come to the bargaining trough soon enough!

What’s that? A lockout? He wouldn’t d… Oh, poop! This is Mother Hen, reporting live (and kicking) from the scene of the strike, heading out to check on new developments in the CROW strike at Farmer Brown’s.

Ah- ha! Bet you thought Mother Hen wouldn’t review this one!

For the record, MH has very eclectic taste…which means that she will watch just about anything.

Anyway, Alcatraz is this new TV show which is about the Rock – not the movie actor guy, but the prison that they call the Rock because it is on a rock. It’s not your ordinary, garden-variety kind of rock, like a stone or a pebble, so it doesn’t have itsy-bitsy prisoners or anything, which is a shame.

It’s kind of scary and kind of spooky and it’s made by that fella who came up with Lost, which is a whole nother show, so don’t get them confused, which you might because that big man with the pony-tail is in both.

The whole deal with this prison is that it was supposed to have been shut down ages ago, when Mother Hen was a spring chicken and a bunch of beetles made up this band and…not that that makes MH old or anything. The thing is, all these awfully bad men really just disappeared and everyone was told that the prison was closed in order to cover it up, not like with a blanket, but to fool people.

Now the prisoners are all coming back and here’s the spooky part. Are you ready? They aren’t any older than they were when they went missing. Cool, right? Mother Hen would like to know that trick!

Now a pretty detective and the pony-tail guy and a creepy dude who used to be a guard are trying to track these young/old criminals because they are killing people again, not then but now.

There are lots of prisoners and guards who went missing which means the head honchos of the Alcatraz show are all set ( if this thing is a hit) to keep those nasty men coming for years to come.

Mother Hen gives this show four golden eggs, which means why not watch it. It’s pretty good.

Mother Hen wishes all of her chicks the happiest New Year in 2012!

Hope you all had a lovely New Year’s Eve watching the egg drop on New Year’s Clucking Eve with Ryan Seagull and Dick Bark! Apparently Lady BaBa was on in a scandalous outfit with almost no wool (as expected) and Justin Beaver thrilled all the little chicklets by touching their itty-bitty wings with his paw. What a young heartbreaker he is, and Canadian too! Ahh, if Mother Hen was still a wee chick…

MH is glad all the Coop Family are safe and warm in the coop, as the first serious snowstorm of the season has arrived. For those of you living in sunnier climes, this means that if you go outside without a heavy jacket on your will lose half your feathers and be covered in gooseflesh! Have you ever been in a walk-in freezer? Add a large fan throwing ice pellets at your beak, and you are starting to get the idea.

MH can just barely make out where the barn is when she looks out the coop window because of all the blowing snow. It is a good day to stay home, pop some corn, and have some hot chocolate or tea.

SHRI-E-E-E-E-E-K!!!!!!

Mother Hen has just realized that there are 10 more days until the big jolly fat guy gets stuck trying to get in the coop door! (No, she does not mean Father Rooster – she can hear you snickering out there people!)

Next to Easter, this is the busiest time of the year for the BUDS (Bunnies United Delivery Service) and boy, do they get cranky about now! If you have never tried to ship a package with a disgruntled rabbit, folks, it can get pretty ugly. Most of the farm animals keep a few carrots around for tipping, but everyone knows bunnies prefer chocolate.

Mother Hen has made her list and is checking it twice.

Father Rooster                                  Alarm Clock

Missy Hen                                          Feather Fluffer

Junior Rooster                                  Hungry, Hungry Hoggies game

Great-Aunt Henrietta                      Feather Duster

Farmer Brown                                  Bottle of Corn Liquor

Mrs. Farmer Brown                         Eau de Niblets Cologne

Santa Claws                                      Milk from Mrs. Bossie and popcorn

For those of you who are asking the burning question, “What do chickens put out for Santa instead of stockings?” Mother Hen has a simple answer. Rubber boots, of course! What do you think we wear when the farmyard gets mucky? (And believe MH, after the cow and the horse and the pig family have been out there, a chicken could use a pair of hip-waders, if you know what Mother means!)

If Mother Hen doesn’t get time to peck the keyboard again during this holiday season, which seems likely, she would like to wish all her loyal chicks, people and other assorted animal readers a blessed and merry Christmas, and all the best for the coming year!

Mother Hen has always advocated for good household management, especially when it comes to financial matters, which is why it is time for her to turn her attention to the world’s current economic woes. There are rules that govern the Coop Family’s budget that certain countries like Grease, Spam, Ironland , and even the good ol’ US of A could learn from.

Here we go!

Don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched.

Basically, if you ain’t got it yet, you ain’t got it. No guessing, no hoping, no borrowing the neighbors’ chicks to make it look good to Farmer Brown or anyone else. That’s how overpopulation happens, but that’s another kettle of fish. Sooner or later you have to give those chicks back, and then look how much feed it’s going to cost you!

 Always keep a nest egg, and add to it every week.

Oh, it’s always tempting to have company for dinner and show off your best bib and tucker, but if you eat all your feed in the fall, what is going to keep you through the winter? Just one visit from Mr. & Mrs. Hogg may provide you with a hop up that social ladder, but expensive! Always keep some aside, just in case.

Or in other words, if you want to keep the wolf from the door, you’d better not entertain pigs!

 Be careful when you feather your nest.

Dear ones, no one loves a comfy coop like Mother Hen! Let’s face it, feather pillows, feather quilts, feather boas…she adores them all.

The problem is that you still have to cover your butt, people. Nothing says poverty like a straggly-looking hen with gooseflesh hanging out. It gets mighty cold in the winter when your backside is bare!

Don’t be so busy struttin’ your stuff that you run out of stuffing to strut with!

  Do more than just scratch out a living.

If you are just bringing in enough to get by, you aren’t bringing in enough to get by! Find ways to haul in more, for heaven’s sake!  For instance, Father Rooster has a second job as the school alarm. Mother Hen thanks to her unique, specialized and remarkable abilities is a part-time writer, and that’s not just chickenfeed, folks. (Okay it is, but it shouldn’t be!)

All those You’reAPeein’ countries need to shake a tail feather and get their rears in gear! Even the Americans need to quite singing Yankee Doodle Dandee, stick a feather in their caps, and coop-erate, for heaven’s sake, before all their chickens come home to roost, since their rafters are full already!

This has been a public service announcement from Mother Hen’s Nest.

It’s that time of year again folks.

Much as Mother Hen dreads the early onset of the festive season, she must come to terms with the not-so-convenient truth: if she is to have even a smidge of a chance of getting those cards out before December 24^th, she has to begin the Coop Family Christmas letter now.

Sigh! So here we go:

Dear Hens, Roosters, Chicks and Chicklets,

Greetings and Salutations from the Coop Family!

Mother Hen is forced to must is pleased to share all of 2011’s disasters events blessings with all of you.

This summer Father Rooster finally repaired the coop roof. After years of months of crowing up there, he finally noticed that there was a pile of lot of few shingles that needed to be replaced. It was a good thing too since we were really close to having a deluge a flood some leaks in the corn bin, which would have been catastrophic disastrous a problem.

Missy Hen has made many questionable  interesting terrific new friends at Cornfield Junior High, where she is majoring in feather-fluffing egg-dying agricultural studies. Her new boyfriend, Peck, is a juvenile delinquent punk delightful young rooster who sports many curious tattoos is very creative.

Junior Rooster spent a great deal of time in detention competing on the chess team until he got kicked off. He is a hyperactive energetic young chick who drives us crazy keeps us busy keeps things lively around the coop! He recently received a most unexpected Good Egg Award from Chicken Little Memorial Elementary School which made us extremely surprised quite relieved very proud.

Naturally, Mother Hen has been kept busy laying eggs and writing her world-famous well known modestly successful blog. Mother Hen’s Nest. Her hobbies include knitting egg-cozies and attending hen sessions with “the girls.”

Remember to thank a chicken when you enjoy your eggnog this holiday season, and have a very Fluffy Christmas and a Crowingly Good New Year!

There you have it! Mother Hen is so thrilled that she got that whole thing out of the way, she is going to have a celebratory cola and bag of popcorn now!

After nine weeks, three days of school and six hours, 12 minutes of detention this year, Junior Rooster has had a good day of school. That is five and a half straight hours of proper behavior, people! Let the celebrations begin!

The school even sent home (see Exhibit A, above) a certificate to mark this momentous occasion: a real, honest-to-goodness Chicken Little Memorial Elementary School official award! Junior Rooster wants to post it on the side of the corn bin for everyone to see, but Mother Hen may have to put it under her nest for safe-keeping so she can show her grandchickies someday. Otherwise they may not believe it.Dang, otherwise Mother Hen may not believe it!

When his beaming parents asked Junior what he would like for a treat in recognition of his achievement, he requested a family movie and popcorn night with the hit movie Vampire Chickens Strike Again. Normally MH would veto such an inappropriate choice…but what the heck…an occasion like this may never come again. Mother Hen will simply have to cover her beak with her wings when the vampire chickens attack.

Perhaps, just perhaps, maybe Junior is finally coming around. Maybe he is actually listening. Maybe it will rain caramel corn tomorrow. A mother can always hope, especially when that mother is Mother Hen.