Is it winter yet? The collie isn't telling (yet)

It's the middle of November, so we're checking in with Weather Prognosticator O'Doul the Collie. Mount Baker resident Tony, O'Doul's owner and spokesman, reports that the collie's shedding was in "abeyance" over the past couple weeks. However, the pattern of heavy shedding of the collie's summer coat has resumed. Unlike the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has predicted a La Niña winter with heavy snowfall, Tony says that the amount of shedding is "indeterminate" of the severity of winter. Tony estimates that he has collected enough collie hair to fill a 20-ounce, "micro can" of garbage.

If NOAA is right, more than a few people will find themselves nursing colds or flus this winter. You can purchase an over-the-counter cold remedy at the local drugstore... or you can fix yourself a Hot Toddy, a concoction of tea, honey, lemon and alcohol.

Hot Toddy

• 1 oz. of brandy or whiskey
• ¾ glass of tea
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• ¼ of a lemon
• 1 cup of hot water

Prepare the tea.

Coat the bottom of a mug with honey.

Add the liquor and juice from the lemon.

Pour the steaming tea into the mug and stir.

Garnish with a cinnamon stick, star anise or lemon slice.

If you had only obtained the flu shot when the opportunity arose...