Top Bananas go west!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

Cliff Note:This post was originally going to go up yesterday afternoon, but the events of the day delayed my writing of it. I want to thank everybody for your support on the last post. I also want to make you aware that I will not use my blog to launch any venom at my former employer as there are some who work there and read this blog. It's also not my style. No on with the Top Bananas!
First I want to say that you folks are great! So far, the awards have achieved one of my goals for them, and you all are checking out my other friends. I hope they all soon become your friends also. They always are fun to present and very much a privilege for me to do. I also get a kick out of the creative streak it brings out in me. Most of the awards are made up as I go along.

Now lets hop in my covered wagon as I go west to present this round of the 2009 Top Bananas.

I first have to go to Arizona, as no one was at their ole' Kentucky home. The Bluegrass Around the Cactus Top Banana goes to Jen, of Unglazed fame. Jen is a great supporter. Her blog has plenty of fascinating photos and she has also hosted a neat feature called A-Z Monday's where participants took the week's letter and posted something concerning a subject that began with that letter.

Now I need to backtrack to Kansas. A first time Top Banana is the Rookie Green Thumb award. This goes to Clean and Crazy, aka Suzie, of My Recovery fame. Suzie has been clean now for close to five years and is very active in Narcotics Anonymous. She is very proud of her daughters and is very supportive of other bloggers. This past summer when my older brother passed away, she sent me a card she had crafted herself that had a photo of her daughter on front. She also took a page from my book and wrote a post called "For Cliff of WIXY's Gone Bananas fame". It was an I Like...because post she dedicated to me.

Another first timer is Speedy, of Speedcat Hollydale Page fame. Speedy receives the You Never Know Where I'll Pop Up Top Banana. He is very avid on both Facebook and Twitter. He is also very creative in his writings and photo shopping himself in many pictures on his blog. And like me, Speedy has an affinity for fried chicken.

The Let's Have a Great 2010 Together Top Banana goes to Michelle Dawn of Rusin Roundup fame. Cliff Note: I know these are the 2009 Top Bananas, but let's face it, 2009 sucked. Michelle Dawn has had bouts of depression and has also, with her husband Randy, struggled with the recent past. But this hasn't stopped her from writing a good blog and supporting her online friends. Michelle Dawn lives in Indiana.

Now from Indiana, I go to Michigan. Jessica of Five Pines fame gets the How Much is that Doggy in the Window Top Banana. The Five Pines family got a new puppy for Christmas and Jessica is acting like a proud mama with all three of her canine family members. She is also proud of her husband, son, and daughter.

The last Top Banana in this post goes to Shelley, of Building A Log Cabin fame. Shelley receives the I *Heart* My Dog(and Cat) Top Banana. She posts great photos of her log cabin, cat Marvin, and new addition this past year, her dog, Scout. She also includes fantastic nature shots and sometimes she will photograph her husband, Greg.

I hope you go visit all these great blogs. Tomorrow it's back to the Buckeye state to award more Top Bananas and get a haircut. I don't want to go on job interviews looking like an aging hippy.