Did somebody say Thin Mints, Samoas and Do-si-dos?!?!?!

She may be the only 92-year-old to have her own Myspace page. She's a Capricorn from Savannah, Ga., and you know her well. She's the Girl Scout cookie, that American icon that comes around only once a year. Because we'd like her to linger longer, many of us put her on ice, stockpiling these decadent delights in the freezer to prolong the excitement.

In 1917, Oklahoma Girl Scouts held a bake sale to raise money for a service project. Although Girl Scouts haven't done the baking since 1936, the Girl Scout Cookie sale has become an American icon - and empowered millions of girls.

Last year in Swift Water Council, covering all of New Hampshire and eastern Vermont, Girl Scouts sold 1,235,304 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Thirty-four girls achieved "cookie diva" status, selling more than 1,000 boxes each. Thanks to donations from customers, businesses and veterans' group, the council sent more than 12,000 boxes to U.S. servicemen and women through "Operation Cookie."

Girl Scout Cookies are still great cookies for a great cause, and now there are eight varieties offered, including a sugar-free version of the American classic chocolate chip cookie and the brand-new caramel confection, Dulce de Leche. All of the favorites have returned: Thin Mints (a perennial bestseller), chewy Samoas, chocolate and peanut butter Tagalongs, traditional Trefoil shortbreads, peanutty Do-si-dos, and last year's newcomer, Lemon Chalet Cremes, a vanilla sandwich cookie with a hint of cinnamon and ginger spice filled with zesty lemon creme. Girl Scout Cookies are kosher foods, and there are zero grams of trans fat per serving.

This annual program is the leading financial literacy program for girls in the U.S. Girl Scouts learn about and get experience in: public relations, marketing and salesmanship; project management; being an entrepreneur and a leader; goal-setting and money management (including bookkeeping and accounting); philanthropy and more.

The Girl Scout Cookie program enables girls to attend camp, have endless enjoyable learning opportunities and learn valuable leadership skills.

Each box of cookies costs $3.50. After the baker is paid, the rest stays locally, going for camperships, hundreds of program opportunities for Girl Scouts, and the everyday expenses of running each troop and the council.

Haven't seen a Girl Scout yet? Call the cookie hotline at 627-4158, ext. 201, and leave a message including the name of your town, and someone will get back to you. Girl Scout cookies will be delivered in the middle of February.

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountain