Time for Tea

We received a thank you gift a while back for watching Luna (Little did they know we would quickly dump Stirling on them for Christmas for two weeks!): a lovely tea pot from Bee House.

  

 

I took it to work and I have to say, that I love having it here.  It is so nice and refreshing to have a cup of real tea to get you through the work day.   There are Lipton teabags available in the office's kitchen, but com'on!  After years of being with an Englishman, I am now a tea snob. What else do you expect?  Loose tea or nothing, baby.  Currently, I have Fortnum and Mason's Christmas Spiced Tea as my afternoon cuppa.  It is a blend of tea enhanced by cocoa nibs, orange peel and ginger.

Having a nice warm cup makes the millions of emails I have to answer, writing the reports that are past due, and the book keeping needing to be done seem not so overwhelming.  Instead, it seems quite doable; dare I say, enjoyable?,  as I sip away the afternoon.

Out of Body Experience

Something is up with Will...  maybe we have been taking care of one too many dogs.  Maybe he has been spending far too much time down at the dog park.  Hmm, I dunno.  He just doesn't seem to be himself lately....

Dog and Dish Redux

We have started a trend!  We are rather proud of ourselves.  Will's idea of a "dog & dish party" seems to be a success.  Another friend from the dog park, mom to Gatsby and Tucker,  decided to host one herself over the previous weekend. 

It was marvelous!  I enjoyed being at the party this time, instead of hosting it.  Stirling was much better behaved (if you ignore the one snarl at the 8 month old puppy Queener-- who is twice as tall as Stirling).

And the dogs wrestled each other like champs--with Biscuit on the bottom and Stirling playing ref.  We have been very lucky with finding a dog like Stirling and then even more lucky finding a group of doggie friends for her. 
 

photo courtesy of this lady.

Cousin James

Dear Cousin James came across the pond, down on the train, up in a taxi after working to have a bit of chat and a nibble with us.  It was quite lovely.  I made lamb chops, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed Swiss chard, and Brussels sprouts.  For dessert, home made cookies.  Everything was quite delicious, and, hot enough.  (Will seems to think that I only serve warmish potatoes).   James and his family are in good form.  He filled us in on the Cunningham clans doings in Merry Ol' England.  We had a marvelous time and before we knew it, it was time to drop him back to his hotel.  So, only a photo as he was walking out the door!  But James promised that he would return with the family and we would do a proper photo shot.  Seems fair enough.

This Orchid Goes to 11

Another one of Will's orchids is in bloom, with each day another blossom opening up.  I swear that man is magic with the orchids.  He has another one that has 4 new shoots on it. 

This one has bloomed for him several times, and each time it produces a fantastic amount of flowers. 

It will take a while yet for all the flowers to fully develop and then open, but that doesn't stop Will from checking in on it every day: Misting the plant, moving the clips to support the spike, waiting for the next flower to come.  He has amazing patience for these persnickety plants, coaxing them to bloom again and again.  I do believe he is the Orchid Whisper.

DC Snow Bubble

DC has a snow bubble up. A snow shield. A snow preventing force field, if you will.

We aren't getting the massive amounts of snow like we did last year-- it keeps barely missing us. In the mean time, Philly, Boston, New York are getting pounded with snow. Even Chicago had so much snow, the city closed schools for the first time in over a decade.

Here, we are just getting some dustings. Plus, some ice. What I miss is the February 2010, when Snowmageddon hit us hard. We had a snowpocalypse, a blizzaster. It was glorious. This year, it just isn't the same. *sigh* I want more snow, like last year.

Ah-ha! That Explains it!