Another Christmas season

I've always liked this time of year although there have certainly been some unhappy times during the years. I enjoy decorating, the foods and yes, even gift giving. I am disturbed by the recent uncharitable trend that seems to be appearing with people doing their darnedess to get out of giving presents.
Oh sure, if times are tough, certainly. No one should ever expect those who are having financial problems to go into debt so others can have presents or treats. What I am talking about is a general lack of wanting to give, to help others. You see it all over blogland - people complaining about the pressures of finding the right present for people "who don't need anything."
Says who? Everyone needs something - maybe you just need to put a little effort into finding out what it is. But don't limit yourself to tangible things, like the latest gadget.
My favorite gifts have run the gamut from an expensive musical instrument to a book to an inherited plate. The musical instrument has led to thousands of hours of enjoyment and a career as a professional player. The book is one I still reread on an annual basis. And the plate cost nothing - it was simply passed on from my mother to me but it's a pretty one and it still makes me marvel whenever I look at it.
Unfortunately, many people seem to equate gift-giving with buying stuff or expensive presents. There's much more to it than that. To me, it simply means putting a little extra effort into a relationship, something to make it more special. Sometimes it does mean buying an engagement ring or something expensive but most of the time, it can simply mean making a special meal or dessert for that person - their favorite cookies, for example - or even a promise they'll have complete control over the remote on certain days (not everyday - we don't want to be ridiculous here). Gifts don't have to cost anything but they do have to be specific to the person - otherwise, there's no point to the whole exercise. The plate from my mother cost her nothing but it was a good choice for me because she knew I loved fine bone china and beautiful things.
Some of the nicest (and cheapest) gifts revolve around food. We all have to eat and most of us have favorites but it's always nice to try something different that could end up being a favorite. Here are some food-related gifts that I have given over the years.
1. Tea - surprise! But seriously, there are thousands of teas out there to try - and very few cost much.
2. Coffee - this can range from a Tim gift card for those who need their daily fix to a single cup coffee maker or a container of K-cups. A pound of coffee beans is also a nice gift.
3. Mugs, teapots, implements - all the essentials for making your favorite brew. A good teapot may cost less than $50 but could last a person for a lifetime.
4. Chocolates - not necessarily a box of the usual but a box customized to their tastes - for example, a box of chocolate covered apricots or strawberries for the fruit lover. Or even a collection of favorite bars.
5. Food baskets customized to that person's tastes.
6. Gift certificates or cards to favorite lunch spots so a person can indulge on that cold, miserable February day when you really need a treat.

In a jam!

The local grocery store has been having some odd sales this week. They have been selling containers of brand name hummus for 99 cents, as well as containers of fresh ricotta cheese for 99 cents. We usually make our own hummus but for 99 cents, I'm willing to give it a try - this stuff's almost as good as homemade. One ricotta has been made into an Italian cheesecake, which will be dessert tonight and other two have been earmarked for lasagna.
But the best buy of all have been containers of raspberries for 99 cents. Last week, the same size container was $4.99. One container has been consumed and the other five have just been turned into homemade raspberry jam - six bottles and a bit leftover for bread at lunch. With sugar, it averages to about $1 per 250 ml bottle - pretty good price, I think. I might even top tonight's cheesecake with a little drizzle of raspberries - yum!
Gotta love sales!

The big melt

The snow is quickly disappearing around these parts thanks to some fairly warm (for this time of year) temperatures. Just the day to be drinking Upton's Baker Street blend which combines a small amount of Lapsang Souchong with black tea, giving it a mild, smoky flavor. The perfect late fall cup since it reminds you of wood fires and frosty days. Someone once asked me about Lapsang Souchong and how it tasted and I described it as bacon in a cup - you either love it or hate it. Needless to say, that puts off a lot of people but a small amount of smokiness can be quite pleasant and I would recommend this tea. Of course, it tends to go rather well with a freshly made croissant that's been heated with some extra old cheddar melting on top ...

Snowed In!

And 40 cm later, guess where I spent much of the day? In the driveway, shovelling for just over three hours. It's either that or spend a fortune getting it done. If I'm home, it's not so bad - I can take my time and do it at my own pace. I do hate it though when I'm working and it still has to be done - and yes, I will hire someone if necessary!
Drinking Upton's China Jasmine right now which is one of the few jasmines I enjoy since it's pretty mild and you can still taste the green tea. Just put in an order for my farmers market tea stall - the holidays are coming up and hopefully, everyone will be buying some tea - makes a nice gift, I think.

Tire-d

Well, I bit the bullet on Tuesday. I got up at 6 am, had breakfast and at 7, I waited for the tire store's doors to open at 8.
I was first in line and am now the proud owner of four new winter tires.
And undercoating. Even with a misquote, my tires were still $150 cheaper than getting an appointment - and that paid for the undercoating.
I am ready!

Hot Chocolate Weather

Some seriously nasty winter weather is expected this afternoon and the first flakes of winter have begun falling in this neck of the woods. It's a perfect day for hot chocolate and this year, there's some new ones to try.
The most obvious are those peppermint hot chocolates from McDonald's. This is seriously bad news for those of us who are trying half-heartedly to keep the weight off. Hot chocolate, mint flavor, whipped cream and candy cane bits - what's not to love? It doesn't help that they've given away free coupons either - I could seriously drink one or two of these each day. There's also a peppermint mocha but for some reason, it's the peppermint hot chocolate for me - seriously good stuff.
The Bulk Barn has also started carrying some holiday hot chocolates - plain, mint and candy cane which is a minty white chocolate. I've tried the first two and they're both good, the peppermint especially. Besides the fantastic flavour, it's one of those few hot chocolates that dissolves well and doesn't leave you with a mouthful of floury lumps. I've also bought the candy cane white chocolate and haven't gotten around to trying it yet. I'm not as big a white hot chocolate fan but it does smell wonderful.
The Bulk Barn has also been selling apple cider and it's pretty good as well.
Have you ever tried chocolate mint tea? If you get a chance, you should. These tend to be black teas with chocolate and mint leaves added in. Metropolitan Tea does a wonderful one if you prefer loose and Stash does a great bagged one (I think it's an oolong) that's also worth trying. And for those who can't take the caffeine, Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane is available again - it's a decaf green tea that's flavored with a peppermint creme flavor.Also very good.
There's nothing like something hot, chocolately and/or minty on a chilly, damp wintery day!

Tires, Where art thou?

It's been a while since I purchased new winter tires - about four years - but I had no idea how much they went up in price. The only place that is affordable doesn't take appointments and when I showed up this morning at 9 am, they said to leave my car and they might get to it by 3 pm.
Er, no.
So I went to other places and got pretty much the same story - wait all day or make an appointment and pay almost double. The first place I mentioned is charging $435 - the place with appointments want $749. One guy told me when he shows up to work at 8 am, there's a crowd in the parking lot waiting - in lawn chairs. Are we talking winter tires here or tickets to a pop concert?
So what's a thrifty tea-drinker to do? I guess tomorrow morning, I'll be rolling out of bed at 6 am, having a bowl of oatmeal, dressing warmly and filling a thermal mug full of chocolate mint tea or maybe apple cidre to take my place in line at 7 am.
The things I'll do to save a pile of money!

Three for three!

When you try new teas, it's hit or miss and all too often, miss. A friend arrived home from a trip with a bag of teas for me to try from Teaopia and I'm thrilled to say all three were a hit! I had Caramelissimo, Lady Earl Grey and Coconut Cream Green tea and all were delicious. In fact, I'll probably order all three again when I run out. I'll be making a pot of the coconut cream green when I get home from the library book sale later today - mmmm, I can taste it now!

Garden Confessions

I'll admit I am not the greatest gardener in the world but every year, I do try to raise something edible, mainly in an effort to see if I can actually do it, if pinch ever came to shove. Over those years, I have made a startling discovery and one that will not sit well with the do-everything-yourself-naturally brigade.
Home-grown produce does NOT taste better than the stuff you buy in the stores.
There, I've said it. And I can say it honestly. This year, I have harvested garlic, onions, various herbs, lettuces, chard and several varieties of tomatoes. And not one of them tastes any better than similar vegetables I can buy at the farmer's market or the supermarket.
And before anyone gets snarky and questions me on this, here are the facts: everything I grow is 100 per cent organic. All of the above was grown from seed or bulb. And because of being involved in the tea business and doing my own blending, I have a pretty sensitive palate - I can taste differences pretty easily.
Is it worth the extra effort? Honestly, I have to say no - you can get better deals from farmers or the supermarket since they grow in quantity or buy in quantity. However, it is pretty neat to be able to make a salad at the end of the day with everything grown by yourself and harvested only minutes earlier. Also, you do know the history of the plant and what it's come in contact with and for many people, just knowing for sure no pesticides have been used is comfort enough. A taste difference though? Uh, no.
And I have to say the same about eggs and other organic products. One of the biggest myths surrounds blueberries - that the wild ones taste better than the farm-grown ones. Close your eyes and taste the two - there's really no discernable difference. In fact, you might be surprised to find the farm grown ones are tastier.
Now I'm not saying give up the organic products or home-grown ones but consume and grow them because you want to and because you enjoy the effort that goes into the harvest.

Another passing

2011 has been the year from hell for me and it seems not to be finished yet. So far, I've lost my mother, my full-time job, several other relatives, my car and now, a big huge tree.
If you're wondering how a tree deserves to be in the list, let me explain. When I was 13, we moved into this house and my father and mother planted two spruce and one pine tree in the front yard. At the time, it looked funny since they were only knee high and tiny on a big expanse of lawn. But over the years, they grew and grew until they all reached about 30 feet, outliving the actual people who planted them - until last night.
Around 9:30 pm, I hear a strange noise, almost like someone opening a large bag of chips. Not scary or even loud - just odd. Since we were having a storm, I looked outside, expecting to see a planter or lawn chair out of place but instead, I could see down the street - something I don't ever remember being able to do before. Then it hit me - I could see down the street because a tree was gone. It was one of the spruces my parents planted. And how it fell was odd - it could have fallen back and hit the house, forward and hit the road or to the right side and hit the neighbors car. Whatever way it fell, it should have taken out the power lines. But it did none of those things. Instead, it fell to the left and landed partially on the pine tree in the centre of the lawn, which is a bigger tree and could support it.
It did damage the pine but it seems to be more aesthetic than anything right now. The tree people will be removing some of damaged branches. I should know later if it needs to be removed completely. A tree company came by and cleaned up the spruce mess this morning and remarked that it was a miracle that it didn't knock the other tree down as well but I think it's pretty miraculous it fell the way it did and didn't damage anyone's property, my house or take out the power.
I love my trees, mostly because I associate them with my parents so sentimentally, it's a loss for me. But I do know that I won't be replacing them with another tree - those things get too big and can cost a fortune to remove at a later date. Maybe a small shrub will be planted in their place in the future to remember my parents.

Just lazy today

Three posts in one day - so unlike me. Just finished dusting, vacuuming and cleaning floors - also very unlike me. It's all because I do have a pile of work facing me - and for some reason, I just don't want to do it. I'm not tired or sick. It's not terrible work. I just don't want to do anything but surf the net and watch TV.
Sigh.
I can be pretty immature sometimes.
I want the work, I want the money that goes with work - I just don't want to do the work. And I do know better. I just need to give myself the proverbial kick in the pants. In the meanwhile, I may just soothe my lazy bones with a pot of Winter Spice blend - black tea with apples, oranges and seasonal spices.
Maybe it will give me the energy to get back to what I should be doing!

Up and Up and Up

My family has always been a little odd - we all love to shop for groceries. My father, my mother, both my brothers and I enjoy going up and down the aisles, picking out our food. We've never been rich so the hunt for food has always been combined with the hunt for bargains. Unfortunately, bargains are few and far between these days.
When I was out earlier this week perusing the meat aisle, I was stunned at the prices. Packages of boneless and skinless chicken breasts were selling for between $25 and $32. A package with two small breasts were selling for $12 - just enough for one meal. I love chicken but frankly, I refuse to buy it at these prices - steak is much cheaper!
Even more depressingly, even though it's harvest time and fruit and vegetables should be at their cheapest, they're at all-time high prices. It's apple season and the stores around here want $1.99 a pound for substandard apples - what's up with that? Usually I buy a basket of pears at this time of year - I don't think I've ever paid more than $1.99 for a large basket. This year, the small baskets are going for $5.99. Didn't even get any peaches this year - again, way beyond my budget.
For a while, junk food was much cheaper than healthy food but those days seem to be past too. A large bottle of brand name soda used to go for 99 cents a bottle - now they want $2.49 for it.
No wonder people are using coupons and growing their own stuff - life is getting more and more expensive every day.

So much for that!

It's 5 C here today, raining in buckets and windy. Yep. Perfect fall weather. The kind of day where you really don't feel like doing anything except drink tea or, in my case, check out my new flavors of K-cups.
My order arrived this week and for $100, I think I did pretty well. I got a holiday box of 48 Green Mountain K-cups with spiced eggnog, French toast and gingerbread k-cups, several sample flavors, two boxes of decaf k-cups, including Green Mountain's French Vanilla and Dark Magic flavors and a box each of Gevalia's Swiss Hazelnut coffee, Twinnings Earl Grey and Twinnings Chai Tea lattes.
The Twinnings Earl Grey and Chai Tea lattes are old favorites. Don't really care for them in regular tea bags but through a Tassimo, they seem to take on a different personality. I'd highly recommend both.
The Gevalia Swiss Hazelnut smelled incredible out of the box - rich dark coffee smell coupled with hazelnut overtones. Unfortunately, the smell didn't translate into taste. They're OK but I won't be ordering that one again. And the same can be said of all the holiday flavors - they're OK but nothing special. Pretty disappointing since the whole point of the order was to get that spiced eggnog blend and it was pretty bland. Actually, the French Toast is the nicest of the bunch.
I also ordered a few samples, including one of Nabob's French Vanilla and that was a big mistake - shoulda ordered a box of that stuff! It's probably the best thing I ordered and I only ordered one. I'll have to be on the lookout for it at the grocery store.
Oh wait, the reason why I ordered in the first place was because no one carries this stuff around here ...

Remember Me?

For some reason, I just haven't been posting lately - I don't know why. I just haven't been thinking about it much. Might be time to shut 'er down.
I'm back to selling loose tea at craft shows and the local farmer's market. Around here , it isn't a money-making venture but it does allow me to indulge my first love - trying out new teas. One of those is Winter Spice from the Metropolitan Tea Company, which is a lovely winter-type tea that's a cross between an orange spice and a Christmas tea - what's not to like. And then there's Buttered Rum which is black tea with a non-alcoholic rum flavoring added to it - I think it would be nice blended with a black cream-flavored tea so I might try that at some point.
It's cold here, dark and dreary with rain. When I awoke this morning, someone had draped a set of pumpkin lights over my car. Odd. A bit unsettling too, since I really don't like people around my property. No damage done but I'm glad the car was locked up last night. And now I have this set of lights that I really don't know what to do with.

Back again!

Yikes! Where did the time go - here it is September already!I've lined up some part-time jobs and they have been keeping me busy. One of those jobs is selling loose teas at the local farmer's market again so I've been busy blending and getting ready for that. My first day is this coming Saturday. I'm going with a fall theme, with such teas as orange spice, harvest blend, apple spice and some nice organics. I'm going to start with about 10 teas and try to feature either a new one each week. Wish me luck!