My New Coffee

I started making a honey/lemon/ginger tea last spring when I had a cold. I drank it in lieu of coffee and I haven't wanted coffee ever since.

The recipe called for fresh ginger or dried ginger. I buy fresh ginger paste because it saves me the time of peeling and grating the ginger myself, and I figure it's more nutritious than dried ginger. I love the flavors of lemon and ginger, and tend to gravitate to foods flavored with them, so this tea is perfect ... simply perfect!

Look What I Found!

Peppermint Twinkies! I bought them thinking that they'd end up in the trash can, but they weren't bad. Still, nothing can beat Junior Mint Peppermint Crunch!

The CD's are Here!!

If you haven't had the opportunity to hear John's music, you can listen to all the songs at https://www.reverbnation.com/johnlawrencecraddock. Become a fan to get updates on events and other music. I know I'm biased, but it really IS good music!

You can purchase digital downloads or a CD here. 

"Oooooh, Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the C?"

It's not who you think! It's actually a guy named Michael.

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

There is Nothing More Romantic

Than cuddling with your sweetie

in a room lit by a beautiful Christmas tree and a warm fire :)

Today is Pearl Harbor Rembrance Day

Much like 9/11, no one will ever forget.

When I visited Hawaii, I'm ashamed to say I didn't visit the Arizona Memorial. In my defense, I didn't know there was a memorial on Oahu. While on Oahu, I never strayed from Waikiki Beach other than to fly to Maui for a day trip. I wish I had known about the Arizona Memorial, and how close we were to it. Maybe next time.

Christmas Mouse Family

The mouse family at my current home (above).
(Click on image to enlarge.)
The mouse family at my previous home (below).

One of my sisters gave me this mouse family when my kids were very young. I've had it for at least 20 years, and I've set it out every year since. Soon after I got my Christmas Mouse family, I found some bulbs at Kuesters hardware that flicker in warm tones, mimicking a real flame ... well, as realistic as a 1990's era flickering bulb can be anyway!

So, instead of using a "white" nightlight bulb, I've always used a flickering bulb. Fearing these bulbs were a novelty I wouldn't be able to find again, I bought every bulb Kuesters had. It was wise for me to buy their entire flickering bulb inventory, because I haven't seen them since. I'm sure they're still manufactured and can be purchased, but I've never seen them around here.

The above bulb is my last one. I'll do a quick the internet search for another source so that I can stock up again ... because once your Christmas Mouse family has a "real" flaming fireplace, there's no going back to a generic white bulb.

Photo-Shy Grandbaby

Grandbaby Number 1 has decided he no longer likes being lined up, posed, and forced to smile in pictures. You're allowed to take pictures of him while he plays ... he'll even turn to you and smile ... but woe to you if you try to make him pose for a picture. Even a homemade chocolate chip cookie doesn't make it worth his while!

Supermoon

I tried to get a good picture of the Supermoon last night, but with my camera, this is the best I could do. I love how the naked branches frame the moon.

A Pretty, Early-Winter Day

A warmer than usual day last weekend allowed me to get outside and do some yard work. From the house, you can't really tell I did anything at all, but I spent a good part of Sunday working out back. First, I cut ivy off of some of the trees. There are still dozens of trees that have ivy growing on them, but they'll have to wait for another pretty day. I also gathered up a lot of fallen branches/trees and dragged them into a pile at the bottom of the hill.

I'll refresh your memory ... here's what it used to look like:

I need to bring my chainsaw down there and cut the pile into manageable pieces, but that probably won't happen until next spring. There must be a crack in the patio by the fireplace, because there is a tree growing on it. Next spring, I'll remove the leaves and the vines and the tree on the patio, and I'll find out if there's any damage that needs repaired. 

In addition to working on the fireplace area, I need to finish clearing a walking path to it. I started on that this past summer, but all the debris (and poison ivy/oak/sumac) prevented me from going any further. I've since killed all the offensive weeds, and now that I have all the fallen branches/trees out of the way, it's ready for a path to be forged.

I don't know that I'll ever use this patio, but since I have it, it may as well be usable. Once it's cleared, it will be like a pleasant surprise at the end of the path! Even though I may not ever use it, I can certainly see my grandkids playing there.