More Wine Tastings

We had a couple more wine tastings these last few days, all online of course.

The first one was a set of 8 different wines, hosted by Oracle (a company Bryan works with a lot). The lady guiding us through all 8 wines was in South Africa, so she was up at 1:00 in the morning while Bryan and I had to take time off work at 2:00 in the afternoon to attend. Other attendees were from all across the globe: a very diverse mix of people!

The wines we sampled were quite good, a mix of both reds and whites. The bottles were specially made for the tastings and held just enough for two glasses each. I was tempted to keep the bottles and make something out of them – but that would just turn in to one more project I never get around to.

The second tasting was hosted by La Bodega and featured 3 bubbly wines, 3 white wines, and 3 red wines. They did not have sample bottles, so they let you buy the ones you were interested in without having to buy any you did not want (or could not afford). Bryan got us one red and one white – but we did enjoy listening to the entire tasting event, as the presenters were quite enthusiastic about their wines and had a lot of information to impart.

My New Home Office

I got an email from my Architect last week informing me that there was a new computer with 2 monitors, all still brand new and in their boxes, waiting for me at the office. Was I planning a trip to Anchorage anytime soon? As luck would have it, Bryan had an appointment in town that very next day: so he offered to pick it all up for me.

Once it got home, we set it up temporarily upstairs in order to get all the programs loaded onto it and make sure everything runs properly before taking down my old computer. The IT guy in Oregon worked on all of the new installations remotely. Modern computers are amazing, I have to say. We set up the computer, turned it on, and then just walked away. All weekend long, it chugged away downloading all the programs required without my having to lift a finger! It still needs a few more programs before I can make the big switch, though.

Seeing how big everything was (the monitors are both monster 32” screens!) we decided that the rickety old card table I had been using was neither big enough nor strong enough for the new setup, so Bryan went online and found me a hand-made table that is much bigger. So much bigger, in fact, it does not fit downstairs in my “office” area! But it’s such a beautiful table, I went ahead and bought it and will just relocate myself upstairs.

I sent a quick email off to the main office letting them know the progress we’d made so far, and got a response back telling me to expense the new desk & get a chair, too! So, I went online and found a good deal on a new chair (we just happened to be in time for the Black Friday sales) which Bryan will pick up for me when he gets the new table.

My task this weekend is to rearrange my crafting area to allow room for “my new office” and figure out where Viktor’s heated cat bed will go so that he can be near me while I work. I have an idea in my head of what I want to do: I’ll have to wait until I see the new table to make sure it will actually work.

Stay tuned for more news as it develops!

Happiness is a Drawer Full of Tea

I have a special drawer in the kitchen, full of all my tea & tea paraphernalia. It’s my Happy Place.

First thing in the morning, I have a cup of Market Spice. The jar for that tea is so big it doesn’t fit into the drawer, however – so it goes on the counter next to the stove. Lauren gave me that jar back when she was probably 12 years old: she carried it on her lap all the way from Seattle! I love that jar, and buy my Market Spice Tea directly from the factory to keep the jar full.

All the rest of the tea I drink throughout the day come from the drawer, each cup a different flavor depending on my mood.

• There’s smoky teas (Lapsang Souchong, Russian Caravan, Malawi Mountain Moto)
• There’s plain black teas (Spring Laoshan Black Tea, Connoisseur Tea, Rare English Breakfast, Qianjiazhai Hand Fired Black Tea, Yulu Yan Cha Black Tea)
• There’s flavored tea (Spiced Pear Black tea, Orange Nutmeg Tea)
• There’s Oolong teas (Milk Oolong, Aged Se Zhong Oolong)
• There’s some Pu’er teas (Golden Leaf Shu Pu’er, Gong Ting Shu Pu’er)
• There’s even a green tea although that’s not exactly my favorite (Genmai Cha Green)

The companies I buy my tea from are mostly all on-line, although I do shop at Summit Spice when I’m in Anchorage. As mentioned earlier, I shop at MarketSpice (based out of Seattle) but also buy from Verdant Tea and The Rare Tea Co. as well.

As I’ve no doubt you all noticed, I drink loose leaf teas almost exclusively. To contain the leaves in the water, I use this tea basket from The Republic of Tea. I’ve found that the nylon mesh is easier on my fingers than a metal on (the metal ones get HOT!) and I love how they fit perfectly into my mugs, allowing the tea lots of room to steep!

Of course, the right mug is almost as important as the right tea! Sadly, my favorite mug (the middle one) got broken in the earthquake a few years ago. It’s glued together for now, but it can’t last forever. It is a goal of mine to find The Perfect Mug to replace the broken one: the blue one pictured to the left is a good second choice, but it’s just not quite right. I thought the green one pictured to the right would be a good one, but it is too small.

Sheep Mountain Lodge

Bryan and I rented a cabin up at the Sheep Mountain Lodge for the weekend and had a very relaxing time together.

Check in wasn’t until 3:00 and the lodge is only an hour from home, so we took our time Friday morning getting ready. We packed up the food and winter gear, our toiletries and overnight bags, and since the kittens were coming with us this time we also packed up their litter box, food bowls and several toys. I got their travel crates out and had them sitting in the living room just warming up – and both cats just walked right in and sat down, effectively saying “We’re ready to go!” Certainly makes going places with them easy.

However, Naldo was NOT happy in the truck. She voiced her displeasure LOUDLY the entire trip out there! I thought for sure she’d eventually tire and go to sleep, but no – she just yelled louder. I’m not sure what her problem was: she wasn’t car sick, she was warm, she could look outside. I finally thought that maybe it was that she couldn’t see me very well – so on our return trip I situated her crate with a better view of me, and that did seem to help a little bit. At least she didn’t yell as loudly.

The cabin we ended up in was very nice, with a bathroom in one corner and the bed in the other corner. They provided a small fridge with a tiny little microwave on top for our “kitchenette” so Bryan set up his camp stove on the table to cook our meals for us. That left just enough room for my crafting table and all my card making supplies while Bryan set himself up on the couch with his computer work. We had to get a bit creative with the portable DVD player, though – trying to find a place in between us while still making sure that both of us could watch.

The kittens enjoyed exploring the place. There was a log running across the room up high that Viktor was just determined to examine. Thankfully he never figured out how to get up there – but man, he tried. Finally, right before we left the place I put him up there just so he could say he did it. He got scared, of course. He’s not the bravest little boy in the world. But we love him anyway.

The lodge itself is closed (this whole COVID thing truly sucks) but the caretaker offered to deliver meals if we wanted, so we ordered our dinners from him and cooked our own breakfasts and lunches. We had to open the door a tiny bit each time we cooked, however, just to make sure we didn’t get sick from the propane. It was cold enough out there I didn’t worry about the cats escaping – they peeked outside each time, but chose to stay in the warmth of the cabin.

Best of all, from Bryan’s point of view at least, the Hot Tub was up and running! He went out there three times over the course of two days, relaxing in the heat. I am not a hot tub person, so I just let him go by himself.

They Found A Lump

Since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I scheduled my yearly mammogram on the 27^th of that month. As luck would have it, Imaging Associates has an office out in the Valley so I didn’t have to take the day off to go in to town. Instead, I just drove a few miles down the road and got it done in no time at all. 

A week later, I got a message on my phone telling me to call them for an appointment. Since I had just had my appointment, I thought it was a mistake and I almost ignored the message. I did call them, however, if only to just clear up the misunderstanding. I’m so glad I did because it was not a mistake - I really did need to go back in for another appointment. It turns out they had found something they wanted to get a better look at.

This second appointment was quite different: first they took a series of pictures on one machine and then had me wait in the dressing room while the doctor looked at the results. Then they took another series of pictures on a different machine and put me back in the dressing room to wait while she looked at those images. This went on for two or three times before the doctor finally decided that a biopsy was needed.

The very next week found me back at the office bright and early on Tuesday morning. The procedure itself really wasn’t so bad. I laid down on the table, face down with my left breast over an opening. They raised the table up pretty high so the doctor could get underneath and work with her needles and knives. They gave me a topical anesthesia so I really didn’t feel a thing except the pressure of the clamps holding me in place. The whole thing took maybe an hour, which really isn’t that bad. They were actually quite pleased with how quickly it went – apparently sometimes it can be hard to find the lump but mine was right where it was supposed to be.

Once it was over and they brought the table back down to a normal height, I got up to head back to the dressing room – and proceeded to almost pass right out! I had completely forgotten that my body tends to react that way, so was not prepared for that at all. They had me lay back down for a while and then gave me a ride in one of their wheel chairs out to the dressing room. Once I got changed I spent a little time in the waiting room drinking some apple juice just to make sure I was capable of driving myself home.

The test results came back on Thursday with a clean bill of health: the lump is benign! Now I have a lovely bruise and am waiting for my shower today to finally get rid of the tape holding my wound together. It’s been 5 days: plenty of time to heal I think.

Kind of Like a Book Club

My niece started a book club last year called Kind of Like a Book Club. It’s mostly family members, but others are welcome to join too. If you’re interested, let me know! I’ll send you an invitation.

We meet roughly once a month, although it’s not an exact thing. We have been meeting on Zoom because of the whole COVID-19 thing, but maybe someday we’ll meet in person. It’s been working pretty well on the computer, however, so I’m happy with continuing for a while longer, until I feel safer out in the real world.

These are the books we’ve read so far:

Sabriel by Garth Nix

This was the first book for the club, which I totally missed because I hadn’t joined in yet. Tara chose it, and I like the way Tara’s mind works – so I’m probably going to go back and read this one on my own. I just know I’ll enjoy it!

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

My niece Laurel chose this book, and I have to admit I would never have read it if not for the book club. I can’t say I liked it all that much, but it was most definitely interesting. There was a lot in there that resonated with me, even if I don’t like to admit it. You’ll understand what I’m talking about once you’ve read the book.

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Sister Kelly chose this book, and I really enjoyed it. It’s told from the perspective of the wife of a serial killer – which just sends shivers down my spine to think about. Ugh! I can’t imagine the horror of finding out that your husband did those things to women right in your own garage.

Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

This was my choice for the book club – and I like to think it was well received. I had come across it about 9 months prior and really, REALLY enjoyed it. The other members of the book club did say it was a bit confusing at first, but they all liked it once they figured out what was going on.

Green Rider by Kristen Britain

Bryan introduced this book to the club, and I have to say it made most of us read the next 5 books in the series as well – it was just that good. You can read it all by its self, but the story is so good I’m sure you’ll want them all.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

This one was Noel’s pick, and was another one that I probably would never have read otherwise. However, I really enjoyed it. It’s a window into a whole other world where people live and work and laugh and love, all in a dump! And yes, it’s based on real people. There’s a documentary somewhere about it that I keep meaning to watch. If somebody finds it, please let me know so I can finally watch it!

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Heather didn’t know what book to choose when it was her turn, so she went online and looked up “books for book club meetings” and this one had high recommendations – so that’s what we read. Not my favorite book, by any means, but it was very well written and evoked some pretty strong emotions from me. I did not like the lead character: I thought he was too self-centered for my tastes.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Laurel was supposed to choose our next book, but she passed the torch on to Kelly – so we ended up reading this one. And what a good one it was, albeit a tad bit confusing at first. I liked it so much I went and got the second one in the series, too. As Kelly had said: it was even better.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

This is the book we’re reading now, chosen by my niece Tara. I really love the author and have read numerous books by her – but this one is very different. I am only about 20% of the way into it, but am finding it hard to understand what is going on. It is getting better, however, so I have hopes of one day having a clearer picture in my head of the story.