Thanksgiving break time

As every good blogger knows, web traffic plummets on holidays. On major holidays it falls precipitously. So I'm joining the exodus and am going into re-runs until Monday. So I want to wish everybody out there a great Thanksgiving. To everybody outside of the US, happy week of 22 through 26 November.

But back to everybody in the US for a sec.

Rather than joining in on the March to Armageddon on Friday, why not try something a little more civilized and a little more meaningful? Why not spend some quality time talking to someone or some ones you love? Why not stay home and make something with your family or friends? Why not buy nothing?

A holiday tea guide

Back in October, I wrote an article about being a tea drinker and I shared the find of my Chicago tea source, Jim Shreiber of Shui Tea. Since that article appeared Jim and I have struck up a lively correspondence and I've been buying and enjoying more if his teas.

Jim's brainchild is Shui Tea, a tea company with a commitment to tea that's only surpassed by its commitment to its customers. His teas are as amusingly well-named as they are well-blended.

With the holidays upon us (how did that happen?), our pals at Shui Tea have rolled out a special holiday collection of teas.

For an all-purpose, all-holiday, all-inclusive evening brew; the collection starts with More Cookies.

From the website:

Black Tea with Pistachio, Almond, Pink Peppercorn, Cumin, Coriander and truffle flavoring. You’ve been waiting all year for something this rich, sweet and nutty.

Deeply inhale the scent before you sip.  It smells as though you've been making all morning.  Enjoy as the balance of sweet and savory fill every Holiday craving. Grab more cookies, you need an excuse to make one more pot of tea.

If you don't know, Hanukkah starts on Wednesday of next week and L'Chayim is the perfect blend to imbibe after lighting the Menorah.

Delcious enough to drink for eight crazy nights, here is a blend of Apples and Cinnamon, mixed with hibiscus, and finished with elderberries and currants. The kids will trade up their gelt for a sip of this enticing brew. A perfect pair with latkes.

Christmas is in a bit more than a month and just in time for it, Shui Tea rolled out Cinnamerry Christmas.

Baby, it’s cold outside. But all the way home you’ll be warm with this blend of Apple and Cinnamon. Elderberries and currants add creamy flavor for when Jack Frost is nipping at your toes. Finished with glad tidings of Hibiscus, whether you made it on the Naughty or Nice list this year, you will love this delicious fruit and spice blend.

And finally we come to Festivus. Despite the lack of a single, agreed-upon date or dates, there's a tea for Festivus.

Orange rooibos with a hint of dark chocolate. Sick of commercialism? There is another way. Started many holidays ago because a battle waged over a doll. The doll was destroyed, but a new way was forged. A Festivus, for the Rest-of-Us. Celebrate Festivus with the traditional Airing of Grievances: let others know the ways they have disappointed you in the past year. Follow with challenging the head of the house to Feats of Strength at dinner.

There's plenty more where these came from on Shui Tea's website. Give it a peruse.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for the tea drinker in your life, or even better, if you're looking to become a tea drinker, I know a guy in Chicago who can make that happen.

Root planing and curettage

Today's the day that my unfortunately middle-aged gums get their first exposure to something called root planing and curettage. My dentist likes to pretty it up by calling it a deep cleaning, but I like to call things what they are. Root planing reminds me of a planing a door and the two things aren't too dissimilar.

However, when you plane a door there's lots of room to maneuver and the door doesn't feel a thing. No so with my mouth.

As I understand it; my dentist will shove a flashlight, a modified jack hammer, a bunch of hand tools and a suction device deep under the gum line of my molars and will scrape their roots until they're back to a more youthful, smooth and silky state.

In addition to costing far, far more money than I like to spend on my teeth, it will save me the heartache of tooth loss and dentures. The best part? It's a four-phase procedure and I have three more to look forward to after today. And how's your Tuesday shaping up?

What well-dressed lighting will be wearing this season

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Jeld-Wen has a new idea for a pantry door

Every new construction project I get involved with anymore involves the inclusion of a walk-in pantry. I swear, walk-in pantries are the new trophy car. Time and again though the question comes up about what do to with the door on the new walk-in pantry.

Jeld-Wen has been making windows and doors for the last 50 years. Now Jeld-Wen has a new pantry door that just might work in a number of these walk in pantries.

They've managed to come up with a design that whispers pantry. It's a type treatment that looks fantastic and upon further inspection consists of a number of home spun recipes. The recipes range from apple pie to espresso biscotti and it's a clever design.

Jeld-Wen's new pantry door is available in nine species of wood, so it will match the millwork used in any home. If you'd like more information about Jeld-Wen's doors and windows, check out their website here.