Welcome to the Shire

Rick Martinez, former software developer and manager heard a cry. A cry from a crowd of his friends drinking his homemade sangria. “You should BOTTLE THIS!!”

Well, actually, I’m not sure if it was the roar of the crowds, a dream, or a whisper in his ear. But what I am glad of is that Rick decided to bottle his sangria recipe into Senor Sangria.

It’s a really excellent blend of red wine and fruit. Really delightful. AND I got a happy *buzz* after having a glass.

You can’t miss this one on the shelves. The bottle design really jumps out. Even our Little Princess was impressed with the beautiful bottle.

I bought 4 bottles today. One for us to try, and some for the guys at work who expressed interest in trying Senor Sangria.

Make sure you stop by Rick’s Senor Sangria website and read all about it. It’s available in stores in New York and New Jersey. You can also order it online.

You won’t be disappointed. It’s a delightful drink. No patio should be without it!

Even our boy was curious about it.

Go to this story about Fred, a loving, homeless dog who deserves a family who will love him. It’s a story that really touched my heart. Also a nice story on why you should adopt a shelter pet.

Written by Chessbuff at On Loving Animals. Chessbuff writes a very gentlemanly blog on Animal Rights, Animal Cruelty, and his volunteer work at The Bloomingdale Regional Animal Shelter. It’s a blog worth checking every day. Tell him “AIR” sent you.

Oh and he also blogs on Chess, but, I’m not that smart.

These are excellent teas and great gifts for tea lovers. Even some coffee addicts (like me) appreciate teas from Teavana.

They have lots of great tea. White, oolong, rooibos. Great tea accessories too.

My favorites:

Monkey-Picked Oolong. Pricey at $25 for two ounces, but worth it. You get whole, unbroken, oolong tea leaves. There is an old Chinese legend of monks that trained monkeys to pick Oolong tea leaves from the inaccessible heights in the high mountains of China.

Peach Momotaro Artisan Tea. Hand-tied, peach scented tea composed of delicate white tea leaves and blooms beautifully into a chrysanthemum and jasmine bouquet upon steeping. Very cool to watch.

Queen of Babylon®. White tea blended with pomegranate seeds, sour cherries, sweet carrot bits, apple and pineapple pieces.

If you’re going to make it a gift, consider getting the tea along with a tea pot or Teamaker.

A glass teapot. Great for watching the jasmine tea pearls bloom. Oooh I want one of these!

Cast Iron Tea Pot. Handmade in Japan of solid cast iron with a fully enameled inside and a stainless steel basket for your tea leaves. I want one of these too!

The Teavana Perfect Teamaker. A nifty gadget to brew tea. Just add loose tea, hot water and steep. Drain the tea by placing it onto your favorite mug. (We’ve got several of these.)

You can order online, or find a store near you. For me, the nearest one is at The Commons in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Oh, and if you visit a store, you can sample some of the tea that’s been brewed.

We have been Lushies for years (Lushies are Lush fans). We used to buy Lush in England many years ago even before it was introduced to the United States. It’s pricey, but the quality is tremendous. Soaps, bath bombs, shampoo, conditioner, hennas…all natural and 100 percent cruelty free.

Now that Lush has been introduced is some Macy’s stores (Menlo Park Mall for me), we’re never without Lush. Even my 23-year-old Lushie Diva loves the products.

Every Christmas season they provide unique boxed gift sets. The best set is the Charity Box. With each Charity Box purchased, 100 percent of the retail price is donated to select charities. These charities include Unite For Children against Aids, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Bicycles For Humanity.

Click here for a complete list of Lush charities.

To find a store near you, click here.

You won’t be disappointed giving these gifts. Nor will you be disappointed using them yourself.

While I was on a business trip, I spent some time in a book store and found the book “Dewey, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World”

I sat down and read excerpts of the book and was really captivated.

In 1988, Spencer Public Library Director Vicky Myron found a little kitten stuffed in the overnight book return bin on one of the coldest nights of the year. He was frostbitten, hungry, shivering, and frightened. Vicky and her Library Board cared for him and decided that “Dewey” (named after the Dewey Decimal System) assume the honor of the residential library cat. Not only is this story about Dewey’s antics in the library, it covers life in the midwestern town of Spencer, Iowa. Dewey lived as the library mascot for 19 years. Vicky Myron was the first one Dewey saw after he was abandoned. And she was the last one he was with when he was sent on his final journey.

This is a very charming book for animal lovers. In fact, I know a *Cat Diva* who would love finding this book stuffed in her Christmas Stocking.