W's for the Last October Friday

  hen the wind howls and the windows shake, I know we are getting to the end of October. DH has a horrible cold, not Covid, but has developed that barky cough. It was horrible yesterday, so he laid low. My younger daughter hung out with her older sister for much of Thursday, partially to keep her company, and also to utilize her better WIFI. While I took hours here and there this week, I still am sucking a lot of the bandwidth as I've had several national calls/conferences. Next week is more of the same-another national project has meetings scheduled over four of the five days of the week. I got a nice little care package for the one this week-though it came after the meeting was over. It was a nice short insulated mug with a travel container top with a packet of hot cocoa to go with it. It was in a bougie box, filled with the shredded and spiralized  packing paper in a variety of colors. The box probably cost as much as the mug! So what else is on my brain as I end this week? Here's my world of W's. 

What's top of mind:  Besides DH's cold, I have personal finances on my brain. I didn't do a check in in September on our countdown to retirement and realized I blew by this past Monday, the last one of October. I'll work on updating our progress for Monday. This includes updating the retirement charts, and seeing I can wiggle down a few budget categories and come out in the black  in 2022 with just applying my salary. 

Where I've been: At the oral surgeons, back and forth to the pharmacy, and back and forth to my daughters-which for me, was a nice change of scenery. I've been on many walks with pup. I'm actually putting socks and shoes on for the short walks-the ones where we don't go far, but pup gets a lot of sniffing time. I think sandal weather is truly gone.

Where I'm going: No where in particular. We're taking DD2 and my MIL out for dinner Saturday, but not sure where yet. DD2 loves a certain pasta dish at a restaurant she worked at one summer. 

What I'm reading: I'm still waiting for my book from the library but haven't had much reading time anyway.

What I'm listening to: I streamed some tunes from the Cranberries No Need to Argue album. It as more background than real listening. 

What I've been watching: My daughter and I over a couple nights watch d The School of Rock for just mindless laughs and giggles. We've also streamed a few more episodes of Supernatural-seems fitting for the week. I'm caught up on the latest Great British Baking Show as well, but watched that the other night when no one else was home.

What I'm eating: I made a big batch of chicken noodle soup yesterday along with crescent rolls. I made curry, chickpea masala on Sunday specifically, for my daughter who ate for three days. I promised her one more batch before she leaves and I'll send her back to school with the leftovers. My kids need their care packages when they leave mom's house. 

Who I'm paying attention to: I've had a bit of a news break this week with juggling time for my kids, the virtual work conference. While today is supposed to be my flex day, I'm interviewing for a permanent position, for which one candidate is the current temporary staff. I guess that person is who I am paying attention to.

Who needs to be (figuratively) slapped: Since I've been avoiding a lot of new, I've had less slapping urges! I'm seeing more garbage strewn in the park-not sure if it is blowing from peoples waste bins after trash pick up day or people leaving behind, but if the latter, I'll give them a slap. 

What's Making Me Smile:  Ok, so DH feeling lousy with his cold does not make me happy, but seeing him with his mugs and tea bags is a homey sight. He's not a coffee drinker, but when he feels poorly or is chilled, tea is his beverage of choice, but not regular black tea. I think I made him three large mugs of Good Earth pomegranate tea yesterday. I tend to use that for cold tea in the summer (with a splash of lemon it is phenomenal), but he loves it hot and I was glad we had quite a few bags on the tea tray.  

     No doubt I'll end my weekend how I started last by doing laundry for  my college kid to pack up and take back. I hope she had a good week off-we didn't do anything exciting, but she got to see a couple friends, sleep without an alarm going off the next morning, and load up on some of her favorite foods. She also did a ton of school work and has 7 weeks left of the semester. My older daughter is doing OK with the prep for her two implants, due to no adult tooth forming where they should have in two spots, but the poor girl will be on soft foods for quite a while. I too would like days where I don't have to get up for any reason other than my own, but my list actually grew this week instead of tapering down. Now it is Halloween on Sunday and then another month is in the books. What are the W's of your word this week?

Tea Time

I am a coffee drinker.  Make no mistake about that.  I sometimes wake up and the thought of a steaming cup, with a splash of cream or milk, is all I can think about. With trying to keep the budget in check, I use my wonderful Keurig, and most of the time a reusable  basket filter.  A coffee house coffee is a real treat, but more so because it means I am out for coffee with someone, it doesn't necessarily taste better.   The Keurig is also great for just getting a hot cup of water as well without the hassle of heating up the tea kettle.   Nine time out of 10, I am reaching for coffee.  For the 10th cup though, a tasty tea is what I need.

My tea of choice is Good Earth Spicy and Sweet.  You can get it both in a caffeine free, but also in a black tea base, which I prefer.  It is my beverage of choice for late afternoon meetings like todays 3:00 version.  The rich scent is soothing, and the smooth, but kicky taste wakes up my taste buds, which then wake up my mind. Spicy and Sweet is my beverage equivalent to comfort food.  It feels like the tough love hug from your best "tell it like it is" pal,  soothing to the soul but with a jolt of reality.  The tea bags have pithy little quotes as well.  At Kate's bookshelf, she wrote a whole post about the quotes. Kate's bookshelf

I like other teas as well.  A hearty Earl Gray or a chai tea with sugar and milk have their moments.  I have some loose tea leaves of chai and orange concoction that I like brewed, then over ice. I've not been able to tolerate chamomile, no matter how much someone tells me it will be  good for helping me relax.  A coworker brews a strong pungent tea, native to her Argentina.  I probably come across as ungrateful when I  politely decline her offers of a cup. If the smell is pungent, I can't imagine the taste being better. 

I sent my daughter boxes of Spicy and Sweet when she was a student in England.  I carried more on the plane to her when we visited. She found many of her English and Indian friends developed a liking for the Good Earth brand. My son would raid my GE tea supply when he came home from college for his take back care package, and even his last visit in May, I stocked up.  I guess he can't find the brand in Florida.  I'll be travelling myself for the next three days for my job.  I'll pack along, as I always do, a few tea bags, ready to brew before retiring for the night.  

So I put this question out there.  What am I missing in the world of true tea perfection?   Are those of you from tea centric countries  silently shaking your heads at my preferences?  And a final question, why is supper called "tea", even if no one is actually drinking tea?