First Monday of February

What a difference a few days make!  Last week we were in the 'deep freeze' [temperatures below zero, with chill factors even lower] and snow covered the ground.  Today it's 50 degrees and raining.  All the snow has either melted or been washed away.   By the way, where did January go???

I didn't work today because The Whitney is closed due to a broken water main in the basement.  So my hubby and I went to lunch at the Royal Treat Tearoom.  The last time I was there was August 2017 when I took my granddaughter, Ellie.

Usually they're packed to capacity, but today my hubby and I were the only two guests.  Two ladies left as we arrived.  It was the perfect opportunity for a photo op.

Jennifer, the owner, has boo-coo teacups.  Many are on the tables, and the rest are displayed on shelves over the windows, or in china cabinets.

We got to pick the table we wanted, and below is the one we chose.  We were dressed very casual, but Jennifer's mom said I had to have my picture taken wearing a hat from their selection, so I shed my red-checkered vest and obliged.  All the tables had fresh flowers on them that Jennifer arranges every morning.

I chose Lady Grey, served in a Paragon teacup.  Jerry was offered a cup of c****e and gladly accepted.  [I couldn't bring myself to type the beverage on my tea blog!  ;-)]

The scones were yummy.  

I had the raspberry thumbprint scone.

Cute idea for a sugar container.

Jerry and I both got Broccoli/Cheddar Quiche with a Garden Salad.

Baked goods for sale in a retail area on the other side of the tearoom.  I asked Jennifer's mom how many scones they bake in a day [because Jennifer supplies many local businesses in addition to her tearoom], and she said they set a record last December with 4,700 scones in one day.  That's A LOT of scones!

~ Jennifer's Mom ~

After lunch we braved the rain and went shopping for new luggage - my birthday present from Jerry this year.  We're planning a trip to California this spring, and I'm long overdue in replacing my old luggage.  

He ended up getting me two pieces of Samsonite luggage in a pinkish/maroon color.  Here's a bit of trivia I didn't know until my son shared it in one of his sermons awhile back. Samsonite luggage company was founded in 1910 by Jesse Shwayder.  Jesse was a religious man who named one of his initial suitcases after Samson in the Bible [Book of Judges].  He was a man of incredible strength until Delilah brought him down.  Shwayder began using Samsonite as his trademark [indicating its strength] in 1941 and the name continues to this day.

Over the weekend we visited Jeremy and Samantha and saw the photos of their recent trip to Hawaii.  They brought back some Mānoa Chocolate tea for me.  The back of the package reads: 'With earth flavors and the aroma of hot chocolate, this tea is rich, stimulating and mood-enhancing.'  I'm anxious to try it, and will report back on it.