Red Nose

Recovery from Covid Neither of us had bad symptoms; in fact, I tested negative almost immediately. Joe tested negative after a week, but he never got terribly ill. Some Delsym for the cough, ibuprophen for the body aches, NyQuil to sleep and he coped well. So we were both double-tested negative right after Christmas. Speaking of which... Christmas Even though we were all by ourselves, Christmas was still lovely. We gave each other great gifts... Read more →

Oh how nice! Another salted caramel shortbread square! I really like these - the wee pops of salty caramel are soooo good. Also nice? This new pen! It’s a Monteverde Regatta in Black Mother of Pearl. So pretty! This picture doesn't do it justice. I got this pen as part of the Mystery Box from Pen Boutique that I treated myself to as part of Fountain Pen Day last month. The cap is magnetic, on... Read more →

Last Friday was Fountain Pen Day and all of the fountain pen/ink/paper/etc retailers had lots of promotions and specials. Of all of them, I was most intrigued by the Mystery Box offered by Pen Boutique. The Mystery Box would contain several items, including at least one fountain pen that was worth at least the box purchase price. One of the boxes would have a Mont Blanc pen - the top prize of the bunch. Well,... Read more →

Santa Claus was very very good to us this year! I got everything I wanted and some things that I didn’t even know I wanted. Here’s a sampling. This is the perfect planner for me. I’m reading this slowly to make it last, but it’s very hard to do. Here’s the piece de resistance - a Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen! All this loot (and more!) was great, but the wonderful part was spending time... Read more →

Well, I missed posting yesterday. Sigh. But I won Whamageddon! Yay! Anyway, here’s an Inkvent color wheel, with all 25 inky days spread out for your viewing pleasure. I don’t think there’s a dud in the bunch! Which ones do you like? The Inks of Inkvent I really enjoyed doing Inkvent! If Diamine offers it again next year, I'm definitely in. I'm looking forward to using these lovely inks, especially in my new Christmas present!... Read more →

It’s Christmas Day! Time for the final Inkvent surprise - a shimmery, sheening ink, All the Best. For Christmas, the ink is a 30 ml bottle, a lovely present indeed! Day 25: All the Best Merry Christmas, my dear friends, all of you, all of you, all of you. Peace and love, and All the Best. Read more →

Day 24! Yuletide! This Standard ink is a lovely teal-ish green with nice shading. Day 24: Yuletide And so we've made it to Christmas Eve. We're getting ready for a trip to Maryland, first to pick up SonnyeBoy and then to my sister's house (over the river and through the woods) for the annual Christmas Eve celebration. I'm so happy to be able to make this trip. All of us are vaxxed to the max,... Read more →

Today’s Standard ink looks like a Werther’s candy - it’s Brandy Snap! Day 23: Brandy Snap Apologies in advance. (IYKYK) And Day 23's Brandy Snap - a fine ink! (a fine ink!) What a great ink it will be! (such a fine ink!) It's a brown standard ink that looks very Caramel -eeee! Read more →

Sheen!! Day 22 of Inkvent is Black Ivy, a deep green with a purple sheen. Day 22: Black Ivy It’s interesting to me how the paper can affect the look of the inks. I’ve been following a couple of YouTube pen enthusiasts who are posting videos on the Inkvent inks. Both show the Black Ivy base as more of a blue, but it sure looks green to me, so there you go. That purple sheen... Read more →

It's Day 21 of Inkvent! Today's ink is Wonderland. There's no wondering about this Standard ink - it's most definitely orange! The picture doesn't really show the full brightness of the orange-itude, so take my word for it. Day 21: Wonderland Speaking of orange, my favorite summer thirst quencher is an orange freeze; specifically, the Orange Freeze from the late, lamented Hot Shoppes. Oh my God, it was The. Best. It was kind of a... Read more →