The Noble Warrender

Our first WeeBox arrived!! If you haven't noticed, we love everything to do with Scotland. You can guess how excited I was to find that there is a monthly subscription service to receive a box of curated items from Scotland.  Our first month of the subscription, December's WeeBox, was full of items to help celebrate Hogmanay. Scotland's last day of the year, is a time for celebrating, eating, and exchanging gifts. Hogmanay traditions include singing Auld Lang Syne and First Footing, where your first visitor in the home after midnight should bring gifts - including, but not limited to, a lump of coal, some shortbread,  and whisky (of course). WeeBox set us up properly for Hogmanay. They included a warm hat, a flask, yummy shortbread, a book, a bag with coal, and the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne so we don't stumble too much through the song. If you'd like to read more about Hogmanay, I'd suggest this online article .  If you'd like to c...

January's Universal Yums box took us to Greece!! Lots of goodness in this box! Totti's Bread Chips - Just like croutons! Yum! Sesame Pasteli with Almonds - they date back to 1450 BC!! Parthenon Green Olives with Fennel & Coriander - "Olives rule Greek life!" Bergamot Jelly Candies - Like Earl Grey tea, but in candy form. Serenata Dark Chocolate Wafer - The most popular wafer cookies in Greece! Totti's Oregano Chips - Potatoes, popular in Greece since 1829. Bliss Cocoa Toffee - Cacao is the "food of the gods". Derby Chocolate Bar - light, airy and better than most US brands of bars. Our picks for Best Yum - Serenata Dark Chocolate Wafer, Parthenon Green Olives with Fennel & Coriander, and Derby Chocolate Bar. So much to choose from! What else did we learn about Greece this month? Well, do you ever say "jinx!!' or "pinch, poke, you owe me a coke"? If you're in Greece an...

The Boston Public Library was established as the first large free library in the mid-1840s at a relatively small building (a schoolhouse) in Boston. But, impressively, it had outgrown itself before opening. Right away plans were made to move the collection to the current, massive, and amazing location in the 1890s, and it's kept growing to the twenty-six branch system it is today. The design is that of a palace surrounding a courtyard. It's one of those places where you think you've seen it all, but then you walk through a doorway to another wing or another study room. The library seems endless. This statue adorns the front steps of the main entrance. It is titled "Art" and was created by Bela Pratt (1867-1917).  Bates Hall is the perfect place to do research or just grab a book and read. The lamps, the busts, the ceiling and dome at the end. It's inspiring. Two lion sculptures greet visitors who pass between them on the staircase. Th...