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What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
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Decaf Hazelnut Cinnamon Creme @adagioteas #teaadventcalendar #adventcalendar2021

Today’s tea from my Tea Advent Calendar is Decaf Hazelnut Cinnamon Creme. That sounds delicious! And it’s decaffeinated!

The tea contains decaf ceylon tea, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, orange, natural hazelnut flavor, marigold flowers, natural cinnamon flavor, and natural creme flavor. When I opened the packet, I could smell the hazelnut and cinnamon. It smelled really good!

I steeped it for 3 minutes in 8 ounces of 212ºF hot water.

I didn’t much care for the flavor unsweetened—the hazelnut tasted flat (somehow) and I didn’t taste the cinnamon very much. So I added almond milk and sugar, and then the hazelnut and cinnamon flavors came out more. Surprisingly, the tea was a bit weak, or maybe I’m just used to the stronger flavor of hazelnut cinnamon flavored coffees. Regardless, it was a really delicious cup of tea!
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