Have you tried this tea?

I think it's called a tisane -herbal tea. This is something my mom likes, currant leaves, mint blossoms, a bit of green tea, all steeped in hot water makes an enjoyable beverage. Mint is the most fragrant when in bloom.
Back in the early 90s when the Soviet world collapsed around us and sometimes the only food we had was the one we grew/raised ourselves, this was what we had for tea. And cherry tea as well -cherry twigs steeped in boiling hot water. Very pleasant cherry flavor.

Back to school

Mikey is back to school today. It makes me a little sad, the kids have grown a year older. The younger one is starting kindergarten next week, the older one is in the 3rd grade now. And at the same time, it will be a welcome break for me, more free time to do things that I have been planning to do for ages. And God knows, they are a plenty.

Although, truth be told, I will most likely end up working extra until the snow falls on the ground. I hope it does. Having no snow to ski on during Alaska n winter is not a good thing. Unlike the Lower 48 states, Alaska WANTS snow. It keeps us entertained during our six dark months of winter and keeps the summer wild fires down. So, come mid-October, everybody will be checking the forecast for those snowflakes. We need snow to be here by late November, so that we could start skiing and sledding.