What a dark and dreary day here in the islands. Oh well, I can't complain - the last few days have been gloriously sunny and bright. This time of the year the sun beats on the porch in the afternoon and the boards get so hot you don't want to stand on them. If I wanted to be baked I sure could do it out there, but not today. I am sitting here with mango flavored tea in my snowman and snowflake cup so I am happy, especially since it does not taste like Starbucks coffee! I made the mistake of craving coffee and making two small pots of it. Not only did I remember why I don't drink coffee - it makes me really hyper and leaves a nasty taste in my mouth for hours after - the flavor stayed in my tea pot until I ran two sets of vinegar and water through it. I am definitely over my coffee craving!

Found out from the owner last night that we are the only ones in Little Taj by the Sea who are staying on island for Christmas. So poor Steve gets to deal with the darn cistern water pump when it acts up. Seems to do that whenever we have a power outage or surge. Oh well, at least I can play my Christmas music as loud as I want to! Right now I am listening to the songs from Michael McLean's The Forgotten Carols. It is both a book and a musical stage show. I read the book this a.m. and it is wonderful. A no nonsense nurse takes on the care of crazy "Uncle John" who says he was there when Jesus was born and talked to the Inn Keeper, the shepherds, etc. He sings the forgotten carols from the perspective of these secondary Nativity characters. Her hard heart melts and she forgives her parents who showed her no love. The music is as beautiful as the story. A perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves the Nativity story. Very accessible for teens. McLean also created the movies Mr Kruger's Christmas and Nora's Christmas Gift, neither of which I have seen. Now I am intrigued and will check to see if I can get them through Blockbuster online.

Still in my Christmas mood, I read a Carolyn Hart Christmas setting Death on Demand Mystery - Sugarplum Dead. It was not one of my favorite books but then again I am into this type of mystery. I bought it because of the Christmas time setting. I kept saying to myself - get on with it and the solve the dang thing already! Annie and Max Darling work together to figure out who murdered a movie star's sister and then her. Who in their greedy family was willing to kill before the aging movie star gave her fortune to a charlatan who has convinced her he has helped her communicate with her dead husband? After 405 pages I was more than ready for the murders to be solved. I think I had quit caring who did it but I had to finish the book to find out! But, with one of the murder suspects being a 14 year old girl teens who love mysteries may enjoy this book.

That's it for me today. Gotta get the scissors and cut the plastic off the the three CD set of Christmas songs Steve brought home last night. Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong - be still my jingle belling heart. :-)