I'm sorry for being so behind on posts, but between the funeral and the snow and the holiday orders, we're in a blizzard of some sort every day.

The snow is gorgeous, and despite the rain on Sunday we have plenty of snow, the resorts are cranking it out, and once again, it's snowing as I type this.  It looks like the holiday gift orders are coming in (and going out) well, and the new website has eased that process.  Today I'm off to deliver Leelanau County and Traverse City, as our driver is out for a few weeks.  The key with the van:  only park on flat surfaces.  Wish me luck!

The snow re-emerged on Sunday afternoon, and it's been softly falling ever since. Everything in Glen Arbor is covered in white, like the frosting on a gingerbread house. Here by Sleeping Bear Bay we're spared the heavy snows, but inland just a spell they have 6-10" of snow on the ground.

Here's a scene from outside my office window...

Greetings, Coffee Lover!

We are off to a snowy winter here in Glen Arbor, just the thing to get us all into the holiday spirit.  It snowed the week before Thanksgiving, melted for Thanksgiving, then resumed snowing on Sunday.  We are on-track for a very normal winter, and two in a row would be a great thing.  Little Glen Lake has already gone through a few freezes, and the big question is when Big Glen Lake will freeze over.  Typically, that happens on January 15th.

Last month I ran the snowfall contest, and Chari Binstadt predicted the date and won coffee.  Since that was a successful contest, let's try another.  Go to http://glenarbor.us/snow/index.php?sid=33372 to enter your best guess on when Big Glen Lake will completely freeze over.  The first person to enter the correct date (or the one closest to it) will win two pounds of coffee of their choice (except Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona).  Good Luck!

The other Glen Lake related news is that the 80-year-old Narrows Bridge is now closed for replacement, and will reopen around Labor Day.  The official detour is on M-109, which runs past the Dune Climb.

By now you all should have received your catalogs in the mail, and I can see the orders coming in every hour on the internet.  So much hype surrounded “Black Monday” that I decided we can do one better.  Perhaps you were teetering on a treat for yourself, or have just realized that you have one more gift to send out.  Join us online Saturday for “Green Saturday!”  Enter the coupon code green during checkout to save 10% on one order (so make it a big one if you like).

A question that comes up from time-to-time is about coffee's acidity.  While a desirable quality for taste and texture, for some the acid can contribute to hearburn.  The experts at Bunn-o-Matic have noted that sometimes this is due to over-extraction (too much water for too little grounds).  They suggest increasing your grounds by 50% and trying again.  I like my coffee a bit stronger anyway, so I've been following their suggestion for year.

Finally, I have some sad news to share.  Many of you know our Office Manager Linda, either on the phone or in person.  She lost her husband Larry on Sunday in a car accident.  We are all feeling the grief, and will miss Larry's lunchtime visits and joking, as well as his immense help to all of us around the shop and individually.  He had a very generous heart.  We will be closed on Friday from 10:30 – 2:00 so that we may attend the funeral.  You may contact me for more information.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday, and thank you for your support!

It was brought to my attention that customers could be confused about which of our organic coffees are also Fair Trade.  Well, I've changed the names to include Organic/FT, so it should be much more clear, and you can buy with confidence!  Thanks to those of you who mentioned it

This morning as the sky grew bright, I went to the woodshed to gather logs for my woodstove.  Beautiful, big flakes fell all about me, and from inside the house it appeared that I was in a snow globe.  It was lovely, but of course, that wet, slippery snow.  Eventually that gave way to drizzle, and our surprise, early snow from last week seems destined to disappear.  We may not have a white Thanksgiving, but as I've said before, that's a 50/50 proposition.