JoJo’s first locker.

My youngest son and I have been reading The Complete Adventures of Curious George on my 6″ Kindle. The book is designed for the larger Kindle DX, but we’ve both been pretty happy with how the images and text lay out. If you’ve been thinking about getting a picture book to read with your young ones, this book works out nicely and is less than $6.

You can use all the money you save on this cheap picture book collection to indulge in something a little more adult friendly. For example…

I’ve had a bottle of The Macallan 12 Year sitting in a cabinet for the last ten years. I don’t know why I’ve been hanging on to it for so long, but I’ve been sipping on it for the last week. Although the gift basket pictured to the left is pretty crazy, I highly recommend you grab a bottle if you are a Scotch drinker (or get the gift basket if you know one).

You can also call her “The Beverator” if you want.

So what do we keep in Bev? There are a few 12 packs of store brand cola for the wife and kids, several bottles of Riesling and Chardonnay for the wife, and some beer.

Here’s the suds we’re currently serving up in the El Heberto Cantina:

• Brooklyn Monster Ale
• Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
• Gordon Biersch Märzen
• New Belgium Trippel
• Real Ale Pheonixx
• Sam Adams Cream Stout
• Shiner 101 Czech-Style Pilsner
• St. Arnold Spring Bock
• St. Arnold Texas Wheat
• Victory Hop Wallop

The problem is: Snow is wet.

Many Texans (myself among them) just don’t have the right clothes for spending time in the snow. Staying warm isn’t a problem, it’s keeping your pants (and everything else) from getting soaking wet. The ski bums among us have the proper gear, but that doesn’t help those of us who spend our winter months in warmer climes.

As I write this, my oldest son is peeling himself out of his second pair of icy cold jeans. Hooray for snow!

When stepping into a DQ, there are only two things you need to be aware of:

1. The Dude
   DQ has a bunch of other stuff on the menu, but all you really need to know about is The Dude (that’s the #6 combo at my DQ). The Dude is a chicken-fried steak sandwich.
2. Blizzards
   Most folks already know that Blizzards are a soft serve treat. A good DQ employee will flip that Blizzard over to show you how thick and delicious it really is.

   What a lot of folks forget is that there are 3 seasonal Blizzard flavors that must absolutely not be missed:

   • Thin Mint
   • Pumpkin Pie
   • Peppermint Chip

   When these flavors are on the menu, you must pull over and grab one. Other than that, just about any flavor is acceptable (though Heath Bar is the best).

1. This is chili weather. My wife taught me that it’s good with sour cream.
2. They could stick those heat tiles to the bottom of the Space Shuttle with wet Fruity Pebbles.
3. As I rediscover every year, Southern Comfort brand eggnog is the best. It comes in traditional and vanilla spice. I tried Hood cinnamon eggnog. Also good.
4. My wife and kids had never had Jiffy Pop until last week!
5. Ranch Style Beans are highly underrated.

• Treasure Island, which you’ve heard of, and
• Dead Sleep, which you may not have.

Check them out; I really enjoyed both of them.

Leave a comment here and wish the growing family all the best!