Haiti- A country in need. Take Action now.

The Tea Drinker & I join the rest of the world in grieving for the people of Haiti. We can’t tear ourselves away from the TV and watching the news. We stare in awe at the devastation, horror, and great tragedy that has struck this country not far from our homeland. The images resonate with us, and weigh on our emotions. We are reeling from the stories of rescue efforts and survivors still being found five days after the earthquake.

Hope. A belief and wanting that circumstances and predicaments can turn around and work out for the best. I would like to add action to the equation. Hope keeps you going in times of great need, and for the people of Haiti--hope, love and prayer are all that they have left. Action needs to come from the rest of the world.

Our leaders are being very direct in what is needed: money. Donations will provide relief, food, water, aid, medicine, rescue, shelter and rebuilding for the earthquake survivors. Join us in this effort, and please donate, if you can. Any amount, $5, $10, $25 will help rebuild the life of an orphan, mother, father, brother, or sister in need.

We found the following two websites to be helpful. They are very easy to navigate and we were able to donate quickly. Impact Your World & ClintonBushHaitiFund.org

As President Obama stated, “The losses that have been suffered in Haiti are nothing less than devastating, and responding to a disaster of this magnitude will require every element of our national capacity." We raise our cup and donation to the survivors, and those helping them rebuild their lives.

**From now until the end of the month, Drink The Leaf will donate 10% of every order(excluding shipping) recieved to ClintonBushHaitiFund.org. This organization is working to provide immediate relief and long-term support to the earthquake survivors.

Hit me with your best Shot! Fire away!

This song, "Hit me with your best Shot" has been ringing in my head all day, along with a slight headache left over from last night’s libations. Yep, yours truly and the Tea Drinker mingled with Pat Benatar and her husband, Neil Girlado, last night. Well, not exactly. But we did go to a premier wine tasting, sampled delicious tidbits from Cyrus, watched Patricia belt out tunes from her past before an intimate crowd of about three hundred people, and then sat down for an Italian dinner under the stars prepared by Perbacco. Not soon after, my friends and I had our picture taken with Pat Benatar. Good stuff. Our dear friends invited us to this affair even though they know that I can’t whistle a tune nor could I identify a famous musical artist's lyrics if it jumped up and down in front of my face, and yelled, “I am a rock star, and have won a gazillion grammys, god dam’it!” Lucky for me, my friends are mostly amused by my ignorance or are just in plain awe that I grew up under a rock.

Much to my husband’s surprise, I confidently rattled off Pat Benatar’s songs to him on the way to the event. He gaped, wondering who stole his wife. I did not have the heart to confess that I actually looked up her songs on the Internet, beforehand. Pathetic, I know. I stated to my husband, "of course, I remember who Pat Benatar is- she’s famous and was on MTV". Dancing around, skinny in black jeans, with bounds of energy. How could I forget, I also owned a black leather jacket, wore tight jeans, lots of blue eye shadow, and had wild hair, too. It was the 80’s, after all. However, for the life of me, I could not name one of her songs, even if I stood to win money. Therefore, I was looking forward to seeing her in person, and catching up with the rest of the world; we were not disappointed.

What brought Pat Benatar to Napa? A music festival hosted by Staglin Family Vineyards benefiting research for mental illness. Tickets for the whole chibang ran anywhere from $750 to $5,000 a person. Did I mention that we have really great friends? Thank you! The Staglin Family Music Festival for Mental Health is in its 15th year. Over 57 million Americans live with mental illness. Staggering. The Staglin family has raised nearly 90 million dollars for brain research. Staggering again. This research is very personal to the Staglin family, and their story is inspiring. Brain diseases come from biochemical changes in the brain, and people who live with these disorders and those that love the afflicted, are in deep emotional pain and confusion. I applaud the Staglin Family for bringing this very important issue to the surface.

Today as I reflect back on the great time we had with our friends, I am grateful that we live in a community that gets involved and supports great causes. Many Napa Valley wineries donate thousands of dollars, wine, and time to countless meaningful charities nationwide. It feels great to be a part of this industry that makes a difference.

Be the first this week to order Drink the Leaf teas, and receive Pat Benatar's Summer Vacation 2001 Live CD. Please note "Fire Away" in the comment section.