I've got a fever, and it can only be cured by . . .

Iced tea.

(You thought I was going to say "more cowbell" didn't you? I'll have you know we were watching that SNL sketch the first time it aired, and we laughed until our sides hurt. We knew it was genius before the rest of the world! Same thing with Lazy Sunday. We're in the know. But I digress.)

I have had such a craving the last few days for tea. Iced tea. Unsweetened iced tea.

My mouth waters just typing it.

I guess it could be due to the fact that it's over 100 degrees here. I don't know. I don't care. I just want my tea.

When I go out to a sit-down restaurant, I usually order water with lemon. That's partly because I'm trying to drink more water, and partly because I'm too cheap to pay upwards of two bucks for a drink.

(Good thing I'm a teetotaler - I hear the hard stuff costs even more. But anyway. Back to the tea.)

When I go to fast food, I usually get a diet drink. Most fast food places don't have what I consider good tea. I think that's partly because I drink it unsweetened, and I live in the deep south (home of sweet tea) and my stuff just doesn't get used up as much and therefore not refreshed as much.

I'd usually end up drinking either stale tea, or what my dad calls "chemical tea" (not brewed, but made from concentrate.)

Yuk.

But, I've discovered some fast food tea I can call my own. And it's in my backyard.

Literally.

At the Back Yard Burgers that's literally in my backyard.

Jason and I went there for lunch today (a strange feeling, being without the little one) and I had some. Then I was on my way to a meeting, and I stopped by again. Just for the tea. Got out of my car and everything, to be sure it was just right.

I have a tea maker here that I got for my 21st birthday (along with an engagement ring, but that's a post for a different day) and I've used it ever since. It turned 10 years old last week. I took it to college with me so I could always have fresh, unsweetened tea.

We've considered replacing it. It only holds one gallon, and Jason really wants one with a two-gallon pitcher. He's sure he's seen one somewhere, but I haven't located one yet.

So here we stay. With my 10-year-old beloved West Bend tea maker. And it still works. Because I just used it to make me a batch of tea.

(Jason, by the way, drinks the Walmart brand of diet peach tea. From a powder. Disgusting.)

I don't drink the stuff in a bottle at the store. Even the stuff that says it's diet. Because it has sweetener in it, albeit artificial. And I just don't like the taste of anything in my tea besides lemon.

I have relatives that drink it so sweet, you could use it for pancake syrup. But not me.

Call me un-southern.

Call me odd.

I don't care.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a refill.