George and Joan Wilder, both 79, will celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary in July. These two first met 30 years ago while working at the Extension Office, and reconnected after their spouses passed away. (S. John Collins/Baker City Herald)

But peek inside and neither is in sight.

Then George bustles through on his way to the kitchen, where the counter is covered with bags of marshmallows and nuts, and several bowls of melted chocolate.

Yum.

On this day, George is going to demonstrate his candy-making talents — but first comes the mid-morning snack as required by the low-carb diet he and Joan started two weeks ago. (They both already exercised.)

The candy, made for the purpose of this demonstration, will leave with his visitors, he says with a grin.

Welcome to “A Morning with George and Joan.”

Take off your coat and stay a while — here’s your two slices of apple and an ounce of cheddar cheese.

But first he wants you to notice that plate with a slice of cheese surrounded by tiny mice made from a chocolate-dipped maraschino cherry and a Hershey’s Kiss.

“I want to get the cheese before the mice do,” he says with a wink.