Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Tea and Books

It's been a lovely weekend of relaxation! I have both Monday and Tuesday off from work, and I have been able to really relax! It's a nice break, because June was a very busy month.

This morning, I made fresh blueberry streusel muffins, which I drank with my blueberry tea. Can't have too much of blueberries! It was delicious!

I've been re-reading the Little House on the Prairie series. I read these books when I was about 11, and I love them as much this time as I did in my childhood. This time through, I am picking up on the many references to tea in these books! In each book, tea is mentioned at least once. Tea was an important staple to the settlers - and they didn't always have the luxury of it. Here is one of my favorite examples, from By the Shores of Silver Lake. The Ingalls family is hosting new neighbors (the Boasts) for Christmas dinner. Charles Ingalls (Pa) and Mr. Boast come in from digging out a stuck bobsled...

"With such good company, the morning seemed to go by in a minute. Dinner was almost ready when Pa and Mr. Boast came back with the bobsled. The enormous jackrabbit was browning in the oven. Potatoes were boiling, and the coffee pot bubbled on the back of the stove. The house was full of the good smells of roasting meat, hot breads, and coffee. Pa sniffed when he came in.

'Don't worry, Charles,' said Ma. 'You smell coffee, but the kettle is boiling to make your tea.'

'Good! Tea is a man's drink in cold weather, ' Pa told her."

If it's good for Charles Ingalls, then it must be good for me! Tho July in the Midwest is far from cold!

2 comments:

Allison said...

Tea has a big role in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series too. Because of those books, I've taken a liking to African Red Bush tea. The simplicity of the ritual of "taking tea" is what is really soothing about it. :)

Anonymous said...

I was googling rather ineffectually trying to determine what type of tea they were likely drinking. Just some kind of plain black, do you think?