Chocolate and Orchids and Poems

These chocolates and the orchid came from some sweethearts. Thank you, my circle of friends!I thought the poems fit well and hope you enjoy both the visuals and the poetry.

Cocoa, divine
by Dorean Malandra-Dara

O sweet divinity

dark lusciousness of a time put off

guide me through the tides of crimson rushes

there is none finer that I may know

than perhaps a dip into the passions

that ethyr knows not

my dark love

bind the curse by one and two and three

rid the pain from thee

as i indulge in your flavorful essence

once more.

just an indulgence here and there

but once a month thou art my saviour

dedicated to consume and devour

until all pain has been curbed

and lust dissolved.

Woman as Orchid
by Isolde

People say that Orchids are hard to care for,
An urban legend that swirls around those bright
Beautiful red blue orange pink yellow dark light
Flowers goddesses that
Lean and lounge sensually from every
Elite doorstep, every corporate hallway
And are so often looked past in florist's windows because
A vicious reputation precedes them.
Yet my orchids grow, wild and fair
With hardly a care from my almost-
Green hands, reaching, floating,
Dripping down their own stems
Filling the world of my room with
Such an effortless exotic grace and Pop.

Orchids are women, a female flower
Undeniably
Then women are orchids as well?

Women are lush, curved, open and pinked
Sometimes blooming, sometimes waiting
Catching the sunlight as it dapples in
White yellow spots on our shiny leaves,
Stems and buds.

People say that women can be hard to care for,
An urban legend that swirls around our
Long hair and pointed shoes,
Every day goddesses that
Lean and lounge and work and play
And hurt and cry and love and laugh
And try and fail and try and win and
Hope and pray and want and need and
Walk past you, day in and day out
Searching for a place or a way to set down
Our own roots, our own strength
In a world that sighs and says
"they are pretty, but too much work...I'll take
A peace lily instead."

Harney & Sons Tea Tasting: Bancha

Bancha tea is an everyday green consumed widely in Japan.  Bancha comes from the same plant as Sencha tea, however it is picked in a later harvest.  This later harvest makes for a lower-grade tea.  Even within Bancha, there are a number of grades.

Bancha is made with both leaf and twig, which you can see in the picture above.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this tea.  I prefer smooth teas.  Ones that are what I can only describe as "metallic" are not among my regulars.  However, I liked this tea just fine.  I drank several cups.  Mine came from Harney & Sons.  Not sure of the grade.

The wet leaf plumps up.  I steeped for 2 min at 175 degrees.

As Harney described, the liquor is bright yellow. 

All in all, this was a flavorful tea.  To read another review, check out Angela's.

Cherries in 3 Steps

Step 1:  Find an abandoned cherry tree and pick a lot!  (A mix of red and black cherries shown.)

Step 2:  Make this simple cherry syrup.  I used honey.

Step 3:  Serve with ice cream and live in the moment.

Tea Chai Te

One of the best parts about being new in town is the chance to explore all the tea spots!  I am so grateful for a diversity of tea establishments.  Wonderful though my Midwestern town was, it lacked a good tea shop.

Here there are several and last week I visited Tea Chai Te.  This place has a fabulous balcony, and since the summers here are pleasant and not humid, the balcony is a great perch from which to people-watch.  It looks over trendy 23rd Avenue.  The DH enjoyed a bubble tea (surprisingly, not too sweet) and whiled the time away as I visited with a new tea friend.

People-watching porch

I had a hard time choosing from among the many tea choices.  I settled on an oolong and a bowl of vegan stew. Both were good.  The environment inside is relaxing and cozy, with vintage furniture and a casual feeling.  Perfect for a long chat, which mine was.  My companion and I got to know one another and discussed the tea industry for nearly two hours.  How time flies with good company and tea!  

Smelling wall

I'm certain I'll be back.  Next time I hope to try the shop's kombucha.  Tea Chai Te also sells kombucha starter kits, along with a variety of teapots, cups, and loose leaf teas and tisanes.

Tayberries

I'd never heard of Tayberries until I found them recently at my local Farmer's Market.  According to Wikipedia, the tayberry is a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry.  I found the flavor to be, surprisingly, a bit of both.  I was skeptical that I would find both flavors, but I did.  Note this:  "Unfortunately, Tayberries do not pick easily by hand and cannot be machine harvested and so they have never become a widely grown berry crop."  That explains why I'd never seen them before!

If you get a chance to try a tayberry, please do!  I recommend eating them just as they are.

Can't Get Enough Of...

The Chinese Classical Garden and Teahouse!

Pictured here with Sweetcakes. I'm so glad we got to spend time together in this very special place.  She and Esme gave me a gift membership. 

We enjoyed the gongfu tea ceremony with a Wuyi oolong tea.

Grandpa and Green Plums

The DH (dear hubby) found a couple of abandoned fruit trees recently.  We've been enjoying foraged cherries, red plums and green plums. Have you heard of green plums?  I had not, and they are spectacular!  Sweet and fleshy. 

Plums make me think of my grandparents' farm in the summer.  They always grew plums - red and dark purple.  I ate many a plum straight from the tree and spent the afternoon with sticky chin and stained shirt. Grandma and Grandpa had an ongoing friendly debate about the best care for the plum trees, and forecasts of the harvest.  Grandma's plum jelly is among my favorites!

I would like to write Grandpa a letter and tell him about these green plums.  I would like to share with him my adventures in this foreign land, so similar and yet so different from my home.  Grandpa passed away last week and I miss him.  He taught me to enjoy life slowly, respectfully and simply. 

Off for a few days

Hi, All - I'll be off for a few more days.  Thanks,
stephanie

Premium Steap Citrus Herbal

It's turned sunny, dry and warm with cool overtones in my new home in the Pacific Northwest.  Translation = heaven!  When the weather is so fine, I crave a refreshing brew, and the one that fits the bill this time is a tisane from Premium Steap. 

I am enjoying the Orange Grapefruit blend.  The dry mix is lovely to see and smell!  It includes orange, grapefruit, eucalyptus, hibiscus, lemongrass, bits of tangerine, and blackberry leaves. 

I've brought this into the office and am enjoying it regularly. Thanks to Sweetcakes for introducing me to this tisane.  She served it at a tea party, and I've been hooked ever since.

If you enjoy citrus, I think you will enjoy this tea!  I let it steep for 10 minutes because I like it tart.  I think it would also be tasty with honey.  I'm pretty sure it will be splendid over ice.

Solstice Circles

Last December I sat with a circle of women on the solstice and we wrote together.  That circle formed again last night, and while I wasn't there in person, I was there in spirit. 

I find it fitting that I sat in another circle of women last night, this one focused on tea.  I can't imagine it was a coincidence that this gift was given to me on the solstice!

This concept of circles, people meeting equally, sharing equally, is a very powerful one.  I associate it with women's things, tho it's not limited to that.  (Men are invited to the tea ceremony I experienced, for example.) 

What circles of women are present in your life?

The Original Rose Garden

If you've ever been to Portland, you likely know about the International Rose Test Garden.  Fewer people know about the original rose garden, still glorious as a neighborhood park.  Yesterday I strolled through that original rose garden (thank you, Marilyn!)  I'm very lucky to have locals taking me under their wings and showing me hidden treasures of this vibrant community.

Next time I'm here, I'll pack my journal and a thermos of tea.  It's that kind of place; it invites you to linger.

Sewing Inspiration

Sew, Mama, Sew is having a Make It, Wear It theme this month.  It includes lots of useful tips and tricks, perfect for where I am in my sewing experience.  I'm starting to get excited about it, as I've just unpacked the sewing machine!  Now, if I could just find the thread...

Things I'm Learning From This Move

• The kindness of strangers is wonderful!  We've felt that first-hand as a stranger helped to move us in, up 3 flights of stairs!
• Most of us from "back East" have no idea what the climate of the Pacific Northwest is really like!
• The skies are very dramatic and ever-changing.  It's not just grey.
• Grass green is a very intense color!
• Walking to work has been a true blessing.
• Downsizing is great!!  (From 1800 sq ft to 1400 at the last place to 1100 now).
• Color is important to me.  In a sea of brown boxes, this red teapot and teacup (a pretty gift from Sweetcakes) give me a happy place to rest my eyes.
• Skype is great.  If you have family or friends far away, give it a try!  It's free (but you need a webcam).
• It's fun to think about using spaces in creative ways.
• I need to be gentle with myself during this time of transition.  It's OK that it's taking me longer than I expected to be/feel settled.
• I'm not currently able to blog as frequently as I used to.  We'll see how it goes once I get into a normal routine, and I'll do the best I can.

The Office Tea Situation

I'd grade it an A-.  It's pretty darned good, given the fact that it's in an office setting.  I wouldn't expect loose teas or cups and saucers.

Benefits:

• Wide selection of FREE bagged Stash teas (the company HQ is nearby).
• A hot water spigot that displays the temperature.
• Packets of honey and lemon.

I can work with this!  Once my teas arrive (this week, thank goodness as my move stash is depleted), I will take my own tea in to work.  The water (since I can see the temp) is plenty hot for both black and green teas (if I cool it a bit for the green).  That's a nice surprise!  

I will look forward to sharing my teas with my colleagues! 

How do you wrangle up tea in your work area?

*Image from Microsoft Images

Ephemeral

I like this picture, because it plays with perception and permanence.  It's ephemeral, yet it lasts.  What is the foreground?  What is a reflection?  I like its depth and its not-quite-clearness.  It also represents how I feel right now.  In a transitional space.  Not quite here or there.  No quite grounded.  To borrow a phrase from a friend, I'm working on establishing my "new normal."

This transition has been both harder and easier than I imagined, both extremes in ways that I did not anticipate.  It's taken longer to reground myself.  I'm grieving the losses from this move.  Yet it's been shockingly easy to adjust to the back-to-the-office routine.  Life without a car has been no trouble (even fun!). 

It's a big mish-mash of stuff.  I ask myself:  What is the foreground? What is a reflection? I try to mine this depth and see into the not-quite-clearness.

Tea Zone

I had my first tea outing in the Northwest over the weekend, to The Tea Zone.  And while I've been here before, this time felt different because I knew I'd be back!  The Tea Zone is a casual and hip place to grab a really good cup of tea, lunch, or a tea-cocktail.

I was lucky to be able to try a 1st flush Darjeeling.  1st flush refers to the first picking season of the year.  I was surprised at how green it tasted, in a pleasant way.  I was also thrilled to learn that the owners have a personal relationship with the tea producer for the one I chose. 

Lots more tea stuff to see and explore, and this was a good start!

Necessary Luxuries

Necessary luxuries:  Flowers, candles and sunsets

I packed the candle, bought the flower within an hour of getting the keys to the apartment, and welcomed the sunset with open arms off my bedroom balcony!  Necessary luxuries that help me to relax and settle in as I wait for the DH and our stuff.

I'm camping in the new apartment now, and it's like an adventure (except with running water!) The DH is finishing the packing up and the stuff arrives later. 

The transition back into cubicle land has some advantages that I am recalling, like battery recycling and free drinks.

Happy Memorial Day!

OK, Deep Breath

"When you leave here, don't forget why you came." 
Adlai E. Stevenson

I'll be off for a few days, making my journey North and West.

To Bloomington - Thank you

Across the World, Right at Home

This picture is from a recent tea party where two little girls were brought together over tea. The two played with this tea set that was carried so thoughtfully from China as a gift for my niece.  I'm struck by how deeply tea is part of the world's heritage, party of the unique yet global experience of these two children. 

Tea is one of the oldest items of trade between West and East.  I find that by understanding tea's prominence in many of the world's cultures, I am more attentive and appreciative of the cup that I sip and the profound impact it has played on my path, and the path of all humanity.

These two little girls got their starts in very different places.  Yet they already have so much in common, including tea!  The little one from China comes from a culture with the oldest connection to tea in the world.  I hope to learn more of that with her.  The little one from the Midwestern plains will some day inherit a set of china passed down from her great grandmother.  Despite their young ages, both have attended several tea parties. 

Tea is such an amazing substance.  Simple water and leaf that forms a stream that flows round this world and pulls us together for contemplation, celebration, and connection.

Apricot-Oatmeal Scones

These apricot-oatmeal scones are soooo good!  I made them for a special baby shower over the weekend.  (And we joked that these scones are an anomaly for me - there's nothing healthy about them.  I used white sugar, white flour, and even quick-cook oatmeal!)  Nonetheless, they are very tasty.

I'd like to give credit to the recipe originator, but I've had this hand-written for years and I no longer know where it came from.  So here it is:

Apricot-Oatmeal Scones

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup cold butter, in small pieces

2 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream (OK, I did use plain non-fat yogurt instead)

1 Tbl milk or water

3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

Filling

3 Tbl brown sugar

1 Tbl quick-cooking oats

1 Tbl butter

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

*Combine dry ingredients.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

*Make the filling.

*In a small bowl, beat eggs.  Set aside 1 Tbl for glaze.

*In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, milk, remaining egg and apricots.

*Stir wet ingredients into dry until the dough clings together.

*Turn onto a lightly floured surface and ensure everything is incorporated.  (Knead a time or two, not very much.)  Break into two equal sections. 

*Take the first section and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Press into a 7" circle.  Sprinkle with filling.

*On your floured surface, press or roll out the remaining section into a 7" circle and place on top of the filling.

*Cut into wedges, but do not separate.  Brush with egg.

*Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden on top.

Note:  I thought I'd be clever and cut these into shapes.  BAD idea.  Stick with the wedges or do squares, as in the photo.  The brown sugar filling spills out over everything and makes a big mess if you try to cut and separate these into shapes. 

Enjoy!  We were lucky to have homemade apricot jam (from Sweetcakes) to accompany these!