Grandma's Treasures

My Grandma Tressie was a yard sale shopper and collector. I am lucky to have inherited some of her treasures. Here are a few....

She liked to collect dishes. In particular, she gave both my sister and me a collection of china dishes. She also liked to collect depression glass. In the photo, the yellow pitcher on the left is Vaseline Glass. I don't know much about the two items on the right. The small green pitcher appears to be pressed glass and the darker green glass has a pretty filigree pattern.

These gifts from my grandmother are very precious to me. I've also inherited her love of yard sales and china!

From the Seat of a Bike, Things I Appreciate...

The DH (dear hubby) and I did an intense four hours on the bike today. This ride is our last long one before we start the bike tour. I had time to write this post in my head as I pedaled and sweated up and down the hills of south-central Indiana.

From the Seat of a Bike, Things I Appreciate...

• Birds. Today alone we saw three indigo buntings, a bluebird, several red-winged blackbirds, and big vultures. I didn't see it, but two bird watchers we came across had spotted a bald eagle.


• Shade and a light breeze.


• People who wave and smile as they pass.


• People who do NOT talk on their cell phones as they drive.


• Rolling hills that promise as many downs and ups.


• Reaching the top of a really big hill and ringing my bike bell.


• Moments of feeling really in tune with my bike and its connection to the road.


• Wild flowers.


• The smell of honeysuckle.


• Smiling and waving at other cyclists. They get it, too!


• Pringles and Dr. Pepper - nothing tastes better after riding really hard!


• The canopy of green.
  
• Lazy cows on the hill slopes.


• A mama horse and her foal.


• Turtles that stick their necks out and cross the road.


• Deer that skip across the road.


• Chipmunks with their mouths full.
  
• Keeping my sense of humor even tho I'm tuckered out.
  
• Lots of gears to get me up the biggest hills, and not always having to use them.
  
• Water.
  
• Sunscreen and shades.
• The DH's great training plan.


• Knowing I could have ridden further.


• The DH's chiseled legs and cute butt. I seem to be always chasing them.

Indigo Bunting

Our Wounded, Softened Hearts

I heard this phrase recently, "our wounded, softened hearts." The ideas is that in moments of pain and distress, we move into a place of more compassion, more empathy, more love, more patience - rather than the more common and opposite response.

What a powerful image for me! Think how our world would be different if our responses, on the global level, were softened after a tragedy rather than hardened with thoughts of revenge or fear.

What a gift to myself if I allow my defenses to melt and my heart to soften after a painful experience.

You can read more about this concept in the book, Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chodron.

la Coccinelle Chapeau

I've been waiting for weeks to post about this lovely and festive coccinelle chapeau. (If my translations are accurate, this means ladybird hat.) I wanted the perfect picture - I considered one wearing it, holding it, etc. etc. etc. However, I recently snapped this while admiring the beauty from my work desk. You see, this is how I see it every day. It sits atop a small bookshelf next to my work desk and in front of the lovely fabric hanging in my office as a divider. It fits in so well with the fabrics and the colors in my office! When I saw this, I knew I finally had my snapshot!

My cousin made this as a gift for me. She chose stargazer lilies for the top, as those are the flowers I used in my wedding bouquet (11 years ago this August).

Thank you, Kas!

See more of my cousin's artwork at her Next Designs blog. She's amazingly diverse in her creations! Jewelry, hats, paper crafts, paper weights, frames, and much more!

Green Tea Pasta

I picked up this Green Tea Pasta at Trader Joe's a while back and finally got around to eating it. It was tasty, tho the green tea flavor was very, very mild. The DH (dear hubby) wasn't sure he could taste it at all. These Japanese-style noodles are made of organic wheat flour, organic buckwheat flour, green tea powder and water. I'll look for them the next time I'm at a Trader Joe's. (The closest one is about an hour away.)

I ate these warm with just a bit of butter (olive oil and parmesean would be nice, too). I also think they'd hold up well to various sauces.

The House Building Blog

http://luciferousterra.blogspot.com/
Luciferous Terra is what we've named our little piece of land. It means "a place on earth providing light or mental insight."

Self Talk

OK, Steph - Get a hold of yourself/your thoughts. You'll be fine on this bike ride. Yes, you won't have ridden 70 miles prior. Yes, you haven't had as much training time as you'd like. But you've got all day and you're in good shape. Your aerobic base is strong and you're climbing really well. (Plus, you have lots of gears!) 74 miles will come and go. Just keep pedaling. You've got the longest days of the year to help you along.

This is not a race. You don't have to compete with anyone, not even yourself. The only thing you need to prove is that you can do this without being "perfectly" trained. You can have fun, eat an ice cream cone and enjoy the ride.

No hurry. No worry.

More Flower Power...

A few of our "children"...

Kim's Tea Party

Champagne as we greet
An elegant treat

To begin our spree
At Kim’s hospitali-tea

For those sandwiches we lust
Tasty morsels with no crust

Scones with jam and cream
Am I awake? Is this a dream?

Each homemade petit four
Leaves us longing for much more

We give thanks and good cheer

For this highlight of the year

Pleasures

The first strawberries from our garden. The berries taste so much better when they're local, rather than shipped half way around the country!

Bike to Work Day

OK, I can hear some of you laughing. Yes, my "commute" to work is about 3 steps across the hallway, but I still participated in today's Bike to Work festivities in town. (Besides, we seldom drive our car around town. I regularly use my bike to run errands.) The DH (dear hubby) and I rode downtown this morning, supported the cause, and had a free bagel.

You can tell the age of my Intel jersey - it's advertising MMX technology and PIIs! ;-)

As I wrote once before, this is my favorite bike ever! I love the streamers and the bell. For those of you into bikes, it's a mixte design from the early 80s with a lugged steel frame. The lugs are highlighted with hand painting.

The bike has a rack on the back that lets me attach panniers to carry stuff. The leather seat is covered in plastic because it rains occasionally around here.

Thanks to anyone else out there who chose a non-car option today and on other days! People who are car-dependent miss out on the joy of cycling and walking!

The Tea Samovar, San Francisco

Check out this promotional video from The Tea Samovar in San Francisco. Looks like a neat place to check out the next time you find yourself in San Fran!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfP3UrUEzGg

Thanks to Denise, fellow tea lover and educator, for sharing!

Pretty Picture

Just a pretty picture for today....8 different iris. I picked these this morning. (Actually, we have more than 8 varieties blooming right now, but I only had room for 8.)

Fairies in the Garden

My Mom and Sister came to visit last weekend! I was so happy to spend Mother's Day weekend with them! Here we are in the garden that the DH has made.

Sis (expecting a child), Mom and me

History of Tea in an Orange Poppy

This orange oriental poppy (grown by the DH) fills my day with color. It's rather gray here today, though perfect for capturing the poppy on digital "film" with its peak color. No bright sunlight to wash out the color.

This is an oriental poppy, considered a "low morphine" poppy and approved for general gardening. The seeds of the high morphine varieties of the opium poppy are controlled as they are used to make several narcotics - morphine, codeine, opium, etc.

Do you know the tea connection to poppies? In the late 1830s (time of Queen Victoria), Britain and China were engaged in trade. Britain wanted tea in a big way, but didn't have much that China needed or wanted. Britain started trading silver, but that wasn't efficient. Britain ended up trading opium to China, in exchange for tea. China was having a social crisis with the addiction of much of its population to Opium. In short, China attempted to ban the importation of Opium. The Opium Wars erupted. Britain ultimately prevailed and required an unfair treaty with China. Some historians believe this was the beginning of the downfall of the Qing dynasty in China. To read more, see the Opium Wars in wikipedia. Also see New Tea Lover's Treasury, by James Norwood Pratt (check the index for pages).

There you have it - a bit of tea history, all the way from my garden today to China in the 1830s.

Tea in Charleston

http://teaincharleston.com/

This tour sounds magnificent! The tour organizer (Denise) is the same woman who created the Tea in London tour, so I know that this experience will be full of tea delights and luxury. In particular, the opportunities to see the Charleston Tea Plantation and meet James Norwood Pratt are quite enticing to me. The Charleston Tea Plantation is the only production-level plantation in the US. (There are a couple of test plots in the Northeast and in Hawaii.) Norwood Pratt has written what many consider the modern bible of tea, A Tea Lover's Treasury. I often refer to this handbook, particularly when I'm looking up a specific type of tea.

The other events sound incredible, as well! I've always wanted to visit South Carolina.

See the detailed itinerary here.

I regret that I can't make the date of this tour, but Denise plans another excursion in May, 2008. I am definitely planning on that one!

69 Years

My grandparents recently observed their 69th wedding anniversary. 69 years of living with the same person! That's such an incredible thing! It's tough to live with another human. I love the DH with all my heart, and it's still tough to live together sometimes!

Congratulations to Grandma and Grandpa!

Iris as Big as My Head!

The DH grew these beauties! They really are as big as my head.

Interestingly, I almost feel guilty about making a fuss over these big iris because the little flowers are just as pretty. In fact, I'm rather partial to the tiny little flowers that often get overlooked. It's my anti-mainstream mindset. It seems that to be important, everything has to be big. (Big house, big car, big money, big ring, big television, big vacation, big ego....).
I actually think smaller is better in so many aspects of life. So here's to the little flowers, too!

The Post I Deleted

I just deleted a post where I was ranting and raving about work. Why delete it? It was therapeutic to write, but not helpful in the big picture. I'll just take that frustrated energy and put more effort into not taking things personally.

On that topic, I recommend a great book - The Four Agreements. I'm re-reading it and working on Agreement #2 - Don't Take Things Personally. Maybe my work challenges are a chance to make this real.

Happy Friday! The iris are beginning to bloom and life is, when I look at the big picture, very good for me.

Day Five: A Cozy Pub and Mushy Peas

To wrap up day five of the Tea in London tour, we visited the Lass 'O Richmond Hill pub for dinner.

We had connections, as the chef is the son-in-law of our tour leader.

I had fish and chips and mushy peas. The dinner was delicious! The mushy peas tasted like thick split pea soup.

For dessert I had treacle pudding with custard. I'd first read of treacle in Harry Potter, and I was eager to give this a try! Treacle pudding is a steamed cake. Treacle is like molasses and forms a carmelized top, sort of like in a pineapple upside-down cake. The custard is a warm, sweet cream sauce. This was heavenly!

Calculate Your Carbon Impact

From the Nature Conservancy...
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

Anyone tried blueberry green tea?

A reader ask about blueberry green tea. I've not tried this blend of green and blueberry. Have you?

If so, what did you think? What brand did you consume? Just leave your responses in the comments, and thank you!

One of My Favorite Meals

I look forward to the early Farmer's Market each spring, where I can get watercress and parmesan-pepper baguettes. YUMMMMMM!

Why I Love Tea

Why I Love Tea

I like the taste of it and the health benefits. I like the trappings that go along with tea, the pots and pretty cups and saucers, the sugar tongs and napkins, or the elegant gaiwan cup and yixing teapot. I like the way the tea leaves expand, "the agony of the leaf." I like the aroma and the color.

But I love tea because it gently, but firmly, reminds me to be present in the moment. Whether drinking from a gaiwan or a Wedgewood cup, whether green or black or in between, I cannot rush bringing water to the boil. I cannot hasten the steeping. I can stop, breathe and listen to the tea unfold and tell its story. There is much to hear in the silence of a steeping pot of tea.

Day Five: Windsor Castle

Wow, I am really stretching out this London tea trip review! It's just that I don't often have the free time put together a trip post, so I sprinkle them in as I find minutes here and there. So, here's another....Windsor Castle.

Steph at the entrance to Windsor Castle, my favorite photo of the trip.










Windsor Castle and moat garden
















I was surprised that there is a whole community around Windsor Castle. I guess I imagined it would be remote, up on a hill, majestic. It is on a hill and majestic, but it's surrounded by a cute little town and Eton college. According to Wikipedia, Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world, and it is big! I was pleased with how much of it we were allowed to tour.

We started with a tour of Queen Mary's Dollhouse. It's a HUGE dollhouse - but not really meant for play. The artwork inside is done by real artists. It's like a miniature museum.

Next I toured the interior. I kept thinking, "Could children actually live here? Could I?" Everything was beautiful and ornate and rare and expensive! Dripping in gold. Lots of original artwork from masters. Of course, we didn't see the private apartments of the Royal family. Maybe the kids have a playroom somewhere with a playhouse that's meant to be used? I enjoyed the tour, and if I sound a bit cynical it's just that everything seemed so surreal in the castle. I can't help but be concerned about the collection of wealth in the hands of a few. (We have our own problems with that in the US!) At least these rooms and artwork are open for public viewing.

Crimson Drawing Room,
photo courtesy of the Royal Residences website





Here's a fuzzy-topped guard at Windsor Castle. The guards look right through a person. They don't respond even if you wave a hand in front of them. (I witnessed some kids trying this.)


















My favorite part of the Windsor Castle trip was taking a stroll along the Long Walk. It's 3 miles from the castle to its end point. I didn't go the entire way, but did walk for about 40 minutes and loved it!

The long walk, facing Windsor Castle











Apparently, the Queen (81 years young) still frequently rides horses along the greenery here.















I had lunch at the Drury House Inn and Tea Room. I felt adventurous and had the cottage pie. This consisted of some potatoes drowned in gravy with ground beef, served with a side of more potatoes and peas. It was tasty, but I could only eat a very little of it. Obviously, I gave up being a vegetarian for this trip. (I'm happily back to that now! I really do think I feel better with a diet light on meat and heavy on veggies/fruits.)
Up next: Fish and chips and mushy peas!

Happy Birthday to the Queen!

Check out what my cousin made in honor of the Queen's Birthday. She (my cousin) is an incredible artist! The Queen may be, too, but I don't know her that well. ;-)

http://nextdesigns.blogspot.com/2007/04/happy-birthday-your-majesty.html

Happy Belated Earth Day

In the creation story of the Bible, humans are charged with caring for the earth. That's our prime role, our work.

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2, v 15, New International Version

This is a powerful reminder of our connection with the earth, our responsibility to it and our indebtedness to it, as well. Regardless of whether you believe this story is literal or symbolic, or whether the Bible is a sacred text for you, I think the story is compelling.

I believe that protecting the earth is a spiritual calling, and that we are in a spiritual crisis.

Environmental issues need to be discussed in your church, temple, synagogue. In your Sunday tea (or coffee) with friends or in your tent in the forest. Be the initiator of change and discuss the care of the earth.

One of my favorite philosophical jokes is this: "If God looks at what we've done to the Earth, why would we be allowed into heaven?" It's a joke with serious contemplative opportunities!

Salvation may just mean we have to save the planet. Save the planet, save ourselves.

Photo taken by the Apollo 17 crew, Oct 26, 1997

Day Five: Runnymede and Magna Carta Tearoom

On day five of my London Tea Tour, we took a trip to Windsor Castle. On the way, we stopped at Runnymede and the Magna Carta Tearoom. "Runnymede is a meadow alongside the River Thames in the county of Surrey, England, associated with the signing of the Magna Carta and today the site of a collection of memorials." -- Wikipedia

Meadow at Runnymede

Daffodils and the River Thames at Runnymede

On the Runnymede grounds is the Magna Carta Tearoom. This is a lovely spot! It's a humble tearoom that seems to be visited by local folks as well as tourists.

I enjoyed a "flapjack," which is nothing like a pancake! The flapjack was like a homemade, chewy and soft granola bar. It was delicious! I had it with a cup of black currant (herbal) tea. Our tour guide sent me her recipe, and I plan to give it a try. Here's the wikipedia definition of a flapjack: "In the UK, a flapjack is a tray bake (or bar cookie) made from rolled oats, fat, brown sugar, and usually Golden syrup or honey."

Next I'll write about our visit to Windsor Castle.

Pause

Let's all pause and send peaceful thoughts into the universe. Peace at home, peace on foreign soils. Violence is never the answer.

Baby Bunnies, Take 2

For the second spring in a row, the DH has found a baby bunny in our yard.

Little bunny - you are cute and welcome to stay if you don't eat my garden! Eat all the grass you want.

Nature Videos

These video clips (from Discovery) are hosted on the Nature Conservancy's website.

http://www.nature.org/earth/activities/index.html

The Queen Doesn't Make Tea

Interesting little story. The Queen is missing a great pleasure for not making her own tea. The wasted "fluff" and expense for the Royals is disheartening.

(Thanks to my Tea Educator friends for sharing!)

Steph

Day Four: Tea at the Ritz

The Ritz Palm Court (Photo courtesy Ritz website)

Tea at the London Ritz is an elegant, sumptuous affair! The setting is dripping in gold. The staff is attentive and sharp. The food is wonderful! And even the bathrooms are lovely.

Taking tea at the London Ritz is a life-long dream of afternoon tea lovers. It is, by many, considered the pinnacle of the experience. I was not disappointed.

Stephanie and Denise, tour leader

Our evening began with champagne then continued with afternoon tea sandwiches (all we could eat!):




* Smoked salmon
* Egg mayonnaise with cress
* Ham
* Chicken with mayonnaise


Then we enjoyed raisin and apple scones with Devonshire clotted cream and organic strawberry preserves.


For dessert, we had an assortment of afternoon tea pastries and cakes.









The last course was fruits of the forest (berries) with English cream. I enjoyed all of these with several cups of Ritz Traditional English tea.



Even the bathroom was fancy. ;-)

Queen is Going Green

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070403/en_afp/britainroyals

It's Friday, Good!

Happy weekend! I picked this postcard up at a small store in Windsor.

Day Four: National Portrait Gallery

Back to the London tea tour....

On the afternoon of Day Four, we visited the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square. It's nearly impossible to have favorites among a week of perfect tea touring! Nonetheless, this visit to the NPG stands out in my mind as a favorite among favorites. We had a custom tour, designed by the tour creator. She led us through the portrait galleries, highlighting famous tea folks. This was really cool because I had never seen any pictures of many of these people! We saw Catherine de Braganza, Anna Maria Stanhope, the Duchess of Beford, and many other people associated with tea history and lore. It was fascinating to me to see the faces of these people.

This is the portrait we saw of Catherine de Braganza. She was a Portuguese princess, sent to marry England's King Charles II. The marriage was a political merger. She introduced tea-drinking to England. I was struck by how young she looked in this portrait.

There was also a modern exhibit of photographic portraits that I really enjoyed.

After visiting the NPG, I wandered around Trafalgar Square. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I was really drawn to the statue of a pregnant Allison Lapper. Lapper is an artist who paints using her mouth and feet. The statue is by Marc Quinn. What I love about it the statue is its challenge to us to broaden our definition of beauty.

I ended this portion of the afternoon at the National Gallery. I enjoyed the work of Peter Paul Rubens. His paintings are huge! They're very easily identified, with dark backgrounds but highlighted characters. Rubens is famous for his naked, rotund and beautiful women. Here's an example...The Judgement of Paris.

My Easter Bonnet

Happy Easter (a little early)! Here's a photo of me in my Easter bonnet (the bike helmet). I gave up vanity some time ago in favor of earth-friendly commuting. And I happily discovered I can still look good and help reduce greenhouse gases at the same time. :-)

This is my favorite bike, ever. I love the streamers and the bell. For those of you into bikes, it's a mixte design from the early 80s with a lugged steel frame. The lugs are highlighted with hand painting.