High School Photos

Here's some high school photos for those of you who've been asking. :-) I will attend my high school class reunion this Saturday night - 15 years. Wow.

This is my Sr. photo. These were the days of big hair and guns-n-roses. :-)

This photo is of me and Sasco Rocket. One of the most beautiful animals ever, in my humble opinion. My Dad and I started his training together. When my Dad passed away, I continued it with help from my Mom and dear friends Besty, Mike and Barney and Anne. Sasco was a tempermental animal, but when he was "on" he was really on! Selling him was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but it was a lesson in letting go. He helped pay for college. I miss him!

The Cereal Saga

It started last week, when I was explaining to my team at work about my excitement of going to the Cereal Barn, a new restaurant in town. The Cereal Barn offers 30 different types of cereals. You can mix and match. Plus, they have "mix-ins"....fruit, nuts, granola and sadly, even candy. They also offer PB&J sandwiches with freshly-ground peanut butter. I was planning to visit the Cereal Barn last week, but didn't make it. I was excited b/c we're not big cereal eaters around here. Our cereal adventures tend to stick with the healthy kind - grapenuts being the favorite. The DH does make a lot of oatmeal...the chewy steel-cut kind.

So, all this build up with the Cereal Barn discussion.....then the "grapenuts incident" yesterday. :-) I was closing up a box of grapenuts, and I was smooshing the air out of the bag. I happened to move my head over the box at the same time, and I poofed a bunch of grapenuts dust into my eye. It really hurt! I rinsed my eye and didn't think much of it until ~30 min later when I looked in the mirror. My cornea was really swollen. It scared me, so I was diligent yesterday about icing my eye on a regular basis. That seemed to do the trick, and my eye is pretty much back to normal today.

Well, to round out this story, we did walk to the Cereal Barn this morning. I had a small bowl with Corn Flakes/Life cereal and strawberries/walnuts as add-ins. (The basic bowl includes 2 cereals and 2 mix-ins.) The DH had grapenuts (the nerve!) and honey grahams, with bananas and strawberries. We split a PB&J with honey-roasted nuts and orange marmalade. I thought it was great fun, but the DH wasn't all that impressed. His comment: "I could make this at home." Very true, except that we never buy Corn Flakes or Honey Grahams! >-)

Yummy Tea Biscuits

Thought I'd better get back to the "tea" part of the blog. I've been mostly writing about the "world around it." :-)

Here is a recent discovery. I picked up this pack of Tea Biscuits at my local grocery store. The package cost less than $1. The biscuits (cookies) are very simple and a perfect partner for tea...both green and black. The cookies are lightly sweet and crisp. Each is stamped with the phrase "Special Teas." Very yummy, in my opinion.

Away, But Not So Far...

Photo from the "weekend away" with the DH. We stayed at a B/B here in town.

We had dinner at Puccini's (Italian)...very good!

At the B/B... the DH has trouble smiling for the camera. :-)
(Click on the image to see it full size.)

10 Years

The DH and I celebrate 10 years of marriage today! It has been an incredible adventure. I'm a very lucky (and spoiled) gal. Here's the sweetest gift:
The DH grew these stargazer lilies because they were in my wedding bouquet. And, they bloomed on our anniversary!





I posted this photo last year, too, but it's my favorite. I love the sense of movement and celebration in the image. We had just been married by my Grandfather. My parents surprised us with the horse and carriage. The old farmer who drove us promised to take us again on our 50th anniversary for free.

We'll celebrate this weekend by staying at a B/B and having a nice dinner out.

Rainy Day Blues

Drinking Imperial Jasmine tea out of my Blue Rice teacup and teapot on this perfectly rainy day. Can you see the reflection in the pottery below? This teapot is one of my favorites. The DH found it for me in 1997, during a trip to the thrift store. This teapot, along with a few other items, kicked off my collection passion. >-) Presently, I'm on a plan that ensures I have no net increase in my china. If something comes in, I have to make the very painful decision about what will go. This teapot is never in question.

By the way, you can find this teapot and the corresponding matching items all over the place in Chinatowns. It's not rare - it's just pretty and sentimental. It is delicate. The rice shapes (which don't show well in the photo) are thin and translucent.

Terms of Endearment

From the DH (Dear Hubbie) this weekend, after I had performed some entertaining bit of physical comedy (aka klutziness):

"Oh, honey! I'm so glad we entertain each other. It's a lot cheaper than the movies."

In a way peculiar to the DH and me, this statement tells me he loves me. And it makes me laugh. After 10 years together (on Thursday), life with the DH is still fun.
>-)

Pretty, peaceful things

OK, my last post prompted so much concern from my mother and friends that I thought I'd best share some restorative and peaceful photos to show you that I really am OK! The busy days come -- and then they go and I am resilient. :-) Sincerely, thank you for your concern!

Elephant ear caladium at my back door, with dew.











To get a sense of the size of these plants...of jungle proportion! Also, you can't tell it in the photo, but the DH (dear hubby) has peroxided his hair to an orangey-red...at least, the parts that weren't already "silver."

Hard at Work

Here's a photo the DH (dear hubbie) snapped yesterday while I was "hard at work" in a meeting. I have the incredibly great fortunate to work from my home office. And, to my defense, this meeting was at 7pm after a very long day. I just ran out of steam.

If you only knew how incredibly rare this situation is, you wouldn't envy me! Usually, I'm doing about 4 things at once: responding to e-mail, answering an instant message, working on a project, and participating in a phone meeting. I'm constantly multitasking. It's not something I enjoy, tho I am good at it. I often wonder if I could be successful at my job if I didn't have this ability. It's almost as if multitasking has become a required core competency. What I don't like about it is that I don't give my full attention to any one thing...and then in my personal life, it's sometimes an abrupt change. When I'm out of the work situation, I prefer to give my attention fully to what I'm doing, but I think I get so much practice of the other way of being, this centered, focused attention is sometimes hard for me. Nonetheless, I keep practicing.

A Quick and Easy Tea Party

I had a neighbor over for tea recently. I didn't have much time to prep, so I kept things simple. I served fruit, store-bought cookies (shortbreads), and chocolate. It was a success! I encourage you to host a tea party, even if you're drinking from a chipped mug and eating from paper plates. The focus is on the conversation and relationship with the person. All the other trappings are fun - but they are not necesssary for the spirit of the tea party to thrive.

By the way, it's only in the US that having a tea is a predominantly female thing. It's quite popular in Britain for men to enjoy afternoon tea, and of course its a pervasive beverage in Asia.

Here's the tea table from my recent tea:

Blackberry Lily and the Bee

Blackberry Lily and the Bee
I snapped this a few days ago…got lucky that the bee landed just as I pushed the button! Blackberry Lilies have these fun blossoms – they’re orange-pinkish. I love the bright colors!














However, this is just the icing on the cake to fans of this plant. What blackberry lilies are really prized for is the seed pod. Once it opens to disperse its seeds, it looks just like a big blackberry, and stays that way into late fall.

Whirly Girl

Spinning, spinning round she goes
Will she land on her feet?
Will she fall on her nose?

This is the second "circle skirt" I've made, and I love it! The skirt really moves and will be fun for swing dancing.

I like the intresting combo of the pattern and the fabric. 1950s full skirt meets late 60s Indian print fabric. The zipper is much improved from the last one I did and the waste band fits well. It was a joyous moment!

I'm out of control and too responsible...

dang it! It's 5:02 pm and I've been thinking about making a cup of tea since 6:15 am today, when I started work. I've never gotten around to it. I taught a "train-the-trainer" from 7 - 9 then spent the rest of the day fighting fires. Who knew that training materials could be so political and urgent!?! Thus is the life of an IT (info technology) training developer when a product is about to be pushed to 100K employees.

Did I procrastinate? No - that's not my style. There are just too few of me and not enough time to go around. Plus, the company is laying off people. Geez! There are days when I wish they'd pick me to let go!

Now, I feel better. Thanks for reading. I'm going to go make that cup of tea and let the company live without me. I'm sure it will do fine - and that's what I need to remind myself of more often!

Orange on my desk

Sitting on my desk today.

Orange is my favorite color.

A tea picnic at the winery

Recently, the DH and I met some friends at Oliver Winery. I'd never been before and was really impressed. The winery is as nice as any I've been to in Napa Valley. The grounds are beautiful. They offer free tastings, and I thought what I tasted was good (tho I'm no expert). I came home with a bottle of cider, my favorite.

The winery sits on a hill, and the back slopes down (quite steeply) to a pond and lovely picnic area. We had a picnic tea party here, watching the gigantic koi and geese beg (successfully) for food. The day was beautiful, thanks to the shade, breeze and interesting conversation.

We ate cheese and crackers; fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella; cream cheese sandwiches; olives. We drank iced tea (sencha kyoto cherry rose festival - green; apricot - black) and other magic concoctions. It was wonderful! Here are a few photos...















View from our picnic spot














Giant Koi
















Friend feeding the fish, with the geese descending on the scene

Updated recipe - Moroccan Mint Tea

Hi, All - I've updated my Moroccan Mint Tea recipe. I've been perfecting it. :-) Also, in my original post about Cafe et Crepe, I mentioned that they server Armenian tea. A reader pointed out I should have written Algerian tea, so I made that correction. Thanks!

Steph's Moroccan Mint Tea
Here is my recipe for Moroccan Mint tea. I prefer to use fresh mint, when it's in season.

A handful (~1 cup loosely packed) of fresh mint sprigs, plus a few extra for garnish
3 teaspoons green tea (traditionally, gunpowder green)
3 tablespoons sugar (or less, depending on your preference)
4 cups water
4-5 whole cloves to taste (whole - not ground)

This isn't a precise recipe, so taste and adjust to suit your preferences. Also, I should preface this by saying I prefer mine pretty minty....so that drives how I concoct this brew.

Add the mint leaves and cloves into the water and bring to a boil. Let boil for ~2 minutes to get a good mint base. (Once it starts to boil, bring it down to a rolling simmer.)

After the mint base is ready, bring the heat down so that the water is barely rolling and add the sugar and tea. Cook for another 1-3 minutes, depending on how strong you like the tea flavor.

Pour through a filter into a teapot or teacups and serve. Small glass cups are traditional, but be careful! They get very hot and, if there is a crack already, the hot liquid can pop the glass open.

Garnish with remaining sprigs of mint. Enjoy!

Daylillies for Form and Function

Form: Take a tour through my garden (photos below) and view the lovely daylillies! These are grown by the DH and loved by me! While their blooms only last a day, daylillies continue to produce new buds daily, as well. The flowering season is quite long. Add that they don't all bloom at the same time, and daylilly season runs a month plus. Yippee! Such bright colors.

Function: Daylillies are edible. I used daylillies at a recent teaparty as a bowl for curried chicken. Just take out the pistil and stamen, and place the daylilly in a narrow-necked container (like a wine glass). They make perfect containers - and they add an interesting punch to your salad!

Sun Tea Yoga

8 a.m this morning, 78 degrees and a light breeze out of the west. I step outside and place the sun tea jar on the eastern corner of my neighbor's porch. The sun has just crept over the trees enough to wash my neighbor's porch corner in light, while mine remains in shadows a bit longer.

Like the tea, I face east. I spread my yoga mat and yawn, reaching up. I lower myself onto the mat and move into child's pose. It will be a gentle and slow yoga morning. I stay in child's pose for a while and listen. The wind is rustling the hollyhocks and daisies to my right. The wind also entices the wind chime to my back to melody.

I rise from child's pose and find the tea directly in my view, on my neighbor's porch. The tea jar is a nice focal point and I relax my gaze upon it. I watch the tea slowly moving up and down as the water heats. The tea leaves gently unfold, greeting the sun. I mimic this and move into a slow sun salutation, following the speed of the steeping tea. Slow and steady. Up and down. I continue listening to the gentle sounds around me. I wonder how many different birds I hear. Eventually, I wonder no more and let my mind and body move together.

Like the tea, I swim in the ocean around me - oxygen and nature. I absorb it, while it also takes on characteristics of my being.

The sun has now reached my toes as I sit in stick pose. The warmth feels wonderful as it moves up my body.

Now comes the time when I know my yoga session is complete. I have stretched enough. Like the tea, my steeping is done. I have given and received.

My neighbor (my Opera instructor and friend) recently moved. I hosted a farewell tea for her, using some of my favorite china. I will miss her! I learned a great deal from her about opera and music in general. She and her hubby were interesting and conscientious folks. I wish them well in their new locale and adventures.
I thought this china was perfect for our tea party because the women in the scene have beautiful hair, and it reminded me of my neighbor. She also has the most gorgeous hair!

I found this china in a consignment shop in town, and instantly became charmed by it. Yet, I had promised myself a zero growth in total china stores. So, the thinning out began.

This china is exquisite - pearlized inside, gold trim, hand painted scene of Asian women in a garden. Every time I use it, I will have sweet memories of this tea party and fun times with friends next door!

Keemun and Green Chiles -- and Garrison Keillor

Oh, delight! The Kroger grocery store in town is now carrying El Pinto Green Chile Sauce! My craving for green chiles can be met. While El Pinto isn't my absolute #1 choice (I like 505 Organic)...it is pretty darn tasty, especially after a drought! Yippee! To celebrate, the DH made breakfast burritos this morning. Yummm - very good with a cup of Keemun team.

Also, we saw the movie, A Prairie Home Companion, this weekend. I loved it! Now, if you've never heard this radio show on public radio (Saturday nights), the movie will be OK - but you won't get the gist of it. (Like the powdermilk biscuit theme, or the Guy Noir reference.) I loved the movie because:

• Garrison Keillor poked fun at himself and the show
• The cast is awesome; Meryl Streep rocks!
• I got to "see" what his staff looks like - the voice talent
• I loved the not-so-subtle dissing of big business
• The ending was really quite poignant...everything comes to an end, even ourselves

So, if you like the radio show, I think the movie does it justice. Garrison and crew will be at the University here in town this fall - I'm hoping to catch them live.