Memories

 My home is filled with memories.

Each place I look I remember.

Recently I sat in this chair for tea and a carrot cupcake.

This chair I found about 35 years ago at an estate sale.

It sat in my garage for years waiting to be rebuilt.

My children borrowed it and their cats tore it further apart,

but still I couldn't get rid of it.

Finally it was refinished and I love sitting there for tea in the morning,

tea in the afternoon with a nap, or late night reading.

There are memories on the wall behind the chair too.

Quilt blocks from a friend and a poster from my uncle.

Oh yes, there are memories in my home.

Sometimes they are very little things too.

The silver timer I found my first trip to Paris.

It came from Fauchon, a lovely upscale shop.

Using it each morning reminds me of special times in Paris.

The little Darjeeling box was given to me with my first

visit to the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, now quite a few years ago.

Sometimes I keep the tea I make from my own garden in that box now.

Yes, memories surround me.

Does your home hold memories?

Small treasures that remind you of a special moment in time?

Word for the Day - 2020

 Hospitality

This year the word at my church is Hospitality.

"I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

Matthew 25:35 

How do you practice hospitality?

Wikipedia: Hospitality is about people welcoming other people
into their homes or other places where they work or spend their time.

Could hospitality be shown in other ways?
Is Kindness a form of Hospitality?

The pictures represent one form of hospitality in my home.
What thoughts come to mind when you hear that word?
Hospitality

Tea from the Garden

 Did you know tea grows in my garden?

The official name is camellia sinensis.

It is in the camellia family.

Can you see the similarity?

It takes about 5 years for a plant to mature enough to pick.

Some of my plants are about 9 years old now.

I have plucked them in the spring for about 4 years. 

Then there are some new plants that I am waiting to mature.

All together there are 7 or 8 plants in the garden.

In 2019 I pick one flush (picking) in early spring.

I processed it by stir frying in a cast iron skillet.

It was a hot day.

The tea had a slight smoky flavor and made about two small pots of tea.

Later in the spring I decided to pick once again, usually I only pick once.

This time I processed it by wrapping it tightly in a cotton tea towel

and forming a small ball of tea.

For some reason I hadn't tasted it; so today was the day to steep the tea.

It made one small pot of about 3 cups of tea.

I cozied up in my comfy chair and sipped.

Of course there was a treat too, a carrot cupcake.

The tea had a much different taste just by the difference in processing.

It was slightly green, but more like a white tea.

My "live-in gardener" said it tasted like a high end tea.

Now that was a compliment.

It did taste quite delightful and I enjoyed my home-grown tea in my cup.

Do you ever make something from scratch that you are proud of?

It is quite rewarding!

Dear friends, hope you weekend is delightful!

When you Wish upon a Star

Let's have some music today. Click HERE to dream.

Listening this morning to these two beautiful voices brought tears to my eyes.

Lyrics: 

When a star is born
They possess a gift or two
One of them is this
They have the power to make a wish come true

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind

She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind

She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

Songwriters: Leigh Harline / Ned Washington

When You Wish Upon a Star lyrics © Bourne Co.

 Did you ever see the movie of Pinocchio?
Oh how Geppetto wanted a little boy so much, he made it happen through
 action, magic and wishing.
What do you wish for in 2020?
Let's wish upon a star and send positive thoughts out into the world.

My wish has been for more adventures, more dreams come true.
Honestly I don't do well sitting still.
I learned last year I need to have dreams, I need adventures,
even if they are a walk in my neighborhood or in my garden.
I need to let my imagination go a bit wild at times;
so dreaming on a star just makes sense.
I need the twinkle of stars or a glimpse of a sliver moon.

What do you need? Are you dreaming, dear friends?
Let's all wish upon a star tonight.

Word for the Day - 2020

I have always loved words and playing with words.

When I was young I use to try to adopt a word for the day.

It was the way of learning new words.

For 2020 let's play with words.

It may be a quote, a poem, or just a single word 

to inspire and delight us. 

Monday's will be our Word for the Day adventure.

"Remember your light has the ability to light others.

Ignite the world."

~Power of Speech

Wintry Play and Tea

A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas:

“It snowed last year too:

 I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down 

and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.”

 

I hope each of you have begun the new year with the delight

of play and then some tea.

Happy New Year, dear friends!

Happy weekend too! 

 

 By the way, there is no snow here right now.

It has been unseasonably warm, perfect for a walk. 

I can dream I am sitting by the fire, sipping tea, and watching the snow fall.

Word for the Year

 Celebrating the light in me this past March with a dear friend.

This year my word(s) were Trust the Adventure

Some years the adventure is a difficult one

and this just felt like that.

I wasn't sure I saw the results of it

until in one day this fall two different people

commented that I looked like I was on an adventure.

Sometimes life adventures don't reveal themselves

except in small ways and then only if we really

open ourselves to notice.

When I received those comments I saw it,

I saw the life adventure I was on and wrapped myself

in it's JOY.

Next year my word is LIGHT, which I am very excited about.

There were many words that came along, but they just didn't feel right.

Then as I reflected on Winter Solstice I thought of the light.

I thought about paying attention to the light in my photography.

I thought about the light within me.

I started noticing the word light in things I read.

The last line of the last book I read in 2019:

"the light shimmered, settled, held."

~author, Nora Roberts 

May the light shimmer for each of us in the new year.

May each of us be blessed beyond measure. 

May each bump in the road bring us more fully into the light.

For we must let our light shine in a dark world.

Delight in the day and SHINE.

The light will guide us.

The light will teach us.

And the light will shine upon us.

Notice as the light surrounds you.

Embrace it.

Yes, light will shine for each of us in 2020!

I just know it!

I also read just today to focus ahead and you won't
notice the shadows.
I see the light in this picture and will focus there.
Looking forward to sharing the adventure with you in 2020.