A Picnic with Tea

This coming Saturday, tomorrow in fact, I will be speaking
at the TeaFestPDX on Packing for Tea Outdoors.
The two pictures in this post will be shared.
The first is my "live-in gardener" that I think loves
tea outdoors as much as I do.
He is carrying much of the tea picnic outdoors
as we walk the trail at Silver Falls here in Oregon.
It is a beautiful place for tea.
So off we went one summer day.

Two of the quotes I will be sharing are as follows:

"Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors."

~Alice Walker

   

 I say: Whether tea is indoors or outdoors, it is always a picnic.

 "A picnic is a state of mind

and can be made anywhere."

~Susan Branch

Do you love picnics?

Have you ever taken tea along?

It really is quite easy if you have a thermos of hot water and some tea.

Just take a small pot to brew in and some small cups for sipping.

What food will you take?

Maybe some cucumber sandwiches and a cookie?

Plan a picnic with tea this weekend and celebrate from afar.

I will be celebrating tea this weekend with about 2000 people.

I have planned for it since January and finally it is here.

Monday I will rest!

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Tea Time with Friends

 Leach Botanical Gardens is beautiful any day of the year,

but on lovely summer day with friends it was especially lovely.

There several flowers in bloom, which always touches my heart.

 What I was there for last Saturday was tea time with friends.

Each table on the patio was set with a different color theme.

I loved the cheerful, happy theme of our table.

The volunteers served their special black with roses tea.

It was made just right and not bitter at all.

Just about the time our teapot was getting low someone

would come along to refill it.

Having tea with tea friends means we drink a lot of tea.

 The sandwich plate had the following:

Chilled strawberry coconut soup

Mango chutney cream cheese

Chicken surprise*

 Ham and Slaw

Lemony pea pesto

 The scone was orange current with jam and Devonshire cream.

It was delicious!

 The dessert plate had the following:

Chocolate chai cake

Lemon curd tartlets

Butter mint patties

 I could say I had tea with my tea daughters, as they are all

my daughters age; but I love them dearly.

 It was a special day!

Leach Botanical Garden operates in partnership with the Portland Parks and Recreation.

A place of solitude and beauty, a place to spend walking and exploring alone, or

a place to spend over tea with friends.

*We asked for the recipe for the Chicken sandwich, but it is for 12 quarts.
Here are the ingredients:
Cooked chicken, chopped
Celery, chopped
Apple, shredded
Sliced almonds
Sliced green onion tops
Mayonnaise
cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt
The spices is what made it unique.

 

Garden Quotes 2019

“If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, 

and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs,

 is more elastic, more starry, more immortal—that is your success.” 

~Henry David Thoreau

Oatmeal Cake

One of my favorite cakes is Oatmeal Cake.

Now I never was a fan of coconut, but on the top of this cake it just works

and I love it. It's a great cake for a potluck or with tea.

Oatmeal Cake

1 1/3 c. boiling water      1/4 teas. salt    

1 c. quick oatmeal (I use regular oatmeal)

1 teas. vanilla             1/2 c. butter     

1 1/2 c. flour           1 c. each white & brown sugar    

1 teas. baking soda           2 eggs          1 teas. cinnamon   

Pour boiling water over oatmeal and let stand while mixing the cake.

Cream the butter with sugars.  Add eggs, salt, and vanilla and beat well.

Add oatmeal and beat until very light.  Sift together the flour,

baking soda, and cinnamon, add to batter, mixing well.

Bake in greased 13 X 9 pan 30 to 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Topping:

6 tblsp. butter         1/2 c. coconut

1/2 c. brown sugar            1/2 c. nuts, chopped

1/4 c. milk or cream         1/2 teas. vanilla

Melt or soften butter and combine with other ingredients,

spread over warm cake and return to oven or put under broiler

for a few minutes while frosting bubbles and coconut browns.

This recipe came from Delphian Delicacies.

The cookbook was made to celebrate Kansas centennial in 1970 

by the Delphian Jr. Woman's Club

I was living in Beloit, Kansas at the time

and several of my friends belonged to this group.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

My computer is back and running wonderfully.

Garden Quotes 2019

 The front of my house right now.

The blue hydrangeas are particularly delighting me.
This is a repeat picture, but I love it.

 Playing with a couple close ups in my backyard.

I just smile to see this bunny.

“Successful gardening is not necessarily a question of wealth,
 it is a question of love, taste, and knowledge.”

Vita Sackville-West 

Having found quotes by Vita Sackville-West recently,

I am intrigued to know more about her. 

Have a good week, dear friends! 

Note added 7/9/19 - I may be offline for a few days,
as I am transferring to a new computer.
Thankful for the new computer and excited!

A Visit to the Rose Garden

Often I wake early when the house is sleeping.

Waking just recently I decided to toss my clothes on,

grab my camera, and go to the rose gardens nearby.

It was six in the morning and the sun was newly up.

I could walk without distractions, smelling the roses as I walked.

The reflection on the pond and the clouds in the sky welcomed me there.

The sun became brighter as the day began.

Oh what a glorious morning it was.

Raindrops or were they dewdrops were still on the morning roses.

Rows of roses everywhere and I was delighted.

They glowed in the morning sun.

They sang to my heart.

I could have spent the morning most gladly there,

but the morning beckoned me.

With my steps moving forward, I once again must face the day.

Just a little more my heart did say.

Savor with delight the raindrops, the sunshine, and the glorious beginning to a new day.

While all around me were beginning their day, I moved forward with one last glimpse.

It did delight my heart!

A visit to Peninsula Rose Gardens just the other day.

Happy Weekend, dear Friends!!
Take an early morning, spur of the moment adventure!

My Country

As I was headed to bed tonight thoughts of July 4th came to mind.

The song America the Beautiful started playing in my head.

In my heart I know our country of the United States is beautiful,

with beautiful people, beautiful vistas, and a beautiful spirit.

I am proud of what this country is,

but saddened by what our politicians have done to it in the past few years.

The hatred that they have generated

and the disrespect for the people breaks my heart.

I am thankful for my home,

a place of comfort and beauty.

I am thankful for each of you.

I am thankful for food on my table and flowers in my garden.

I walked in my garden today

and my heart was both sad, but at the same time filled with joy.

So many of us feel both emotions recently that some days

are just difficult to be at peace.

So I pray tonight, as I go to bed, that there comes a peace,

wrapping our country in peace, love, respect, and once again joy in who we are.

May you have a blessed 4th of July.

Love your neighbors and hold them tight.