Colours of the World

Cabins near Pt. Hadlock, Washington

Canoes by Trillium Lake, Mt. Hood, Oregon


Some people see in black and white.
I choose to see in colour.
I am off exploring the colours of the world
and will return October 10th.

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Britt-Arnhild of http://www.brittarnhildshouseinthewoods.typepad.com/ recently said:

"Gathering every single colourful thread of what I saw, weaving the
threads into a lifetime memory"

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This is a lifetime memory trip and I will report back
with pictures in October.

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Please note: If you are a Marmalady's customer, my son Tim will be available
to help you and fill orders.

Tea Time Outdoors

I found this photo at an antique show not to long ago. It just gives me a smile as I see the silver teapot, table set with china and fine linens, and the children peeking out of the door of the little house. I can only imagine that this family has traveled across the country with their family treasures and is beginning life in the west. Teapots and china were often treasures families traveled with as they moved. What treasures would you take if you had to move by covered wagon?

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Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time

the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company.

~Author Unknown

Changing of the Seasons

I am sure you can tell the changing of seasons seems so strong on my mind this week. I see the squirrels hiding walnuts in our yard in preparation for the winter months. I feel the need to prepare, even if it is only in my mind. Our garden is still producing and we are storing our food for the winter.

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Ecclesaistes 3

vs.1 To everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven;

vs.2 A time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck

up that which is planted;

vs. 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance

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What are you doing to prepare for the changing of the seasons?

Last Days of Summer

Summer ends this week. We can only remember the warmth of the sun shining down on us. It was a time for relaxing and slowing down as we enjoyed the out of doors. Did you find time to laze in the sun dreaming dreams and reading a book? Was there time for outdoor barbecues and family fun? This hammock makes me smile to dream dreams and languish in the sun. I found it hanging between two trees in the parking strip not far from my house. Eventhough I haven't reclined in it, it gives me pause to imagine and dream.

Fall is Just Around the Corner

Fall is just around the corner. I can feel it in the evening air.

Are we ready? I will miss the sun.

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The foliage has been losing its freshness

through the month of August, and here and

there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first

gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who

has seen one season too many.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Friendship is Felt with the Heart

The most beautiful things

in the world cannot be seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart.

~Helen Keller

Our friends are the continuous threads

that help hold our lives together.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Cups, a Gift from a Friend.

Ode to a Daughter

Ode to a Daughter

My daughter you are just perfect.

You're more than everything

You need to be.

You are a lovely taste of this and that

Blended flawlessly to be a

Soothing cup of tea.

You are the essence of Assam

And the majesty of Darjeeling.

You are Sweet Asia served like Jasmine

In a perfect cup of tea.

by Earlene Grey

Vintage Children's Book

I have a small collection of children's books that relate to tea.

Dotty Dolly's Tea Party is a treasure found in

a local antique shop.

Needless to say Dolly's tea party ended in a pile

of broken dishes with the naughty black cat

upsetting the table. I think the black cat had a

tasty treat to lick off his paws.

Delight and Joy

Delight!
JOY on the side of a chicken coop

Listen

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how we hear that still small voice. How does the spirit talk to us. In the past I found words in books that I would read. Something would touch and inspire me to think of these things. Recently I haven’t read a book that has touched me and so began my searching and thinking how do I hear that voice, what inspires me spiritually. As a Quaker I have learned that God is within me. Sometimes, even though I know God is within me, I am not hearing the voice of God or Spirit. Quakers often worship in silence and I know that I have been taught to listen in silence. We use the word “centering down” to describe quieting of the soul so we can listen. I find a cup of warm tea can help me to quiet my soul. As the warmth of the cup encircled by my hands permeates my hands, it calms me. Now I must find a “closet” to sit in silence.

In the silence we hear more clearly. There are no conflicts of sounds, no television, no CD’s, no radio, no pots and pans clanging, no children running, and no spouse talking. Wait only for the silence and the peace of listening. Listen to the voice within you. Listen to the voice of God. We will hear in silence, peace for the coming day. What am I hearing today? I cannot say, I need to first find the silent place and then listen.

I find listening with my camera, focusing on those small things in life, speaks to me of spiritual things. Recently I visited a friend’s chicken coop and found the word “JOY” hanging on the side of the coop. The word spoke to me through observing through the camera lens.

Another way of listening in the silence is to write in a journal. In the “Artist Way” by Julie Cameron, it is called morning pages. She encourages us to write for a specific amount of time or a specific amount of pages everyday. When I have done that in the past it is amazing what jumps out and reveals itself in the free form writing. I will take a journal to my silent closet along with a warm cup of tea. What will be revealed is yet to come, as I listen, pay attention, and notice that small voice within me.

In a recent newsletter received from Cheryl Richardson she says, take time “in silent prayer to center yourself and reconnect with your heart.”

Have a Cup of Tea

She looks as if she is waiting for you to join her for a cup of tea and a chat. What secrets can you share as you sit there with her. Sharing over the kitchen table is always one of my favorite things to do. Let's sit awhile and share a cup of tea.

"Friendship is a very comforting sort of thing to have."

said Christopher Robin

-A.A. Milne

Tea does our fancy aid,

Repress those vapours

which the head invade

And keeps that palace of

the soul serene.

-Edmund Waller "Of Tea"

Blessed

I am so thankful to be blessed with good health for me and my family, for a comfortable home, beautiful surroundings, good friends, and the bounty of the season. September is a time of still feeling the sunshine on us, but the hush of fall in the evening air. The garden is producing at it's full production and the zucchini is in abundance. A dear elderly lady friend, that passed away a year ago about this time, shared the following recipe with me shortly before she passed away. She brought me a beautiful vintage canning jar filled with Zucchini Relish. It was so good and I wanted to share here as a possible use for excess zucchini.

Zucchini Relish from Kathryn Montgomery

Grind and let stand overnight the following:

10 cups zucchini, don't peel

4 cups chopped onions

5 Tablespoons salt

Drain in the morning and rinse well.

Then add:

5 cups sugar

1 teaspoon each: nutmeg, dry mustard, tumeric, cornstarch

2 Tablespoons celery seed

2 1/4 cups vinegar

2 red bell pepper - chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 green peppers, chopped fine

Cook for 30 minutes

Put in jars and seal tightly.

Enjoy!

Come Sit Awhile

Come sit awhile dear friend.

Let us share a cup of tea.

Our chat can be filled with laughter,

tears, or spirituality.

Chairs welcome us to sit and

take a time to breathe,

soaking in friendship and the moment.

A pause in the day.

Come and sit with me.

Just for Fun

Just for Fun visit www.wordle.net.

Type in whatever words that are on your mind,

then see what a fun picture of words you get.

Play around with the color, the angle of the words,

and the font. It's fun!

Secret Garden

It is a beautiful little garden tucked on the side of the house. The picket fence has simple white birdhouses sitting on the fence posts. The arbor you walk under to enter the garden is covered in flowers. My husband and I walk past this garden on our morning walks. I can dream of having tea in that little garden. Can't you just dream of walking down the path and sitting with a lovely pot of tea in the covered area enclosed with soft, cascading curtains. Oh, some cookies or scones would go nicely while sitting there. We would listen to the music of the birds and laugh at antics of the squirrels scampering by. It is fun to dream. To sit in that garden would be a dream come true and how pampered I would feel. Do you ever see secret gardens along your way? What a treasure given to get to peak inside and dream.