Flowers in Many Forms

A quiet Sunday morning in the Lan Su Chinese Gardens

revealed flowers of many forms.

Each had it's own beauty.

There was a softness yet movement

in glorious color.

It was time spent alone.

Time to relish the fresh morning air.

A time for my heart to sing with JOY.

May your weekend mornings shine with delight and JOY.

Shadows

 

Sitting with my tea in the early morning light

we wait, my Joey and me.

Outside as the sun is rising there are times

when the shadows do delight.

Oh I wish you could see it here, but

my camera was not quick enough to share.

Hummingbirds tasting, drinking the nectar

of the flowers there.

We sit and watch as they dance in the shadows

and we enjoy a cup of tea in the quiet of the early morning.

Do you have an early morning ritual as you sit in the quiet with your tea?

This Year's Garden

 

How I love the outdoors all year long,
but especially during flower season.
I would be amiss if I didn't visit the garden
with you just for awhile.
So here are a few scenes from my garden.
The garden has changed some this year,
as we removed a large tree in the front of the house.
In it's place we planted a prune plum tree and
what you see is the one lone plum on the tree.
We also planted a Gravenstein apple tree and
had one delicious apple from it.
The sunflowers were a gift from god planted by the birds.
My husband (the live in gardener) loves it when that happens.
We have tomatoes growing and one corn stalk growing
in the flower garden, also gifts from god.
And pumpkins are everywhere this year.
They will be pure delight later this fall.
Now that is something to look forward to
as the morning is beginning to cool.
Roses, roses, roses - Oh do we love the roses.
Twelve new ones were added to the garden this year.
Can't wait to see how they flourish and grow next year.
Hope you enjoyed a short visit to my garden.

Oregon State Fair Competition

Saturday at the Oregon State Fair
there was the Specialty Tea Competition and The Amazing Scone Baking Race
with King Arthur flour.

Sitting on the panel of judges we tasted tea for about 2 hours,
I was sure I could never drink tea
again at least not until the next morning.
All the teas and scones this year were just lovely,
which made judging a challenge.

The winning scone recipe was Mango Ginger Scones.
Just delicious!

The judges from left to right were:  Charity Chalmers of Charitea in Sandy, Oregon,
Jan Ellis, coordinator for WuWo Tea Ceremony and very knowledgeable in tea,
and myself, owner of Marmalady's.

 

 

 

The winners:
The top scores for tea came from the Tea Zone, Grant Cull and Jhanne Jasmine.
On the left for her Mango Ginger Scone and Cranberry Almond Scone was Rinatta Stanko.
In the middle was Heidi Chase and Tracy Bosnian from Possibili-Tea,
 Jennifer Peterson (coordinating the event)
On the right was Kathi Karnosh, she made a delicious Maple Glazed Bacon Brickle Scone.

This was my second year as a judge.
It is quite fun, but who knew it would be exhausting to taste so many cups of tea and
nibble on so many delicious scones.
Not your normal afternoon of sharing tea and scones with a friend.

One Word

 

Shine

Jewel Tones

 

The morning air has a crispness of the coming of Autumn.
Not that I don't want to hold onto Summer a bit longer,
but there is something invigorating about the coolness of the morning air.
Recently I visited a new pastry shop in town.
You know I always have to check out a new place for macarons.
The colors just sang to me of Autumn.
I have heard the colors of Autumn will be more colorful jewel tones
and these colors just fit in with that feel.
Aren't they pretty?
So citrusy and regal!
What are you noticing today?
Are the colors of the changing season beginning to appear?
Enjoy the weekend and take time to notice what you notice.

Tea with Jim

Tea last week while visiting the beach was at La Tea Da in Tillamook, Oregon.
Jim informed me that I hadn't taken him there in my previous visits,
so off we went to the beach.
You see behind Jim, do you notice any men?
Not a one was to be seen.
Maybe it is too girly for most men,
but they don't know what they are missing with the attention
and the food.  Jim knows, so he goes.
Women, take your man to tea, he might just enjoy it.
Jim does and recommends it.

Reading?

 

 

Why I don't mention books here, I don't know.
They are a big part of my life.
I love books!
I can't sleep at night if I haven't read a page or two (when really tired)
or many chapters (when captured by the story).
Do you love books?
Do you read with a book in hand or a reading device?
Which do you prefer?
But most of all what are you enjoying these days?
I picked up an oldie recently and enjoying Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg.
Wasn't sure I would enjoy it, but I am.
Take a book to bed tonight and enjoy!

The Walk through Old Growth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first time I visited Oswald West beach my children were young.
They immediately named it Gnome Beach.
Can you tell why?
For many years I didn't even know the real name as we
always referred to it as Gnome Beach.
Walking through this forest, listening to the water trickle through the woods,
enjoying the sun dapple through the trees,
and stepping into the arms of these old growth trees is pure delight.
If you ever visit Oregon, you must put a stop here on your list.
It is a treasure that even some Oregonians don't realize is just there at the door to partake.
I hope you enjoyed my walk through the trees and the peak at the ocean last Friday.

One Word

 

Rainbow

Come Away with Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have been reading Delights of the Heart for awhile you will know I delight (LOVE) in the ocean.
Yesterday was 100 degrees in Portland, so it was decided that a day at the beach would be a good thing.
My favorite beach is Oswald West in Oregon.
It is about a 15 minute hike through the most beautiful old growth forest I have ever seen and then
the beach is there in all it's beauty.  What could be better?
Normally we visit the beach on off season when it is rather quiet,
 but found that on a hot day in Portland there were a lot of others that had the same idea.

The clouds sat just off shore, but on the beach the weather was perfect, even for a little tea drinking.
Take time this weekend to find the perfect place to celebrate summer and all the you love.

Teatime at the Park

 

"Strange how a teapot can

represent at the same time,

the comforts of solitude and

the pleasures of company."

~ Author Unknown

Each summer my daughter and I make a time for tea at the park.

She reminded me recently we hadn't had our time with tea this year.  

So off to the park we went one morning this week.

It was a lovely morning, warm, but with a light breeze.

As we visited it warmed up considerably and we had to move to the shade.

Having tea in the park on a morning such as this is pure delight.

How lovely to sit over sips of tea and enjoy the conversation

with someone special.

I do hope you are finding opportunities this summer

to share a cup of tea and conversation with someone special.

The Party's Over

Laundry day is one of my favorite days.
I just love seeing the laundry hanging on the line.
Yes, the party is over, but really it is just beginning.
The tablecloths have been washed
and soon will be ironed.
As I iron I will be thinking of the next time I
share food and conversation over these beauties.
Will it be with tea or maybe a special celebration again?

Using special linens or plates creates memories.
The next time I bring them out I will remember
previous delights of sharing.
Do you remember when you bring out a special
teacup, linen, or plate?
Or maybe someone special gave you this delight
and you have time to reflect on the person these once
belonged to?

The Heart of an Artist

 

 

 

Sunday my husband and I had the honor and pleasure of being invited to a special party.
Someone I think is very special had inherited her family farm house and property.
After much cleaning, gardening, and decorating she wanted a party to
reclaim the spirit of the place.
It was amazing to see about 200 people dance, eat, and fellowship together
with great JOY and celebration.

What touched me and gave me great delight was the opportunity to visit her father's
art studio.  The top picture is just a glimpse.
When I stepped into this room it was stepping back in time and feeling
the heart of this man as he painted here.
It was the same feeling I had when I stepped into the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris.
You can just feel the creative spirit permeating the place.
I had seen prints of the painting in the second photo, but to see the original just sitting there sang to my heart.
Have you ever stepped into a room and just felt the presence of someone very special?

One Word

 
Grow

Rocks!

The Sandy River in Oregon probably has other sand bars,
but the one located at Oxbow Park has a special tradition.
Each winter the sand bar is reconstructed and wiped clean.
Then in the Spring the "Rock Lady" comes again and begins
constructing rock cairns.
Occasionally she also likes to skinny dip in the river to refresh herself
for the journey of building these very special formations.
Those that visit here regularly know her and come just to see
her creativity.

Oh yes, she does play.

They give me delight and a smile to see.

This pair is just enjoying the sunshine and the water nearby.

There are thousands of them congregating here.
A rock concert perhaps?

Perhaps a meeting is taking place here?

Is this one a mama, papa, and child?

What do you like to do to just play?
I hope you have plans to play this weekend.
Sending hugs and great playful JOY.

Tea this Week

 

Tea enjoyed this week was a gift from a Kentucky friend.
Appropriately it is an Elmwood Inn tea, which is also located in Kentucky.
This was a lovely black tea, just perfect for my early morning pot of tea.
It has just a hint of smokiness so nice in a black tea.
This morning it sat in a newly acquired teacup found on etsy.com.
The cup says "Spode's Tower" Copeland, England.
The cozy, also, made in England, was found several years ago
at an antique market in a village in the Cotswold's.

How are you enjoying your tea these mornings?
Is it in a special cup?
or maybe a gift from a friend?

The Bunny Quilt

 

When I learned I would be a grandmother I knew there would be one more quilt to be made.
Here is the final product of creativity for my grandson coming in September.
I hope he feels the LOVE sewn into this special covering as he snuggles underneath.
It was pure JOY to stitch this little bunny, joyfully swinging from the balloon string.

The Bunny Trail

Quote by Kahlil Gabran, shared at this special event:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Saturday was the hottest day in Portland in 3 years,

but also the day we celebrated with joy the upcoming

birth of our grandson.

It was a garden party in our backyard.

The bunny marked the path.

The tables and chairs were ready.

Flowers were arranged.

Food was made.

Oops! I forgot to photograph the

little tea sandwiches, the watermelon salad,

or the veggies and hummus.

The desserts you see above are carrot cupcakes

and gluten free lemonade bites.

There was plenty to drink.

For a time there was even the sprinkler turned on

and just a delight to see the children playing in our yard.

Most of all special friends were here to celebrate

and bless this new family.

How special to have old high school friends, college friends too,

plus just dear family friends all here.

For those of you that were here, thank you so much.

It was pure JOY!