Time for Tea

 

Yes, we do mow our lawn, but the clumps are the end of the daffodils taking time to rejuvenate for next year.

 

 

When the sun comes out, even just a little bit,
 I am sitting in the sun having tea.
Smiling because that isn't always true.
Of course I am here writing to you.
The sun is shining this morning
and a treat from the market awaits.
Tea in my cup brings a pleasure so true.
What tea is bringing pleasure today just for you?

My tea this morning is Harney & Sons  East Frisian
with a touch of sugar and milk.
Normally I drink my tea straight, but for me this tea
just sings when a little sugar and milk are added.
Have a delightful weekend and take time for tea in your garden,
whether that is just a front stoop, a deck, or surrounded in flowers.

Just for a Smile

If you haven't had a smile today.

I love Rose is Rose

and thought this one was perfect for a tea lady.

May we always have enough teacups to

share with each and every friend and guest.

Kindred Spirit Friendships

 

 

Kindred Spirit Friendships

Recently I had an email from a blog writer, Liz Lamoreaux.
You can find Liz, here.

She was talking about finding kindred spirit friendships.

It really struck a cord with me.
 It caused me to start thinking about what a kindred spirit friendship is
 and how you find a friendship such as this.

Liz said:  "I've found people willing to share their stories of the hard stuff,

of the grief, of the beauty, of the joy found in all of it."  

Is that what a kindred spirit is?

The more I thought, the more I found people sharing.

“When you encounter someone you were destined to meet the conversation will take flight as if it were on the wings of angels, complete strangers confiding in each other as if you were lifelong friends.” – Kevin Hall

"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world." -Anne Shirley, "Anne of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery

Anïas Nin, the bohemian French author said, "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

Wikipedia describes this as: Someone who shares similar thoughts, feelings, someone who is close in temperament and nature to yourself, to whom you have a rare spiritual link that is very special and you can’t quite explain.

From these quotes and thoughts found in my research it seems that a kindred spirit is someone

that thinks like me, just clicks upon meeting, has the same spiritual awareness, an invisible

bond, and someone that just gets me.

A true sister or brother of the heart.

Do you have a kindred spirit friend?

How did you find that special friend?

  Do you treasure the gift you have been giving?

A kindred spirit friend is a treasure more precious than jewels.

Cooking with Friends

 

Sometimes we do something out of the ordinary just for the fun of learning something new.
When I found a tea friend was teaching a class on Japanese Summer Sweets I jumped for it.
We cooked things I had never heard of with ingredients not in my vocabulary.
The one that particularly fascinated me was Koi in a Pond.
Have you seen a sweet like this?
The pond was made from a clear gelatin ingredient made from seaweed,
quite appropriate for those little fish to swim in.
My imagination went to all other possibilities for these little pond creatures.
Wouldn't fresh fruit look pretty sitting in the pond?
Or maybe a bouquet of edible flowers?
It is good to play and let our imagination go wild.
I just love playing with friends.

Have you done anything with a friend lately that was beyond your comfort zone
or beyond your imagination? 

Monday's Quotes

There is nothing on this earth more
to be prized than true friendship.
~Saint Thomas Aquinas

I hope you are having opportunity to spend time with friends on this American holiday.

Picnic Time

 

 

Do you see that table in the distance.
Yes, let's run and grab it.
It's time for a picnic.
Once the end of May and Memorial Day arrive
my thinking goes to picnics, outdoor delights.
Do you love picnics?
With a little planning ahead they can be so much fun.
Carry a blanket and a basket with supplies such as utensils, table cloth,
napkins, and plates in the trunk of your car at all times.
My basket even has a teapot and cups.
Only food and drink needs to be added and you are
off on an adventure, a place of memories and delight.
A picnic can be on your own back steps, at the ocean side,
in the country, or at a city park.
If you had a picnic this weekend, where would you go?
Happy Picnic Time!

The photos were taken at a picnic at Twin Hill Ranch in California.

The Path

 

 

 

 

 

I have a fascination for paths.
They bring to my mind the paths that we take in life
and the choices we make that take us in a different direction.
Walking recently in the Lan Su Chinese Gardens I thought of paths.
Sometimes we take a path with something particularly in mind,
but the road divides and new choices present themselves.
Sometimes we find a surprise, something we hadn't expected there.
Sometimes there are roadblocks.
The path takes us forward and keeps us moving, or
We can turn around and follow the path that we know.
We can grow, have surprises, and be amazed by new views.
The choice is ours to take, always being open to new adventures.

What do you see on the path?
Do you get excited for new paths and new directions?

Sometimes the unknown is scary, but the rewards are amazing.

Tea in the Garden

Spring time light does enchant me.
The softness as it shines down from above.
My garden sits inviting me to tea
with calla lily's and roses it does abound.

Come join me for a sip of tea.
We will talk of dreams while soaking in the sunshine.

There are strawberries and caramel nut bars, oh so yummy with the tea.

Roses shine down from above our heads and touch us with such glee.

 

 

 

Sweet pinks envelop us with JOY.
May your day be blessed with Laughter and with tea in your garden too.

Peek-a-Boo

Something pretty for your day.
A cup of tea while lounging in bed.
But what is peeking from under the quilt?
Could it be?
Oh Joey is hiding there.

 

The lump you say is peeking there.
He is saying good morning and afternoon just for you.
But please now leave me be for you see,
a nap it is time for me.

Reminder from Joey:
A nap is always a good thing.

Monday's Quotes

 

Every cup of tea is an imaginary trip....

~Catherine Douzel

Enjoy your day and take many imaginary trips.
The photo was taken at Lan Su Chinese Gardens in Portland, Oregon. 

Find the Magic

 

The shadows delight me.
The morning sun surrounds me.
Rainbows enchant me.
Tea refreshes me.
Finding wonder in the ordinary 
makes my heart sing.
Anticipation
Dreaming
Of flying over the rainbow.
Where would you fly if flying
over the rainbow?
Where would you find the magic in the day?

Happy weekend dear friends!
May you find magic in the ordinary
and have opportunity to fly over the rainbow.

A Garden's Gift

 

The calla lily was a gift from my sister's garden.
They stand tall and so sophisticated,
wrapped in love.
I am intrigued by their beauty, the turn of their blossom,
the shine of their leaf.
They are happy in my garden now.
A special treat from my sister's garden.

Do you have a special plant in your garden,
a gift from another garden?

Tea Adventures

 

Once upon a time, many stories begin such as this. This isn't just a story, it is true.  We sit enchanted by the story of horses and tea.  For centuries, continuing until the 1960's, there was a Tea Horse Road, much like the Silk Road so many of us have heard about.  This was for the trade of tea for horses.  China desperately wanted the horses of Tibet and Tibet wanted tea.  Porters, both men and women, carried 150-200 pounds, sometimes more, of tea bricks from the Yunnan Province in China to Tibet along treacherous mountain roads.  The road was south of the Silk Road and traveled over mountain passes and through dense forests.  If they succeeded in the journey they would have rice for their families.  One pound of tea would buy one pound of rice.  Yes, we were enchanted, so I read more.   

This story was shared with myself, a young friend, and his mother as we tasted some delightful Puer teas at the Tao of Tea recently. We were on a tea adventure in Portland, visiting five teashops and learning about tea all in one day.  It was a special delight for me to share tea with friends.  The adventure is worth repeating and I would love to share with you.  If you are visiting Portland some day and would like to learn more of tea, come and travel with me and we will share a cup of tea and remember stories of another time.  Tea has a rich history full of stories such as this.

If you would like to read more on the Tea Horse Road, visit: 

 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/tea-horse-road/jenkins-text

A Rose is a Rose

 

 

 

 

 

 

The garden is blooming roses today.
The garden is shining with the sweet fragrance sitting there.
When the roses bloom my heart does sing.
I walk through the garden snipping a bloom or two.
Oh to be surrounded in their beauty
and to feel the silky softness of their petals.
Can you just imagine laying in a bed of rose petals?
Being embraced by the scent?
We can dream together in this garden of roses.

Monday's Quotes

One of my favorite quotes.

Photo taken in the medieval walled city of Carcassone, France.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.

~Mark Twain

Flowers for Mama!

I just couldn't let this weekend pass without
sending best wishes.
For all the mama's out there, flowers for you!
Happy Mother's Day

Have you Noticed?

Just a few days ago I hopped in my little red buggy and took a short road trip.
The view from the bridge of downtown Portland as I traveled along.

It was time to find flowers for the garden.
Have you noticed the flowers this week?
Each day this week I have loved the flowers of Spring.

It was the annual Master Gardener sale at the fairgrounds.
A perfectly gorgeous, sunny day!

Little red wagons were carrying plants everywhere you looked.

Columbine's just shined in the sun.

Geraniums too!
Hanging baskets galore!

Petunias by the dozens.

Glorious peonies, oh how I would have loved bringing them all home.

What I did bring home was the sunshine I saw on this sweet face.
A smile just for me and you.
Get out and smell the flowers this weekend.
You might find a smile just for you and that smile might come from you.