Note from the Garden

Happy Halloween, dear friends!

Halloween Peeks around the House

  Greetings at the door.

 I love bittersweet and found this bouquet at my market.

Pumpkins from the garden.

 A little pumpkin made by my "live-in gardener".

The crow approves.

Hydrangeas from the garden, just couldn't toss them.

 My  Autumn quilt, a collaborative of my "live-in gardeners" grandmother and myself.

She was 93 at the time she quilted it for me.  This was her favorite pattern.

The spider runner comes out every October.

I do love seasonal decorations.

This is the extent of my October event in my house.

Do you decorate seasonally?

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

In the Cup Today

In the cup is Yunnan Purple Buds, an organic black tea from Rishi Tea.

A small sample was purchased at the NW Tea Festival earlier this month.

I did enjoy it.  

It was a nice, simple, and quite smooth black tea.

No pretentiousness, just a good organic black tea.

It would be lovely plain or dolled up with milk and sugar.

Here Joey is peeking out from his daily cocoon.

He knows it is tea time.

Hazel Hall Poetry

A friend introduced me to Hazel Hall not long ago

and I thought you might enjoy.

The flame still burns brightly.

http://www.poemhunter.com/hazel-hall/biography/

Beauty streamed into my hand
In sunlight through a pane of glass;
Now at last I understand
Why suns must pass.
I have held a shadow, cool
Reflection of a burning gold,
And it has been more beautiful
Than hands should hold.

To that delicate tracery
Of light, a force my lips must name
In whispers of uncertainty,
Has answered through me in a flame.

Beauty is the core of fire
To reaching hands; even its far
Passing leaves a hurt desire
Like a scar.
~Hazel Hall

Tea Pourer In Training

 My grandson came for a visit a few days ago.

He had been asking me to learn to make tea.

Why you might ask is there a cookie cutter there,

well he chose that for our decoration.

 He is learning to pour quite nicely.

There was one cup for D and one for me.

 He says he wants to go with me to my tea group.

There will be more practicing.

Probably more sipping and nibbling yet to come.

 Those grapes were his choice for a snack with the tea.

 He is learning to be a tea pourer for sure.

Very little was spilled.

Then he said he was tired.

Oh that pouring of tea does tire one so.

 A little more tea and then time to play.

For a four year old he did very well.

We will be pouring more tea on another day.

In our cups was Post Alley Cappuccino,

a flavored Rooibos from Perennial Tea Room in Seattle.

Rooibos herbal teas seem to work well for the little ones

and he was quite delighted with the flavor.

Linking to Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/

Notes from the Garden

Haiku written as I thought of the gifts in my garden last night.

Yesterday my "live-in gardener" was down on his knees planting crocus.
Yes, it is that time of year.  I asked him where he got the bulbs.
A neighbor had given them to him and in the garden they went.

The pink azalea was a gift from one of my mother-in-laws friends

at her memorial; so it reminds me of her when I see the pink blooms.

The fig tree was a house warming gift from friends.

This very unusual purple geranium was brought
home as a twig from visiting a friend's home.
Yes, I think of her each time I see the now two plants.

The delphinium was started by my aunt before she died.
Each year they come up from the ground in the very same week that she passed away.

 The calla lily's came home in a box from my sister's garden in California.
They remind me of my time growing up in California,
as we often had them in the garden.

 The daisy's came from a friend's garden.
The anemone's were a gift from a young boy in our church.

There is a small lilac in the garden from a high school friend of my husband's.
Now I am almost sure I have forgotten something here,
but doesn't friendship just add flowers in our garden and our hearts.
Full of love and memories.

You are Brave!

Photo taken today of a "brave" woman.

Someone recently said to me "you are brave".

It took my breath away.

Me, brave?

I didn't think so.

Women I consider brave are those that care for an ailing spouse

or child and still have a smile on their face.

Or those that struggle to put food on the table for their family.

Or that suffer through debilitating illnesses.

Now those women are brave.

Me, I am just a woman trying to live life passionately

and have a smile on my face each day.

How do we live passionately with a smile on our face?

1.  Frame of mind.  Surround yourself with what makes your heart sing.

Stop at a flower shop or even among the flowers at the market,

just take in the beauty for a few moments.

Light a candle, sip a bracing cup of something warm.

2. Journaling.  How do you journal or do you journal.

The journal could be just making a collage from pictures from a magazine

if writing isn't what comforts you.

3. Play.  Dress up, go for a walk, dance in a tutu. Find opportunities to laugh.

4. Pray.  Silence is sometimes a prayer.  How do we pray?

How do we tie our dreams together and bundle them with a prayer,

then move forward?

Some thoughts that I wrote down sometime ago and came across this week.
A good reminder to myself and I hope maybe something will
be of help for you.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Breathe and Find the Light

Breathe in Light

Breathe out the Darkness

Some days are just this,
to breathe in the light
and out with the darkness.

My word for the year has
been well chosen for the way
our world is right now.
We must focus on the light,
always the light.

There is something that draws
us to that black crow,
but we must find the light.

 Noticing the morning light
and breathing.

Roses from the Garden

"A rose was one of the few flowers, he said, that looked better

picked than growing.  A bowl of roses in a drawing-room had a

depth of colour and scent they had not possessed in the open.

There was something rather blowsy about roses in full bloom,

something shallow and raucous, like women with untidy hair.

In the house they became mysterious and subtle."

~Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The images of those words and the pitcher of roses from my garden
just made my heart happy.
The sun is shining this morning outside my office window
and that also makes my heart happy.
Oh for the sunshine of Autumn, it sings to my soul.

Notice what you notice and go out and find what makes your heart happy.

Fly Awake Tea Garden

You will find Fly Awake Tea Garden off Mississippi and N. Beech

down an alley.  A most unusual tea shop, but great fun to sit at

the tea bar and sip away.

909 N. Beech St., Suite B

It originally started in Kevin's garage and backyard,

but moved here some months ago.

On the Facebook page they describe it as "chill surroundings".

That it is, plus a bit hipster too.

On nice days the garage door is open and you can just stroll in.

Of course you can walk through the door too.

The counter below will greet you with some cool tables

made by my friend, Jenn.

But the fun happens when you climb the stairs to the balcony

above and belly up to the tea bar.

What sort of tea would you like to taste?

What do you normally drink or do you want to explore?

This is the place to do just that.

Kevin will pour you a nice cup of tea.

And a chat too can be quite entertaining.

You might meet someone new sitting there

or just sit in solitude too.

A view from above of one of the tables Jenn has made.

Even the game is supplied.

Another view through the fan of the entrance from the alley.

Now not your normal tearoom, but definitely worth visiting.

When I visited last week I was checking out a couple herbals.

A Tulsi with Roses was on my list and I wasn't disappointed.

I am not a huge fan of the flavor of roses, but it didn't overwhelm.

Then I wanted to try a tea that Kevin recommended to drink when you

have the effects of drinking too much caffeine.

It was a wild grown Jiaogulan from Yunnan Provence, China.

It is a wild herb, a moss, believed to have many similar properties to Ginseng.

It is brewed much like a green tea.  The taste is very light and a bit sweet.

It is considered to have calming properties.

I came home with a little of it to save for the next time I have too much caffeine.

So if you find yourself in Portland, Oregon and you want a unique tea experience

Fly Awake Tea Garden is the place to go.

Notes from the Garden

Welcome to Kennedy School.

It is walking distance from my home.

A renovated school that now holds a restaurant,

movie theater, and Bed and Breakfast.

Walking the perimeter of the grounds

are gardens.

Through the fence is the community garden.

It is fun to see what is growing there.

Oh, those anemones, I am in love with them in any color.

In front of Kennedy School, even there you can find flowers.

I love walking here and enjoying the gardens.