Strong Women - My Mom

This Strong Women series has caused me to think about my mom, Frances.
I never thought of her as a "strong woman".
When she was growing up, her family called her "the stupid one".
My aunt to this day calls her "poor Frances".
 I didn't think she was strong and I noticed other women that I thought were strong.
Now focusing on the "strong woman" I can see her strengths.
Some people would have said she was stubborn, but I know
that her strength to not be pushed around changed her life.
My father left her when I was two years old and my mom was pregnant with my sister.
As a child growing up without a father people felt sorry for us.
Now as an adult I realize how lucky we were that my mom was strong.
My father could not abuse her and push her around, he later married someone he could do that to.
So in her strength she raised two daughters alone.
Yes, we did occasionally need help from others, but she did it.
She accepted help graciously and returned the help with love and a loaf of nut bread.
It wasn't always easy, but I have learned she did her very best.
She taught us values and to believe in ourselves.

What virtue do you see in your mom that abides in strength?

Next week will be the last week for the strong woman series
and there will be a give away announced.

Locket, locket

Not to long ago my daughter gave me this locket.

I loved it because it was from her.

I also loved it because it felt vintage, yet updated

with some of my favorite things right on it.

When I wear it someone always asks, "where did you get that pretty locket?"

It is made by a local Portland couple.

Their company is Locket2You

 http://locket2you.com/

Visit their website and you will find wonderful, fun

lockets with tea pictures and much, much more.

Over the Moon

I am "over the moon" with glee!

I found the Baby Brownie camera in an antique shop in Wisconsin

and it was calling my name.  Only $8.50 too.

Home it came and I found film online.

I wasn't sure it would work, but

I took the risk.

What do you think?

I am in love with my little camera.

Thanks Blue Moon Camera Shop for doing such a great job developing my pictures!

I am a happy girl!

Harvest Time

As the days begin to shorten and the morning air is cool,
it is time for harvest.
Apple Fairs abound
Pumpkins turning orange
Tomatoes show their shining colors
Time to take a walk
crunching leaves beneath your feet
Oh, Autumn sings the glory
of the Summers sunshine warmth.

Enjoy a special time of harvest whether
visiting your local farmers market or
picking from your own garden.
The pumpkins in my garden this year
are a remembrance of the beautiful pumpkin fields in
Provence last year.
And yes, the yellow tomato is ripe, a heirloom variety
and oh so good.  Isn't she so pretty?  Oh course, she is a she,
how could she not be since she is so pretty.
Happy harvest time!

NW Tea Festival

The third NW Tea Festival in Seattle, Washington took place this past weekend.
It was my first opportunity to attend.
I was checking it out with the possibility of exhibiting next year.
There were 23 tea related vendors and I had fun visiting each of their booths.
What I enjoyed the most were the speakers and also reconnecting with tea friends.
The top picture was taken in the first tea tasting I attended, which was given by
the owners of Silk Road tea company.  We had the opportunity to taste 3 Rare
Chinese teas, white, green, and oolong.
The second picture was a tasting of the same oolong tea, but the one on the left
was picked in winter and the right was picked in spring.  Can you see the difference in color?
In all I attended five different tastings and realized I gravitated toward oolongs from
Taiwan, which I love.


For those of you that are not heavily into tea, you will not know the people in the above pictures; so I will try to tell you a little about these lovely people.
The keynote speaker was James Norwood Pratt, the one in the bottom middle holding the book.
Norwood is a dear man who I have had the opportunity to meet many times.
He has written some of the best tea educational books in the market.
To his right is Babette Donaldson, she has written a series of Emma Lea tea books for children.
Finishing off the bottom row to the left of Norwood is Earlene Grey and husband.
Earlene writes lovely tea poetry and has published several books.
To the far left on the bottom is Robert Wemischner, the author of Cooking with Tea.
Top left is Bill Waddington, owner of Tea Source in Michigan on sells online.  He was leading a tea tasting on Dark tea, which is new to the US and I had not heard of.
In the upper middle is Lindsey Goodwin, a food writer who often writes about tea.
With Lindsey is Michael Coffey, the Tea Geek, a tea blogger and speaker at the festival. The final picture I am sorry to say his name has not stuck with me, but I know I will be hearing and seeing him more.
He presented the last tea tasting I attended and James Norwood Pratt assisted him in sharing his
wonderful Jade Oolong and Phoenix Oolong.  He has developed a new teapot for oolongs that actually decants the tea at the proper time (you can see the top of the pot in the picture).  He is a tea grower in China and Taiwan and has recently written a book
on oolong tea.

For those of you that just drink a cup of tea and don't really think much about it, there is a whole world out there of amazing tea development, growing, and sipping.  And amazing people that have a passion for tea.
Did you know, tea is the second most drunk liquid next to water in the world?

Strong Women - Georgia O'Keeffe

Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small. We haven't time - and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time   If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it - I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.   ...Well, I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flower you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower - and I don't.

This above are quotes by a strong woman, American Artist,

Georgia O'Keeffe

1887-1986

If you are not familiar with her art, check it out.

Her flowers and Southwest art are spectacular.

 Picture taken from Wikipedia

Visit the following link for her story.

http://www.georgiaokeefe.com/bio.shtml

Autumn Tea Outdoors

One of my most favorite things to do is share tea outdoors.
Last week taking a short break to prepare for the season ahead
I had the opportunity to do so.

What are you doing for yourself and to prepare for the season ahead?

Haiku for Tea Lovers

by David Ash

end of September -

having to say a wistful

goodbye to sun tea