Gratitude

Catherine of Dispatches from the Deise tagged me last week.
She asked me to list 5 things I am grateful for; so here it goes.

1. Family and Friends:  For those people that surround me and offer love and acceptance.
2. Peace:  For the times of solitude and meditation.  I only desire that this peace could be universally accepted around the world.
3. Joey: For giving love unconditionally and making me laugh daily.
4. Outdoors:  For the beauty of each season, from the flowers of springtime to the winter sunshine against new falling snow.
5. Abundance: All that is provided each day from food on my plate to a warm cozy bed to sleep in at night. Overflowing with gifts to share with others.

The picture is from the Chinese Gardens in Portland, Oregon.
I felt the sepia tone gave a more peaceful moment to share with each of you.
Picture yourself sitting there under the gazebo for a moment of quietness.
I am suppose to pass this on, but I am passing it to each of you that might like the share.

Breathe in Springtime

Springtime has arrived.

Stop and breathe deeply.

Breathe the beauty of the day.

Take time to walk.

Enjoy the out of doors.

My day will be outdoors today,

breathing and soaking the wonder of the day.

There will be time for reflection and JOY.

Portland Northeast Bike Parkways

 

One thing I can say about Portland, Oregon is that they support biking.
Three years ago they started having Bike Parkway Days in different neighborhoods.
Last Sunday it was in my neighborhood.
They close the streets and have over two hundred volunteers to monitor the traffic flow.
Sundays Bike Day connected four parks and at each park they have organizations, food and drink booths, music, and events for the children.  There were walkers, bikers, and skaters all enjoying the slightly rainy day.
It was very festive and I loved getting my bike out for awhile and participating.
I did notice how out of shape I was.  I really must get the bike out more often.
Even though the traffic makes me a little nervous, I know now I could travel some of the quiet neighborhood streets.   It was good to learn something about myself through participating and that was a very good thing.

Note:  The largest picture shows me on my pink bicycle.  Behind me is a main street I drive down almost daily.  Down the middle is an arboretum of trees and quite beautiful.

Strong Women - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

  Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906-2001), Picture taken from http://www.charleslindbergh.com/anne/index.asp

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was known for being the wife of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr,

but she was also a writer, aviator, and mother of 6 children.

She often co-piloted next to her husband and was the first licensed woman glider pilot in the United States.

She had to be strong under sometimes extremely difficult times, especially when her first son, Charles A. III, was kidnapped and murdered in 1932.

Her book, Gift from the Sea, was given to me many years ago and has been read several times.

If you haven't read it, it is a must read.

It is a story of learning and relearning the painful lesson that "woman must come of age by herself-she must find her true center alone."

Tea Brick

This is what a tea brick looks like.

Sometimes I use it for a coaster or trivet when serving tea.
So far I haven't wanted to break it up and drink it.
I think it is too pretty.
Yes, it is tea compressed into a brick form.

mightyleaf.com posted The Legacy of the Tea Brick.  You can visit that sight to read the whole article, but here is an exerpt, Enjoy!

Steeping loose leaf tea in water has not always been the dominant method of tea preparation.  Prior to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in ancient China, the tea brick, compressed tea made of  ground or whole tea leaves pressed into a block form using a mold, was one of the most popular forms of tea produced and consumed.  People also commonly used tea bricks as currency.  Today, the legacy of tea bricks lives on – you can find a variety of compressed black teas, green teas, pu-erh teas and more.

The tea brick developed originally to help preserve tea and facilitate trade.  Generally, production involved drying tea leaves, grinding them into a powdered form, compressing into brick forms and then curing or aging.  The shape and size of the form varied depending upon the region, and often included text or pictures.  Sometimes dried whole leaves were used and binding agents like flour used to create a dense brick.  Durability and a smaller physical footprint than loose tea leaves became important as people used the bricks for currency and trade.

While other forms of preparation existed, at the time one of the more common methods included boiling the tea.  A piece of the brick was broken off and added to boiling water.  Another method was to roast the tea first over a fire before boiling.  Roasting added flavor and may have been used to sanitize the tea from any impurities collected during its travels.

Yellow

Yellow is my favorite color.
My choice was made when I was a little girl.
It was because everyone said they didn't like yellow,
it made them look sick to wear it.
I felt sorry for yellow.
It is a happy color.
Though some cannot wear it, it can be enjoyed in the flowers.
Take Joy!
Enjoy yellow flowers today.

What would you do?

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
This question was asked not to long ago by Relyn of come sit by my fire.
Could you hang by your toes or even want to?
What are your heart longings?
This is a question I have struggled with.

My list is:

sky dive

skateboard

ocean surf

travel to exotic places

speak in front of people

write a book

photograph people

sing and dance

Some things on my list are more scary than some.
Putting myself out there in front of people, being bold and confident; that scares me the most of all.
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?