Waiting!

Quietly I sat by my breakfast window.

Waiting!

If the hummingbird sees me, he won't come to the feeder.

And so I waited with bated breathe behind the curtain.

I could see him in the distance.

He sits at the top of the dogwood and watches.

Always on the look out for movement.

I stood very still.

And finally for a quick sip he dashed to the feeder.

Can you see him under that branch?

My camera finger was ready.

I had to be quick.

It was only a moment, but the visit was my reward.

Another day there might be a better picture

for today I will wait again.

I love hummingbirds.

There is one variety that stays even after the flowers are gone;

so the waiting will be rewarded on another day.

Do you care to wait with me?

Patience in the wait!

Savor the day!

Taking the picture behind the curtain and through the window

doesn't give the best picture, but it was what was needed just yesterday.

Monday's Tea Quote

Willow branches graze the grass,

As I sit in the shade drinking tea.

A note from a flute blows clearly,

Mingling with the sound of rain.

I could sit here alone forever,

And still I'd never feel lonely.

—  Anonymous poem inscribed on an old Yi Hsing tea pot

Sitting right here with my morning tea.
What a delight in the quiet of the morning!
Have a good, good day!

A Rose is a Rose

 My "live-in gardener" and I love roses.

We can't resist adding a new one to the garden from time to time.

Each of the roses today is from the garden.

Right now there is a bouquet with roses in several places in the house.

And when the garden is finished I will buy a rose at the market for the bud vase.

They just make my heart sing with JOY.

 "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose."

~Gertrude Stein

 "Go lovely Rose,

Tell her that wastes her Time and me,

That now she knows,

When I resemble her to thee,

How sweet and fair she seems to be."

~Edmund Waller

 "As sense-bludgeoning as a rose."

~Diane Ackerman

 Sometimes a single rose will enchant,

while other times a full bouquet delights.

There were roses in my wedding bouquet.

There are roses on teacups.

There are roses in the fabric on my chairs and pillows.

There are roses on my wall.

and

Most of all, there are roses in my garden.

 "There is simply the rose;

it is perfect in every moment of its existence."

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Do you love roses?

Do you bring them into your home?

 All roses shown are from my garden, which is still blooming in October.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Grandpa Style Tea

Well we have talked about British and American styles of making tea,

now the third in the occasional series is Grandpa Style.

Bet you didn't know that was a style of making tea.

Grandpa style is much the way you see in the picture. 

The water is added throughout the day for a constant source of tea.

Very simple.

My "live-in gardener" observed this when he traveled on the train in China in 1986.

The name "grandpa style" hadn't been coined then, but ultimately this is where it came from.

The loose tea is tossed in a jar and hot water is added throughout the day.

I understand that on the train they would come through with a kettle of hot water

to do just that, replenish the tea with water.

I believe the "grandpa style" titled was coined fairly recently, possibly by bloggers. 

The below link had quite alot of information on this style of sipping tea

and rather than repeating the information you can visit there for more details.

https://www.teasenz.com/chinese-tea/grandpa-style-tea-brewing-meaning.html 

Do you ever sip tea "grandpa style"?

A Tea Festival

The tea world is growing in the US and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Probably the first tea festival in the US started 11 years ago in Seattle, WA.

Now I haven't made it to all of them, but probably most of them.

I do believe this year at the NW Tea Festival it was the best one yet.

The gathering place is the Seattle Center and if you were there by mistake or wanting

to learn about tea, it could be overwhelming.

From gorgeous handmade teaware to very rare teas, it had it all.

I loved this samovar and thought you might like seeing it.

This booth always entices me to look with their steampunk atmosphere.

The Plum Deluxe Tea is a favorite of some of my friends.

They love the blends they make.

Harney & Sons comes all the way from New York.

They always have good teas to taste.

I picked up their catalog this time and it is beautiful.

Denong has some terrific Puerh teas.

That's Jeffrey serving tea for them.

Another favorite is Floating Leaves.

They have amazing oolongs.

I buy my Yunnan Gold from them too.

"Girly" teawear was fun to see.

The little hats were made of paper.

I brought home 3 special teas from Raj at Young Mountain.

They are all delicious.

The guy in the beard is Nigel Melican of Teacraft.

He has been very instrumental on tutoring tea growers

and came all the way from England.

This hat just because!

Isn't that clever?

Then the red head below is Jane Pettigrew, also from England.

She was there promoting her gorgeous tea book.

Above is James Norwood Pratt and his wife Valerie.

Norwood is quite the debonair spokesman for the world of tea

and has written some wonderful tea books.

I always love getting my annual hug from Norwood.

This year I got two hugs since he was also at the TeaFestPDX here in Portland.

Blurry picture, but it gives you an idea of the festival floor in one direction.

It was as full if I had turned the other direction too.

For me, I was there sharing our WuWo Tea Ceremony with attendees.

The day was perfect for sharing tea outdoors.

It was a pure delight.

I was happy to be a part of this special day.

If you want to travel to tea festivals this is a good one

and next year will be the last weekend in September.

A Visit to an Island

What island did you think? Hawaii, maybe!

But no! Last week I visited Whidbey Island with my "live-in gardener", a part of Washington State.

Primarily the stay took place in the south of the island, in and around Langley, WA.

 To get there we caught the ferry in Port Townsend.

Do you see the island in the distance?

  We were staying in a sweet AirBnB cottage with a garden

and trees all around.

One morning I actually got up just after 6AM, wrapped in a cozy blanket,

and sat out on the deck watching quietly for deer, birds, maybe an owl, or a coyote.

Not one was seen and I was disappointed,

but how I loved seeing the sun come up between the trees.

The quiet of the early morning was so amazing.

We were only there two nights, a very mini-vacation.

 We explored and found this beach full of driftwood.

It was a perfect sunshiny (blue sky) day.

The perfect kind of day to be out walking on the beach.

 We stopped for lunch at the Flower House Cafe.

Not very often do I recommend a restaurant here, but I must say

everything on the menu sounded delicious.

I brought the menu home, so I can try to replicate some of the combinations

of food. Even their scones were amazing the next morning.

My sandwich was on toasted sourdough bread with

roasted chicken, pickled currants, red onion and celery salad with

walnuts, apples and greens. It was all very fresh too.

My "live-in gardener" had smoked salmon, whipped goat cheese, pickled shallots,

basil oil and micro herbs on grilled whole grain baguette.

Thought you would like to know the ingredients to inspire a new sandwich too.

 And since it was the Flower House Cafe it was located at

a flower nursery, www.bayviewfarmandgarden.com.

 We loved strolling through the nursery and found several plants we were tempted to bring home.

I wrote down the names of the ones we loved and will look locally for them.

Isn't this arch gorgeous?

I guess it has clusters of yellow flowers that hang inside earlier in the season.

 Apples from the nursery tree were rolling on the ground

and ready to be picked.

 Later we strolled through the town of Langley and watched the sun set over the water.

 The chocolate rooster statue stood outside of the chocolate shop.

 Of course I had to have my picture taken to prove

I really am a butterfly or an angel.

 Then all to quickly it was time to fly away

or maybe we hopped another ferry and headed to Seattle for some tea.

Isn't the clouds and sunrise lovely from the ferry?

It was a very little respite, but much enjoyed.

Monday's Tea Quote

If you ask Zen people they will say tea is not

 something that you pour

with unawareness and drink like any other drink.

It is not a drink, it is meditation; it is a prayer.

So they listen to the kettle creating a melody,

and in that listening they become more silent;

more alert.

~Osho 

It is the season of feeling blessed with the bounty

from the garden and the fruit stand.

Enjoy and savor each and everyday.