Word for the Day - 2020

 Release

The dictionary description of the noun for release:a freeing or releasing from confinement, obligation, pain, emotional strain, etc., liberation from anything that restrains or fastens.

Saturday was a day to remember in many ways.

If you are not wanting to read anything political, please excuse me while I share.  I had dreamed of this day for almost four years, a day where the currant US president was voted out. I knew I had much stress because of his words and behavior, but with him being voted out it released tears from my heart and soul. 

 Now beside hearing that news I was attending a Virtual Tea Festival all day and again on Sunday. At the end of Saturday's festival I took a class on meditation with tea. With the election on my mind and then taking the hour to pause and reflect while candles burned, soft music played, and tea was sipped I realized we have been in an abusive relationship since 2016. It has been much like an abusive husband that doesn't hit us, but says words that hurt, that batter us down, that make us confused and angry. 

After the class I walked in to watch Kamala Harris and Joe Biden give their speeches and the tears flowed. All the tensions of the past few years under oppression slipped away and I felt JOY, a release of tight shoulders, a release of breath held. Now if you know me intimately you would know I rarely cry, so seeing and feeling those tears running down my cheek was release. It wasn't opening the flood gates, but it was opening the door. 

I was thankful for this release. 

How are you doing, dear friends?

Autumn in my Garden

 "The lost leaves measure our years; they are gone as the day are gone."

~Richard Jefferies

                         It is rather drippy and wet today and soon the color of Autumn will be gone.

      Thus, I ran with my camera just to share with you today the beauty of Autumn in my garden.

                                         The purple flowers are hydrangeas still in the garden.

      The garden house sits in the back corner of the garden still welcoming with a small heater inside.

                        "No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden."

~Hugh Johnson

     The colors have been amazing this year. Even my "live-in gardener" has a bonsai turning orange.

            "Autumn arrives in the early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day."

~Elizabeth Bowen

The leave are sharing their last fling for the season and beginning to fall to the ground.

What a show they are putting on right now.

I hope where you live you are savoring this time of year with JOY

and making plans to tuck in for the winter with a snuggly quilt, a fire in the fireplace, a good book, and a warm cup of tea.  Stay well and calm, dear friends.

Happy weekend!

Word for the Day - 2020

 VOTE

from Wikipedia: Voting is a method for a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, in order to make a collective decision or express an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holders of high office by voting.

To vote is an expression of an individuals opinion. 

Vote is a word we have heard many times lately and so strong on my heart. When my ballot came I voted and hand delivered to the receiving drop off. I wanted my vote to be there early and be counted. In Oregon all voting is done by mail and has been done that way for over 10 years. We love it here. We can sit with the information and pamphlets as we vote and take our time to do the research with the ballot sitting there right before us.

 This year I took the time to hand write 200 postcards to registered voters that don't usually vote encouraging them to vote. It felt really good to do something small to help with the election. With each word it was an expression of my desire to have the voices of heard of each of our people in this country no matter their race or color.

 I hope each of you have voted.

Take pride in this step of having your voice heard.

VOTE! Your country is depending on it. 

And let there be peace in this country as we move forward.

PS I am not sure what picture to show, as I didn't take a picture of voting.  I just added pictures taken recently that I like. Enjoy!

Grass People Tree

Now if it wasn't for the pandemic I would probably not have heard of Grass People Tree.  I happened to go online for a tea panel discussion and there was Rui speaking about her people in the mountains of China. She now lives in London, UK and recently opened a tea shop where she sells tea from her village and educates. I was fascinated and wanted to learn more, so I started following her on Instagram. She was doing a live chat last week about Slow Mellow Yellow tea. Yes, I ordered a small amount and it came this week. I had to taste right away and was no disappointed. Then this morning she had a live zoom chat and tasting with the tea. What fun!

 Here is a little history:

In Guizhou, China tea is their most "treasured harvest". "For two thousand years, the people of Guizhou have always harvested teas from our mother mountains the same way - taking only what each season offers and preparing it in tune with nature." Their tea is "grown wild in the primeval mountains & picked from indigenous tea trees aged between 400-1500 years. (Not from tea plantations) Made in tune with nature using the oldest tea-making methods (No industrial processing) Thrives in boiling water and no bitterness no matter how long you brew."  Fascinating, isn't it? I had never come across a tea business that functioned this way. I was intrigued!

 In my order came a folded brochure that had tips for recycling the tea once used, from compost, tea sleep pillows, mosquito bites and sunburn treatment. Unused tea can be used to enhance wood, fragrance, clean grease, and odor; but who is going to be using unused tea when we can drink it!?

It arrived in a slim box and the packaging was gorgeous. A personal note of Thanks was included.

OK, can you tell I was in love with everything about this tea adventure. I had to try right away. It was like drinking a small bowl of orchids. The leaves unfurled so beautifully with the greeting of a bouquet of flowers floating through the air. I sipped and for awhile was carried away to another place. A place of peace. The more I have since thought about this tea, it just felt like a full mouth of a mature forest of flowers. I don't usually set aside a post to tell you about a tea, but this one is worth it. Not that I am saying to go buy it, but to just pay attention when tasting and learn about the tea you drink. Where did it come from, who grew it? What does it taste like? Is it grassy, a bowl of flowers, medicinal, or invigorating?

Thank you Grass People Tree.

grasspeopletree.com                                         

 

Happy Weekend, dear friends!                       

Word for the Day - 2020

 Boundaries/Boundary

 from Wikipedia: Personal boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave towards them and how they will respond when someone passes those limits.^[1] They are built out of a mix of conclusions, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, past experiences and social learning.

A walled garden.  Boundaries can also be topographical, such as determining the streets to be included in a neighborhood, or maybe the border of a state or country. It even can be marked with a fence to say this is my boundary for my property. 

A fence marks the back of my own yard. Can you see the chain link?

Another garden marked by a hedge to give a boundary.

Do you find for different situations having to set a boundary to protect oneself?

Is it a personal boundary or a visible boundary? Has the boundary been set because of experience, hurt, or taken down because of joy and acceptance.

This word has many thoughts and directions. I haven't really grasped the full meaning of it. But I know I set personal boundaries because of past experiences and where my heart tells me to go. I set a lock on my gate to my backyard because I know that makes my property safer, but sometimes I also set a lock on my heart from past hurts. Sometimes those boundaries must be broken down, but sometimes they are a good thing too. 

What do you think? This is one I still struggle with.

Tailgating Teatime

Sometimes life just gets away from me.

I was going to post this a few days ago.

 A week ago my church decided to gather in the church parking lot for a picnic.  We hadn't been together since early March, so it was a treat to see people in person.  Now it wasn't like any other picnic we have had. There was no sharing of food. Each family unit brought there own food and set up chairs 6 feet apart. When we weren't eating we had our masks on. But still it was just so special before winter set in to gather one time. For those of you that know me, I decided to set up a little tailgate teatime for my "live-in gardener" and me. My "live-in gardener" added the rose from the church rose garden.

Since it was evening the tea was a herbal tea from Smith Teamaker.

There were three different sandwiches: roast beef with caramelized onion, egg salad, and black chopped olive. Before leaving for the gathering I baked a couple scones and served that with strawberry jam.

The sweets were a ginger spice cookies, herb shortbread cookies, and macarons from Trader Joe's.

Needless to say, we all need to gather with friends even if from a distance and no hugging.

As we drove home this was the sight we enjoyed passing over the bridge back to Portland.

I took it as a harbinger of the beauty to come in the new year.

Yes, I thinking that things have got to get better in 2021,

but in the meantime I will continue to drink tea and make each day special.

Hope your weekend has been a delight, dear friends!

Word for the Day - 2020

 Home

From wikipedia:  A home, or domicile, is a living space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for an individual, family, household or several families in a tribe.

The earliest homes were in caves. 

In wikipedia they describe homes as a structure, but for me a home is so much more.

The garden house structure in my garden is where I most often find my "live-in gardener".  It is his refuge, a place to putter, a place to rest, and a place to read too.

                 Every time I see this hole in my tree I expect to see a critter living there.           Now wouldn't that make the best sort of home for a squirrel?

When I think "home" I think of a place of safety, a refuge, a place of comfort, a place that indicates a part of me and my personality.

 

How do you describe a home?

Happy Monday, dear friends!