Tea Tuesday

If it's Tuesday, then it is time for tea!

I'm sharing another of my tea sets from China.

It was a gift from a dear friend.

I love the modern floral designs in brown, blue and green.

The other thing I love about this set are the cups (five of them).

They fit perfectly in the hand.

They can be cradled to feel the heat and smoothness of the porcelain.

Do you like to read?

Do you like cozy mysteries?

Have you read the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Child?

You should!

There are so many memes that love tea and tea things. Too many to count!

Since I found Teacup Tuesday first, I will continue to link to Martha and Teri each week.

I also thought that I'd start to post other tea links so that you, dear reader, can visit them if you are interested. I'd love to, but I don't have the time each week!

Tea Things Tuesday with Wanda Lee and Pam

Tuesday Tea For Two

Wishing you well and a joyful week.

Mosaic Monday: The Wedding

Last week I shared the venue for the wedding, the lovely River Oaks Forum Civics Building and Garden.

Today it's wedding time!

It was a very happy morning, although hot!

I've talked about Vivian before. She is a friend and was a colleague of mine at the museum before she decided to study Chinese for a year in Beijing.

First was the Hindu wedding ceremony followed by the Chinese Tea ceremony.

The Hindu marriage symbolizes the physical and especially the spiritual union of man and woman. The Hindu marriage is considered a commitment between man and wife to share one's life and to care for the other.

Ganesh, the elephant headed Hindu god is always present for every puja (ceremony).

The most important item in a Hindu marriage in India is a nuptial cord of necklace called Thali. The Thali is a small pendant attached to a necklace chain. During the wedding ceremony the groom places this on the bride's neck. This is the climax of the wedding ceremony. Ladies would never remove it from their neck while their husband is alive.

The bride was beautiful in her sari of white and gold.

Parents and family elders are shown great respect in both Indian and Chinese cultures and this is reflected in their wedding customs. In the Hindu marriage ceremony, the bride and groom bow down to their parents and elders and touch their feet as a sign of respect. Likewise, the traditional Chinese tea ceremony involves the bride and groom serving tea to their parents as a show of respect from the new couple.

After the wedding and picture taking, the couple changed into their red Chinese clothes for the luncheon. We could have Chinese or Indian food. There was a lot of two fisted, two plate eating going on ... some of both, please!

Live long and prosper.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each is a story to tell.

Be sure you visit!

Wishing all of you well.

Joy!

Take My Breath Away!

The generosity of the blogging community is well known.

Sometimes, it takes my breath away.

I received a wonderful gift from Karen this week -- a beautiful journal.

It was a complete surprise.

Dear Karen, I don't know what to say except "Thank You!"

I always wanted one of your journals and now I have one.

Mr. Dragon and I looked at every page, each tag, every water color, the beautiful ribbons.

And we both were in awe of such a beautiful gift.

I'll treasure it always.

I borrowed these images from Karen's blog, A Scrapbook of Inspiration.

She posted about this lovely journal as she was finishing. Please, go visit.

See her beautiful blog and her beautiful work.

Thank you, Karen ... a thousand times over.

Thank you for being my friend.

Mail Call is wonderful, isn't it?!!!!

Good Morning!

Teacup Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday is hosted each week by Martha and Teri.

Be sure you visit to see all the teacups on parade!

I'm going to do something a little different this week.

I have quite a collection of books, including cook books and books on tea.

Culinary history is an interest of mine and developed while I was a docent at the museum.

I did a food and feasting tour for a local community college once a year and I loved it.

Of course, I needed books to do my own research!

Today I'd like to share a lovely little book on green tea: The Green Tea User's Manual by Helen Gustafson.

Helen Gustafson is the tea sommelier for Chez Panisse so she knows her stuff.

This delightful little book covers sixteen of the most popular types of green tea.

She includes interesting anecdotes, quotations, and bits of tea lore and recipes.

COMMON EXPRESSIONS DERIVED FROM TEA

A nice old cup of tea (British): A sweet person.

Chali (Chinese): A tea gift given to a woman upon her engagement.

He has no tea in him (Japanese): Said of a person with little life in him.

Hock nit kein Chainik (Yiddish): Literally means, "Don't bang a teakettle." Don't make such a big fuss. Don't bother me.

Let the tea steep (German): Forget about it.

Na Chai (Russian): Literally, "For the tea." The tip one leaves in a restaurant.

Not for all the tea in China: Not at any price.

Not my cup of tea: It isn't anything I like.

Teetotal: To abstain from intoxicating drinks.

Tempest in a teapot: Much ado about nothing.

That's another cup of tea (British): Another angle on a story.

What's that got to do with the price of tea?: Why is that important?

Gustafson is also the author of The Agony of the Leaves: The Ecstasy of My Life with Tea.

I haven't read it yet, but I will!

(Image from Art and Tea by Karen Park Buddha's Palm Oolong Tea)

Lastly, I'd like to share a blog with you that I've been following since I first started in the blogging world: Art and Tea. Karen Park knits, makes jewelry, enjoys mixed media, and works for the Upton Tea Company, one of the tea companies that Gustafson recommends. Karen shares a cup of tea with her readers on Saturday. She describes the tea, tells how the tea is brewed, shares the history of the tea. Please drop by and visit with Karen and learn more about the world of tea.

Happy Tea Tuesday!

Wishing all of you well.

Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each a story to tell.

You'll enjoy visiting - I promise!

We went to a wedding to today at the River Oaks Garden Civics Building.

The gardens are beautiful.

Built in 1910 and owned by the River Oaks Garden Club since 1942, the Forum of Civics building is of recognized historical significance and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its gardens provide valuable green space in the heart of the city and are open to the public free of charge.

Initially built for use as a county school, the building was remodeled in 1927 by John F. Staub as headquarters for the Forum of Civics founded by Will Hogg. Hogg, who chaired the Houston Planning Commission, organized the Forum of Civics to develop a comprehensive plan for Houston's public spaces and, in his words, "to stimulate civic pride and to combine forces for the betterment and beautification of Houston." One of the Forum's projects was the citywide planting of crepe myrtles, roses and shade trees, all of which were donated by Will Hogg.

The Hogg estate bequeathed the building to the University of Texas in 1939 with the stipulation that it continue to be used for educational purposes. When the River Oaks Garden Club purchased the Forum of Civics building, the UT Board of Regents stipulated that the Club "carry on the educational work directed primarily to stimulating knowledge and love of gardening, aiding in the protection of native plants and birds, and encouraging civic planting and planning."

In the ensuing years, the River Oaks Garden Club has carried out this charge. The Forum building has been home to horticultural workshops, flower shows, and in conjunction with the annual Azalea Trail, educational exhibits. The Club has also established model gardens on the Forum grounds for demonstration purposes. The first such garden, a Victory Garden, was planted during World War II to encourage Houstonians to grow their own vegetables. In 1955, three formal gardens designed by J. Allen Myers, Jr. and Herbert Skogland were installed. The club later installed two additional, more informal gardens: one of native Texas plants, and another of seasonal plantings.

(Information from River Oaks Garden Club)

Next week: The Wedding!!!!

Wishing you well and a wonderful week!

Sunday Morning

"Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life."

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Camera Critters

Camera Critters is hosted each Saturday by the lovely Misty.
If you are a critter lover, you must visit to see the wide variety offered each week!

Many of you have been wondering about our new kitty, Cassie.
She's growing like a weed and hasn't been cooperating getting photos taken.
She's a perpetual motion machine and she thinks she should be able to play with the camera while Mom takes her picture!

Here she is in a quiet moment.
(It didn't last long.)

She likes playing with this toy we call the roller ball.
But then, everything she sees is a prospective toy!

Wishing you well and a wonderful, cool weekend!

Good Morning!

This and That

I think (!!!!) Karma Kitty is finished.

He suggests that you Dream Big!

I've decided to have my blog printed in book form.

This book covers the first 6 months -- year 2008.

I decided that I'd spent a lot of time on Twisty Lane,

lots of pictures taken, stories told and that I'd be very sad if for some reason it all disappeared into cyberspace!

I used Blog2Print and am very happy with the product.

***

Snippets:

Weather: Hot (hotter than you know where) and humid. It has rained in some areas but not where we live.

Baseball: We went to the Astros Mets game last night and the Astros won! We also had dinner at the 5-7 grill. Named after Bagwell and Biggio and their retired numbers. Too expensive, but good fare for a baseball park. I had the mahimahi and Mr. Dragon the seafood pasta! They gave us to go cups filled with ice tea. Ice tea at the ballpark! YeeHaw!

Wearing: Going to the grand-reopening of our favorite grocery store this morning and I'm wearing my G.R.I.T.S shirt (Girls Raised in The South) with blue britches.

Cassie: Cassie is growing like a little weed and I wish I had pictures to share, but she doesn't stay still long enough to get a good shot! We'll keep trying. She does have some words of wisdom for you:

Cassie says: Everything is a toy!

Wishing you well!

Teacup Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday is hosted every week by Martha and Teri.

Be sure to visit to see all the teacups on parade!

If you've been visiting with me for any length of time, this may look familiar to you.

Mr. Dragon and I enjoy visiting The Path of Tea.

You pick the cup you'd like to drink your tea from and have a delicious goody, too.

My favorite is the Owl cup.

(Yes, I collect Owls and I'm thinking I collect too many things!)

The owner of The Path of Tea tells a story about a woman who would visit the shop almost everyday when she first opened and would ask if she could buy the Owl tea cup. The owner would tell her No, that she couldn't sell her cups or she would soon have no cups for her customers to drink from and the Owls were particularly difficult to come by.

The woman kept coming in, asking and making offers, until one day she came in and made an offer that the shop owner couldn't refuse!

Along came Christmas, and you can imagine my surprise when I opened the package and found this:

Mr. Dragon found an Owl teapot and tea cups that look exactly like the ones at

The Path of Tea.

The teapot comes with a strainer.

Isn't the Owl cute?!

No wonder I think Mr. Dragon is my Knight in Shining Armor!

We both smile and chuckle when we have tea from this set.

Yes, we still visit The Path of Tea and we need to return soon.

They now have origami lessons once a week!

Wishing you well!

Mosaic Monday: Curds and Whey

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each a story to tell.

You'll enjoy visiting - I promise!

This week I have a story to tell - all about curds and whey.

Curds and whey, you say?!!!!

Yep.

Mr. Dragon and I had lunch with some dear friends last week and the subject of curds and whey came up. Really!

Someone asked just what is curds and whey and I said, without a moments hesitation, milk products!

Which led me to talking about my Grandfather and his ranch.

Summertime Pleasure-1957

This is my grandfather in his kitchen in 1957.

Just look at the refrigerator, the kitchen table and chairs.

Wow! What memories!

He had a ranch in Oklahoma and raised Quarter Horses.

His wife, Mary, raised Angus cattle.

Visiting with them was a pure joy for me.

Up early in the morning to get the freshly laid eggs.

Off to the barn to milk the cow, which brings me to curds and whey.

Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating) milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar and then draining off the liquid portion (called whey). Milk that has been left to sour (raw milk alone or pasteurized milk with added lactic acid bacteria or yeast) will also naturally produce curds, and sour milk is produced this way.

I remember Mother Mary making her own butter. The cream rising to the top of the milk. Buttermilk. Homemade ice cream. Nothing tastes like fresh milk. Delicious!

I have wonderful memories of visiting with them. Somewhere I have a picture of me on my shetland pony. What a life for a young girl! I wish I had spent more time with them.

The mosaic shows the ranch sign; a party (don't remember if it was an anniversary or a birthday party); grandfather with his pride and joy, Blue Blake; and one of his special colts.

Wishing all of you well!

Sunday Morning

Japanese Garden in Hermann Park

"Fall seven times. Stand up eight."

~Japanese Proverb

Postcard Friendship Friday

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted each week by the lovely Beth.

Each week you can see a variety of postcards from the old to the new, the comic to the serious, a true variety. Be sure to visit!

Several weeks ago I told you about my Fibber McGee and Molly closet and the box I found the linen postcards in. I went back to the closet and the box looking for some old photographs.

I found the photos I was searching for and found these postcards.

I have no idea why they were in the box, where or who they came from.

I have been to Washington, D.C., but much later than these cards were made.

Mysteries!!!!!!

I didn't scan the back of this card as there was very little there:

"47.12 Ceremonial vessel of the type yu. Chinese, Chou dynasty, 10th century B.C. Bronze casting, 9 x 9 inches.

Freer Gallery of Art, Washington 25, D.C."

Freer Gallery of Art

"Freer Gallery of Art, Washington 25, D. C. North Front. Photograph by B. A. Stubbs, Washington, D.C.

The Freer Gallery of Art, The Freer Collection, and an endowment fund to provide for the study of the civilization of the Far East and for the acquisition of fine examples of Oriental art were given in trust to the Smithsonian Institution by Charles Lang Freer of Detroit. Building opened May 2, 1923.

Open daily, except Christmas Day, from 9 A. M. to 4:30 P. M."

The cards were printed by The Meriden Gravure Company, Meriden, Conn.

The company won international renown for the quality of its art reproductions, posters and illustrations for books and catalogues.

They were sold to another company around 1975.

A little more mystery for you, I would write a paper in a graduate class on Asian Art on Chinese Bronzes. I got the only "A" in the class. It wouldn't be until we moved to Houston in 1998 that I would finally get to use that love of Asian Art doing research at the museum for the Asian curatorial staff.

Synchronicity!!!???!!!

Wishing you well and a beautiful weekend!

Happy PFF!

Good Morning!

Teacup Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday is hosted each week by Martha and Teri.

Please visit to see all the tea parties and teacups on parade!

I think I'm the only woman in America who hasn't read Eat, Pray, Love.

I went to Cost Plus World Bazaar to look at some handmade wrapping paper I read about on one of my Yahoo Groups.

When I walked in the door I found these.

The book, the tea and the tea pot.

Now I ask you.

How was I going to pass on the adorable elephant tea pot?

Me, who loves the zoo, who went to the elephant open house and had her picture taken with a very pregnant elephant.

There was just no way.

So, I picked up the book and the tea and the teapot.

(I also got the handmade wrapping paper.)

I wish we had smell-a-blog abilities.

The tea smells heavenly: Blood Orange Cinnamon Black Tea from The Republic of Tea

"Italy brings us succulent crimson-flashed blood oranges which are praised for their luscious juice.

India brings us smooth black tea leaves which are grown in the beautiful, tranquil hillsides of Southern India.

Indonesia brings us heartwarming cinnamon, known as "sweet wood" for a spicy, fingering finish."

In case you didn't know, Eat, Pray, Love the movie opens in theaters August 13.

We have a girl day planned.

(I'll read the book someday, too!)

Enjoy your tea!

Wishing you well.

This and That

What did you do this weekend?

It was too hot to do much of anything at Twisty Lane except for relaxing,

reading, doing some art, playing with some paint,

and loving on the furbabies.

This is Mr. Dragon's first art piece since his cancer diagnosis.

I'm so happy he is getting back into the swing of things.

The oriole was done from a photograph and is color pencil.

He's working on one now in watercolor.

I've finally returned to the journal, mushing paint around.

My journal is a standard composition book and I use it to try new techniques

and write down any wild hairs (ideas) I might have!

I want to use my photographs in my art work and printed out a photo of a buddha in

black and white (in draft on scrap paper -- the final will be done on photo matte paper and not in draft.)

Then I added part of a photo of our garden kitty to the Buddha --

now known as Karma Kitty.

I think I'm going to add a bird photo or a fish (I have lots of clip art fish).

Then I'll start on the color part -- adding color pencil.

At least, that is the plan!

And, "what might this be?", you ask!

It's three standard envelopes pasted together to make a book.

Really!!!

Here's the link to the instructions on You Tube.

Here it is all folded.

Yes, I think I know how I'm going to decorate.

I started pasting papers on the envelopes and decided I really needed to beef up

the envelopes (for the plans I have) and went back and gessoed all the pages.

Thankfully, I remembered to place freezer paper between the pages and in the pockets so that they didn't stick together.

Practice makes perfect!!!

Wishing you well!

Sunday Morning

Blooming in Musashi's Garden

To forget how to dig the earth

and to tend the soil

is to forget ourselves.

~ M. K. Gandhi

Postcard Friendship Friday

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted each week by the lovely Beth.

Each week you can see a variety of postcards from the old to the new, the comic to the serious, a true variety. Be sure to visit!

Did you know that today was Wiggle Your Toes Day?

Beth did and posted an appropriate postcard in celebration!

This postcard is from a book of postcards called Gal Pals: Women's friendship and association.
This is another of the Pomegranate Postcard Artbooks.

No wiggling toes, but I love the old shoes and the idea that these good ladies are barefoot.

Church members at a Sunday baptism near Mechanicsville, Maryland, c.1942
Photograph by Marjory Collins
Print and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

"From schoolgirls on monkey bars to grandmas at a fair, from best-friends forever to confidantes at work, this book of postcards presents thirty vintage portraits of everyday women and girls in the company of one another. Women everywhere will recognize their moms, their sisters, their friends, and themselves in these evocative images captured by a variety of photographers, including such renowned masters as Marion Post Wolcott, Dorothea Lange, and Russell Lee - a visual celebration of the pleasures, complexities, and abiding comforts of female friendship."

This collection of 30 vintage images is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Happy PFF!

Joy to You!

Good Morning!

Mail Call

Do you see what arrived in the mail?

From Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist -- The Mystery of Lewis Carroll.

It will go with Mr. Dragon's new old copy of the Annotated Alice!

And, perhaps we'll have a cup of tea made in the white rabbit tea pot!

Teacup Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday is hosted each week by Martha and Teri.

Visiting means you get to see all the teacups on parade!

I have a short post for you today.

In case you didn't see the previous post, I was interviewed by the delightful Julochka at one of my favorite blogs, Moments of Perfect Clarity.

In the interview I mention the two ladies who got me interested in tea.

The teacups I'm sharing today were a gift from them and they are perfect for tea leaf reading!

(I promise a future post on reading leaves.)

You can see the Japanese Porcelain Ware stamp along with decorated in Hong Kong on the bottom of the cup. They are quite ornate and the porcelain very thin -- perfect for transferring vibes to the tea!

They were my first teacups, one of my most treasured possessions, and have been used often.

I hope you have a wonderful week and drink lots of tea!

Joy to You!

Interview!

One of my all time favorite blogs, Moments of Perfect Clarity, is featuring an interview series asking bloggers questions about themselves. Today it's my turn! Please pop over and check it out. While you're there, spend some time looking around Julochka's blog. It's absolutely gorgeous. Please tell her Snap sent you.

***

I edited this post on August 4 to include the interview.

I really enjoyed answering the questions - so much so that I wanted my photos and words on my blog, too!

an interview with snap of twisty lane

next up, we have an interview with the charming snap of tales from twisty lane. it seems that i always find myself fixing a cup of tea after i've read her blog, tho' i do tend to drink my tea in giant starbucks mugs, after this, i'm going to have to get out the fine china a bit more often. the photos are snap's...

1. it's obvious from your blog that you're a tea person. tell us one of your most perfect tea-related moments.

I’m a Southern girl and drinking tea - iced, cold and sweet is a fact of life. In my early twenties, my Mother and I were friends with a mother (Vada) and daughter (Donna) who liked tea hot. We spent many an afternoon sharing a wonderful meal, drinking tea out of beautiful cups, and reading tea leaves! It was Vada and Donna who got me interested in tea.

2. why don't people use their fine tea sets anymore? what can you say to convince us we need to?

I think it's like using your good china, or silver, grandmother’s special dishes. You think you’ll save them for a special occasion. They are too much trouble to take out and use -- all those excuses. My thinking is what occasion could be more special than a celebration of yourself? Tea is one of those things that can be enlightening, stress relieving. Look at the cup before the tea is poured. REally look at what it is made of, how it is decorated. Pour the tea. Smell the tea. Taste the tea. Hold the tea cup in your hands. Feel the warmth. Let the rest of the world go by. Relax. Enjoy. No one is more special than you and you deserve a little quiet time. If you can share this with friends and love ones - great. Take time for yourself. Pamper yourself. Be mindful. If you don’t use the tea set who will????

3. cat person or dog person?

We had dogs when I was growing up. Mr. Dragon isn’t much of a dog person, so we have cats.

4.what do you love most about blogging?

Meeting the people. Bloggers are generous, supportive, interesting, talented, intelligent. Never a dull moment and always a story to tell.

5. when you go antiquing, what items do you look for?

I don’t go antiquing often (good thing). I have more than enough stuff and should be downsizing rather than adding. But I have a soft spot for china (Fitz and Floyd), salt and pepper shakers, teacups and tea pots, old linens, books. I love old children’s books.

6. what IS it about dragons?

For me, a dragon was my imaginary friend. He was more the Puff the Magic Dragon type rather than the fiery type. Some believe its in our genes (really), left over from the days of dinosaurs. There’s no doubt that dragon mythology is found in many cultures and continues to be popular today.

7. can you recommend any dragon-related literature?

Where to start and where to stop?!!! Dragons have appeared in literature from around the world. There's the dragon in Beowulf, the dragons in Chinese mythology, and on down to Tolkien's Smaug.

Many are children's books like Kenneth Grahame's The Reluctant Dragon (1898) that was made into a children's feature film by Disney in 1941.

Fantasy novels (just a few) include Robert Heinlein's Between the Planets (1961), one of my favorites Ursula K. LeGuin, and the world of Earthsea (1964), Anne McCaffrey, Dragonriders of Pern (1966) (I think the earliest Pern novels are the best); Laurence Yep and his Dragon series (1982-1992); Melanie Rawn. My all time favorite is a mystery/fantasy combination by R. A. MacAvoy, Tea with the Black Dragon (1983) and my current favorite the Temeraire series of Naomi Novik (dragons and the Napoleonic wars).

8. do you think there might really be dragons?

Of course!!!!!!!!!

IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN DRAGONS
If you don't believe in dragons,
It is curiously true
That the dragons you disparage
Choose to not believe in you.

~ From THE DRAGONS ARE SINGING TONIGHT by Jack Prelutsky (poems) and Peter Sis (pictures)

* * *

thank you snap! i've got to check out those novik books - dragons and the napoleonic wars, that sounds like a combination that's gotta be good!