Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day

I'd like to share my Daddy with you.

He fought in World War 2 in the South Pacific and he

was one of the lucky ones ... he came home.

On his return he spent a lot of time at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio.

He didn't talk about the war, just said when he came home he could only eat

life savers and coke.

Daddy died January 1973 from lung cancer.
He is buried in the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He had the most beautiful blue eyes.
I miss him.

Rest in Peace, Daddy.

Red, White and Blue

I'm lazy this holiday weekend and went to Flickr

for a little Red, White and Blue help.

Images Courtesy of Flickr

1. Red, White, & Blue, 2. #185 - Red, White & Blue, 3. RED, WHITE, and BLUE!, 4. Red White and Blue, 5. red white and blue, 6. Red White & Blue, 7. Red, white and blue, 8. Crochet: Red White & Blue Pin Cushion, 9. Red White and Blue Stars and Stripes For You

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Holiday.

Thank you to our hostesses:

Mary for Mosaic Monday

and 

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

It's a Bird!

BGD (Beautiful God Daughter) and I visited the zoo on one of the last

days of truly nice weather ... not much heat and very little humidity.

Days like that are few and far between this time of year.

We got to the zoo when the gates opened at 9:30 AM.

Had lunch at Twiga in the African Forest.

Walked and walked and walked

(and I had been to the gym that morning).

We visited with this fellow.

Amazing, isn't he?!!!!

Shoebill at the Houston Zoo

 

The Shoebill is named for its clog-shaped bill, which is an adaptation for catching and holding the large, slippery lungfish, its favorite food. This big bird (standing about 3.8 feet tall) also eats turtles, fish and young crocodiles. 

They are entirely gray, with broad wings and long legs. The head is large in proportion to the body and the eyes are large.

The Shoebill is a solitary species, rarely found in groups. 

Other common names for Shoebills include Shoe-billed Stork, Whale-headed Stork, Bog Bird.Though most consider it as a stork, the Shoebill's antecedents are unclear, and no relatives are known. Shoebills have their own family, Balaenicipitidae. Although they share some characteristics of storks, they are more like the herons in many of their behaviors and physiological features, yet also share common characteristics with pelicans. The population of Shoebills is thought to number 5,000-8,000 but is difficult to estimate given the swampy/marshy habitat in the Sudan, Africa. 

The Houston Zoo is well known in zoo circles for its bird collection.

Misty is our hostess each week for Camera Critters.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Wishing you well.

It's That Time of Year...

when thoughts turn to summer

and baseball 

and Memorial Day.

I thought this postcard covered all of those.

The back of the postcard reads:

AMERICA PLAYS BALL

A uniformed soldier takes a swing.

There is no date or location.

This postcard is from AMERICA PLAYS BALL:

Historical Baseball Photographs from the Library of Congress

A Book of Postcards

Published by Pomegranate

Have a wonderful time this weekend.

Enjoy the hot dogs and hamburgers,

a little baseball

and don't forget to remember and honor members of the armed forces.

Thank you to the lovely Beth for being the hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

Good Morning!

Calla Blooming In Musashi's Garden

Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee.

~Job 12:8

The Way of Tea

Many years ago a friend of mine from the museum traveled to Japan.

She asked if there was something I'd like from her visit

and I said "a tea set".

The set is from the Asahido Pottery Store in Kyoto.

The pottery store was established in 1869.

This is called Kiyomizuyaki, with exquisite and refined beauty, 

is one of the highest grade pottery and porcelains in Japan.

I think she has great taste. 

The cups *live* in a lovely wooden box
(that I believe I have photographed upside down).

They have the same design as the tea pot.

On the inside bottom of each cup,

is a flower and bird in blue.

"At the beginning of the ninth century Japanese visitors to China took home the fashion of tea. One in particular: the Buddhist monk Dengyo Daishi, studied in China until A.D. 705 and then took back some seeds to his monastery when he returned to Japan. Initially, tea was consumed only by Buddhist monks to keep themselves awake during long periods of meditation, although by the 13th century, tea had grown popular outside the monasteries. The Japanese began their own research on tea and evolved their own tea ceremony, which is very different from the Chinese way of tea. In China, the focus is on enjoying the flavor and taste of the drink itself, whereas in Japan the focus is predominantly on the ceremony.

Zen Buddhism is responsible for the focus of the Japanese way of tea, the "cha do." Cha do places  great importance on the harmony of the surroundings, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and peace, and respecting the tea and the tea set itself -- there is a very specific order in which to prepare the tea. Cha do is an occasion for teaching manners and protocols."*

*Information from THE WAY OF TEA: The Sublime Art of Oriental Tea Drinking

by Master Lam Kam Chuen

Thanks to our tea party hostesses.

These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

"Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world."

~T'ien Yiheng

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week!

Action in the Bath!

It's getting hot in Musashi's Garden and the birds are enjoying the bird baths.

Cleaning out the bath and fountain is one of my first chores of the day.

The kitties and I have seen cardinals, blue jays, doves, sparrows taking their turn.

There are two blue jays who visit the bath together.

Coming and going, usually before I can grab the camera.

He looks a little wet, doesn't he?!!! 

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week!

Thank you to our hostesses:

Mary for Mosaic Monday

and 

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

What the Ale?!!

My sister by choice (Lucille) and I (Ethel)

lunch frequently in the Village at

Baker Street Pub.

On our last visit, the waitress placed the coasters down

and took our drink order.

While we were waiting for our drinks,

I picked up the coaster and what did I find????

A postcard!

No, we didn't try the Somersault Ale.

Maybe next time!

Thank you to Beth for being the hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

Wishing you WELL and Enjoy your weekend!

Good Morning!

Kitchen Fun

Since Blogspots burp last week,

I've been discomblogulated!

So, I went through some photos and found some of my kitchen

that I don't believe I've ever shared.

Your eyes aren't deceiving you.

The walls of the kitchen are painted what a friend calls

dreamsicle orange.

I found the chandelier at a friends shop on Galveston Island.

San Pascual is the patron saint of cooks, kitchens,

finding lost animals and the Holy Eucharist.

He is from New Mexico and was made by artists

Richard and Susan Berqouist in 1982.

The chicken pitcher got the chicken thing started.

The crab is just one of the many fun and brightly colored decorations from Mexico.

The metal rooster is a watering can and the watercolor is by a Michigan artist.

We brought the green chicken home from Ubeda, Spain. 

The chicken in the back with the crown is Chicken A La King

from the Poultry in Motion collection by Westland Giftware.

Rooster and chicken salt and pepper shakers.

Thank you to Mary for being our hostess for Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.

Good Morning!

I Took a Walk and What Did I Find?!

I walked up to the Village over the weekend

taking advantage of the still low humidity and heat.

My goal was to stop in briefly at Half Price Books

and then a treat of grapefruit sorbet.

I was looking for owl cards.

Alas, there were no owls.

But

There were plenty of tea things.

Lots of books and wonderful cards.

Notice the tea pot on the cover of the little book SIMPLE PLEASURES TEA.

I have one of those!

It is a Hall teapot.

The metal cover keeps the tea warm.

It was my Mother's favorite tea pot. 

I'm going to have lots of good reading ahead.

I've started A TIME FOR TEA: Travels Through China and India In Search of Tea

by Jason Goodwin.

I am updating my tea notes for the Food and Feast tour I give at the museum

and this will be a big help.

Last, but not the least of the tea goodies are these cards inside the lovely tin.

I think they would be fun framed together, or separately, or to write a note.

What fun!

(If I do say so myself!)

(Oh, and the grapefruit sorbet ... they were out!)

Thanks to our tea party hostesses.

These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

"Tea, thou soft, thou sober, sage, and venerable drink..."

~Colley Cibber

This and That

This last week was full of fun and surprises.

First, my beautiful god-daughter (BGD) invited me to go and watch

while she tried on wedding gowns.

I can't show you BGD in her gown, 

but I can give you an idea what Mia Bridal Couture is like!

Rows and rows of beautiful dresses.

Oh, my!

Mia Bridal Couture

***

There's been lots of wonderful action in Musashi's Garden.

I planted four new roses this year and the first one to bloom
is the wonderful lavender floribunda called Enchanted Evening.
I am enchanted!

My one and only day lily started blooming this week.

The very handsome male common yellow-throated warbler dropped by

and I picked the first *mess* of green beans from the balcony garden.

***

Have you ever heard of Bed Head Pajamas?

I hadn't heard of them and I love the name.

***

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to my dear friend and her hubby:

Roo and Cowboy.

My heart aches for them.

Cowboy is fighting the same horrible cancer that took Mr. Dragon

from me less than three months ago. 

Please send them your love and support.

***

Thank you for hosting:

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

and

Mary at Mosaic Monday

***

Wishing you WELL!

Mother's Day

Today I'm celebrating Mother's Day with

Postcard Friendship Friday.

 

A vintage portrait of women.

 The little girl with the ice cream cone.

From the back of the postcard:

"Portuguese Americans at the Festival of the Holy Ghost, 

Petaluma, California, 1942

Photograph by Russell Lee"

This is from another of the wonderful Pomegranate Postcard/Artbooks

called

Gal Pals: Women's Friendship and Association

Thank you to Beth for being our hostess.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled weekend!

Good Morning!

Look Who Flew In For A Visit .....

I went outside to turn off the drip yesterday morning.

Turned the corner and there he was.

Having a short rest before he took off for parts unknown.

I believe he is a male common yellowthroat warbler.

Common? 

I ask you.

How can anything this beautiful, this yellow,

be common?!!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by little guy.

Looking Back

I'm taking a look back at April on this May Day.

Lots of bunnies, flowers and Miss Cassie.

Such beauty!

Hope this May Day brings you flowers.

Mosaic Monday is hosted each week by the lovely Mary.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.