Teavivre

I was asked several weeks ago by Teavivre if I was interested in tasting some of their teas.

Since tea is one of my favorite things, I didn't hesitate and said "YES"!
My package arrived late last week.
I quickly opened the box, reached in, and picked the first tea to taste --
Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea.
(Clicking on the links will give you even more information about this tea.)

The tea leaves are a lovely jade green and sword shape -- all very much the same size.

When I opened the package there was a slight grassy smell and after steeping

I picked up a slight hint of spinach (that's great -- I love spinach).

I steeped and tasted at 1 minute, 3 minutes and 6 minutes. 

At one minute the taste was very light, mellow, almost sweet.

At three minutes, the taste was a bit stronger with some of the nutty flavor starting to appear.

At six minutes, there was no bitterness at all and the nutty flavor was strong. 

The color was still this lovely yellow-green.

Known in China for more than 1500 years, Dragonwell is still hand picked and processed according to the ancient methods of "Cha'Ching" or "the way of tea."

Dragonwell is famous for promoting mental alertness.

I can see why this was the favored tea of the Chinese emperors. 

Tea to the Chinese is like wine to Westerners,

With changing colors, aroma and taste.

There are many different kinds to suit individual and social tastes,

and able to refresh the palate, restore the spirit and can be medicinal.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a delightful cup of tea!

A big thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Sun Lit Sunday

This is the last Sun Lit Sunday for this year.

Thank you Karen for hosting.

I'm going to miss them.

Azaleas blooming at the Houston Zoo:

And at the Japanese Garden:

Last year I missed the azaleas blooming in Hermann Park, the zoo and the garden.

Thanks to our cooler weather, the blooms were running a little late 

and I ran on time! 

What a treat!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Potpourri

Easter is just around the corner.
This is reproduction vintage postcard that the Lillian Vernon Corporation offered many years ago. I love the embossing. I happened on this cute card while cleaning out a closet. Wonder what else I might find!? A big thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

*

It gets quiet around Twisty Lane during college baseball season.

I try to keep up with posting, but I'm not always successful.

I've been watching ....

COSMOS and I'm loving it.

I remember watching the original Cosmos with Carl Sagan ... 

"billions and billions of stars".
Cosmos' "ship of the imagination" -- 
a vehicle to take viewers through wonders large and small -- 
now has a new captain, astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson.
I could listen to Tyson for days on end. 


I'm reading ...
JOY FOR BEGINNERS by Erica Bauermeister.
Kate has won her battle with a life threatening illness and has invited her six close friends to dinner to celebrate. At the dinner, her friends challenge Kate to go white water rafting down the Grand Canyon. Kate is reluctant and decides she will do it if her friends will do one thing in the next year that scares them. Since Kate didn't get to choose her challenge, she wants to choose theirs. It's agreed and the adventure to experience true joy begins. 
I enjoyed Bauermeister's THE SCHOOL OF ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS and hope I feel the same way about JOY FOR BEGINNERS. So far so good!


If you've been following the daffodil saga, I'm happy to announce
that I now have a house full of daffodils.
Trader Joe's came through again.
YeeHaw!
Spring can now officially begin.

I was determined I would not miss the azaleas this year.

They were late blooming with all the cold weather so I had no excuse.

Here's some of what I found at the zoo this week:

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

A big thank you to Nancy for hosting.

Spring is here!

This is "The Hour of Tea" by American artist, Frederick Frieseke (1874-1939).

I've been sharing art work like this on my FaceBook page and thought I should be

sharing them here on tea day, too.

Frieseke was a prominent American Impressionist painter. 

Born in Owosso, Michigan, he later studied at the Art Institute of Chicago,

the Art Students League in New York City and later in Paris.

Frieseke's art has been described as "Decorative Impressionism".

He often painted women in lush, colorful surroundings like his garden which was tended by his wife.

Daffodils have arrived and for me that means Spring is really here.

I'm drinking Earl Grey in a Blue Willow cup and saucer by Churchill.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea.

A big thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Party Time!

It's time for Vee's Note Card Party.

We pick four images that have been posted on our blogs

 that we think would make a good Note Card

and share them.

Some green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Tea is always a good subject for a Note Card.

"All you need are books and tea." 

~unknown

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

A big thank you to Vee for hosting 

one of my favorite Blogland parties: Note Card Party!

Double Delight

On this cloudy morning I'd like to show you 

Double Delight.

From bud:

 

 

to full bloom.

 

This is what she looks like today (before the rain) blooming in Musashi's Garden.

A Double Delight in color and her fragrance is heavenly .. just like a rose should. 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday and

to Mary for Mosaic Monday.

Potpourri

This vintage looking postcard was printed in China for the Lillian Vernon Corporation.

I think dancing sounds like a good way to welcome St. Patrick's Day!

A big thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

*

Sometimes ....
it's just nice to kick back and nap!
I was up early as usual, had breakfast, sat down on the couch with the kitties and fell asleep! After I hit publish for this post, I think I'll go back and try a nap again.


I'm celebrating....
the sun!
The sun is shining.
It's not too cold or too hot.
It's work in the garden time!

I love ....

Daffodils!

Every March I watch the advertisements waiting for daffodils to appear in the ads at the supermarket.

I was so excited when I saw them appear this week.

I went over and, talk about disappointment, no daffodils.

They hadn't arrived yet.

I almost cried! 

I'll try again next week.

Easter 2013

I'm sharing ...

Poppytalk.

I think I've shared the link to Poppytalk before,

but I want to share again.

I was visiting over the weekend and was reminded of all the 

beautiful colors and wonderful features.

Founded in 2005, Poppytalk is a lifestyle blog dedicated to supporting the beautiful, the decayed and the handmade. More about Poppytalk here.

Away ....
The Rice Owl Baseball team is away this weekend for three games in Florida.
Good luck Owls!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you to Nancy for hosting.

Jump Start

I'm getting a jump start on St. Patrick's Day with 

Irish Breakfast Tea in a rose decorated depression glass cup and saucer.

The card on the inside says "is Irish for I love you".

Too cute! 

The white hobnail vase is home to some mini-hydrangeas. 

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

A big thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

There's A Promise Here

There's a promise here that Spring is on the way.

They are small, but the Gerbera daisies in Musashi's Garden are blooming! 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Potpourri

St. Patrick's Day is coming, along with corned beef and cabbage.

This is a vintage reproduction postcard.

No artist or date was listed.

Thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

*

I am creating...
Granny Squares!
The month of March is National Crochet Month.
YeeHaw!
Pictures coming when I have all the squares made. 

I am excited about...
being asked to taste test some teas from Tea Vivre.
I love Chinese teas and tea ware.
It will be fun to research and taste!

YiXing Tea Pot

I am hoping...
to win some handmade soap!
Nancy at a Rural Journal is having a give-a-way.
Get over there and sign up!

A favorite quote for today...
It's from the Walt Whitman poem  O ME! O LIFE!
"...The question, O me! so sad, recurring - What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here - that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."
It may sound familiar especially if you have seen the Apple commercials. 

One of my favorite things...

This is a Miltonia Orchid, sometimes called a pansy orchid.
When I brought her home from Trader Joe's she had one flower spike opened.
She now has two more spikes open and 2 more coming.
She is quite impressive and fragrant!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

A big thank you to Nancy for hosting.

Mug of The Month

A new month and a new Mug.
Spring is going to arrive on March 20 so I decided the tulip mug was in order.

I'm drinking an orange spice black tea from Stash with a teaspoon of honey.

Another Emma Bridgewater mug.

The bottom of the cup suggests you can never have too many tulips.

Plant hundreds! 

The rabbits are slowly making an appearance around the house.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

I'm joining a few tea parties and thank the hosts of:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea