Here Come The Bunnies!

Easter is just around the corner.
I pulled my favorite bunny porcelain tea pot and mug from the cupboard.
They were made in New Mexico by a husband and wife team.
He did the hand building of the pieces and she was the artist.
They are some of the first ceramic pieces that Mr. Dragon gave to me.

I love the bunny wearing tennis shoes.
Guess he's getting ready for a busy Easter!

The teapot reminds me of Old MacDonald's Farm with the veggies and bunny!

Then there is the mug with all the wonderful hearts filled with bunnies.

The egg-shaped bunny plates I found at Pier One.

Orange-cranberry scones.

Yum!

I selected Tazo Zen tea to steep in my bunny pot. 

It is a green tea blend made with pan-fired green teas from China

and blended with lemon verbena leaves, lemongrass and spearmint leaves.

It has a sweet, lingering taste ... very Zen.

I decided on Tazo tea today as a way to celebrate the life of Steven Smith,

the co-owner of Tazo tea who passed away recently.

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

I'm joining some tea parties in the Land of Blog:

Teatime Tuesday
where Sandi is celebrating with an Easter Tea.

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Potpourri

It must be spring.
How can I tell???
I walk out into my postage stamp back yard (Musashi's Garden).
It smells like orange blossoms.

- My Satsuma, Clementine and Grapefruit trees are blooming!

- I love rain drops on blossoms.

- It's loud around here again. The guys working on the streets in the neighborhood have made it back to my street. I'm like a little kid! Sitting on the balcony watching them with their big machines tearing up more of the old street before they get to the oiling and then asphalt for the new surface.

- I've almost finished reading THE BOOK STOPS HERE, a Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle. It is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookaholic. She is a bookbinder and knows her rare books. She has been asked to appear on t.v. show as a rare book expert and appraiser. Her first subject is a first edition copy of THE SECRET GARDEN. A dead body can't be far behind when Brooklyn is around! 

- The weather has been nice. Coolish long enough in the morning (before the humidity gets to be too much) to walk up to the Village. I did a little shopping at Half-Price Books and then had breakfast.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks Nancy for hosting Random 5 Friday.

Tea With A Lady

Let me introduce you to Lady Carlyle by Royal Albert.
She was a gift from one of my sisters (by choice).

A classic example of the romantic, floral tradition of Royal Albert,

Lady Carlyle draws inspiration from the extravagant rococo styles of the 18th century.

The Lady is decorated with a highly stylized floral design,

a deep pink border and elaborate gold scrollwork

I've paired her with a teapot with roses by Grace.

I made a pot of Harney and Sons Chinese Flower tea.

Chinese Flower is a beautiful blend of hand plucked green tea with flowers and citrus.
There is a light aroma of orange and flowers.
One sachet makes two cups of tea.
A real delight with Lady Carlyle.

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

I'm joining some tea parties in the Land of Blog:
Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Nana Stamp of Approval

Mini-Daffodil in Musashi's Garden

- Last year when I went daffodil hunting in the grocery stores, I found mini-daffodils in a pot at Trader Joes. When they had bloomed themselves out I took them out of the little pot and planted them in a big pot outside. I thought if they lived, maybe they would bloom again, but really didn't expect success. Surprise! I've been watching for weeks. Lots of green, but no bloom when WOW. All of a sudden there was one blooming mini-daffodil. Too cute! More on the way! 

- Did you know that the dandelion is one of the first spring foods for our precious bees???
I have a nice crop of dandelions growing in my little garden.

- I was hoping all the rain from last week was over. Alas, that isn't true. It's been raining again and this time with thunderstorms. The kitties don't like the thunder. Can't blame them.  The trees are doing their "thing". Pollen everywhere. Cars are covered with yellow dust. Sniff, sniff, sniff.

- When the rain ends the mosquitoes will be here in abundance. UGH. I guess I needed something to complain about!

- I'm reading A DRAGON'S GUIDE TO THE CARE AND FEEDING OF HUMANS by Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder. It should be no surprise to anyone that my grandson likes dragons almost as much as his Nana. I, of course, have to read his dragon books first in order to give the Nana stamp of approval.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

A BIG thank you to Nancy for hosting Random 5 Friday.

Hunting For Spring

Daylight savings time has arrived.
I admit, I don't like the dark mornings.
Why do "we" have to muck with time??!!

Daylight savings means spring is just around the corner
and I decided to go hunting for spring in my teacups.

That led me to one of my newest (new to me) teacups.

Isn't she pretty?

This is a Rosina teacup.

The iris is one of my favorite blooms.

I couldn't resist this teacup when I found it at The Guild Shop.

The gold edging is worn off in some areas,

but for me, that just means that it was well loved.

I found the adorable little bunnies at the same time.

I've had the teapot for years.

I love the shape and the decoration.

The only mark on the bottom of the pot are the words

Made in Japan.

You read that correctly -- not made in China!

When I make a pot of tea,

I normally use loose tea.

I have so much tea in tea bags

(mostly gifts and spur of the moment purchases)

that this time

I made a pot of tea with tea bags from the Republic of Tea.

Imperial White Tea with Persimmon.

100% white tea is also known as China White.

It has a low-caffeine delicacy and is the most minimally-processed of all tea varietals.

Once reserved for the cups of emperors and the nobility, 

this high mountain China White Tea (from China's Fujian Province)
 still remains one of the rarest of all teas.

The end white downy buds are painstakingly hand-plucked,
only two days of the year, right before the leaf opens.

Because it is so minimally processed,
White Tea retains the highest level of disease preventative antioxidants
known as polyphenals.

Be Funky Processing

The Republic of Tea has a few teas that are Organic and Non GMO.

Imperial White is one of those.

I'm not sure how long I've had Imperial White with Persimmon!
I note that it is no longer available at The Republic of Tea.

The container had not been opened
and I could smell the persimmon when it was opened.

I made a pot of tea that had a subtle, slightly sweet taste.
The taste was delicate with just a hint of the persimmon.

I'll enjoy several more pots full as I go hunting for spring!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

I'm joining several tea parties:

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

* Information about Imperial White Tea from the The Republic of Tea.

The Sun Came Out!

The sun came out this weekend after
four days of rain.
The white camellia was blooming.

I went grocery shopping and found these lovely roses.

I'm hoping I find some daffodils next week!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

A big thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

This and That

It's Friday the 13th.
I've always found those days to be lucky!

- The roads in my neighborhood are being resurfaced. They need it. In order to resurface the old surface needs to come off and the road evened out. Talk about a lot of noise and dust everywhere. I was singing Shake, Rattle and Roll and so was the house.

- It's been raining for four days straight. I'm not complaining. We seem to be moving into the spring rains and the more rain we get, the fewer really hot days we will have in the summer. Funny how that works! Not that I won't be complaining about the heat. August will still be Ughust.

- All that rain has turned our street into a lake. The drains have been blocked to keep the nasty street "stuff" from going down the drain and into the bayous. Thinking about getting the water wings out......!

Kito and Kiburi

- I had a behind the scenes tour with the cheetahs at the Houston Zoo. They are gorgeous animals. I gave Kito watered-down goat milk. He thinks that's a great treat. It's placed in a spray bottle and sprayed into his mouth. Close enough to feel his breath on my hands. I also met Taji, the Anatolian Shepherd that has been raised with the cheetahs. It was cold that morning and a chai tea latte at the Woodbar was in order after the tour. The behind the scenes tours also include an ride around the zoo to check in with some of my favorite animals and this day I got a sneak peak at the new Gorilla habitat. Oh, my! It is a jaw dropper! Amazing. Opening on Memorial Day to the public.

- I had my teeth cleaned and my eyes checked this week. Done and done!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks, Nancy.

So happy to have you back in the Land of Blog!

Green Tea On St. Paddy's Day?

Nope,
I'm having Harney and Sons Irish Breakfast Tea
especially on these cold, blustery days.

I love my Belleek teapot and teacups.

The fun shamrock shape of the cups. 

The shell design on the teapot and cups and the wonderful harp handles.

Fine Parian China -- so delicate and yet so strong!

Harney and Sons Irish Breakfast Tea is 100% Assam from India.

It has good body and can take milk (the way the Irish like it) and sugar.

Subtle notes of malt.

Not bad with chocolate (or vanilla) cupcakes!

I'm joining several tea parties:

Tea Time Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

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

This and That

The good news:
One of my favorite bloggers is back
Along with Random Five Friday!
YeeHaw!

Welcome back, Nancy!!!

- I am taking part in Liberate Your Art 2015. This is the third year I've signed up for the swap. It's lots of fun and I "meet" new folks. This is my postcard for this year. Do you see the fairies?!

- I think everyone is getting tired of winter. This week, I am sure, confused even the weather gods. The one thing that was constant -- the cloudy skies. Otherwise, cool, cold, damp except for two days in the middle that brought heavy fog and 80 degree temps. All I have to say is: Old Man Winter -- MAKE UP YOUR MIND!

- St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner. I have my leprechaun flag flying from the balcony and Irish Luck hanging on the front door.

- Major League Baseball Spring Training has started. There were three games today on the MLB Network. I'm happy!

- For Downton Abby fans: the lovely young lady who plays Rose is the beautiful Cinderella in the new Disney movie.

And that's my Random Five for this Friday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Longing For Spring

The sun was shining one day this week.
I went window shopping at Highland Village.
A nice walk among the flowers!

I didn't buy anything.
Just took pictures of the flowers
to share with my friends up north
who are longing for spring!

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.