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!