Sunday

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."

~Albert Einstein

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

At The Tea Garden

I've been collecting Portmeirion for years.
I pick up a piece here and there -- always on sale.
I have bowls from the botanical and from the garden bird series.
I use them for everything: soup, cereal, fruit, yogurt, pasta.

On my last trip to Tuesday Morning,
 I found these lovely mugs and two bread and butter plates. 

I'm going to brew a large pot of Assam making it extra strong.
I'm going to ice it later.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Iced Assam.
It is summer after all!

Maybe I'll have a slice of blueberry bread, too.
*

Garrison Keillor shared poetry by Margaret Hasse in his Writer's Almanac.

I bought EARTH'S APPETITE, a small collection of her poems and they are wonderful.

Here's an example.

AT THE TEA GARDEN

by Margaret Hasse

My friend and I mull over the teas
displayed in square jars
with beveled glass labeled by type.
Each name seems part of a haiku:
"After the Snow Sprouting." "Moon Palace."
"Mist Over the Gorges."
I'm drawn to green teas
with unoxidized leaves that don't wither,
hold their grassy fragrance
like willow under snow in winter.

The proprietor offers real china for the Chinese tea.
Animal bones, fine ground, give whiteness,
translucency and strength
to the porcelain that appears delicate,
resists chipping.
The rim of the cup is warm and thin.

My friend's lips are plush: her lovely
mouth opens to give advice I ask for.
We talk about memory of threshold events,
like a first kiss or a poem published.
She can't remember...

I tell her about my brother-in-law's
chemotherapy—his third bout of cancer.
He wants his family to put a pinch
of his ashes in things he liked:
his banjo, the top drawer of his desk, the garden.

I wouldn't mind becoming part
of a set of bone china that serves tea
in a cozy teahouse smelling of incense,
cinnamon, musk, and carved teak.
I'd like to be brought to a small table,
sit between friends' quiet words,
held in hands so close that breath
on the surface of warm drink
makes mist rise over their faces.

"At the Tea Garden" by Margaret Hasse, from Earth's Appetite. © Nodin Press, 2013. 

Tea Party with Lois by Wilson Henry Irvine, 1920

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

I'm joining the following tea parties.

Thank you to the hosts of:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Little Things

I went to Whole Foods yesterday.

I don't know why ... I just did!

I did have a grocery list (of sorts) of those things I forgot on my regular run to my neighborhood store. 

Whole Foods is a little "out of" the neighborhood.

I found these pretty little Calla lilies there.

I'd forgotten how pretty the flowers are at Whole Foods.

The callas were grown in California.

Thank you, California!

I'll be making more trips to Whole Foods and next time,

maybe with a "real" grocery list!

Oh, before I forget.

If you like Hatch Green Chile.

Whole Foods has the best chicken salad made with Hatch Green Chile!

May you be filled with loving-kindness.

May you be well.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

May you be happy.

Japanese Garden

This was the first year that I made it in time to the Japanese Garden

to see the crepe myrtles in bloom.

In the past I've used the excuse that it is just too hot to go.

Armed with camera, cold water and a fan -- off I went.

I wasn't disappointed.

The crepes were mostly pale pink and white, but every now and then the dark red appeared.

The sound of running water is so soothing. 

It was a lovely, but hot, morning.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

I'm joining the lovely Judith for Mosaic Monday.

Tangents and Tactics Number 2

This is Number 2 in Tammy's Tangents and Tactics series at Daisy Yellow.

Tammy is determined to keep us busy.

Tammy's instructions were to be messy and so I was messy with gelatos.

The stamps were done with acrylic paint and items found around the house:

bottle and jar caps and the squares are from an empty plastic candy holder.

I "Googled" on Half Empty and Half Full and included some of what I found as 

journaling on the page. 

This was fun.

Thanks Tammy!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.