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.