Surprise!

My African violet is blooming.

It's always a surprise when it blooms! 

YeeHaw!

I'm joining the new meme Tuesday Afternoons.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Why Be In A Hurry?

Did you have a nice holiday weekend?

Hot dogs and hamburgers?

No hot dogs here, but I did have a turkey burger 

and some delicious macaroni salad and a beer (or two).
I watched the 4th of July festivities on TV .. beautiful!
How do people stand being out in the heat??!!

I have taken the red, white and blue buntings off of the balcony.

The Uncle Sam windsock has been replaced by a bright red flag

with a large sun, cactus and red pepper ...

a colorful message that the HOT summer has arrived! 

**

TeaVivre sent me samples of their Spring Green Teas.
I love the TeaVivre packaging ... really sealed!
The first one I tried is La Shan Yun Wu.
Opening the package I could immediately smell the tea ...
sort of a roasted spinach odor.

The dried leaves have an interesting texture.
Really dark green.




I like brewing the TeaVivre samples in my little red pot.
Perfect size for the sample and it has its own strainer.
I can lift it out, drink the tea, and steep another pot if I like.






I brewed the tea for 5 minutes.
Such a pretty light green color.

It has a chestnut flavor ... not overpowering and slightly sweet.

I haven't put up all the indoor holiday decorations yet. 
Why be in a hurry?!

You can see what the leaves look like after one brew.

Still delicate looking, but they really open up. 

TeaVivre said this was a good large mug tea,

so I got out one of my new mugs.

This is one from a set of four given to me on my birthday

 by another of my sisters-by-choice.

She knows how I love my tea and the birds!

I have a tea quote for you:

“As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. 

Have a cold? Have some tea. 

Broken bones? There's a tea for that too. 

Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, 

was a box of tea that said, 

'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'.” 

― Aprilynne Pike, Illusions

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

Thank you to the hosts of:

Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Simplicity

The crocosmia has finished blooming.
Just in time for the summer's hottest temperatures to arrive.

I'm going to join the crocosmia and start my summer hibernation!

I'm joining Tuesday Afternoon at A Spirit of Simplicity for her new meme.


Wishing YOU well and much joy! 

Walking Down The Street

I try to walk every morning just before sunrise ...

before it gets too hot and humid.

I was on the home stretch ...

just a few houses from mine ...

when I stopped ...

I wasn't the only one out walking.
I was on the sidewalk

and he was walking down the middle of the street.

Yellow Crowned Night Herons roost in oak trees 
on the Rice University campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
This was the first time for me to see one of these beauties
in my area.

I zipped home quickly, grabbed the camera 
and walked back down the street.
Would he still be around?

 Yep!




I told him he shouldn't be in the street ...
Folks would be leaving for work soon ...






I'm hoping he'll come by and visit again one morning.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!


Thank you to the hosts of:

Mosaic Monday.

Tin Roof Teas

I really enjoyed my visit to Raleigh, North Carolina

to see my BGD (Beautiful God Daughter), her handsome fella

(AKA The Kids) and to attend their confirmation.

One afternoon, BGD and I set out to find Tin Roof Teas

and boy, did we find tea!

BGD is a coffee drinker, but she was a good sport 
and tasted all the samples of the day.




I think BGD liked Pineapple Mimosa Fruit the best.
My favorite was Arabian Night.
We enjoyed China White Monkey and to be fair,
it was a warm day so the cold tea was really good!

There were rows of tea and colorful teapots, tea mugs, tea bag holders.
All sorts of tea utensils. 
I didn't get a picture of the tea bar where they make their own blends.




Matcha sets, more pretty tea cups and 
they have wonderful tins and ceramics for storage.
If all else fails, and you don't find any tea that you like,
perhaps some chocolate will do!




Be sure to visit Tin Roof Teas if you are in the Raleigh, North Carolina area.

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

Big thanks to the hosts of:
Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday