It has been a while since I have written again and I have absolutely no excuse. Sorry. That's it. Just sorry....

Anyway, the seasons have begun to show their true colors and I thought that a couple of pictures of my front yard might just show how beautiful it is in the fall here in North Carolina. These were taken at the very beginning of the color turn and I didn't seem to have my camera handy when I saw more developed color around here so these will have to do.

I think that there is a certain specific time when the colors really appeal to me the most and this may be it. I love to see the delicate spray of color among the varied greens of summer when things just start to get really serious. However, later, when the hillsides seem to be on fire with yellows, reds, and oranges, it can take your breath away. The other day, Rose and I took a little drive after school and came upon an absolutely magical meadow where the surrounding trees were so very brilliant with color and the opening in the hills gave an etherial view of the valley beyond with Mt. Pisgah in the distance. We were feeling a bit of envy for the people who had homes in that rather secluded area.


The temperature has dropped and the wind has come up and so more and more we are finding the leaves now turning to brown and rust and falling on the ground with much greater frequency. I now know what they mean by "winter views" as this is the only time when we get to see the mountains from our house - when there are no leaves on the trees to obstruct the view. Of course, the branches do get in the way somewhat.

Some of our friends have a less obstructed view and are treated to the rampant color of the surrounding trees as well as the entire valley beyond. Must be nice. I will enjoy and have enjoyed my beautiful trees that grace the surrounds of my own little house with color. Every year at this time I am glad that I did not cut down all the trees in my yard! I don't like raking the leaves and trying to find a place to take them but then, there is this compensation.

I am drinking my PG Tips using this lovely little set this morning. The teapot is actually larger than it looks in the picture: it was sitting back a ways so I could get it all in.

This little tea set has simple lines but is a very special set to me. This is the one that started the great inside joke in my family about the elusive teapot. Actually, it wasn't this set, it was the trip we were on at the time. Some people think that one teapot is enough for a person but I just love them. So I collect them. You all know that, right? The first time I went to England, I was with Marca and Matt and I wanted to get a tea set from there since England is, of course, known for it's love of tea. (I think I may have mentioned that before.) Anyway, perfect souvenir, don't you agree? So we went everywhere that we thought you could find a teapot in London. We were on our way to Harrod's to see this incredible store and it hit us that this was where we should look! (ya think?) So we looked and we looked and they had all kinds of wonderful tea sets there and it was very hard to decide. They were all very beautiful but they were not quite what I wanted. I was looking for something that said ENGLAND to me and when I was downstairs in the area where they had some items that I'm assuming were overstocked, I found it. There it was - the one I wanted.

Now came the hard part. Did I want it in blue, Harrod's green, or cream? I went for the blue, of course. I've never been sorry I picked the blue, but because they were marked down, I could have gotten the dark green as well. They say hindsight is better than foresight; I guess they (whoever they are) are right.

Matt was rather shocked. He was sure that I would pick one of the beautiful sets upstairs and they were beautiful, but, I could probably get those anywhere. BUT ( and this is a big point) where would I find one that said Harrod's on it that didn't look like a souvenir but was in a sense. So I bought it and had it shipped home. Now that is where the expense came in. It was all worth it, though. Even all the teasing I have taken since then. And, by the way, no one minds if on our travels Mom goes looking for another teapot. I just have to be aware that there will be a bit of good-natured ribbing whenever we see one. It's all in good fun.

And now you know the story behind the "elusive perfect teapot" idea.

This is one of the sets that I got over in England. This is from Whittards of Chelsea and is their swirl pattern. All those swirls are hand-painted; can you believe it? This set did not have a sugar bowl or creamer - at least that I ever saw - and I haven't been able to find one online either. I have a sneaky suspicion that this set is also retired as they were selling it out when I was there last fall. But I could be wrong on that. Anyway, the teapot holds about 6 cups and the cup holds about a cup. Nice serving ot tea, I think. My daughter got me the teapot last fall for my birthday on one of our jaunts to the tea shop in Newcastle, where they were living at the time, and I bought the cups. I love using this set. I do use it often and each time I do, I remember our good times over there and look forward to many more "tea parties" when they get home!

What kind of tea? A good English Breakfast or PG Tips, of course !!!

A little while ago I mentioned going to Disney World and getting a tea set at one of the shops in the Japanese Section. Well, this is one that I found in the Magic Kingdom. Appropriately. This is the only Tea-for-One set that I have. For a single, it holds quite a bit of tea. This beautiful set is an homage to the Disney princesses, but mainly to Cinderella, I think. ( After looking at the coach, the shoes, the dress, the pumpkin!)
However, I like to think that all the princesses are represented here . The different colors are for the dresses that they wore; blue for Cinderella, as well as one of the colors of the dress Sleeping Beauty wore as she danced with her prince. Pink is the other color of Sleeping Beauty's dress and also the gown that Ariel wore in the palace. Yellow is the color of the dress that Belle wore as she danced with the Beast. And above all, together the colors represent the dress worn by Snow White throughout her story. Each of these lovely young ladies faced huge obstacles or dangers in their quest for their happily-ever-afters before they reached them.
Now, I'm not sure that all my observations are what the designers had in mind for this piece, but that's my take on it.
So if your day throws stumbling blocks in your way and things are not turning out as you had hoped, this is a good set to use and take a moment and relax with your good cup of tea.

And remember: if these girls can get through their problems, so can we!

Since we've talked about Disney tea sets before, I thought I would throw this in. It is not actually a Disney set, I just bought it at Epcot when I was there the last time.

We were wandering through the Japanese shops and my daughter suggested that I look for a Japanese tea set. There were quite a few in this one shop, but most of them were blue. Now I LOVE blue, but, as you know, I already have a beautiful Japanese style set in blue (and trust me, that is not the ONLY blue set) so I finally decided on this one. I love the way that the green flows over the gray. There are other reasons that I chose this particular set, but right now my dog is lying next to me and in spite of the fact that he just got a bath last night, he is just about to knock me out. Where's the perfume. I know I had it here somewhere......................

I woke up around 6:30 this morning. That's early for a Sunday; at least for me. There is really no need for me to get up early on a Sunday if I am not going somewhere special, so normally I just try to sleep in. Anyway, it was still dark out. Have you ever noticed how quickly the sunrise and sunset times change in September? Now, stay with me here, I'm going somewhere with this. I know that the longest day of the year is June 21 and that the days grow longer (you know what I mean - I know they are still only 24 hours long) up to that point and then afterward, they start to shorten. But all through the summer, you don't notice the shortening of the days very much. When September hits, it suddenly becomes more apparent, almost as if it starts to accelerate the decline. Think about it. Just 2 weeks ago it was still light at 6:30 in the morning, and today, it's pitch black.
Hmm.

I thought that, since I now can access the web, I would do another entry. (Wow! This is working so much faster and better! You have no idea!) Anyway, take a look at this one. This, yes, is TinkerBell's teapot and the teacups that go with it. It really is that light colored. I love the "Aladdin-style" shape of the teapot.

This is about a 4-cup teapot and it is made from porcelain. A beautiful set, I think. Again, like the "Alice" set, it is a limited edition and has been retired. Sigh! That is why I only have 2 of the cup and saucer sets. Only 500 made. I feel very fortunate to have aquired 2 sets. I haven't used this set yet. For one thing, the handles are beautifully shaped but very fragile looking and when you hold it there are ridges in the handle (part of the design, mind you) that make it a little uncomfortable to hold - at least for me: I'm left-handed. Maybe for someone else, it might not be so bad.

Anyway, it holds a very special spot in the china cabinet. Just thought you would like to see it.

Lately I have been having trouble with my internet connection. If I could get online, the connection would only last about 5 minutes. Now some people might think that is not too bad, what with how much some people are online these days, but when you are in the midst of paying bills, THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING !!!!! Everything gets messed up, you lose information, you wonder how many other peoples bills you are paying because of the - surprise! you have no internet connection! - disruption in the transaction or something, and somethimes the internet provider comes on and says that they have fixed the prob - surprise! you have no internet connection! - lem, but then, - surprise! you have no internet connection! - it happens -surprise! - again! It gets very tiring. Sometimes you're not even sure if you got the bill paid. Try making your house - surprise! - payment and when you can finally can access you files a week later because for - surprise! - some unknown reason, you - surprise! - were able to get through, there is no record. HELP !!!!! It was also extremely slow like it couldn't make up its mind what it was supposed to do, or it just couldn't be bothered. "Sorry, I have better things to do than work for you right now!"
So what did I do? Changed internet providers of course! Sure they need to work out a few kinks like, oh yeah, don't put the wireless router underneath the desk if you want to be able to use the wireless connection downstairs (at least, in this house!), but other than that, so much better.
Just thought I'd share. So it hasn't been easy to do things online but now all I should have to worry about is writer's block when it comes to something to put on this thing!
Sorry about the grousing, but just maybe, if you are having problems with connectivity, it just might NOT be your fault!!!
Catch you later -- I'm going to go surf the net!!!

This is my lovely granddaughter, Gracie. She just turned 5 Monday. She is the light of our lives and fills every day with joy. She is funny and witty, with so much energy; I just wish I had as much as she does. She loves pretty clothes; in fact, all things "princess", and anything that has to do with fairies. That, I believe, came from the year they spent in England.
She loves to swim and has recently learned to use her own snorkeling gear in the pool. I am very impressed -- can you tell?
So Gracie, although this year Gramsy was not able to be there for your birthday, we did get to talk on the phone for quite a while, didn't we? And, even though it is a few days since your birthday, I wish you all kinds of fun and joy all over again, always. And yes, I REALLY love you too, and I REALLy miss you as well!

You know, you just never know where you will find a special addition to a collection! This one was made by a company called Franz, and is an official Disney item: the "Alice in Wonderland" teapot and cup and saucer sets. (As if you couldn't tell by the decoration!) This is a real treasure. The minute I saw this it was love at first sight. Is there someone somewhere who wasn't completely charmed by Alice's adventures? I don't think I have met them. There is the butterfly who was first introduced to Alice as the caterpillar sitting on his mushroom. So much of the beautiful garden from the movie is represented; from the leaves and scrollwork on the spout and handles, to the bread-and-butterflies on the teacups. And Alice, herself, as she was in the garden. The spoon, which comes with every cup and saucer set (of which only 500 sets were made), is the grand-dame of the garden, The Red Rose. The bowl of the spoon is made up as a cluster of her leaves. Such a charming set can only hold a wonderful English tea; maybe an English Breakfast or even PG Tips.

PG Tips is a very aromatic black tea that I first tasted in England. It may be an everyday tea to the English, but I found it to be almost the epitome of a good black tea. I looked everywhere for it when I got home and found it one day when I was shopping to replenish some of my herbal teas at the local natural foods store. Now that I know where to find it, I can have it as often as I like. There is no bitterness to this tea at all; it is mellow and smooth light or strong. In fact, we had it just this morning and savored every drop. You have to try this tea.

By the way, I never did find out if Disney had a creamer and sugar bowl made for this teapot, and it is now a discontinued set. Sigh!

So I told you that I was going to show more of my collection. This is an Asian-style set that I purchased from Pier 1 actually. I have somewhat of a weakness for blue and white china. This paisley design is rather unusual for the Asian-style shape, I think, but I could be wrong. I just really liked the set. At any rate, it's really a nice set to have with oolong tea. Or jasmine or green tea.

Anyway, it's time to start having the Sunday morning tea times. Once school starts, my friend, Rose, is back in the area and we try to get together on the weekends for testing different teas. We have already been through a delightful and inexpensive green tea with citrus flavors. And then we enjoyed a delicious peppermint tea this weekend; brewed strong to which we added milk and sugar. This is one I always used to make on cold winter nights or whenever anyone in the family was feeling a bit under the weather. It is a very comforting tea and I am never without a good quality peppermint tea for very long. Try it whenever you feel low in spirits or in health. It is one that I feel should be in the pantry of anyone who loves a good cuppa.

Some time ago I wrote in my blog that I had been visiting in Idaho with my family and that my dad's health was failing. One week after I had returned home to North Carolina my sister called and told me that Dad had passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was one week shy of his 90th birthday.

It is always hard to say goodbye to a loved one, but he was so tired and he was ready to go. He hung on until he was able to see all his children and grandchildren one last time and he was content. We are very thankful for all the wonderful memories we have of him and that we had him with us for so long. He is now resting in the arms of the Savior and we are also thankful for that.

We love you, Daddy, and will miss you.

I thought that I would start sharing some of my favorite tea sets that I have gathered through the years. Like I have said before, I am always on the lookout for a nice new tea set. I collect them, period. That's all there is to it. I love china. Especially, teapots, cup & saucer sets, and covered bowls. So there you have it. You know my vice. (Well, that and ice cream!)

Now, this picture here is of Gracie indulging in a little ritual she and her mother began a few years ago. Every Friday night, after bathtime was over and everything was winding down from the workweek, Marca and Gracie would have a little tea party. Usually just the two of them as Matt would be down at the church with Friday night vespers as his role of school chaplain required. They hold their special little tea parties at other times as well, but this was always one of those times. And once in a while, I would be there and be a part of it.

The tea set in the picture isn't really a tea set at all but a demitasse set that my mother bought for my little sister and me in the 50's. I think I was eight at the time. We played with that set only at special times and my mother was always there to "guide us in its usage". We did not actually have tea in it but put orange juice in it for our refreshment. And no, we didn't add sugar or milk to that. It wasn't an expensive set at the time, although it matches in design and decoration that of the popular, pricey Royal Albert Old Country Roses china. I gave this set to my daughter, Marca, when she was about 20 although she knew that it was hers far before that. When she was a child, we had our own little tea parties with it and we used herbal teas. It was very important that she and her little brother and sister learn proper etiquette and that included learning how to make, serve, and drink tea. So the four of us would have our own little teas in the afternoon sometimes when their daddy was away on a trip. That way we had our special experiences too. Actually, I had two tea sets that had the same design shape but different motifs. The other was kept for Sara, my younger daughter, and it was also roses. I still have Sara's tea set stored away just as her memory is stored away in my heart.

So now Marca has this tea set and I'm sure that she plans on giving it to Gracie when she reaches a certain age (and with my blessing, I might add).

(I hope you liked this little entry, because I plan to show more of my little collection of tea sets in the coming months! )

You know, there is just something special about a cup of tea any time during the day (or night). It feels so.... comforting, so.... enabling, so.... luxurious! Whether you make it in the time-honored tradition of the teapot and china cup - you know, creamer and sugar bowl: the works - or just hot water poured over a teabag in a mug or styrofoam cup, it always seems to set things right, doesn't it? It's not just the hot drink that does the trick, it's the idea of a cuppa tea, first of all, then the wonderful aroma (ah, yes! inhale the tantalizing mix of tea, or herbs and spices...), the taste of warm liquid flavors and finally, the soothing sense of doing something special for yourself or others.

It has been a while since last I posted anything here and I just thought that I would assure you that no, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, although, I'm sure that some must have wondered if, indeed, that might just be the truth........

So here I am, still in Idaho on an extended engagement with my family. Twice I have changed my ticket out of neccessity, but come July 9th, barring any kind of problem, I will be headed back to North Carolina. This has been a mixed blessing kind of trip; the fun of being with family but also the sad realization that my dad is failing. He now has no hope of returning home and is in constant need of 24-hour medical/nursing care.

I don't really want to go into much at this time about Dad except to say that it is hard for a child, even a grown one, to see the man they always looked at as being so strong and vital going downhill healthwise. We go in and visit with him but he isn't always able to do so as he can be groggy from meds or just plain asleep.

Marca and Gracie came out for a few days and spent time with him and he was thrilled to see them. All the grandchildren have been here with the exception of one, I think, but he is coming tomorrow.

So now I am spending time with my brothers, my sister-in-law and my nieces and nephews and boxing up the things down at Dad's that I left here when I moved back east. And that is a trip!
I am going to need a truck to bring back this stuff.

My brother and sister-in-law have a hot tub at their place and I can tell you, after a day of lifting heavy boxes or dealing with the situation here with Dad, it's nice to go out and just soak your cares away and chat. They live in the woods and they have put a lot of bird feeders around their deck so we sit and soak and watch all the different species of birds flitting around and feeding. It is so relaxing.

You know, if a person can afford it, it is a good thing to get something like a hot tub (or pool, like I have) because all of us have these times when we are so sore at the end of the day, physically OR mentally, and it does soothe and give you a better outlook on things.

The temperature here in North Idaho has been soaring higher, it seems, every day. Saturday it was over 100 degrees in Coeur d' Alene and as that happened to be where we were at the time, yes, we were feeling it. It wasn't as humid as in the South, or Grenada, but it was still very hot. (Ya think?) It is usually drier in this area, and dry heat is easier to take than humid heat --usually; however, that being said, it still has quite an effect. "Need more water." "Water, water!" "Need water!" The heat lasted for several days and the humidity started rising as well, and yesterday afternoon the sky began to darken and blessings of blessings, the wind came up and it began to rain. Lightning and thunder and the works. And did it pour!!!! This morning is somewhat cooler and less humid to me, although my brother and sister-in-law both say it is very humid. I haven't been outside yet today so I can't really say. The fans are doing a great job here in the house so why would I want to go outside right now? Besides, I'm not a great fan of humidity anyway, you know.......... At least the dust is settled and the sky is a beautiful clear blue.

So that's the news for now from North Idaho. I have no idea where I will be when I blog next; it could be from here, or from home. We'll just have to wait and see.

Oh, the picture? That is a view of the Pend O' Reille (pronounced "Ponderay") River where it flows out of the lake of the same name, looking northwest from the deck of a restaurant on the river. Nice little place. Good food.

I'm baaaaack!!

After a long and fairly uneventful flight from Grenada, I spent one day at my home in Asheville before embarking on another trip; this time, to Idaho. When I went to the airport that day, they informed us that our flight had been cancelled, due to strong weather, I guess. This flight is always very full and the ticket agent was trying to get everyone booked on alternate flights; even with other airlines. Fortunately, the other airline counters were rather quiet so they were able to help out. Anyway, we all got taken care of, one way or another; some people opted for other airports to see if they would have better luck. I got routed through Houston and had another uneventful flight all the way to Spokane, Washington, which is the closest airport to my destination. After collecting my luggage and renting a car, I was off to the beautiful countryside around Sandpoint, where my family lives.

Hello, everyone! It is another beautiful day in the tropics. It rained again last night but I think I was the only one awake at the time in the house to appreciate it. The rains are very short sometimes and end suddenly as if someone just turned off the faucet. No dripping afterwards! Strange. Anyway, I'm sure it will be hot and humid as ever here, but oh, the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing and the pool looks inviting, but not until later now. No more burns. I am celebrating the wearing of regular clothing again. One week was enough for me.

Oh, right, the picture! This is the scene on the other side of the wall from the house the kids are renting. The shadows are of a big tree next to the wall. We don''t see this from the house, as there is so much vegetation and the wall in the way, but it is right outside the gate. Look at the color of that water. Sooooo clear! Makes for very pleasant wading.

Moving On.....

Well, I was home for all of five days - just long enough for my dog to think that maybe I was home for good - but no, I was off to the sunny isle of Grenada. This island nation is not far from the equator so, yes, it is hot. But more than that, it is humid. What is it about me and humid areas, anyway? Kansas, Grenada, even North Carolina, where I live, and I don't particularly care for humidity. "Particularly care" is putting it mildly. The thing that gets me through it is air-conditioning and swimming pools. What wonderful inventions! But really, as long as I have access to those things, I can get by. And ceiling fans; gotta have ceiling fans to keep the air circulating. I can pretty much handle a non-air-conditioned room if there are well-functioning ceiling fans all over the place. So that way you can save the air-conditioning for the bedrooms, but you have to leave it on all the time because every once in a while you need to run in there for a few minutes of respite. And swimming pools; well, that's self-explanatory, I think. Anyway, as long as there are a few ways that I can cool down, I'm okay. Oh yes! And lots of water - cold water.

So I have been here a bit over a week now and I am sporting a new shoulder burn because the SPF50 didn't work on me and the last few nights have not been too comfortable but my son-in-law assures me that the pain should go away soon. It has been years since I last got this red, but it does seem to be letting up a bit. I am restricting my pool time to late afternoon/early evening.

I guess I should tell you why I came to Grenada anyway. My daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter are here as Matt is in medical school. They were here once before and I visited them twice then but this is my first time this year. It will by no means be the last as I can't be away from my family for too long. My granddaughter needs her Gramsy just as much as her gramsy needs her. They are renting a lovely little house down here that just happens to have a pool and it is right on the beach. They have a nice network of friends which I am getting to meet this time. They invite friends over for dinner or swimming and there are lots of tots for Gracie to play with.

Gracie, if you haven't guessed by now, is my beautiful 4 year old granddaughter. She is always full of energy and fun and we have wonderful times together. She comes in to greet me in the morning when she wakes up so that we can visit and talk about what we are going to do that day. At home I have a TV in my bedroom and she comes down the stairs every morning before her parents get up so we can watch childrens programs together. I really miss that when she is not there.

The beach is right outside their back gate and is a nice sandy beach with clear warm water. It is in a bay that opens up into the Atlantic but seems quite protected. The waves are not big crashers because this is the far end of a bay off the Atlantic, after all. You can, however, hear them when you are out in the backyard. There are cliffs to one side of the bay where you can climb around on the rocks and look for shells and little creatures. Because they are on the beach, there are a lot of crabs in their yard. Actually, there are a lot of crabs all over this island. Sometimes these crabs are red and hard-shelled and sometimes they are the soft-shelled blue crab. The blue crab is what inhabits their backyard. There are crab holes all over the place. Sometimes we wake up in the morning and find them in the pool . They are good sized animals and Matt catches them and either lets them go outside the gate on the beach side, or gives them to the neighbors. Evidently they are good eating; I wouldn't know.

The yard at this place is amazing. The owners hired a wonderful landscaper who really knew his stuff. It is a nice-sized area and flat with a slight curve to the drive and a nice turn-around in front of the garage. There is a high wall all around the property with arched gates at the entrance. The areas of lawn are not overly huge as they are cut up by the walkways. But the vegetation. Oh my. All kinds of palms, including coconut, dot the grounds and interspersed with them are papaya and mango trees, banana plants, key lime trees, almond trees, and local fruits that I have never seen or heard of outside of Grenada like wax apples, and a different type of cherry, something they call a golden apple that looks like no apple I have ever seen, along with passion fruit and I don't know what else. There are orchids and plumeria and bouganvilla and a large yellow bloom that grows all over the place here. There are red and pink and yellow blooms that look something like a cross between a bottlebrush and a mimosa bloom that grow on a bush that can be ten or more feet high, and thready, grassy plants that have tiny red flowers on them. Oh, yeah, remember the potted plants at the store that are tropical houseplants that we get in 4-inch pots and if we're lucky, we might get them to grow big enough to put in a 12-inch pot? I mean the plants with varigated oval-shaped leaves. Right, you know which ones I mean. Well, here they are about 10 to 15 feet tall and provide a lot of shade and privacy to the yard. I can only imagine how big the elephant ears would be if there were any in the yard. But it didn't always look like this, I am told. The landscaper brought in lots of special soil from up in the mountains and put it all over this place. About all that was here before he started were the bigger palms and I have no idea how big the plants were that he put in, but they are huge now and it has only been 7 years since everything was planted.

My kids tell me that the scuba diving in Grenada is great. They go when they can. Gracie stays with friends when they go. She does have her own set of snorkeling gear but I don't know if she has used it yet. She was practicing with it in the pool last night. I have never gone snorkeling (you won't see me scuba diving if I can help it) nor even tried on the gear so I tried on some while swimming last night. Interesting. Guess what. Pool bottoms are very boring. Marca offered to get some crabs to put in the pool. No, thank you, dear, I'm fine.

So maybe snorkeling wouldn't be so bad. I'm not fond at all of deep water but I am assured that you can snorkel in shallow water; but then, why would you need to snorkel? In shallow water you can already see everything. Which brings me to my next question: How shallow is shallow?

So now I am a few days from leaving and because of my sunburn, I still haven't gone anywhere except the grocery store and that was before I got it. But who needs to go anywhere when you've got such a beautiful place to stay and you are with the ones you love? I've got it pretty good for right now in spite of the raw feel to my skin and I can't complain.

One thing for sure, don't expect me to go swimming at noon any time soon.

I was watching a favorite TV show on travel and the host was talking about tea and how important it was in the particular country she was visiting. She was showing her TV audience how to make tea right and she said something to the effect of after boiling the water for tea, the person she was visiting always poured a tiny amount of the hot water into the teapot and swirled it around and then poured it out just before making the tea in it. And she said, “I don’t know why, but he always does!”

Here’s why. It’s boiling water. And he was pouring it into a glass teapot!!! If you have ever worked with glass, you know that you have to ease it into the heat. I have a feeling, from where she was, at the time that this occurred, that it was not very warm out. Having been in that general area, I know that the nights there are not warm and the days can be pretty nippy too. Which all makes the air temp inside a bit cooler. Which means that your teapot will probably be on the cooler side as well. And this applies to all kinds of teapots (except maybe the cast iron kind; I haven’t tested them yet). If you put something very hot into something cool, you’re going to run the risk of breakage. And if you’re using something very special, (ie: expensive, antique, a gift, souvenir, or in some other way, near and dear to your heart) you’re not going to want this to happen. Hence the hot water swish first. (Another thing that this does, by the way, is that it rinses out any loose particles of dust, soap, or whatever in the teapot.) Now you may say, “That’s not why we do it at all.” -or- “That has nothing to do with it.” Okay, you try making tea without doing that and see what happens. You may get lucky, then again, you may prove my point. Better to be safe than sorry.

There is however another way to do this. Simply fill the teapot with the hottest water from your faucet (providing it is more than just lukewarm and NOT boiling), put the lid on, and let it sit while you heat the water for tea. When your water is ready, turn off the burner (or whatever you’re using to heat it with), let the boiling water sit while you empty the teapot and put in your tea leaves or bags. Then pour in your hot water. Sometimes you will read that you should let the boiling water sit for a minute or two. That’s a good idea and essentially what you are doing.

Now here is something that goes right along with that. A lot of homes today are having granite or stone-like countertops put in. For some reason, they tend to be a bit cooler than the older formica kind. (Maybe because they are natural stone composites?) And since we especially like our hot tea or coffee or cider or hot chocolate when it’s cooler outside, then that means that yep, the air temp inside affects the counter temps as well. And don’t forget the teacups. Oh yeah. If you are using a teapot or coffee pot, you don’t have to worry about the teacups as much but sometimes we just make our brew directly in the cup. I have broken a few teacups because I poured the hot water directly into the cup that was sitting on a cool granite countertop. Here you have a nice crack-free teacup, solid, not flimsy at all, and as soon as you pour the hot water into it, there’s that little pop and your precious hot drink is flowing out from the bottom of this cup all over the counter……. and onto the floor. Mop, please.

Enter the hotpad. Yes, the hotpad, that lowly, essential, right-hand (and left) man (and woman) to every cook in the kitchen. The ones that selflessly give up their right to be clean at all times, that bear the marks of the burns received in their pursuit of duty; the ragged, stained…… Shall I go on? Okay. You know you have them like that. And you haven’t thrown them out yet because they still work and the next ones will look like that pretty quick anyway.

Look. You don’t put a hot dish right out of the oven on your good tabletop without using a trivet or a hotpad, do you? Well???? Right. Who wants that awful burn on there? Or that scalding mark?

But you don’t want the trivet for your cup because trivets are usually made of something hard. And we’re back to the cooler air temp, cooler hard surface thing again. Use a hotpad!!! Works for me!

Another tip. Coffee and tea stain. Badly. So if you do have nice hotpads that you keep for table use, don’t use those. Why? Have you ever met a coffee pot that doesn’t dribble? So here’s the solution:
1. Go to your friendly neighborhood discount store.
2. Pick out some of those thick terry dishcloths that come in about five or six to a pack, preferably white.
3. Buy them.

These are perfect. I keep one on my counter laid out nice and flat all the time. Then when I want a hot drink or a pot of tea, I put the pot or the cup or the bowl for my instant oatmeal on the cloth. It’s thick enough to be a insulating barrier between the cool counter and the pot or the cup or the bowl. If it gets stained, so what? There are more of them in a drawer right there. Use it to wash the dishes that you can’t put in the dishwasher. (Yes, they still make dishes that can’t go in there……even on the top rack.)

Then put out a clean one. Besides it’s always there to help clean up a drip or two . But do keep it clean. Don’t worry about the stains. You know what to do for that. Anyway, the thick terry cloth, by it’s very nature, is insulating and creates just what you need.

By the way, if your cup should still leak, you have an automatic sponge. Oh, yeah. Here’s something else. Don’t put the sugar for your drink in a cup (or bowl, etc, -especially a glass one) without something to mix with it (like milk) before you put in the hot liquid. It could explode. Literally. Really. It’s happened to me. Big mistake.

Another segue. I’m sure you’ve all heard that you have to be careful about spills on your ceramic stovetop. If you get sugar on that hot surface, it can crack it. No, I didn’t do that. But the manufacturer will tell you that and I’ve heard of it happening.

I think for right now we have exhausted that subject, so I'll let you go make that pot of wonderful, fragrant tea. I think I'm going to brew up some luscious strawberry tea or maybe blueberry, or maybe a good mango tea..........

We were there but 'I don't think we are in Kansas any more'

I am finally home from my trip to Kansas. While we had a wonderful time being together, I think we are all glad to be back home.

We visited several towns where ancestors homesteaded and made their mark in the world, and a few other interesting places as well. Western Kansas is flat and you imagine that you can see to the edge of the world. My cousin observed that you almost see the curve of the earth in the horizon. Now that's flat! The town of Kiowa was our destination there and it is a small, quiet little town with friendly people who know everyone and everything that is going on in town. Our cousin's daughter graduated from the eighth grade while we were there and her class had a total of thirteen students. The one motel (or hotel, if you like) had all of about eight rooms and was owned and operated by a very nice couple who had just moved there. They did all the work at the motel themselves. The motel had not changed it's decor since the fifties and was quite charming and comfortable. However, there was Direct-TV and a small fridge and microwave in each room.

After Kiowa we moved on to Hutchinson and Kansas was still flat. Hutchinson is a good - sized city and boasts a wonderful space and aeronautics museum. The moment you walk into the lobby of the museum , you know that this is a remarkable place. A full-sized replica of the Space Shuttle Endeavour is the first thing that you see but keep looking and you will find incredible treasures there. Look up and find an actual SR-71 Blackbird and a T-38 Talon. And there's so much more. A replica of the Glamorous Glennis is on display as well as the Liberty Bell 7 from the Mercury flights and Apollo 13's Odyssey. I will tell you no more about the Cosmospere; there is just too much to relate. It is part of the Smithsonian Institutes Affiliations Program. So if you ever find yourself in Kansas, go to "Hutch", as it's called locally, and check it out.

For some reason, our next stop, Wichita, reminded me a little of downtown Spokane, Washington, although I suppose that most larger cities look quite a bit alike in their downtown section. This is my father's hometown and so we went in search of his boyhood home and his high school. The high school looked just as I remembered it, except for the toilet paper hanging from the trees as a graduation celebration or decoration of sorts, I imagine. Wichita North is an imposing structure and is in beautiful condition for a school built in 1928. (The outside of the building, anyway; we didn't go inside.) The building is adorned with beautiful carved and colored stonework in murals. Even the flagpole boasts carvings or castings of buffalo heads and eagles. It is the only high school I have ever seen in Wichita but it was definitely worth seeing again. After much deliberation, (because we couldn't remember the street number) we found the house Dad grew up in and an aunt's house where my mother lived for a while. Let me point out that my father wasn't with us and this was not his side of the family that was doing the looking because I'm very sure that he would have remembered which house. But we were finally rewarded for our efforts and all was well. However, Kansas was still flat.

As we drove northeast, the terrain began to change and small hills formed. Another thing that surprised us was the number of small oil wells in people's fields. Some were rusty-looking and not in use at the moment, if at all anymore, but some were still drawing oil. I had no idea there was oil in any abundance there, but we were next door to Oklahoma. I guess it stands to reason, then, that maybe there would be oil there as well. Kansas now was not completely flat, but you could still see forever, it seemed.

Our next destination was the town of Paola; not too big a town but big enough. We found our way to the historical museum in town which is very near the town square - only they don't call it that. I think they said it is the park square because of an interesting story. That plot of land was given to the town by it's namesake, Baptiste Paola, who an Indian. It was given to the town with the condition that if anything was ever built on it, or any part of it was taken for some other purpose than the one it was intended for, the town would go to the Indians in the area. So there. It was intended to be a park and a place for people to enjoy and especially for children to play in and that is the way it has stayed. That's the story anyway.

Paola became our hub for the excursions of the next few days. We made trips to cemeteries and tiny communities that are much quieter now than they were in years past, I think: anywhere that might help us find out more about our family's past. The town of Osawatomie, where John Brown lived is also the birthplace of my mother and we spent a great deal of time there. Both my grandfather and great-grandfather were telegraphers with the Missouri-Pacific Railroad and there is a railroad museum there that is an exact replica of the old railway station that had seen better days. We looked for the house that they lived in there but, although we had pictures of it, we only had one with an address and it couldn't be found. It seems a year ago there was a flood and the house that it might have been had been torn down. Oh well. But when you go and ask questions of the neighbors, you meet all kinds of interesting people. The man who lived next door was a cartoonist for the local paper. We began to look for his work after that.

All this time the weather had been perfect: warm, with a light breeze, and very low humidity. Not at all the Kansas that I remembered as a girl. That changed one night with a terrific storm that woke everyone up. Fortunately, it was just a thunderstorm and nothing more, but it sure changed the weather. I felt like saying, "Oh, there you are," the next morning as this was the Kansas that I remembered. Except it was cold. But very humid. Somebody must have gotten more than the thunderstorm. After a day spent in Fredonia, again looking for lost relatives at the local museum, we came to Friday morning and it was time to say our farewells. My cousin, aunt and I drove back to Wichita and my uncle and aunt from Albuquerque headed back to New Mexico. Friday night found us tired but pleased with the results of our trip and after another thrilling storm, the next morning we all headed out of Kansas to our various homes. So here we all are now, and our trip is physically over. Now begins the task of sorting pictures and documents; going through the mail that has undoubtedly piled up at everyone's houses, just like it has at mine, and trying to catch up on whatever we have to catch up on.

One last thing. I just wanted to say that all the time we were in Kansas, we did NOT see Dorothy or Toto, but we DID see a sign that told us we were on the Yellow Brick Road.

Mother's Day

My daughter sent me a special message for mother's day. I thought I would share it here.

Time for Tea

Good Morning! It is a beautiful morning and I am just sitting down to a cup of tea. This is my daily ritual- a cup of tea in the morning and a perusal of my thoughts and dreams. I am beginning this morning after much persuasion from my daughter to blog. She has set up this blog for me and now I must get to the business of writing my thoughts and travels here.

So, to begin this morning, I am going to be quiet and just share my thoughts in pictures. Enjoy!







Just a little trip back to Northern England where my daughter lived for a year. Sigh. Miss that beautiful place.