The Longest Day

How did you spend "the longest day"? From here on out, each day will just get shorter and shorter, until the cycle starts all over again, of course. Yesterday we had 15 hours, 22 minutes, and 7 seconds of daylight. 

It was a perfect day to spend in nature. Lunch was complete with fresh foods of the season: blueberries, strawberries, Rainier cherries, and sweet onions. Fresh and local food is such a delight!

Sudo enjoyed the longest day too. She experienced her first visit to "the woods". She did quite well for a city dog. She loved attacking the pillows on the cabin sofas and took naps on a plaid, wool blanket. Actually, she took her naps burrowed under the wool blanket. She loves to be covered up! Later, she took a very long walk and actually wore herself out and begged to be carried for awhile.

There was a chill in the air and a campfire was welcoming and warming.

The wildflowers of the woods are transitioning into summer flowers. It seems like those plants that bloom with red blossoms don't show up until June. The Indian Paintbrush is lining "Paintbrush Lane" aka the winding road from gate to cabin.

Yesterday there were 24 hours of daylight at the North Pole. We didn't get close to that here, but the day was amazing anyway. How did you spend your longest day?

Happy summer!

Today I am linking up to Bernideen's Tea in the Garden

Good morning, Sudo!

Good morning, good morning! Sudo is a sleepy-head today. She is not an early riser! Her sleepy eyes mask the intense energy that she usually exhibits! As I mentioned before, she's staying here for awhile while her master and mistress travel. She's settled in very well. She's still bugging Ms. Schnauzer with much attention, but the two are finding balance in their friendship (or lack thereof). Sudo would enjoy more play while Ms. Schnauzer spends her time hiding out most of the day by my pillow on the bed. Silly dogs!

Sudo is an Italian Greyhound, but the breed is called Iggy or I.G. by those who are affectionados of this type of dog. The Iggy is the smallest of the sighthounds. And Sudo, being the runt of her litter, is on the small side of the smallest. She's a tiny, slight little thing. Iggy's are the "toy" version of the full grown greyhounds, but remain a true genetic greyhound. Their bloodline is documented over 2,000 years. Iggy's, like other greyhounds, have a distinctive gait that reminds me a bit of a horses gallop. Sudo also exhibits the distinctive trait of walking on three legs with one held high and out of the way. And she can run like the wind! Her favorite game of all is "chase" and she wears the humans out in the family in short order. She, on the other hand, never seems to tire.

Sudo seems to think that anyone and everyone will love her. And they do. She loves people, although has a genetic trait of aloofness. These traits exhibit themselves in both ways --- on a whim! Sudo could aptly be described as athletic, agile, companionable, mischievous, intelligent, and affectionate. She really is a dear.

Cherries at the Market

The first of summer produce is now available in Farmer's Markets and fruits stands here in the basin. Today a trip to the Country Store was high on the "to do" list. 

We discovered a party-like atmosphere at the market. A Corvette Club scheduled a stop there. They were there, mostly by couples, enjoying free samples of apple juice, salsa, jams, and hand-made candies. The store manager was carrying a tray of cherry-chocolate truffles around to customers so they could sample them. It was all quite amazing! An event within a store with party-goers mixed in with the walk-in clientele. How fun is that? For some, great fun, but it was hard to shop, so I found a quiet corner in the store: the gift shop. I fell in love with this little bulletin board. And look! There's even a cute little copper tea kettle on it.

Soon the store had a more manageable number of customers and I was able to find what I came for. Cherries! The first of the season. Rainiers. They are a delicious mix of sweet with just the right amount of tartness. And they are pretty too!

After our selections were made and paid for we headed back to the parking lot. We'd parked at the far end of the parking lot where no other cars were parked. But wait! Did I mention that the Corvette Club was there? Two of the Corvette drivers had purposefully driven to the far end of the parking lot and one had parked on each side of Rylan's Mustang. They were making some kind of point, although I have no idea what it was. I found it amusing. Rylan just said "Hurry up, mom. It's time to go home." And we did.

Alma's Rhubarb Cake

Rhubarb is a family staple. My father loves rhubarb! Every year my mother would make a vast quantity of rhubarb sauce and freeze it for winter use. And my father would savor every bite. His favorite way to eat rhubarb sauce is over cottage cheese, but he loves pies and cakes made with rhubarb as well. As far as he is concerned, I don't think that there is anything bad that can be made out of rhubarb. It is a food he loves!

Alma indulges him in his love for rhubarb too. One of the things she makes out of rhubarb is this recipe for cake. It is superb!

Alma's Rhubarb Cake

Bottom layer:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1 egg

Make into crumbs, adding the egg {beaten} last. Press into an 8 x 10 inch pan, reserving 1 cup and set it aside.

Filling:

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup flour

Mix well. Then add:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup margarine, melted

Pour this over bottom layer. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture on the top, spreading evenly.

Make a mixture of:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Sprinkle on top. Take at 350 degrees F. for one hour.

Favorite Things

Favorite things. . .sunshine streaming in a window.

And a walk in the woods. . .

Observing clouds as they sail through the sky. . .

Girl time with a daughter. . .

And quiet time to stitch. . .

Conversations with one I hold dear. . .

And tea with a friend.

Finding quirky things I like as I am out and about. . .

And the last of the summer roses. What are your favorite things?

Happy Repose

"Nowhere is the English genius of domesticity more notably evident than in the festival of afternoon tea. The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose."  

 

George Gissing

Alma's Festive Morning French Toast

Sharing tea with Alma is always a treat!

The Chew on Tuesday had a feature called "The Iron Grandma Brunch Battle". Three grandmother's were selected to prepare and share their favorite brunch recipes. A panel of three distinguished judges gave the "Iron Grandma" award to Mama T for her delicious overnight French toast recipe. While viewing, I realized a similarity to Alma's delicious company breakfast French toast. It's perfect for company because you can prepare it the evening before and place it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, simply pop into the oven to bake for 45 minutes and then set on the table to serve. Simply add juice or tea. This dish contains carbs, protein, and fruit. It's a one-dish meal. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as our family does.

Alma's Festive Morning French Toast

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

3 tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (Granny Smith)

1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1 loaf Italian or French bread (cut into 1-inch slices)

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Combine brown sugar, butter and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Add apples and cranberries; toss to coat well.  Spread apple mixture evenly over bottom of baking dish.  Arrange slices of bread on top.

Mix eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining 2 tsp. cinnamon until well blended.  Pour mixture over bread, soaking bread completely.  Cover and refrigerate 4 - 24 hours.

Bake covered with aluminum foil, in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake 5 minutes.  Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

Makes 12 servings.

*To veganize, substitute almond or soy milk for dairy milk. Instead of eggs, use a block of tofu that's blended with 1/2 to 3/4 cup water. Use Earth Balance or olive oil to replace butter. Easy.

Alma is modeling a teapot purse. Size extra-large!
You could fit  your stash of cosmetics in this handbag.

Tipping the Pansy Teacup

 

It's been fun sharing about pansies this week. They are such a friendly, expressive flower. Just looking at their happy faces makes me smile! I hope you've enjoyed learning about these garden friends. I have a few more things to share about pansies today. Today's post is a bit of an assortment of ideas related to pansies. Please bear with me and next week we'll start a new topic with a bit more clarity than what you're seeing here today.

 

Pansies are a subject that's photographed and painted fairly often. They can be found on stationary, gift wrap, or in magazines. Clip art of pansies can be found on the Internet as well. Here's a craft project with which you can use the pansy pictures you like (or color photocopy them so you don't destroy the original) to make stickers. Everyone loves stickers! They are fun for children and adults alike. They can be used to stick on envelopes, assignments, packages, and more.  Some people create entire journals or books filled with stickers!  Making your own stickers out of magazine pictures, wallpaper samples, gift wrap, or drawings is even more fun!  You can even use old greeting cards and family photos.

Homemade Stickers
Here's a recipe for this fun craft.

2 parts white glue
1 part white vinegar

1)  Create a sticker sheet by gluing pictures on an 8 x 11 sheet of paper or by sketching them on.  Color if desired.

2)  Photocopy on a color copy machine.

3)  Coat the entire back of the page with the white glue/white vinegar mixture.

4)  Allow page to dry completely.

5)  Apply a second coat of white glue/white vinegar mixture.  

6)  Allow page to dry completely.

7)  Using scissors, cut out pictures to create stickers.  Leave a small, white border around each picture.

8)  To use, moisten back of sticker and apply to page, envelope, or more.



 

And look! Yesterday when shopping for groceries at the supermarket, I saw the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. On the front cover was a cake decorated with pansies. How fun! I did not copy her with my series this week, but I wonder...did she copy me? Of course not, but it is fun to imagine. 

Pansies can be found in my bedroom too. This little bird's nest is hanging on the wall and little silk pansies add color and flair.

Above the bed is a watercolor painting of pansies. It was painted by my mother whose love for pansies was so genuine and deep!

Dad and Alma have been here to visit this week. Here's dad, tipping his pansy teacup to you! He's saying: "Hello, friends! I'm glad you've stopped by my daughter's blog today." Dad does not know a stranger. We went to town yesterday and he befriended everyone in his path.

Lastly, yesterday while shopping I came across two beautiful planters of pansies at a pretty art and decorating shop. They were abundant! Blooms were spilling over the sides of the planters. Such cheer! Such joy! Such delight!

Enjoy a happy and blessed day!

Pansy Faces

Royale Garden Bone China
Staffs, England

My mother’s favorite flower was the pansy. It was her lifelong favorite, with no deviation or change of thought. Although she loved all flowers and had a degree in botany, the humble pansy was always her favorite. As a child, I remember her showing me how each pansy had a face. And each face was unique and expressive in its own way. It seems especially meaningful to me now that she is gone that the pansy means “thought” or “remembrance”. The word itself can be traced back to the French word, pensée. The pansy is a flower with several nicknames. Each name was given because of a specific quality applied to this flower. My favorites are “Jump Up and Kiss Me” and “Heart’s Ease”. Or how about this one --- Three Faces Under a Hood”? Sometimes the pansy is called “Viola Tricolor”. Other names referenced are “Cull Me to You”, “Tickle My Fancy”, "Live in Idleness”, “Kiss Her in the Pantry”, “Johnny Jump Up”, “Monkey Faces”, “Peeping Tom”, and “Three Faces in a Hood”. So many names for one simple, little flower!

In “Language of Flowers” by Kate Greenaway, pansies are said to represent “thoughts”. In Victorian times, a maiden found a pansy that was left by an admirer, it meant that “I am thinking of our forbidden love”. It was much more romantic to let her know by giving her the flower rather than putting it in writing or saying out loud. But, the custom did not go both ways! If a lady gave a pansy to a man she admired, it was considered bad luck! Times surely have changed!

Dorothea Dix, an American nurse and activist who lived in the Civil War era seemed to admire the pansy too. She said that “perhaps no flower...claims to be so universal a favorite, as the viola tricolor; none currently has been honored with so rich a variety of names, at once expressive of grace, delicacy and tenderness.”

Another famous American was Clyde Tombaugh. He was an astronomer who made discoveries in our solar system. But clearly he didn't always look up. It appears that he also took time to appreciate little things close to the ground, like pansies. He is famous for asking "how does a pansy, for example, select the ingredients from soil to get the right colors for the flower? Now there's a great miracle. I think there's a supreme power behind all of this. I see it in nature".

The pansy is an edible plant. Both the blossoms and the leaves are safe to eat. References in the past show that the leaves were used by the Celts to make tea (actually a tisane, which they used as a love potion) and Culpeper, a 17th century English writer, refers to a syrup made from the flowers that was used medicinally to cure certain unsavory diseases.

The pansy is the subject of legend and lore in every culture where this pretty flower blooms. I especially enjoyed learning what American pioneers thought of this flower. They felt that if they picked a handful of these flowers in the spring and brought them into the farmhouse, prosperity would ensue. If the custom was neglected, harm would come to their baby chicks and ducklings. Pioneer children made dolls out of the pansy blossom. Using the pansy flower for the faces, they would add leaf skirts and twigs for arms and legs. So beautifully inventive!

I am linking this post to Bernideen's Tea Time Blog "Open House" meme today.

The Boy's Cup

In a pocket of his knapsack he'd found a last half packet of cocoa and he fixed it for the boy and then poured his own cup with hot water and sat blowing at the rim.

You promised not to do that, the boy said.

What?

You know what, Papa.

He poured the hot water back into the pan and took the boy's cup and poured some of the cocoa into his own and then handed it back.

I have to watch you all the time, the boy said.

Cormac McCarthy
The Road


S E L F L E S N E S S 

Poetry in Word & Picture

April is National Poetry Month. It was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 and has continued on for every April thereafter. It is a time when schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets throughout the United States celebrate poetry and the place it holds in American culture. Each year my blogging friend, Christy, celebrates this month on her blog 'Gathering Around the Table' by posting poetry that speaks to her heart. Today I am joining her in this quest.

Four days
Her petals furled
Gainst chilling wind and rain.
Came sun and rose disclosed her heart
Purr gold

Emma Berthelot

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

William Wordworth

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of 
strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something 
infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature— the assurance
that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.

Rachel Carson

The photo is of Sally, who is poetry in a picture.

Tea with Auntie

"Really? You brought me to Starbucks to have tea with auntie?"

"I'm pretty serious about not liking tea very much."

"But thank you, I do like the little Easter lamb she brought for me."

~

How to order yummy tea at Starbucks.

Ask for:

Awake Tea

with 

Vanilla Syrup

and

Soy Milk

YUMMY!

~

L a n d o n   L o v e 

&

L o n d o n   F o g

The Tea Maker

The traditional tea kettle will never go out of style at our house...

...but someone here ordered a new tea maker last week and when they opened a box that UPS delivered, I was surprised and delighted with its contents!

It's a simple, efficient, and high-tech way to make a perfect cup of tea. And it really does make a perfect cup! In fact, it makes an entire pot of perfect tea! There are many choices: green, black, white, herbal, oolong, and custom. And you can decide if you want it to be strong, medium, mild, or custom. There's an option for hot water alone. A timer for auto starting. And a button to push if you want to keep things warm after brewing.

The brewing basket is large, with lots of space for tea leaves to float around so they brew properly and to maximum effect. When the button is pushed to start tea making, the water temperature rises to the appropriate temperature for the kind of tea being brewed. Once the proper temperature is reached, the basket slowly glides down a jug post where it is magnetically attached. It brews a perfect amount of time and then slowly glides upwards and out of the hot water (now tea). 

The "keep warm" setting keeps the tea at exactly the right temperature. For the next 60 minutes, a just right cup of tea can be poured.

And best of all, the person who ordered the tea maker also ordered a box of wonderful, fragrant, and varied tea leaves for the enjoyment of all. Such a generous spirit. Tea delight for all!

Someone asked the brand. It is a Breville. Enjoy!

Adventures in Soap Making

Winter days are short. Without flowers, gardens, and sunshine they can become dreary. We've had a series of overcast days recently. Until yesterday, the sun hadn't been seen for weeks. It's at times like this that it is helpful to try doing something new and different.

So, we decided to make soap. We've made some kinds of soaps before using the French mill process and glycerin gel soaps. But, this was our first attempt at making soaps the old-fashioned way.

Ingredients like pumice powder, ground walnut shells, and bamboo extract were carefully measured into a small bowl.

A programmable computer chart helped us decide percentages of butters and oils to put into the mix. Avocado butter, rice bran oil, coconut butter, olive oil, and caster oil were some we selected from. Each has its own quality and fragrance.

The kitchen was given the respect of a chemistry lab when the sodium hydroxide lye came out. Goggles, rubber gloves, lots of ventilation, and a large bucket were helpful tools in keeping us safe when we used this helpful product.

The soap mold was carefully prepared. Oils were heated to just the right temperature. Liquid and lye were carefully mixed together and then carefully added to the oils. Stirring and the addition of fragrance and cosmetic aids were added.

Everything was timed and calculated with care. Our first batch was a very masculine soap, but one that is an exotic "designer" soap to be sure! Pumice powder and activated charcoal were key ingredients to the "stone-like" bars of soap.

The second batch of soap involved the development of a special recipe for "black tea soap". It smells heavenly! Containing lots of real tea, a blend of special oils, and a special crock-pot method for soap mixing, it turned out perfectly and smells good enough to eat (oh, I mean to drink, of course).

The soaps are curing now. When they are ready, I'll try to remember to post a picture for you to see.