A POEM FOR TODAY

Tea

"The first cup moistens
my lips and throat.
The second shatters
my loneliness.
The third causes the wrongs
of life to fade gently
from my recollection.
The fourth purifies my soul.
The fifth lifts me
to the realms
of the unwinking gods."

Chinese Mystic Tang Dynasty

HALLOWEEN AT OUR HOUSE

The rains left and a wonderful cold front moved in, making for a perfect Halloween Night. The kids reported it was the best one yet. I never tire of watching them get so excited and getting so much joy out of trick or treat night... David only has another year left of getting to enjoy this, so he wanted to make the most of the evening and he certainly did. He got more compliments from the adults 35 and over than the kids. I suspect they took a trip down memory lane with his ensemble.

Oh, and the stairwell in the photos? Yes, it is the very one where some rather strange things have occured. Well, we have had a few strange things happen this week and something very strange happened last night at the top of the stairs, but I will save that tale for another time........


( Me with the kids just as the early round of trick or treaters were arriving)


(Katie as a bee)


(My son was really getting into the whole 80's rock star thing)


(David channeling his best Joe Elliott(Def Lep)...and yes, that was MY Union Jack shirt once upon a time:-D )


(We saw a beautiful double rainbow just before sundown)


( Me and Katie :)...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!



From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

~Traditional Scottish prayer

Tea, Ch’a, te, thee, or Chai? Oh..My!



Have you even wondered where tea got its name or why it wasn’t named something else like Camellia? After all, it is made from the dried leaves of Camellia Sinensis plant. Tea is the English name that we are all familiar with, but at one time it was called tee or tay. In India, it is actually called cha or chai. The name varied depending on which trade route was taken when the product was brought into a particular country. For instance, when it arrived in Russia and Arabia, from China, it was given the Mandarin word, cha. The word cha was used in India, Persia, and Japan with the Arab nations deciding upon, shai. Tibet used, ja, and chay was the Turkish word applied. Furthermore, when the Portuguese purchased tea from China, the trade came through the port of Maoco where the Mandarin word cha had developed into a Cantonese version of Ch’a. Dutch tea ships frequented the port of Amoy in China’s Fujian Province and therefore adopted the local word, te, which is pronounced tay. It was then changed to thee. Since the Dutch were the chief traders of tea to Europe, among other countries, the peculiar drink became known as tea or tee in England. In France it was called the`; thee in Germany; and te in Italy, Spain, Denmark, Norway, and Hungary. The word continued to vary and alter from country to country.

Just a bit of tea-trivia for you.....

AN EVENING OF GHOSTS AND TEA


(Jennifer Miller and Laura Edwards)

Early Saturday evening, 7 members and guests of the Ladies Historical Tea Society gathered at the home of Natalie Ferguson for high tea and tales of the bizarre and unexplained. We served a meal of Creamy tomato basil soup, herb and cheese pie, ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches, and English custard-filled tea cake. Our teas were the tea society’s Lavender and Black Ceylon. All ladies in attendance dressed in reproduction or period- inspired clothing, some resurrecting Edwardian attire, while others revisited the 1860’s. This event is truly one of the few where all attendees are urged to dress in period clothing. Though period dress is always encouraged, it is by no means a prerequisite for events. I have found, however, that doing so creates a nostalgic atmosphere, and serves to fashion the perfect ambiance for a Halloween event.

The theme of the evening, being of course ghost stories, stems not from a particular fascination with Halloween per se, but out of a fascination with how the Victorians were very much intrigued with Spiritualism and the paranormal. It is interesting to note that this fascination was indeed widespread and not at all confined to the lower classes or poorly educated. A great number of periodicals of the day centered on spiritualism, reaching a vast learned audience. The interest was not isolated to modest country dwellings; it extended into grand parlors of the most highly respected families, challenging the “intellectuals”, who prided themselves on their superior sophistication as advocates of industry and modernism. Ironically, it was within the homes of the elite, where most of the dabbling transpired. For they had the wealth and social standing to attract the most prestigious Victorian citizens into their grand homes where they would solicit the services of spiritual mediums to conduct experiments in contacting the dearly departed.


(Polly Singer and Natalie Ferguson)


(The Fox Sisters of New York- From left to right: Margaret, Kate, and Leah-Image from Wikipedia)

The new ‘conjurers of the dead’ came to England in the 1850’s by way of America. Three sisters in particular, the Fox sisters, were perhaps the most well known mediums of the era, having given birth to the movement at their New York home in 1848. They became known for their great abilities to communicate with the deceased through spiritual messages and summoning spirits through table turning and spiritual rapping. This practice became a huge phenomenon in England, inspiring social events around practices in spiritualism. Even grand tea parties, where a séance was the theme of the afternoon, would not have been all together unheard of.


(Jenni,Polly, Rebecca, and Laura)

Happily, there were no séances at the Tea Society’s event but we did share many tales of the paranormal including some eye-witness accounts of the unexplained. Member, Polly Singer shared a wonderful historical overview of Loudon House in Lexington, Kentucky, whose sister house in New York, served as the backdrop for the Dark Shadows series. She shared a detailed map of hauntings from the house, along with personal experiences when she worked there: Radios turning on by themselves, the sounds of a party when no one was in the house, the sensation of being watched, and images of spectral ‘statues’ appearing in windows for select passersby to see. Others read tales from Dickens and some more obscure authors, while I shared the tale of Lord Rossmore’s Banshee, from a collection of stories compiled by Reverend John Seymour, found in a compilation of Irish Ghost Stories. Two members shared of their own personal accounts with levitation. I also shared of the sometimes peculiar things that have happened here at our house. I, and others, have smelled roses and lilac water in the dead of February. My husband smells cigarette and cigar smoke. We had a visitor see an apparition of a woman in white in our stairwell, and I once heard running upstairs when my son was fast asleep in his bed, and I was the only one in the house. All made for a splendid evening to leave each guest pondering the unexplained things that go bump in the night.

I wish to thank Natalie Ferguson for hosting the event and making the delicious custard-filled tea cake. I also want to thank all in attendance for making the evening so much fun. Without each of you, I would be left to dream away and merely fantasize about sharing my rather peculiar interest in tea culture. Thank you for the gracious indulgence!

Rebecca

A VICTORIAN GHOST STORY TEA EVENT




This is shaping up to be a busy week for me with preparations for our Victorian Ghost Story Tea event. I have nearly completed the menu and have finalized my Edwardian-inspired touring ensemble. I am now putting the finishing touches on my hat. For this event, members have been asked to not only dress in Victorian or Edwardian-inspired attire, but to also share a ghost story with the group as we share ‘high tea’ on Saturday, October 24th. Natalie, from ZipZip’s Vintage sewing blog, will be allowing use of her beautiful home in Lexington for our evening of tea and reverie, as my house is under renovation and restoration, which will be continuing all through the winter months as well.

I have read a number of interesting ghostly accounts on many blogs which I frequent. Willow certainly has oodles to share at the manor. If any fellow bloggers and frequenters to the Tea Society would like to share some of their stories in the comments to this post, please feel free to do so. I am always eager to hear of a good ghostly story. I am not much on gore, but I delight in a good re-telling of a spectral encounter.
Ta, ta!
R

THE BOND OF FRIENDSHIP



Have you ever had one of those rare friends with whom just being in their presence made you a better person? Someone who listens to you so intently, truly valuing your opinion and interested in what you have to say about a myriad of topics? Well, I have such a friend, and I count myself among the very fortunate to know this wonderful woman. We first met nearly 17 years ago as undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky. We connected almost immediately and would become very close over the next couple of years. She was also a bridesmaid in our wedding, and a cherished friend through a devastating loss that I experienced. After losing touch for almost 10 years, we at long last reconnected last year and reveled in our mutual love of, you guessed it, tea. Though we drank it in college we never seemed to understand its powers to heal, unite, and comfort. It was truly as if no time had passed at all between us. Our conversations seemed to pick up where we last left them, as if no life experiences had happened to either of us.

We now endeavor to get together once a month so we seized the moment on Saturday and took advantage of the sunshine and drying weather. We bundled up in our coats and scarves, as the projected high for the day was a chilly 40 degrees. We met that morning (she coming from the west and I from the east) and ventured North, just beyond Louisville, into Indiana where we spent half the day at Huber’s Orchard and Winery. As we drove along the winding passes we first came upon a beautiful old Catholic Church, St. Josephs Hill. The church stood in all her glory, steeple-adorned cross extending high into the heavens, with a church cemetery resting in front of the structure.. As we rounded the corner, I caught a glimpse of a marker with a Celtic cross and felt a tingling inside of me. I so firmly believe in ancestral ties and perhaps mine were nudging me at the moment. Then I glanced up on the hill as a priest was leading a procession from the entrance. What the event was, a funeral mass perhaps, I can’t be sure, but it took my breath away. We continued over hills, down into valleys, surrounded by an autumnal palette of crimson, rust, and golden yellow. I felt jovial that October was shining in all her glory, and that we were a part of that. As we arrived, we decided to make our way to the winery first. It was much larger than most of the wineries I’ve been to, save the Biltmore Estate, and was getting quite crowded. After we took the tasting we explored the grounds and the many farmers’ market type facilities with a plethora of pumpkins and apples to choose from. We sampled delicious apple cider and some of the bakery’s jalapeno cheddar bread, and perused the seemingly endless shelves of relishes, herbs, spices, curds, preserves, marmalades, and jams. I also discovered a lovely little cookbook on cooking with herbs which I decided to add to my cookbook collection. Much of our afternoon was just spent strolling over the vast farm, having a late lunch, talking, and laughing, lots of laughing! I highly recommend a day like this with a close friend. It’s wonderful for the soul to laugh until you nearly cry, to feel so excited to be in the company of someone with whom you share so much in common, but above all, someone with whom you respect beyond words...

With all the waxing poetic, dear Kimberly, if you are reading this entry, thank you for being a wonderful friend. I am so grateful that it was you sitting in front of me in our writing class so many years ago. Thank you for being who you are- a lovely wonderful person with whom I am so very honored to know.
R


(Winery)


(Kimberly and me- 1994 at my Bridal Shower)

SOUP FOR THE SOUL



Today is the perfect day here in Central Kentucky for a hot cuppa tea and a bowl of hot soup. The rain has passed but the cold chill of autumn remains.

I thought the Churchill Blue Willow cups would make this delicious soup, look even more appetizing. It's fun to serve soup in teacups, especially when children are at the lunch table. My two young ones lit up with excitement when they saw me bring this to the table.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
(4 servings)

4 tomatoes - seeded and diced
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh sweet basil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
pepper to taste
teaspoon of sugar if using Roma Tomatoes

DIRECTIONS
1.Heat tomatoes and juice in a pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the pot.
2.Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with pepper and add sugar for a sweeter soup. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil. Serve with crisp crackers.

*Salt may also be added, but the tomato juice that I use is salty enough*

TEA BLENDING TALK WITH THE BLUEGRASS HERB GUILD


Last evening I had the pleasure of speaking on the art of tea blending to the Bluegrass Herb Guild in Lexington, KY. Their graciousness and hospitality so delighted me, as at times I am pressed to find those with true interest in the wonderful benefits both mentally and physically of tea. The evening began with a splendid sampling of delectable herb and spice filled- dishes and the most wonderful conversations. Polly Singer then introduced me to the group, and I began the program where I shared information on the most common types of tea, the differences between true herbal tea blends (They must have a black or green tea base.) and Herbal tisanes and infusions (There is no true tea base, but merely a liquid rendered through steeping the herb...), and the joy of concocting your own brews in the comfort of your own kitchen. I shared some blend and infusion recipes with all in attendance, then selected four attendees to receive samples of my own blend of lavender tea. My eleven year old son referred to the blend as a “drink from heaven”. With a grand endorsement like that, I felt confident in sharing the blend! I want to thank Polly for inviting me to present the program to this wonderful group of gardeners, herbalists, and hopefully, soon to be tea enthusiasts. I am excited to be a new member of this guild and look forward to getting to know this wonderful group. What a perfect way to spend a cold rainy night in October!

AND HIS ATTIRE....





Oh, My!....Am I ever glad that I agreed to attend the ball with him!!!

THE BALL AT WILLOW MANOR


At long last, the social event of the season has arrived! The Ball at Willow Manor is here and I finally narrowed down my dress selection....This is the lovely ensemble I selected..Someone told me that actress Jennifer Garner had her eye on it, but I managed to get first choice...



I am delighted that the stunningly handsome and roguish Gerard Butler kept calling me until I finally agreed to attend with him...

IN HONOR OF PAULA

February 6, 1947-October 3,2009



In memory of Mrs.Paula Burris Porter,dearest friend and cherished Tea sister. Tea Society members have been invited to honor Paula on this blog during the coming days. To begin our tribute, I wanted to share the following poem which was read yesterday at her funeral.

The Dash
by Linda Ellis


I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

© 1996 Linda Ellis

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY



Many of the readers of this blog have followed past entries about my trips to Franklin, TN. I try to make it to this charming little town at least twice a year. As I am a staunch traditionalist, I have a great fondness for ritual, and I certainly have some personal rituals that I practice in regards to my excursions. This could include which shops to frequent first or which day to plan tours and sightseeing excursions. However, Mother Nature had better plans for my Mother and me on our last visit this past weekend. We encountered substantial amounts of rain which indeed resulted in our canceling a cemetery walking tour as well as a tour of the Historic Lotz House and Franklin battlefield. Nevertheless, we were determined to spend our weekend scouring the many antiques and specialty shops that draw us to this charming little Southern town. I did manage to find a lovely Tea Cup and saucer that I have tucked away for the Tea Society’s Christmas exchange. Therefore, I must refrain from posting details or a photograph as to not spoil the surprise, should any of the members read this entry. We can use some pleasant surprises in this troubled world and well, as mundane as this may sound, seeing happiness over a small surprise like a tea cup brings great joy to me.

In addition to blogging about some terrific finds over the last two years, I have also written a cautious warning to never let a treasure pass you by, for if you have the finances with you and walk away you will certainly regret not grabbing hold of the golden pot when you had the chance. Unfortunately, I did not heed my own advice last weekend and passed up the most smashing piece of millinery that I have seen in some time, a lovely wide brimmed Edwardian-inspired hat covered in sheer gray/blue and black fabric with feathers and a fabric bow embellishment. Not a day has passed, since our return, when I have not reflected on that lovely headpiece and how it framed my face perfectly. In fact, I have taken to naming the missed purchase. I have begun to think of it as “Elizabeth”, as calling it “the hat” seems so inappropriate for such a lovely creation. That’s also my daughter’s middle name so it seems beyond debate. I have looked at the clothing in my closets and found at least three outfits that would have paired perfectly with “Elizabeth”. I began to visualize wearing “her” to tea events as well as to church and many other outings. The torture is consuming me. My dear husband has repeatedly asked why I did not purchase the piece when I had the opportunity. The only response I could muster was that pure guilt prevented me from doing so; guilt of the expense to some degree, but also guilt that I would be spending the money on something that only I could utilize. I also began to rationalize all the repairs before us at this old house, holiday shopping, and anything else one can think of. Then, I began mourning the piece. Trivial? Perhaps, but I have fallen in love and there is no logic where love is concerned. So, I have decided to contact the antique shop and inquire if I might be able to purchase this wonderful gem, and have it shipped to me as a 40th birthday present to myself. Perhaps the one that got away might yet be within my grasp ....

To be continued......

ODE TO AUTUMN
( Autumn by Arthur Hacker c. 1905 )

As I sip some delectable Black Chai Tea this week, I wish each of you a very Happy Autumn from the Tea Society......

Ode to Autumn
John Keats


Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimmed their clammy cell.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir, the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

TARA'S WALK

Just the other day as Tara (our Greyhound) and I were taking our evening walk, I stopped for a moment to note that the air was very different. Gone was the heavy laborious humidity of late summer; in its place, crisp cool air to fill ones lungs with ease. Tara was actually the first to notice this peculiar alteration as she lifted her long regal head, tilted it ever so slightly and breathed slowly. This brought a smile to my face and immediately slowed our normally fast-paced fifteen minute constitutional down the sidewalk on College Street to a casual stroll back to the front porch. Autumn has this magical transformational effect on me where I become blissful, confident, and comfortable again. Its arrival makes me want to savor time with family and friends, preferably over a hot pot of black tea and plate of scones with plenty of milk and sugar on hand.

BAILEYS IRISH CREAM



As most of you know, we recently lost our 14 year old Sheltie, Lizzie. We mourned her loss so deeply and still feel such a void that nothing can fill that. Not long after we lost her, I received an email from the lady who runs the Shetland Sheepdog rescue where we adopted Lizzie. She knew how special Lizzie was and how much we loved her. I had sent her a note about Lizzie and thanked her for bringing her into our lives. She then sent a kind reply and within it she told me about a very special bi/black Sheltie puppy that she had on her farm. She wanted to know if we would like to meet him. Being a two dog family, we knew that we certainly wanted to bring another dog into the family, we just weren't sure that we wanted to so soon after losing Lizzie. She told me that she would be in town on a Thursday and asked if we would like to keep him for the weekend. I guess since she knew us and that we had been "vetted" long ago with Lizzie that we were trustworthy. So, I agreed and we prepared for our house guest. It is important to note that I have had puppies in the past but my husband only briefly had one as a child and was not used to them. He was a little reluctant because of this but wanted very much to meet him. We then bought the appropriate puppy food and some chew toys. Our little guest arrived on a Thursday evening and needless to say, he didn't leave. I signed the adoption papers the proceeding Monday, last Monday in fact. I think she knew how much we would love this little boy and we certainly do. He won our hearts from the moment she carried him out of her truck and brought him into our parlor. Tara still lets us all know that she is Queen Bee but she loves having a companion that can keep up with her. Shadow, the cat, has learned to live with another "intruder". We decided to name our sweet little boy, Bailey- short for Baileys Irish Cream. We've been truly amazed by the bond we've developed so quickly with him. It feels just as it did with Lizzie and with Tara- That he has always been here and that he has never known any other home but this one. I somehow think that since Lizzie had had at least one litter of puppies before we adopted her, that she would very much approve of us welcoming Bailey into her family.

WELCOME SEPTEMBER!



To Autumn
by William Blake

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stain'd
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof; there thou may'st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

'The narrow bud opens her beauties to
The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins;
Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and
Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve,
Till clust'ring Summer breaks forth into singing,
And feather'd clouds strew flowers round her head.

'The spirits of the air live in the smells
Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round
The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.'
Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat,
Then rose, girded himself, and o'er the bleak
Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load.

Join me with a hot cuppa, in jubilant celebration as autumn draws ever so near.

:-) R

TRYING SOME NEW TEA


When I last placed an order from Special Teas for some Ceylon, my package included a ½ ounce sample of a delicious black tea called East Frisian Broken Blend. This is a wonderful strong robust black tea and one that would be delicious with savories served at afternoon tea. It is a mixture of Assam, Sumatra, and Java teas. This blend was also a winner in the 2008 World Tea Championship...One sip of this concoction, with milk and sugar, and you’ll instantly know why.

East Frisia, a part of the German Federal State of Lower Saxony on the North Sea, is second only to Ireland when it comes to tea consumption. According to Wikipedia, “East Frisian Tea is sweetened with kluntjes, a rock candy sugar that melts slowly, allowing multiple cups to be sweetened. Heavy cream is also used to flavor the tea. The tea is generally served in traditional small cups, with little cookies during the week and cake during special occasions or on weekends as a special treat. Brown rum, mixed with kluntjes and left for several months, is also added to black tea in the winter. The tea is alleged to cure headaches, stomach problems, and stress, among many other ailments”.

For a sample of this wonderful aromatic blend, visit Special Teas, and while you’re at it, you might want to try the Single Estate Ceylon. I’m partial to the Kenilworth Orange Pekoe (No317) which has a lovely hypnotic rose aroma.

FAREWELL OLD FRIEND

It’s with a heavy heart that I post this morning for we have had a devastating loss here in our family. Yesterday afternoon we said farewell to our Lizzie. Lizzie’s health had progressively gotten worse this year. She was on a daily medication for hypothyroidism, had arthritis, was deaf, and had very recently lost her eye sight. She was disoriented and didn't even know you were in the room with her unless you touched her. She began walking into walls, doors, tables, etc.She couldn't make it down the three steps to our back yard without falling and then she couldn't see to get up them. Over the last week, my husband and I had to carry her in and out. Her kidneys were also beginning to fail. Her appetite was sporadic and she was coughing a great deal. The Vet reassured that we had made the right decision but that certainly doesn’t make it any easier.

Lizzie was 14 years old and we had 8 wonderful years with her. We adopted her from a local Shetland Sheep Dog Rescue group and that was the best decision we ever made. She had been in a previous home and surrendered, we were told, because the family preferred to have a Dalmatian over Lizzie. Though I’ll never understand that reasoning, it was truly their loss and our blessing. One thing that we can proudly boast about our old girl is that she was a true heroine. Lizzie actually saved a man’s life about six years ago. It was the coldest night of the year, a bitter icy February Saturday night. Our pipes in the house had frozen in the kitchen, like they have been prone to do, and John was thawing them out around 11:00PM at night. Both our girls, Anastasia and Lizzie, were out for their nightly constitutional when we heard Lizzie frantically growling and barking. This got our attention as well as our immediate neighbor’s. We knew Lizzie didn’t normally behave like that and that something was terribly wrong. As we opened the door, our neighbor was standing on her deck looking down over our fence. She told us that there was someone lying face down in our yard at the garden gate. Lizzie was over top of this person nearly on point, franticly barking and showing her teeth through her growls. The person, we later discovered from the police, was a local man, known around town bars, with a serious substance abuse problem. We figured out that he had evidently fumbled through the back yards and decks in our neighborhood, fell over our fence, and passed out in the snow. What the EMT and Police officers stressed to us, as they carried him out on a stretcher, was that because of Lizzie alerting us his life was saved and had he been outside for another hour he would have certainly frozen to death. I hope when he regained conscientiousness in his hospital room that someone told him that he owed his life to a Shetland Sheepdog.

Although we’ve been down this road before with Anastasia, Sasha, and Magic (the cat we lost last year), it was particularly agonizing to lose Lizzie. We’ll never forget her gentle spirit and loyal dedication. Our comfort is that she’s gone to the Rainbow Bridge to meet our other cherished family members (they’re so much more than pets) ,and that St. Francis has them all gathered around him, keeping a watchful eye over all the creatures he loves so much. Rest in Peace, sweet Lizzie; our lives are so much richer because of you...

THE TEA SOCIETY IS BACK!



As summer winds down and autumn grows near the tea society will be back in full swing. I have missed this blog and am delighted to be back. This summer was a wonderful time for me and my family and we had a great holiday in South Carolina and just spending time with one another before the hectic day to day routine of school and work begins in September. I wanted to return to the blog refreshed and ready to begin another year of blogging. With that said, I want to share a photo of my latest purchase along with mention of a delightful tea cookie company.

I found this charming little vintage tea pot at a shop called B and B antiques in the North Myrtle Beach area. There is no marking on the tea pot to reveal the manufacturer but it was so pretty and elegant that I decided to add it to my collection. Positioned in front of the tea pot is an offering of wonderful pecan tea cookies displayed on a tiny little white English Meakin dish. The tea cookies are from a wonderful Summerville, South Carolina based company called Southern Sisters. I look so forward to purchasing the dainty thin and delicious cookies on our annual jaunt to the Historic Market on Church Street in Charleston. The cookies are made from a handmade mix and they use all natural ingredients. This year I got an assortment of old fashioned ginger snaps, pecan, chocolate chip, and my favorite, lemon coolers dusted with a delicious powdery sugar coating. The benne wafers are also delicious and worth a sampling as well.

To learn more about the history of, and purchasing information for, Southern Sisters, please visit their website at http://www.southernsistersbakers.com/index.html . With no further ado, put the kettle one, pour a cuppa your favorite tea and enjoy these delicious treats, and welcome back to all the lovely followers of the Tea Society Blog.