Blogger flight.......

This was posted in the English room in which I was substitute teaching.  I have always enjoyed seeing it up through the past years when I was working full time.

Rather than just to stop blogging and having people worry, I am going to tell you that I am off the air for a short time.  I don't know when I will be returning but I will definitely return.   I have some things that need to be tended to and some time to work out the everyday details of life.  Nothing for anyone to be concerned about, it is just a short break. 

I will be checking in on you a little as I can't go cold turkey.  I will swoop in once in a while and post a comment just to let you know that I am still here.  Take care and I will see you when I see you.

Ready for showing........

It is still pretty gray outside so this bright addition to our window really does put out some warmth.  My camera just doesn't want to pick up intense color.  I have the same problem with the violet.  I end up with a special effects view which is intense but still wonderful.

I am back in the classroom today doing American Lit. and British Lit.  We will have a few speeches given also during the day.

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Sunday's showing........

It has been a busy weekend and I am posting this plant way too much on two of my blogs, but I  guess it's better this than nothing. Our chill in the air and frequent show showers has disillusioned me about any future of spring every being here.  I had green grass blades showing sticking up through our last snow which was on the south side of the house.  It is warmer there so there is some green in sight.

This is a second view of one of my two agapanthus plants that sit in the basement ready to be brought outside for the summer.  This is the first year that they stayed green continually all winter while sitting down there.









My brother who lives in Mesa, Arizona, is busy planting tomato plants and has a dozen gallon plants of various kinds to plant into the ground in his backyard.  He has to enrich his sandy soil with lots of commercial soil and mulch in order to have success growing things.  I did see he had radishes and such in his one garden.

Oh well, I just went for one of his photos to show you what is going on in the gardens of Mesa, Arizona.





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Frame jobs.......

A woman had some family problems with inheriting a certain quilt made by her mom.  To solve the problem,  she is having me frame up a single quilt piece per family member to help make them less upset.  The mother had started the quilt squares but never had put them together.  If you remember I also framed some sun bonnet quilt blocks much earlier.

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Tea time........

The man who use to be on Yan Can Cook, is now doing  a daytime PBS series about the southwest corner of China.  He has shown the different ways that the people live in the different parts of that area.  It is very interesting as it has such a strong set of traditions, each area is a little different.

One area is famous for it's tea and he shows where tea is packed and stored for hundreds of years.  When they package a packet of aged tea it can sell for a thousand American dollars.  The tea is packed tightly, compressed into doughnut shapes the size of dinner plates.

The package that I am showing you today is one of my container collectible items. I don't really know where I found it.  It may have been in an auction box, or from a pantry of an old household in my past.

What I have found inside is that it is half full of tea.  The container is paper based so I am not sure it is tea that would not have taken on some of the taste of it.  I had no intention of trying it as I don't know it is clean.  I doubt it, but the show did make me think that it might still be viable.

This is one other view of the container. It stands six or seven inches high and is large compared to the tea containers that we can buy today.

I did learn from a shop in Kansas City, that one should prerinse the tea leaves before actually brewing it so as to release it's oils and flavor. The sales person poured a third of cup of hot water over the tea and tossed the water and then proceeded to brew the tea from the dampened leaves.

I will leave you guessing as to whether I will try the tea.  I have had the container over thirty years now maybe longer.

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Last year, last week..........

This is how it appeared last year at the Des Moines Botanical Center. It was warm inside and very tropical looking.

A week ago or more this is what we had on the ground, my neighbor's footprints that he left behind while walking his dog.

Last year at this time you could see blue water and koi with the reflection of the dome in the water.

We had tornado warnings Tuesday night because it was so warm in southern Iowa that the cold front coming in from Canada was causing severe reactions.  We had some small twisters in southern Iowa but mostly we had rain and now it is cold.  Freezing temperatures Wednesday night and who knows what else is to come.

I taught Physical Education on Tuesday with Seventh graders and high schools.  Everyone played pickle ball.  A form of pin pong and paddle ball combined.  Wednesday I was an English teacher teaching sixth, seventh and eight grade literature.  It is an everyday transition of being someone else and being in a different field of study each time.   Tomorrow, who knows who I will be.  Maybe I can be just stay home and be me.

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Sanseviera sun.............

This may be a reposting of this photo but it seemed like a good one to share.  It has been busy for me and I have no photos that are new to share with you.  I guess this is your green sunshine for the day.

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