Emerson, Tea, Nature and Me

[caption id="attachment_1057" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Ralph Waldo Emerson[/caption]Are you familiar with the life and work of Ralph Waldo Emerson?  I met Emerson some years ago when I lived in Boston.  Because I've always  loved old houses and historic towns I spent a lot of time in Concord where  Emerson lived.  Concord  is a charming town just outside of Boston proper.  I'd pop over to Emerson's house often, stroll through his rooms, look over his books - why I even was in his bedroom many times  where I saw quite a few of his personal things, like the actual dressing gown he wore most  evenings.  I'd walk around his garden and spend time with him, pondering his shrewd observations and penetrating perceptions.

Now you may wonder how I could do that.  After all, Emerson was born in 1803 and  I'm not 210 years old as Emerson is.  Well, if you know me at all you know I have lots of friends - some local,  some letter friends far away, some living and some who are what I call "dead friends".  "Dead friends" are people from the past who I get to know through their writings, accomplishments  and other work.  Emerson  is one of those "dead friends".

Emerson was not only a fine and popular lecturer in his day, but lucky for us he was also a writer, capturing his thoughts on paper.  It's so important we all do this, write,  or how will people of the future know we ever existed, not yet understand what we were all about?

We should all keep journals and write letters.  I write one letter every morning.  This morning's letter went to my good friend Evelyna.

[caption id="attachment_1059" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Evelyna's letter[/caption]Though Evelyna  lives nearby allowing us the pleasure of in-person get-togethers  our letters provide us with extra opportunities to share, and this sharing is lasting.  My great grandchildren will be able to get to know me and my friendship with Evelyna some day thanks to those letters - just as I have gotten to know Emerson thanks to his writing.

By the way, Emerson thought letter writing was a very good thing as I do for he felt it helped people communicate gentle thoughts to each other.  In his essay on friendship he wrote:  "Our intellectual and active powers increase with our affection.  The scholar sits down to write, and all his years of meditation do not furnish him with one good thought or happy expression; but it is necessary to write a letter to a friend, --- and, forthwith, troops of gentle thoughts invest themselves, on every hand, with chosen words."



Then there's the subject of nature.  I love nature!  Emerson loved nature too.  How about you?    Do you take the time to wander fields and streams, hill and dale?  I do hope so.  Nature is so refreshing.  Though my friend Emerson values friendship as I do, we both have felt the need to escape  from society at times and enjoy the solitude and beauty that nature provides.  Emerson put it this way:  "Society (sometimes)  seems noxious.  I believe that against these baleful influences Nature is the antidote.  The man comes out of the wrangle of the shop and office, and sees the sky and woods, and is a man again ... But how few men see the sky and woods!"



A walk in nature can refresh us like nothing else.  To focus on the details we see, like a patch of pretty daffodils... improves us somehow.



Perhaps this is because,  as Emerson states in his essay on nature:  "Every moment (in nature) instructs, and every object:  for wisdom is infused in every form."



Instruction can be had at tea time too.  If I pull up a chair, open a book ( maybe one of Emerson's books) light a candle and pour a cup of tea, new ideas come forth.  So many ideas -  for so many wonderful "dead friends" are there for us to enjoy.  They have so much to share with us.   But living, breathing friends make wonderful tea guests too, sharing their ideas.



I prepare a tray of goodies,  invite a friend or two, and we take a break from our busy lives.  Just as a stroll through nature can relax and refresh,  so too can in-person sharing , especially if the setting is calm and peaceful.



I was pleased that the day of my last tea was cool and rainy for I was able to light a fire and fill the room with the twinkle of candlelight.  In this setting time seemed to slow down and my friends and I could enjoy each other's company - talk of our current interests and inspire each other with our joys.



Joni spoke of her love of baking,  and in fact she brought me a beautiful box of her homemade cupcakes and fudge.  She's such a wonderful friend and such a culinary artist, not only whipping up luscious goodies in her kitchen, but  packaging them so beautifully  and sharing them with others - others like ME!

[caption id="attachment_1074" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Joni's pretty box of goodies[/caption]My other guest was someone new to me,  Mary.  I love to invite new people to tea, people  I like but don't know very well - YET!  Tea can help  transform acquaintances into friends and who doesn't enjoy having lots of wonderful friends?



Mary spoke of her love for tennis and  her work for our community foundation.  She was a lovely guest - and not only because she also brought me  homemade goodies, goodies that she baked just for me.  Sweet, sweet, sweet!



Mary gave me  lemon bread which I promptly wrapped in freezer paper so it will be fresh and ready for Sunday brunch.  Yum!  Oh to know ladies who have domestic skill and a generous spirit.

Another "dead friend" , Robert Louis Stevenson, said "The world is so full of a number of things I think we should all be as happy as kings".  I'm happy.  You happy?



There's tea.   There's nature.  There are  new, old, living and "dead friends to keep us company... and there's so much more.  I hope you are focusing on all that good, and I hope you're sharing your joy.  Why?  You know.

Sharing Doubles the Joy

Till next time then.

Be Happy!

Baking Day and Tea for Two

[caption id="attachment_988" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Ready, Set, Bake![/caption]

I'm in the mood for a little tea party - this time a Tea for Two.  Of course this means I need to whip up a little something  to serve my guest.  Come join me in my kitchen.

Ingredients are at hand, along with a few decorations to inspire me.  There are the two French chefs sitting in the window

and

eggs ,  rolling pin,

milk,

and  wisk  with a serving tool.

Now for the recipe

I think I'll try something new today.  This Apricot Swiss Roll looks yummy.  I found the recipe in a National Trust book called Tea- time-Recipes by Jane Pettigrew.

 So let's get started!

I mix the eggs with the sugar

Gently fold in the flour

Finally placing the sponge into the prepared pan

I probably should have mentioned the apricots earlier.  They were sliced and placed in a dish to marinate.  The recipe called for brandy, but I had cognac on hand and cognac works  just fine.

While the sponge bakes I prepared the dish towel by coating it with super fine sugar.  As soon as the sponge comes out of the oven it is rolled in this towel with the help of a rolling pin, and set aside to cool.

So while the sponge is cooling let's go out to the porch and set the table

On this early Spring day I think I'll serve at a table tucked in the corner so my guest can enjoy a little nature while she sips and chats with me.

You're looking at a big old Buckeye tree and wonderful little white flowers that pop up in the lawn every April.  But back to the kitchen for us.  The sponge is now cool and ready to assemble.  (It actually takes at least 30 minutes for the sponge to cool but we're dealing with the magic of blogging here).

I got a little carried away with whipping cream using more than twice as much as the  recipe called for, but what can I say?  I love whipped cream.  After spreading  the cream over the sponge I applied the apricots and untoasted almonds.

Then came the moment of truth.  Time to turn this concoction into a roll.  I take a deep breath and ROLL AWAY!

And "Ta Da"!  Here it is

Apricot Swiss Roll

Time to take it to the table

The table is set with my Laura Ashley Tea for Two china.  Now all I need is my guest.  I've invited my French friend Stephanie.  She is an excellent cook and baker so I wonder what she will think of my Apricot Swiss Roll.

And she's arrived with one of her children - little Arpad.

Arpad is neither interested in tea nor Swiss Almond Rolls.  He is interested in the great outdoors - so off he goes to play amidst the forsythia.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I mean porch, it's time for Stephanie to taste my creation.  Will she approve?

YES!

Stephanie gave me her culinary stamp of approval and this coming from a French woman made me proud.  Of course she would have only a small piece of my Swiss Roll.  The French are very good at appreciating and enjoying their food, but in small portions.  Besides, Stephanie is an athlete, a runner.  She wouldn't dare overeat and get chubby!  Just look at all the medals she's won at various marathons in the United States and abroad.

Stephanie and I sipped, nibbled and chatted.

It was a delightful Tea for Two

and a successful Baking Day as well.

I hope you take the time for both now and then.

And just in case you'd like to make a Swiss Apricot Roll for yourself I'll share the recipe.

Why?

You know.

SHARING DOUBLES THE JOY

Swiss Apricot Roll

For the Sponge: 2 eggs, 3 oz. super fine sugar, 3 oz. self-rising flour, sifted

For the Filling: 14oz. apricots, drained and juice reserved  1 oz. untoasted flaked almonds

                                1-2 tablespoons brandy, 1oz. toasted flaked almonds, icing sugar

To make the sponge, preheat oven to 325F.  Grease and line 7 x 11 in tin.  Beat the eggs thoroughly.  Add the sugar and continue beating till frothy.  Fold in the flour and turn into the prepared tin.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until sponge springs up when lightly pressed.  Remove from oven and invert the tin on to a clean tea-cloth dusted with fine sugar.  Roll the sponge immediately round a wooden rolling pin and leave to cool.  Meanwhile slice the apricots and soak in brandy.  Just before serving, carefully unroll the sponge and spread with the whipped cream.  Arrange the apricots over the top and pour on the brandy.  Sprinkle with the untoasted almonds and carefully roll the sponge up again.  Place on a serving dish, pour a little of the reserved apricot juice over the sponge, sprinkle the top with toasted almonds and dust with icing sugar.  Serve immediately.

Hang on to your old books

I love books.  I have always loved books, and over the years I have collected quite a few - I mean hundreds and hundreds.  I have book cases in each room.  There's the living room collection,

the guest room shelves,

there's a wall of books in my writing room,

and book case in a spare bedroom,

some rooms have books running along the ceiling,

some rooms have collections on tables,

the music room has a shelf system to hold old books,

and certain pieces of furniture display favorites,

of course there's the library where we added two walls of bookcases floor to ceiling,

There are books on the porch,

and there are more -   many, many more .

Did I mention I love books?

Well, I thought I'd write about one of my favorite books today, so I strolled around the house scanning my collection, and I came upon this one by David Kibbes.

Metamorphosis, written in the 80's,  contained a style system whereby the reader was told what type of clothing would suit her based on body type.  Kibbes  grouped women into the following categories:  dramatic, natural, romantic, classic and gamine,  and though his particular fashion suggestions are now out of date, his system had a lot of originality and depth to it.

Being a spiritual person myself, what I found most fascinating about Kibbes' system was how he not only considered the shape and size of a woman's body, but also her spirit.  For example, I tested as  a classic type, but because I have many romantic notions in my personality David typed me as a  "Soft" Classic and made many suggestions on how to romanticize my classic look.  I found this to be very helpful and clever on his part.  Dramatics could be soft or theatrical. Naturals could be soft or flamboyant and so on.   We must make the final decisions about our appearance, but Kibbes gets us thinking in a fun way.

The blog, Brainy Beauty Talk, is creating posts these days updating some of Kibbes fashion  ideas and adding  new original  thoughts in  regard to his system.  You might enjoy checking it out.  There's also a sample mini quiz  on line (type in: David Kibbes Metamorphosis).  It's  the kind of quiz used in the book  which determines your yin/yang balance and image identity.       You may find the test and Kibbes whole concept fun.  I did, but,  if you get all fired up and  want to find a copy of the book for yourself

 GOOD LUCK!

And this is what I'm getting at.

Hold on to your old books.  I don't remember what I paid for Metamorphosis  some 30 years ago, but I doubt it was more than $20.  Well, Amazon now is selling a  hardcover used copy for $77.59 and if you want a new copy, you'll have to pay $176.70 for it.

WOWWY  ZOWWY!

So now you know why I titled this post as I did.

I think I'll leave you now and see what some of my other books are selling for these days...

Maybe I'll trade a few dozen in and take a trip to Bermuda.

Coffee Shops are for me

The other day I was introduced to yet another French coffee shop in my area and I must say the warm blueberry-filled crepes dusted with powder sugar were absolutely delicious, but my waiter did not look anything like the fellow pictured above and the coffee shop did not look like anything pictured below.









No, I guess one must go off to Europe, take a trip back in time... or find a book like this one, "The French Cafe" by Marie-France Boyer, a book that can take you away to  Romantic coffee houses.



Here in the States there are coffee houses to be had, but they look more like this.

[caption id="attachment_927" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Starbucks in Brentwood, California[/caption][caption id="attachment_928" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Another view[/caption]

And here's my favorite view because it contains a picture of my son Patrick working hard at his statistics .

[caption id="attachment_923" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I was impressed because this Starbucks had live orchids on some tables. Do you see one in the background?[/caption]

            But nice as it was, and I came here a number of times myself, there were no waiters in black tie nor any white tablecloths to be seen.  Sigh!

But Starbucks does have a good dark espresso roast so I'm happy there, and do you know -  if you buy their coffee in bags, you can bring your empty bag  back to the shop and turn it in  for a free cup of coffee? ( I learned that by reading the small print on the bag.)

But my favorite coffee shop in Hudson is Caribou Coffee.  This is because I like the cute little building that houses the shop.  There's a wall of windows to my left and I enjoy sitting here looking toward the fireplace.

[caption id="attachment_926" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Caribou Coffee[/caption]

It's usually quite crowded, but at this moment everyone hit the road and I have the place to myself.  Well, almost...

[caption id="attachment_933" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The nice fellow who works the counter[/caption]

I do have the company of the nice fellow who works the counter.  He's so sweet and friendly.  See?  He's waving to you.

Do you enjoy spending time in coffee houses as I do?  A coffee house is a great place to read a book, write a letter, meet a friend,  plug your laptop in and create posts for your blog  or reach out to the whole world via internet while sipping a cappuccino.

My "dead friend" Lord Byron said, "Only in letter writing do we have solitude and society simultaneously", but though he has a point there, coffee houses also grant  a certain amount of solitude while we're enjoying  people all around.

You can even make new friends while enjoying a coffee house.  I met a lovely man recently by the name of  David.  He is old enough to be my father, so don't worry.  There's no hanky- panky going on, just friendly conversation.  It's always so nice to meet interesting new people, don't you agree?  David worked in theatre and public relations, but  he also creates beautiful leather goods.  Every time we see each other at the coffee house I learn more and more interesting things about this accomplished man, and isn't that how friendship is?  Was I surprised when he gave me this lovely pencil case which he made with his very own two hands.  How sweet is that?  I would've never met David nor enjoyed owning such a great pencil case if it weren't for my love of coffee houses.

[caption id="attachment_938" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This luxurious "naked" finish leather is drum-dyed, not spray painted and is without the fillers, pigments and plastic coatings found on commercial-trade leathers. The result is a warm natural look and buttery-soft suppleness found only in superb "naked" leather[/caption]

And look how much I've learned about leather, and now you're learning about "naked" finish leather too, and all because I frequent coffee houses

So

Unless you're reading this in France you may not be able to find  coffee shops where waiters are wearing black tie and carrying  white towels, and you may not find coffee shops with white tablecloths, but nevertheless,  GO!...

Go to a coffee shop.

Read!

Write!

Meet People!

Coffee shops are great!

They're for me and maybe they're for you too.

Let me know what you think.