So Glad You Could Join Me For Tea and a Chat

[caption id="attachment_1675" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Sugar, Mint or lemon?[/caption]

Did you notice I'm wearing the apron my former English teacher gave me at one of my last afternoon teas?  Thanks Miss Kaftan.

Now do come in,  sit down on the sofa out here on the porch

or maybe you'd prefer to sit in a rocker.

Just make yourself comfortable.

Modern life can keep us so on the go and it's good to be on the go, it really is,  but not every minute!  We  are so wise to recognize our need for regular pauses in our day.  Some people never take time for themselves, poor things.  We're enriched when we pause to take time for intellectual reflection.  Our days feel  brighter when we include others - sharing, exercising courtesy and cultivating friendships.  We grow in  peace and hope when we take time to reflect on our spiritual roots, and we're  refreshed  when we pause from our busy work  to do a little daydreaming or to focus on the beauty that's all around us.

Beauty like a  birdie at the window feeder...

Beauty like a lovely flower...

Beauty like the nature outside our window.

It's so nice you could join me today.  We're both taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life.  What have you been doing today?  Maybe you'll leave a comment at the end of this post and tell me about your day.  I'd like that.  Can I offer you a chicken croissant?

Don't worry about the calories.  You have to eat, don't you?

I was in the mood to do a little baking today.  I'm  always searching for good scone recipes and today I found two.  Both recipes came from a book by Tricia Foley called Having Tea  and here it is.

I made Buttermilk scones and Cream scones. Both turned out quite nicely.  I cut back on the salt a bit, but other than that Tricia's recipes were the best I've found so far.  Here are the ingredients for both recipes:

Buttermilk Scones

1 and 3/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp. sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, approximately 3/4 cup buttermilk

Cream Scones

2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp. sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 cup heavy cream

The buttermilk scones bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes

The cream scones bake at 425 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes

For both recipes you mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter or liquid till a soft dough forms, then roll out on a floured board to the thickness of 3/4 to 1 inch.  Cut dough with a sharp 2 inch round cookie cutter,  bake.

AND YOU HAVE SCONES!

Please, have one.  Have two!  I made plenty.  Add a little Raspberry jam

and Devon cream.

When you serve scones at tea, adding  jam and Devon cream or whipping cream, it's rightly called a CREAM TEA.  If you bake a batch of scones, leftovers can be frozen, and at a moment's notice you can enjoy a cream tea yourself or delight any friend who pops in unexpectedly.    Of course, when was the last time you experienced drop-in company?  Sadly, the days of visiting seem to be a thing of the past. People today are too busy for such civilized pleasures.  Not me!  I am the champion of old world pleasures lost to modern times - Hosting afternoon teas, Creating handwritten letters, Calling ahead to pay a visit to a friend or relative.  Such things as these add a gracious element to life, an element that  doesn't cost much money (if any at all), but rewards us with  a certain joy which no amount of money can buy.

Think how you would delight a friend if you popped over to their home bearing a pot of flowers or a basket of strawberries.  That's exactly what my friend Joni brought me on her last visit.

 This is Joni.  She is one of my intelligent friends who not only takes time for herself,  focusing on her many blessings, but she also makes time for others, doing nice things for them.  That's a winning combination. I'm so lucky to have Joni as a friend.  I hope you have friends like Joni too,  and  I hope you are a good friend to others, making time for them.

Maybe tomorrow you'll mix up a few pitchers of ice tea,

call a friend or two, and invite them over

or

buy a pot of flowers

or

a cake

and go visiting.  Call ahead and visit a friend or relative showering them with your time and appreciation.  Sharing doubles the joy, and taking this time out in your day is well worth the effort.  But in between visits with others remember to take time for yourself - time to dream, time to putter, time to exercise your creativity, time to relax.  It's so good for your health and it's so good for your spirit.

And speaking of spirit, you can always enjoy tea time with God.  There's even a book to help you with that. and here it is.

This book is a Quiet Moments with God  devotional, published by Honor books.  If you need a little company and no one is available why not share your teatime break  with God.  This book will help.

I remember seeing an old film called The Ghost and Mrs. Muir way back when.  I loved this film and wished  I too had a friendly ghost who shared my old 1853 house, a ghost I could talk to and gain inspiration from  -  and then it hit me!  I do have my very own friendly ghost and so do you.  It's a ghost , who though invisible, is with us all the time.  It is a very special ghost too.  It is the HOLY GHOST!

Yes, I'm a spiritual person, aren't you?   So why shouldn't we  invite the Holy Ghost to tea now and then just as we would invite other friends?  There's an idea!  (BIG SMILE)  And these great ideas  do not come to us unless we  take time from our busy routines to pause and relax and ponder.

So, I'm very glad you stopped by for tea and this chat.  I was having fun with my birdies and  baking , but sharing with you made my fun even better because... you know...

Sharing doubles the joy!

So drop by again, and until then, be sure to take time out of your days to dream, to share, and to BE!

Like my Boston University tee shirt  says

B U

(That's short for Be You!)

Notes from the Country Inn Day Gardener

[caption id="attachment_1628" align="aligncenter" width="225"] This lady greets you at the porch entrance[/caption]

"It is a natural consequence that those who cannot taste the actual fruition of a garden should take the greater delight in reading about one.  But the enjoyment next below actual possession seems to be derived from writing on the topic."

QUARTERLY REVIEW ( 1851)

And so, when I'm not weeding, pruning, mulching or planting, I, the inn gardener,  delight in photographing and writing about the goings on around the grounds of our country inn of imagination.

I was thinking about what Sir George Sitwell wrote in his ESSAY ON THE MAKING OF GARDENS  back in 1909.  He wrote "To make a great garden, one must have a great idea or a great opportunity."  Well, I do have a great opportunity here  for the grounds are blessed with very mature trees and shrubs. Such materials formed over time are precious and create a foundation that is worth its weight in gold for any gardener.  There are tall trees and evergreens shielding the front yard from the street.

There are lovely old trees edging the driveway

The entire  perimeter of the grounds are edged by tall trees of one sort or another.

[caption id="attachment_1640" align="aligncenter" width="300"] These trees when leafed out provide a screen which keeps the barn hidden from the rest of the property.[/caption]

 Other trees edge the circular drive, the drive which surrounds the herb garden found in its middle.  The trees also help keep the secret garden behind them a real secret.

The early  owners of this 1853 property (the first being Jeremiah Brown, brother of John Brown , the abolitionist)  obviously loved trees and people for they planted all sorts of trees in all sorts of places.

"He that plants trees loves others besides himself."

Thomas Fuller

GNOMOLOGIA (1732)

 In the picture below you see black walnut trees at the edge of the driveway and you don't want to sit below these trees nor park your car under them when their nuts begin to fall.  They fall with conviction.  Closer to the house there are two river birch.  They do well there because it's a low area and  rather wet.

I like our trees.  No, I love our trees, for they are no work for me at all, well, maybe a bit of work when the leaves begin to fall in Autumn, but as Willa Cather said, "They seem  more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do."

And when Spring arrives and the leaves of all the trees begin to form,  it's like magic! -   hundreds of tiny specks materializing before our eyes.  If you were to try to paint a picture with such detail you would realize just how wonderful and artful trees really are.  Then Summer comes and trees are in their full glory.

"Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible exception of a moose singing "Embraceable You" in spats."

Woody Allen (1935-  )

When I first set my eyes on this property I thought it looked a lot like an arboretum.  So many different kinds of trees  Some are very big and others are quite small like the fringe tree.

[caption id="attachment_1652" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The fringe tree[/caption]

And it only seems right that we add more trees of our own to this property, so after seeing a dwarf Japanese willow at a friend's garden with its very white leaves which only gradually turn to green, it was decided to make this tree the centerpiece of the inn herb garden.

[caption id="attachment_1656" align="aligncenter" width="300"] closeup of the white leaves of the Japanese dwarf willow[/caption]

Maturity has value in people and in gardens.  It's worth a lot.  I was pricing small boxwood plants recently and was amazed at their prices.  $40 would only buy a very small plant.  I therefore couldn't help but wonder how much one of the inn's 5 to 6 foot boxwood plants would summon  if they could be transplanted.

[caption id="attachment_1659" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Boxwood at the porch entrance[/caption]I, as inn gardener, may have my work cut out for me.  So much to weed, prune, plant, and redesign.  There are times I am quite overwhelmed.  But if I focus on the job at hand, enjoying it, and if I count the blessings of what already exists in this garden - namely the mature bushes and trees, I feel quite contented and joyful for I have something here and now that even Thomas Jefferson would have killed for...

"I never before knew the full value of trees.  My house is entirely embosomed in big plane trees, with good grass below, and under them I breakfast, dine, write, read, and receive company.  What would I not give that the trees planted nearest round the house at Monticello were full grown."

JEFFERSON TO MARTHA JEFFERSON RANDOLPH ( 1793)

Girls just want to have fun in Cleveland the best kept secret!

[caption id="attachment_1574" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Me and the girls[/caption]

Yes, girls do want to have fun, especially this girl (Carol Ann), for it's another of my wonderful Country Inn Days. (Hurray!)

I could call this particular  Country Inn Day an "Adventure Day" for I traveled  far across the city of Cleveland to parts unknown to me.  I headed for West 65th Street and a restaurant known as Stone Madd.

[caption id="attachment_1602" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Stone Madd[/caption]

It's here I met up with a band of merry girlfriends, girls who want to have fun and girls who manage fun quite regularly.  Everyone should have a band of merry girlfriends.  Do you?

Stone Madd is owned and operated by people who came straight from Ireland, so I consulted my friend Olive  who was born and raised in Ireland too, for though it seemed obvious the owners were mad about stone from the  look of the stone tables and benches, and the

   stone arches,

and stone flower boxes,

and the massive stone fountain,

I suspected there was more to the name stone madd than that, and I was right!  Olive explained stone madd is an old Irish expression.  Her father used it often to describe a person who was acting really crazy. (example:  "Kathleen, your behavior is wild and peculiar.  I think you've gone stone madd."

Since the day was lovely my friends and I enjoyed dining outside, but we did peek inside to admire the dark wood of the bar and  the various dining rooms.  There were a few dining rooms.

Here's just one of those dining rooms

We were all impressed with the attention to detail given to this establishment.  From the shamrocks in the windows to the Gaelic words mounted in the sidewalk at the  entrance door.  Olive translated those words for me.  The words mean

A hundred thousand welcomes

I wonder how many people pass through the front door never realizing what those words are saying to them.  It's details like this that make a place special and worthy of my business.

There's more too.  Take a look at the decorative gate.

Something tells me there are some Gaelic symbols woven into this design.

And you wouldn't believe the gorgeous tile work in the rest rooms.  Here are just a few images.

Entire walls of the restrooms are filled with hundreds of these tiny tiles creating a most beautiful and artful space.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather frequent establishments that go this extra mile creating ambiance for their patrons.

Everything from the flower and ivy-filled walls around the parking lot

to our friendly and fun waiter, Travis, (seen here with one of the girls)

made our time at Stone Madd most enjoyable.  And did I mention the food?  It was delicious and quite snazzy.  Cleveland is becoming famous for its many fine chefs and restaurants.  I should have taken some pictures of our food, but we were all too anxious to eat it up!

We talked.  We laughed.  We hugged.  We ate.  We drank.  We explored.  We girls had a ball together and it was another great Country Inn Day for me.

On my way home I drove through a bit of downtown Cleveland and enjoyed a few glimpses of the city.  I would've shown you more, but it's not easy taking  pictures while driving.  Luckily I had a few red lights.

You know, Cleveland gets a lot of bad press, but we like that because Cleveland has much to offer and is a great place to live.  If too many people realize this they'll all start moving in and crowding us out!  Take a peek at my city.

So ---  when it came to naming this post I couldn't decide.  Should I call it Girls just want to have fun (for we do) or Cleveland the best kept secret (for it is)?  Finally,  after much deliberation, I decided on calling it Girls just want to have fun in Cleveland the best kept secret!

Hope you're having fun too

Hello! My name is Alexander

[caption id="attachment_1467" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Here I am looking at you with my toy duck[/caption] I am a schnauzer.  You might be surprised to find me writing this post, but you shouldn't be, because I am Carol Ann's best friend.  I also have much experience writing.  I have been writing letters to a couple of dogs over the years - there was Winter in Minnesota and Major Bundles in Ohio, and because of those correspondences Carol Ann asked me to write a letter for her book on The Art of Letter writing.

Here you see the cover page of my letter with a picture of yours truly on it, but of course I look a little different there because I was much younger then.

I feel a little bored today so I decided to entertain myself (and hopefully you too) by writing about a typical day in my life. Carol Ann is always saying sharing doubles the joy, and I have to agree.

So let's get started.

One of the first things I do every morning is walk up to Carol Ann for my morning scratch.

I 'll just stand at her side as she's writing her morning letter until she stops and gives me a "once over".  You may not realize how hard it is to scratch certain of my out-of-the-way parts.  So this morning ritual is one of my very favorite things.  But I have a lot of rituals - simple ordinary things that with care become peak aesthetic experiences.  Do you have any rituals?

I like to keep an eye on Carol Ann at all times because she has a ritual of her own - going out!  I'm not crazy about this going out business because it means I'm left  all alone, and I get lonely.  What works well for me is having my doggie bed placed in the dining room, the room in the middle of everything,  so no matter which room Carol Ann is in, I can watch over her to be sure she isn't heading for  the door.

[caption id="attachment_1472" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I watch her in the living room[/caption][caption id="attachment_1475" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I watch her in the dining room[/caption][caption id="attachment_1477" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I watch her in the library[/caption][caption id="attachment_1480" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I watch her in the kitchen[/caption]

I watch Carol Ann a lot!

I like evenings because then Carol Ann will often get comfortable in the library watching a film with Bill.  I then can relax and take a nap without much worry that she will leave me.

[caption id="attachment_1483" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The library[/caption][caption id="attachment_1484" align="aligncenter" width="225"] I do love to nap. Don't you?[/caption]Napping in the library I like.  What I don't like is Carol Ann teaching piano.  It's not the music.  I like music, I really do, but when she teaches I get locked out on the porch.  That's because I once, only once, took a tiny little bite out of a piano student.  It was itsy bitsy, but nevertheless now Carol Ann says I can't be trusted.  Phooie!  Well,  the porch is fine, but not when I can't come and go as I please.

Would you enjoy being locked in a room? I bet you wouldn't!

Being a senior dog I have my likes and dislikes firmly established.  Recently I decided I had quite enough of dog food.  Have you ever tasted it?  I don't think you'd be crazy about it either.  I just went on a hunger strike.  After a day or two of this I was taken to the vet.  The vet couldn't find a thing wrong with me so he intelligently advised Carol Ann to just give me whatever I would  eat.  I should've thought of this hunger strike years ago.

I'm no baby, but I get baby food every morning now.  It's not too bad.  Just yesterday Carol Ann got a letter from a lady who had stomach surgery and she gets baby food too.  She told Carol Ann she likes it as I do and finds it quite tasty.  Of course she can probably feed herself.  I have to undergo spoon feeding.  This I'm not so crazy about.

First I get placed up on the counter and then a towel is tied around my neck.

Then comes the spoon.

The next thing I know my beard is a mess.  Plain chicken or beef isn't too sloppy. but the meats mixed with vegetables are really trouble,   an unflattering orange color.

How would you like looking like this?

[caption id="attachment_1499" align="aligncenter" width="225"] YUCK![/caption]

 Then comes the TOWEL!

I HATE  the rub-a-dub-dub with the towel!

Evening meals are much better.  I get my very own homemade meatloaf or the delicious chicken dishes that Carol Ann and Bill enjoy.  I can feed myself these meals.  My only suggestion which would  make  my evening meal even  more pleasurable would be to have my own  place at the dining room table, but Carol Ann says that's going a bit too far - even for me!

You can't blame a dog for trying to make his life as cushy as possible.

Then there's spa time.  Don't you just love spa time?  Some dogs may protest, but not me!  I hop in the tub and look forward to the pampering.

Oh, the delicious anticipation.

Then comes the warm spray of water that tickles me all over.

I love this!

Never mind that it makes me look like a drowned rat instead of a fluffy, lovable doggie.

But no one sees me in this stage but  Carol Ann.

Next comes the towel, but in this situation I rather like a towel.

Then it's shake -raddle and roll

and I'm all dry ready to go.

I wait at the top of the stairs to be carried down because at my age stairs are a little frightening.

And once I'm downstairs ...

it's out to the porch for me --- all clean,  fresh and fluffy.

I now feel great!  I'll spend a lot of time watching the cars and walkers go past my house.  Very entertaining.

I also have a toy schnauzer to play with out there in case I get bored.  See him?  We look a lot alike, but he's much smaller than I am.  MUCH SMALLER!  He's very lazy too, always sleeping.

When Carol Ann works in the yard I keep  her company outside.  I have a little house of my own which is portable.  She moves.  I move.  It's great!

I'm not too crazy about being tied up to my house, but we have a lot of rabbits running around our grounds and I'd love to chase them, but with a very busy street just beyond our yard Carol Ann doesn't trust me and you know, I don't really trust myself.  She leaves a pot of cold water for me to drink in case I get thirsty.  She thinks of everything!

Well, I have things to do and probably you do too, so I'll only tell you about one other ritual Carol Ann and I have.  It has to do with the times she must go out and leave me.  As I mentioned earlier I hate when she leaves so we make a game of it.  This helps.  Carol Ann cuts up bits of my favorite snack - Pup-Peroni, and she throws the bits under the dining room table.  I sit anxiously waiting for the toss.

Waiting

Then it happens, and I look here , there, and everywhere  for the tasty tid bits...

this way

and that way

I'm really amused for quite a while searching for those yummy treats

and by the time I find all of them I forget Carol Ann left me.  It works out quite well for both of us.

So that's a little about a day in my life.

Life is good.

If you are an old dog or if you have one, you might like a book Carol Ann bought.  The book is called "Young at Heart".

It's written by David Alderton and it contains good information to keep older dogs like me in tip top shape.

If you're a human, I hope you have a good friend like me to keep you company, and if you're a dog (or cat), I hope you have a nice human like my best friend, Carol Ann.  There's nothing like a good friend.

So I guess that's about it for now.  It's been fun sharing my life with you.

Bye bye and bow wow!