We're having tea in the tent

(This was supposed to post yesterday but, there was a computer glitch)


So come on over. Just come on to the back yard and join me in the summer tent. Sit back and sigh as a perfect Summer Sunday evening winds it's way down to night. We can watch the ladies strutting and scratching in their little red house; I've picked them a fresh batch of dandelion greens (their favorite). The small one is snug in her bed after stories of flying horses in forests of dappled sunlight. It's time to relax.
I am comfortably tired after a good day. Our family spent the morning on bicycle; first to the farmers market and then to be part of Sunday Parkways, thousands of our neighbors on closed streets riding bikes, walking, running, rolling down the lanes on a bluebird day. Check out this video.

Tell me, how was your weekend? Sit here and share with me. That chair is open and draped with a cheerful quilt. We have two types of tea, a fruity herbal with a hint of cinnamon and a black tea Irish/Assam blend; both are iced. The Marionberry cobbler is cooling in the kitchen and there is homemade vanilla ice cream in the freezer.


The Marionberries were left over from the jam we made on Saturday. A nice drive to the country farm for sweet summer fruit; apricots, Bing cherries, peaches and of course the Marionberries. I love the taste of summer!


Here is the low down on Marionberries just in case you are not familiar with this gorgeous fruit.
From Wikipedia:"The marionberry was developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. It was bred by George F. Waldo, as a mix between the small, flavorful 'Chehalem' berry and the larger, better-producing 'Olallie' berry. Both the 'Chehalem' and 'Olallie' berries are caneberry hybrids as well. The marionberry's growing conditions are perfectly adapted to the mild, maritime Oregon climate, with its mild rains and warm summers." Basically, it's like a blackberry but, larger with a more tart and complex flavor. YUM!

You are all invited to rest a spell and soak up a little tranquility. Be sure and pet the Buddha cat and be on the look out for dragon flies.

Summer's Cauldron

Summer is really bubbling now and I am frequently reminded of how blessed I am to live in this beautiful place. This time of year finds us full of activity; running, jumping, splashing
and shouting out into the blue sky. I think I am appreciating this particular season of sun more than ever - having just come through a typical Northwest winter with a full-speed ahead 3 year old. There are so many brilliant things to enjoy. Summer concerts in the park, putting up "Arabian" tent castles in the back yard, bowls of sweet Summer fruit to make our smiles sticky and the lovely color of my favorite Hibiscus iced tea.

Hibiscus Iced Tea:
2 parts dried Hibiscus flowers
2 parts dried Orange Rind
1 part dried Rose Hips
1 Cinnamon Stick

Place ingredients in tea strainer. Place tea strainer in a heat safe container (I use a large canning jar). Heat water as you would for tea and pour into container. Let steep for 10 min. and remove tea strainer. Let cool and store covered in refrigerator for up to one week. You can add sweetener if you like.

With the great pull of the outdoors it is tough to spend time in my basement studio designing or sewing. I am hoping to at least make some headway on Lola's new design logo with the help of the very talented Kylie. Of course we both have crazy schedules so, it could be a little while yet. I should also look into filling out this weblog with links, my profile and image organization but hark, the kiddie pool is calling!