Tag: tea

• A Debut Fantasy Novel, All Saints Day, Writers’ Retreat

  

  photo from bookshop November 1, 2022 A new fantasy novel I’d found with a second book in the series to come this month. * It is All Saints Day, and this holiday has a very special meaning. 🙂 🙂 Miss May says from the song we listened to…“But you are the angel in person.” 🙂 […]

  11/01/2022 8:07 am

  angelic, angels, book reflection, book review, books, catholic, ed sheeran, fiction, holidays, home, library, literary salon we keep, massachusetts, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, narrative, poetic, poetry, prose poetry, spirituality, sue lynn tan, tea, writer events, writers, writing process

• A Self-Portrait & Writing by Hand

  Updates throughout, covers through Friday :D. Wednesday, and Virginia Woolf served so many cups of tea written into the short story collection Monday or Tuesday that there’s no desire left for another cup of tea for me today. From that particular set of stories, I really liked “The String Quartet” and “Kew Gardens.” Yesterday I […]

  09/29/2022 12:06 pm

  art, decor, fun, memoir stories, my photography, secrets, self portraits, short stories, tea, virginia woolf, writers, writing process

• Queen Elizabeth II and a Teatime Afternoon

  

  I’ve enjoyed this teacup for awhile, without knowing anything about the people specifically, but because my grandma in law, Arlene gave it to me, the one who lives in Massachusetts nearby, who’s married to my grandfather in law, Gerry. In a burst of great excitement moving through their dining room, she’d said to me; “You […]

  09/09/2022 2:32 pm

  antique, boston, catholic, england, english education, english literature, full moon, heavenly, history, home, lovingkindness, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, scotland, spirituality, tea, teatime, vacation time

• The Mansion Where May Ziadeh Lived and Her Refrain I’d Heard in My Heart Answered

  

  November 26, 2021 (up to date: September 9, 2022) This is the Ziade Palace where poet and author May Ziadeh lived (b. 11 Feb 1886, d. 17 Oct. 1941) in Lebanon. The green gate lead up to the upper floor of the palace and it was said May had lived on the first floor with […]

  09/09/2022 12:00 pm

  20th century, art, brooklyn, catholic, creative process, egypt, home, Kahlil gibran, lebanon, marie hadad, may ziadeh, meditation, poets, spirituality, still life, tea, wellness

• New Fantasy Novel Found at the Bookshop, A New Poem Sent In, The Fun of a Giveaway I Had Not Won

  

  This is the new book I found Uprooted by Naomi Novik at the bookshop last time, by an author of our time, fantasy genre. I picked it based on the cover first and then the line on the cover: ‘enjoyable fantasy with the air of a modern classic.’ I am currently reading the book (Aug. […]

  08/17/2022 2:28 pm

  beach, books, boston, creative process, english education, english literature, fairies, fantasy, fun, home, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, mythology, novels, poetry, tea, teatime, writing process

• Vacation Ends Early: A Lesson from a Teacup and a Wild Flower

  

  I picked a vacation week but it will do better next time as I take the start of it more seriously, and I have ended this one a day early; tagging posts, “vacation time” missed the point, along with shuffling ‘round and ‘round every thing of mine online…At one point, my phone fully died at […]

  08/08/2022 7:29 pm

  antique, creative writing prompt, fun, garden, herbs, memoir, memoir stories, mindfulness, my memoir stories, my photography, narrative, peeko, plays, poets, rumi, tea, teatime

• My Teacups on Display—Yoga with Monet…

  

  The second shelf center cup just arrived yesterday…it gleams so purely on display. I’d looked to find another antique-style cup after my favorite cup I accidentally dropped into the kitchen sink the other day and it broke in half, felt a deep tug of my heart when that happened ’cause I’d loved it, ‘tho no […]

  07/29/2022 9:10 am

  art history, artists, boston, fairies, faith, home, leaving space, lovingkindness, meditative, memoir stories, monet, my photography, self portraits, soulmates, taking flight, tea, teatime, vacation time, yoga

• Found with a Crown…and Renewing All My Tea Cups

  

  It is morning, 7 am, and meditative teatime is winding down now for me to share your photo for today, from the spontaneous series I’d created yesterday on my walk (in Massachusetts where I live.) This is picture #2: Found with a Crown. This little plant is growing brightly on mulch and in the shade, […]

  07/26/2022 7:34 am

  boston, friendship, fun, home, literary salon we keep, love, lovingkindness, meditation, meditative, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, nature, philosophy, spirituality, tea, teatime, uplifting

• Greetings from a Fairytale Cat

  

  This is a cat, but he prefers best to be called a Bunny…Pup…Dog…or Dawg. And he really loves morning teatime… ☀️☕️🫖🧚‍♂️. 📖📚 May your day be grand. 😘 🐱🐾Your very own, —Peeko

  07/18/2022 1:21 pm

  fairies, fun, home, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, peeko, tea, uplifting

• “Friday Night Line of Wisdom”

  I am all out of wisdom I could tell you; I could almost lift off the floor in flight for that: let’s read books and comb our hair through and place coconut on our skin and calves, can apply a little to the eyelashes on a clear mascara brush too…Let’s paint, look through all of […]

  07/04/2022 10:39 am

  apostrophe, bath, beauty, books, boston, friendship, fruit, letters, literary salon we keep, love, meditative, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my poetry, poetic, poetry, prose poetry, reading, soulmates, tea, wellness

• Cup of Green Tea and Crystal

  

  06/15/2022 5:31 pm

  21st century, bath, beauty, boston, garden, gratitude, home, love, lovingkindness, meditative, my photography, poetic, spirituality, tea

• Stepping Into a Novel Set in 1000 AD Like I’m In It Already

  

  June 13, 2022 A beautifully unfolding novel I find myself at ease in the place and am amused to find myself sharing so many interests with the characters in this historical novel (set in Scotland about 1000 years earlier than our current time): Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser King. I share with the characters interests […]

  06/12/2022 6:45 pm

  21st century, angelic, art, australia, beauty, benevolence, books, catholic, classical, classical music, ed sheeran, england, english, english literature, fiction, full moon, garden, inspiration, inspiring, library, love, lovingkindness, medieval era, meditation, missouri, moon, morningtime, music, nature, novels, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, scotland, secrets, spirituality, susan fraser king, tea, uplifting, virtue, wellness

• An Intoxicating Book, A Bird Tries to Break into My Window, and More Recent Life Stories

  

  this flower was scented like strawberry and sugarcane 📰📻📚🌸 Intoxicated by A Book and Some Flowers I’d found a book recently called The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand, and I noticed before I read the book that it was scented so beautifully like the beach by the sea and a sweetly potent suntan fragrance…I breathed […]

  06/08/2022 7:08 am

  16th century, 21st century, beach, books, boston, edgar allen poe, edna st. vincent millay, england, english literature, fairies, fiction, fun, garden, greece, home, library, literary salon we keep, longing, love, medieval era, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, narrative, nature, night, novels, peeko, plays, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, rumi, sadness, scotland, sea, susan fraser king, tea, uplifting, william shakespeare, yoga

• …*

  

  …as if I’d dreamed the tea cup, but found it first and remembered the dream in my own fancy when I received it and picked it up in my hands and looked… The design is just what I would wish…Green I often turn to and admire, green that feels like new sprouts and grass and […]

  06/06/2022 2:49 pm

  antique, antiques shop, art, artists, beauty, benevolence, boston, chicago, creative process, creative writing prompt, creativity, dreams, free writing, garden, gratitude, home, interior design, japan, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my dreams, my photography, philosophy, poetic, poetry, prose poetry, secrets, spirituality, sun, tea, uplifting, wellness, writing prompt

• Books and Art: Sifting Through for the Best of Rumi, Kahlil Gibran Scare, and My Creative Plan for the Day

  

  I do this too…(I liked finding this illustrated at The Boston Fine Arts Museum, my own photo of this artwork I saw there)…with my silver aluminum water canteen and poetry book, and a rock to sit on. Friday, May 27th, 2022 Sifting Through for the Best of Rumi I think I’d really confused and worked […]

  05/28/2022 7:24 am

  17th century, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century, abstract expressionism, arab renaissance, art, art museum, artists, azima melita kolin, beach, books, boston, bruce degen, childrens books, classics, creative process, egypt, english, english literature, french, garden, home, Kahlil gibran, lebanon, library, longing, love, may ziadeh, medieval era, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, music, my photography, narrative, nature, new york city, novels, ocean, philosophy, poems of may ziadeh, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, psychology, reading, rumi, sketch, soulmates, spirituality, tea, wellness, yoga

• II. For Lingering with the Blossoms’ Fruits and Natural Honey

  

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  04/16/2022 7:14 am

  21st century, boston, catholic, english literature, garden, gratitude, home, interior design, longfellow, maine, memoir, memoir stories, morning, my photography, nature, new england, philosophy, photo series, poetic, poetics, poetry, poetry books, poetry month, poets, prose poetry, sky, spirituality, tea

• Many a Thing…(A Trip to the Antiques Shop)

  

  Tues. Apr. 12, 2022 photo from Tues., Apr. 5th—“Pants by Peeko 🐱,” a perfectly good hemming this time, Peeko helping on his own when I got the pants ready (just ‘loungewear’, shown in previous post.) He was proud of both the task and his own joke: sitting like this holding the pants in place and […]

  04/12/2022 7:28 pm

  19th century, 20th century, alarie tennille, ameen rihani, antique shop, antiques shop, art, art history, beach, book reflection, book review, books, boston, childhood, dance, dreams, egypt, england, english, english literature, free writing, fruit, fruits, garden, gratitude, herbs, home, interior design, j.r.r. tolkien, Kahlil gibran, kansas, lebanon, literary salon we keep, literary theory, longfellow, may ziadeh, meditate, memoir, memoir stories, missouri, morningtime, my mystical experiences, my photography, narrative, nature, new york city, novels, peeko, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, prose poetry, psychology, reading, tea, wellness, writing process, writing theory

• Five Favorite Songs and a Tea

  

  “Ain’t it crazy what’s revealed when you’re not looking all that close?” 🔥💕🎶 …🌊💕 My own review of 🍃”Ali Shan“🫖 green oolong tea from Adagio: Sweet, dewy and refreshing! Takes you to the top of the waterfall, green-oolong leaves unfurling fully at the bottom of the tea pot, warmed as if by the very sun. […]

  04/07/2022 8:39 am

  acoustic, angels, books, boston, california, dance, folk music, garden, gratitude, hip hop, home, home design, impressionism, inspiring, interests, interior design, monet, morningtime, music, my photography, nature, ohio, over the rhine, philosophy, poetic, pop, pop music, singer-songwriters, spanish, spirituality, sun, tea, wellness

• Morning Tea in Honor of My Grandma on Her Birthday, New Flowers and Poetry

  

  *** Flowers found and brought home this weekend from local garden shop, purple pansies and white fragrant climbing blossoms scented with a little more honey than florally; I received care directions from the garden staff for this potted variety…I will find out the fragrant one’s name today, flowers in time for spring and my grandma’s […]

  04/04/2022 9:04 am

  20th century, 21st century, birthday, books, boston, brooklyn, catholic, english literature, food, garden, grandma jean, gratitude, italian, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, nature, new england, novels, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, sky, sun, tea

• Delighted Like a Teddybear Cat, in Gray, Spa Spring Days

  

  Peeko rests like an elegant, long floppy-armed teddybear and lounges with me during tea time. He loves Spa Days and Spring Celebrations—Day 12 today. I had given myself a pink pedicure and filed my nails last night, chamomile cleansing lotion a nice cooling rinse upon skin/body. I dried my shampooed hair, rinsed under highest pressure […]

  03/31/2022 2:57 pm

  21st century, boston, catholic, fairies, gratitude, herbs, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, narrative, peeko, philosophy, poetic, spirituality, tea, wellness, yoga

• A Mid-Literary Salon Mystery and then the Cats Close This Post

  

  photo by me taken at the Fine Arts Museum, Boston. I liked this porcelain tea set out of the ceramic pottery. No, I cannot afford to buy it! At the Tuesday literary salon hosted at my home often we’ve enjoyed a segment of ”silent reading.” I’d imaginatively considered for fun if the salon host, May […]

  03/31/2022 8:08 am

  18th century, 20th century, 21st century, ann radcliffe, art museum, boston, edna st. vincent millay, egypt, english literature, fiction, french, gratitude, home, literary salon we keep, maine, may ziadeh, meditation, memoir, memoir stories, museum, my mystical experiences, my photography, narrative, novels, peeko, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, tea, wellness

• The Tea’s Ready

  

  The tea is ready (Sencha green) and the book is ready too: a reread of mine, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 🍃😊🌺🗝🍃☕️

  03/18/2022 7:44 am

  20th century, angels, books, boston, england, english literature, frances hodgson burnett, garden, gratitude, home, india, inspiring, interior design, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, my photography, nature, novels, poetic, reading, tea

• Two Poems of Mine Published in Indelible

  

  My two poems, “This Ring” and “Droplets Slide Down the Pine and Land Upon the Grass Within a Slow Dance” are in print today in the latest issue of Indelible, an online literary and arts magazine, Issue #6, “The Feminine.” To read my two poems in Indelible, click This Ring and Other Poem, by Jade […]

  03/08/2022 7:09 am

  21st century, art, boston, egypt, french, ghazal, hedy habra, literary journals, literary salon we keep, may ziadeh, morningtime, my poetry, nature, poetic forms, poetry, poetry forms, poets, short stories, tea

• Pure Fun, New Moon, Writing Notebook

  

  Last night Monday…Peeko sitting in my chair with such pride. And he might show up at your job as your new Project Manager, you never know. Last week I could sum up with the line, Reason for Exhaustion: Writing sonnets all day. One Shakespearean. One Petrarchan: complex rhyme scheme sent me crashing by 4 pm. […]

  02/01/2022 2:24 pm

  20th century, 21st century, boston, creative process, edna st. vincent millay, english literature, fairies, food, gratitude, hedy habra, keith waldrop, library, literary salon we keep, may ziadeh, meditation, memoir, memoir stories, moon, morningtime, my photography, narrative, new moon, novels, peeko, poetic forms, poetry, poetry books, poetry forms, poetry three, poets, reading, sonnet, tea, virginia woolf, wellness, writing process

• A Moon So Near

  

  Before dawn, the moon so close to my face and near to my gaze; I closed my eyes and slept some more, smiling within. This morning… ‘Rumi’ black tea with a splash of almond milk in a teacup my Grandma gave me and Collected Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, a gift I so welcomed […]

  01/27/2022 7:24 am

  20th century, 21st century, boston, brooklyn, childhood, edna st. vincent millay, grandma jean, maine, medieval era, meditation, memoir, memoir stories, moon, morningtime, my photography, my sister, new york city, novels, poetic, poets, rumi, sky, tea

• My Vacation with a Book, a Cup, and Plum Village

  

  I am on vacation at home. After cleaning and vacuuming and hanging up the new laundry out of the dryer, I continued mindfulness practices on the Plum Village app this afternoon, a community I’d found years ago whose meditations and teachings I’ve found so clear and beautifully expressed and a very enjoyable app. Some of […]

  01/21/2022 6:01 pm

  20th century, 21st century, angels, books, boston, childhood, edna st. vincent millay, english, english literature, fairies, fruit, gratitude, herbs, home, library, medieval era, meditation, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, novels, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, rumi, self portraits, spirituality, tea, walt whitman

• May Days 😉

  

  Jan. 19, 2022 My gaze was looking downward awhile, drinking a cup of tea, then singing, suddenly looked up: I sent the sky so many kisses; I didn’t count them…😊😘😘😊 * Our literary salon yesterday May Ziadeh hosting here was so diversified: music, meditation, comments, silent reading, and it closed with my latest painting. * […]

  01/19/2022 4:09 pm

  20th century, ameen rihani, arabic, art, books, boston, catholic, chamber music, classical, classical music, egypt, england, french, Kahlil gibran, lebanon, letters, literary salon we keep, may ziadeh, meditation, memoir, memoir stories, morningtime, music, my photography, new york city, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poets, sky, spanish, spirituality, tea, wellness, yoga

• Pride and Prejudice… Pages Still Setting Free in my Hands

  

  …Checks calendar for today’s date…✔️😅 Time ?🕰☀️⏳…Considers guest: Nah😉 In bedroom library corner, plenty of sky to see through these clean windows by me worthy of highest praise, tea cup from which I’ve just drank, just now empty, now too, pins in place the front pages that may come undone in my hands unexpectedly, ones […]

  11/18/2021 1:11 pm

  19th century, angels, art, boston, creative process, england, home, jane austen, memoir, memoir stories, morning, my photography, nature, novels, philosophy, poetic, reading, sky, spirituality, sun, tea

• 7!

  

  a recent photo luxuriously flaunting his longness… Peeko knew it was his birthday today as soon as dawn’s waking, he ran! into the bedroom (instead of walking) as I was awakening and looked up at me with great attention and excitement, and with a hint of baby sweetness, and then he leapt onto the new […]

  11/08/2021 7:03 pm

  20th century, arabic, art, beach, boston, brooklyn, classical, classical music, creative process, edna st. vincent millay, home, memoir, memoir stories, moon, morning, music, my photography, my sister, narrative, new york city, ocean, peeko, poets, sky, tea, writing process

• ‘Here is Another’

  

  I found myself unraveling my own self and my days in the night with a tone of apology, had felt the kindest “Shhh…” I sit with tea to see the sky like this; I smile at being so spoiled but then there’s the subtle, ’Shhh’ 😊and more color brushed on…and the creamy lamplit walls and […]

  10/31/2021 11:07 am

  20th century, 21st century, books, catholic, english literature, home, may ziadeh, morning, my photography, novels, poetic, poetry, poets, reading, sky, spirituality, sun, tea

• The Latest Draft of My Sonnet Is Being Guarded with Seriousness

  

  I made a cup of afternoon tea and wanted to also read the fourth draft of my new sonnet in progress. I quickly found the first three drafts loose…and my most current one, not so free! But definitely not lost and definitely not ‘run away.’ This lyon is guarding it for me, and I look […]

  10/29/2021 1:04 pm

  handwritten, home, interior design, memoir, memoir stories, my photography, peeko, poetic, poetry, poetry forms, poetry three, poets, rumi, sonnet, tea, writing process

• After Poetry, A Portrait

  

  Left to right: Ann (my mom’s bestie), My mom, and me in Massachusetts Conversations of coconut oil, free library cabinets, yoga, French breaded desserts, Italian restaurants and friendly waiters, a great aunt’s tea cups coming out of storage for display, and types of meditation. * Earlier: Finding Things You Already Had, With A Runaway Sonnet: […]

  10/28/2021 3:40 pm

  french, fruit, home, interior design, italy, library, meditation, memoir, memoir stories, self portraits, tea, wellness, yoga

• The Excitement of Finding Things You Already Had: #1

  

  Well, I decided to find new table mats and to replace the ones I’d burned a little years ago with a frying pan maybe twice and hadn’t picked them out specifically, also saw I wanted more color and softness. These handwoven placemats and this vintage napkin holder I found on Etsy arrived yesterday morning and […]

  10/27/2021 8:23 am

  20th century, art, england, free writing, garden, handwritten, home, interior design, italy, may ziadeh, memoir stories, my photography, norway, poetic, poetry, spirituality, tea, wellness, writing exercise, writing prompt

• There, A Rare Photo

  

  Jan. 9, 2022 I have a conclusion! I believe May is the woman sitting in the front holding the baby. I looked through her other photos and noticed a beauty mark near her smile that shows in some photos…and the woman in the front shows the same! Also, May is looking away in most of […]

  10/25/2021 10:00 am

  21st century, ameen rihani, book reflection, book review, books, emily fares ibrahim, garden, may ziadeh, my photography, nature, nicole krauss, novels, poetic, poets, reading, sky, tea

• Your Sunday Picture Book

  

  Mid-morning after we woke, Peeko was napping contentedly on the bed at sunrise. Here he was lounging just across from my living room chair facing where I would sit a few moments before I did (and where he doesn’t usually sit) and I knelt to take this photo of him at eye level before I […]

  10/24/2021 5:12 pm

  angels, books, boston, catholic, english literature, faith, food, garden, memoir, memoir stories, morning, music, my photography, nature, peeko, philosophy, poetic, poets, reading, spirituality, tea

• A Letter To Honor Poet May Ziadeh and Two of Her Poems, Eighty Years Later

  

  Featured again today on the blog with affection💕🙏… for May Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021 after her first poetry book, Dream Flowers May Ziadeh writes: “I hope that after my death someone will do justice to me and extract from my small writings the truthfulness and sincerity it contains!!” b. Feb. 11, 1886 – d. Oct. […]

  10/17/2021 9:53 am

  20th century, 21st century, angels, audio, baudelaire, boston, catholic, edgar allen poe, egypt, faith, garden, home, lamartine, lebanon, letters, literary salon we keep, literary theory, lord byron, may ziadeh, memoir, moon, morning, my audio poetry, my photography, my poetry, philosophy, poetic, poetry, poetry books, poetry read by me, poets, prose poetry, reading, sky, spirituality, sun, tea, writings by may ziadeh

• And The Moon’s Shiny Tonight

  It’s the Moon! You know it. A song came on my shuffle today, think my own Christmas thought, save it in my mind for a future post, keeping my hands off the blog, and then quickly check social media late that night to see Britney Spears has posted a Christmas picture. 🎄 I take a […]

  10/16/2021 10:54 am

  food, memoir, memoir stories, moon, music, my photography, poetic, poets, tea, writing process, writing prompt