Thursday, May 31, 2012

St. James Tea in Wichita



I met this little lady at the St. James Tea a few weeks ago.



The St. James Tea in Wichita is one I've wanted to attend for years. The timing just never worked out until this year. Fortunately, my friend, Jan, and I were able to go. She had been before. It was a perfect day.

When we walked through the church and over to the area where the tea was being held, we were guided on the path by this wonderful scene.



Just inside the door was this nice vignette.



The tea goodies were on tables in the center of the room, with beautiful flowers.



Ladies charged with pouring tea were stationed at each end of the tables.



The trays of food were continually replenished and you could help yourself to whatever you fancied.







We were quite taken with these little chocolate mice. I'd seen photographs of them in magazines, but never actually seen any that someone had gone to the trouble to make.











They had round tables set up all over the room, all with tablecloths, and you could sit down and enjoy yourself. Some people came and went as the day went on, and some - like us- stayed for an extended while.



There were a number of young girls attending in beautiful dresses. This little girl was at our table for awhile with her mom and grandmother. She was really sweet. You can see she has a white chocolate mouse, as well as the traditional dark chocolate one!



There was a fashion show twice that day. We caught the second part of it the first time and stayed for the second show to see the rest.



It appealed to all ages.



Ladies in their church bring treats for the tea. They also have sales of various things along the edges of the room, and a silent auction. I managed to bring home five more cookbooks. They were only $1 each. How could I resist?




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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

We Know



One of the books I keep close at hand is Thomas Moore's, "Care of the Soul." When I feel a bit lost or confused sometimes I pick it up and flip to one of the many flagged passages.

I did that recently and turned to something I didn't have highlighted, but that was just what I needed to see. It said, "The soul has no room in which to present itself if we continually fill all the gaps with bogus activities."

It seems life is filled with many bogus activities. I try to be in the moment and appreciate every breath I'm allowed, but it's a bit more difficult when shopping for toilet paper than when standing in a beautiful forest.

We often find so many reasons to not do the very things our soul is crying out for. But we know. At our core, we know what we need. We always know.

We know when we should end a relationship or start a new life or pick up a book. We just ignore that voice that whispers to us, more insistently all the time. The universe keeps providing us with clues - from conversations, events, and even books. Eventually we have no choice but to heed the demands. And we stop filling our time with bogus activities. and let the soul present itself.

Then we think... I needed this.

We always know.

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Weird Al in Wichita



A friend shared a Weird Al concert ticket with me a few weeks ago.



I have to say it was a jam-packed, brilliant, fun show.



We pretty much started smiling from the first moment and never stopped. His show is very high energy. I can't even remember how many costume changes there were.



A little Nirvana, of course...







It was during this number, in the animal print/red suit, that he came out into the audience and sung to some of the women. I was lucky enough to be one of htem.





He's very expressive!





This gentleman came out on stage and held the harmonica for Weird Al to play. It was a funny bit.





Amish Paradise, of course



He had all the Jim Morrison mannerisms down pat.









Ace Jackalope met up with a storm trooper afterward.



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Monday, May 28, 2012

Still Packaged After All These Years



You just never know what you're going to find at the thrift store. I didn't even know such things were manufactured, and it looks like it hasn't been for a few decades. For fifty cents I brought it home because it looks useful.

Of course, I am struck by the knowledge that someone bought this - probably in the 1970s at the latest - and here it is still in the package. No one has ever actually used it. Until now. It's about to find its way into my bright yellow kitchen.

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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Pretty Things



Lately pretty little hankies have been finding their way to me. I love that.

I've washed some of my recent pretties and have started ironing them.

There's something odd about the fact that I won't iron my clothes, but I will iron decades old hankies into perfect squares.

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Puerto Rico Jungle



Lately I've been thinking about beautiful places on the planet. Puerto Rico came to mind and I went to find some of the photos from my visit there in July of 2005. Thought I'd share some with you...





These were all taken at El Yunque Rain Forest. These were taken from the top of  the Yokahu Observation Tower.



The tower looks ancient, but it was built in 1962. You can climb the 96 steps and look out where you get these beautiful views of the clouds and the plants and the mixing of the two.

None of these photos really captures how beautiful it is.














It was raining the day we were there, which gave the flowers a dewy look.











It rains a lot there - or at least it did during my visit - and I loved it. I couldn't resist getting some close ups of leaves with rain drops.






One of the things I love about the jungle is how lush everything is. What you don't get a sense of from these photos is that El Yunque is not very "wild." You'd have to get off the well beaten path and it's concrete to find those places. Unfortunately, I was with a whole group and no one wanted to do that so I missed that part.

But, there are beautiful things to see from that concrete.











I'm ready for another visit!


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