Iffy 50

I turned 50 today.
Yabba dabba dooooooooo!
Seriously though, turning 20, 30 or 40 never bothered me in the slightest. Turning 25 did because once you hit 25, you can't use the excuse of youthful exuberance any more for dumb mistakes. You're also a quarter of a century old which sounds even worse. Now that I'm a half-century old, it means I'm at least half-way towards the end and I'm definitely no longer a kid.
But everything was going OK until I looked at the newspaper online and found out that another relative had died. I guess that's going to keep happening with increasing familiarity now that I'm firmly in the middle of middle age.
Fortunately, there's a small birthday cake in the fridge and my friend gave me the prettiest Royal Albert teacup (Lovelace) and a package of Stash's Chocolate Mint Oolong. I'll raise a toast this evening, to my favorite great uncle and to whatever the future may bring.

Cloudy Days and Crazy Crows

The sun dropped by for a visit yesterday although it's gone back into hiding today. Apparently, according to the weather gurus, we've had 14 days of rain for the first 17 days of this month - yet, we haven't broken any records. I guess it clears up at night. Oh well, we're saving on sunscreen.
Of course, this is delaying getting my roof repaired although I may have some explaining to do when they eventually get here. As I drove out of my driveway yesterday, I noticed a crow with a hot dog on my roof. Now that's not something you see everyday! I watched as he carefully placed the bun in my rain gutter and then he began to eat it. It's probably the same bird that was up on on the roof a few weeks ago with a sandwich.I don't know where or how he's getting his meals but I can just imagine the looks on the roofers' faces when they'll take down the rain gutters off the house - an all-you-can-eat buffet? What's up with that?
As long as they don't start stealing my tea ...

Computers and the democratization of us all

Yes, I am getting pretentious here but when you think about it, what has, more than anything else, made us more equal than almost anything, besides the vote?
It has to be the computer and what it has led to.
Think back about 25 or 30 years ago. If you lived in a small town or rural area, you bought what was available at your local shop or you had to drive miles out of your way to the city. If you wanted to see a major entertainment or sporting event or even buy a bestseller, you pretty much had to do the same thing, since big name acts don't usually fly into beautiful metropolitan Podunk and many of these smaller areas don't even have (gasp) book stores.
It just ain't the same today. Thanks to computers and the internet, we can get anything we want when we want, whether we live in New York City or Hicksville. We can order whatever books and tea whenever we want or not when the local shopkeeper decides to carry it. I remember years ago looking for pants in an olive green color and being told by the local shopkeeper that she didn't sell them because people around here didn't want that color.
Yeah. Guess I didn't count.
But that's OK now because I can get them online in whatever color I choose and not what a local yokel fashionista deems to be the proper shade for my rump.
The same goes for my coffee and tea choices. I tend to get most of my day to day stuff online with the occasional taster bought locally when something catches my eye. I do try to shop locally when I can but I refuse to give up when they don't carry the things I like.

Just Getting Lazy

I've been buying teas lately and it seems every tea I try, I have a single cup and I'm not inspired enough to have a second. So I've been making too many cups of Twinings Earl Grey via the Tassimo. I mean, I like Earl Grey, but I wish it wasn't becoming my fallback tea because the other teas are so lousy.
My onions in the backyard are growing wonderfully. Unlike most Maritimers, they seem happy enough with the wet, chilly weather we have been experiencing lately. I've just learned about bag method for growing potatoes and I might give it a try. I've always wanted to grow potatoes but thought it was too difficult. The bag method sounds pretty easy and therefore, right up my ally!
I have been adding more and more cups and saucers to my collection, thanks to Value Village. They sell saucers for 99 cents and cups for the same - the trick is managing to match everything up so you get a complete set for a 1.98. It's a great, fun way to expand your teacup collection for next to nothing and you get some pretty amazing pieces. People just don't value these items any more - but that's good news for those of us who love a bargain.

Scone-a-mania

I baked again today. On the menu today were mayonnaise biscuits (surprisingly delicious and few ingredients), rich tea scones, blueberry oatmeal scones, chocolate chip muffins and a President's Choice shortbread mix that I managed to burn. Everything that I made from scratch was delicious and the shortbread was OK - the unburnt stuff, that is. Nearly everything has been frozen except for the tasting scones/muffins so my freezer is now heaving and I'm stuffed!
The tea de jour is Grapefruit black, which cuts through all the sweetness quite nicely.

Muffin Mania!

Even though the weather here argues to the contrary, I do believe we're going to have a long, hot summer. So, I'd like to have a freezer full of my favorite baked goods ready so I don't have to turn on the oven more than necessary during the summer months. Last week, I made a few loaf cakes and today, it was time for muffins. I started at 7 pm and by 10 pm, I had baked five and half dozen muffins: blueberry, strawberry, double chocolate and banana chocolate chip. Four and a half dozen have been frozen while the remaining dozen have been left out for snacking purposes. And I do have to say - I make a great muffin! Muffins are one of those foods that have to be made at home - I have yet to have a decent one in a restaurant or coffee shop. Also, the ones you buy are so big and full of calories - at least homemade ones are smaller and can be adapted for whatever diet you follow.
To go with those muffins, I just received some of Stash's Meyer Lemon Herbal tea and have been drinking that. It's very lemonny and not at all grassy tasting, like so many lemon teas are. I'll definitely be ordering more.

Weather's better

The weather is back to normal for this area - low teens and misty. Pretty much perfect weather for gardening and that's what I've been doing. Planted a small vegetable garden today - asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, onions, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, peas, beans and zuchinni. The tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, lettuce and some herbs will be planted in pots while the rest are in my new raised bed. Who knows what will happen now - it's pretty much up to Mother Nature.
I am drinking Spring Pouchong today and it's still the best tasting (and smelling) tea I have ever had. It smells like a spring garden filled with lilacs and roses. I am drinking it in a Royal Doulton "Nicole" pattern cup and saucer, which my mother gave me about 20 years ago. It's cream colored bone china decorated with tiny yellow flowers and what looks like sprigs of lilacs. I prefer to drink tea out of bone china but I usually use a mug. The past few days I have been using a tea cup and saucer and it does enhance the experience. Since a china lover can never have too many cups and saucers, yesterday I hit Value Village and scored quite a nice haul. For just over $9, I bought five saucers and five cups. Yes, they're mismatched but I managed to get them to nearly match so that only an expert would know the difference. My best purchase was a cup by Rosina called Wild Flowers, which is pretty blue flowers on a white background. I think it's a demitasse since it's smaller than the others. I highly recommend this as a way to expand your tea cup collection but it does take some time - most of the time what's in stock is pretty awful.

Sometimes You Do Get What You Wished For ...

Ooops! In my past posts, I mentioned how I want cold damp weather - well, I got it! On Thursday and Friday previous, we had sunshine and temperatures in the mid-20s C (mid - 70s F). Yesterday and today, it's been foggy and in the low single digits (high 30s). Now personally, I love this sort of weather - I'd like it year-round - but I know I'm in the minority and I now feel kind of bad for those hoping for nicer weather on the holiday weekend.
However, it's still great weather for trying new teas and I did just that. I tried Tazo's Sweet Orange, which is an herbal orange flavored blend. Quite nice although not as good as the Orange Tangerine from Celestial Seasonings, who get it just right. I also tried a Cherry Rose green which was pleasant enough, at the one local restaurant that actually offers loose tea, served in a proper pot. Unfortunately, they don't decant but hey, who expects everything? I'm just impressed that they see the need for loose over bagged. Someday, we'll reach the 20th century around here!

Good Weather - Oh Well

Yes, you read that right. We have been receiving spectacular weather the past two days and I am none too happy about it (see previous post). Oh well, it is suppose to be freezing here tomorrow so hopefully that will come about. I am being a real scrooge but I am worried about my roof and oil tank - once they're fixed, let the sunshine and hot weather reign!
It's the long weekend and even more importantly, it's the weekend when they'll be showing the new Jesse Stone movie on CBS. Sunday night at 10 EST. I love these movies - not so much for the stories but for the characters, atmosphere and setting. I could care less what happens - I just want that house that Stone lives in! It's in the most beautiful setting possible.
I'm drinking some Earl Grey from my Tassimo right now. I confess I am using that machine entirely too much. But it does make good Earl Grey!

Wet Times!

It's 5 C and pouring rain here. Definitely a day for vanilla cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing and sunny yellow sugar sprinkles. Fortunately, I had a half-dozen of the cupcakes in my freezer and I just finished icing and decorating them. Well, actually, I just finished eating one - quite nice, if I do say so myself.
With that, I am having a cup of loose orange spice - a wintery tea but it seems as cold as a day in early December out there.
In a way, I am almost relieved. I have to get a new oil tank and a new roof this year. I just got the oil tank filled before I found out I could get a good price on a new tank so now what I had planned to do in October will be moved up to sometime within the next month. I also have rotting boards on one section of roof so I want that repaired before some enterprising wasps build themselves a nest - so I am actually hoping for cold weather over the next three weeks so the nasties will remain napping.
Now, I am not being selfish or anything. I just want cold weather for my little spot - everyone else can have sunshine and roses - and with all the microclimates we have around here, that just might be possible.

Library Tea

Our local library is always putting on free programs on a variety of subjects that are interesting. This week's event was on vegetable gardening and since I am a (very) amateur gardener who prefers to eat her garden, we went to the two-hour session. It was interesting and I left inspired to plant a few new things. Since my yard is shaded, I now know that lettuce and other greens are pretty much the best things for me to grow (and garlic!).
Of course, in this area, you can't do anything without including a lunch and refreshments - one of the perks of Maritime living. Since the session was about growing fruits and vegetables, the foods included a fruit tray and a vegetable tray. But for me, the best thing about the evening was the chance to try two new teas. Both are by President's Choice. The second was Raspberry Thriller - I have to confess I wasn't so thrilled. Just another reddish-colored herbal that really didn't have that much flavor. But the first tea I tried was a completely different story. It's called Lemon Thriller and it lives up to its name. It's another herbal and features a full, rich lemon flavor with no grassy overtones. The very next day, I went to the grocery store and purchased a box so that should tell you how much I liked it - if you're a lemon fan, this one is worth trying!

Tea and cookies

Is there a more perfect pairing? It's definitely one of mine. This week, in celebration of all things British, I bought two old favorites, crumpets and milk chocolate digestive biscuits. I had forgotten just how good both are. Neither were brand names - just store brands - but both were truly tasty.
Maybe it's because I drink my tea plain with no sugar or milk but I often like to have something sweet with it. Yet, often my favorites disappear off store shelves just as I develop an addiction to them. Maybe they're still offered in other areas but here's a few of the yummies I can no have because the confounded local stores no longer stock them.
1. Chocolate HobNobs by McVities
2. McVities Chocolate and Orange Digestives
3. Lemon Puffs (the old fashioned sticky ones)
4. Coffee Crisp Orange Fingers
5. Bourbon Cremes

I've seen some of these online but shipping rates are often too high to indulge.

Happy Easter!

I've always loved Easter but I think any holiday associated with chocolate is wonderful. And let's face it - Easter chocolate is among the best.
I'm sitting here now with half a white Lindt chocolate bunny, half of a Laura Secord buttercream Easter Egg and half a bag of Lindt double milk chocolate eggs - gee, I wonder where the other halves went?
Certain days of the year, I allow myself the luxury of eating as much and whatever I want and Easter happens to be one of those days. So yes, I have been overindulging in my favorite treats but that will soon stop. My tummy is starting to protest so it may be time to either freeze or throw away the leftovers because I'll just keep eating them if they're left out.
While there's certainly plenty of good stuff out there, the variety no longer seems to be there. I hate this new trend of simply taking everyday chocolate and repackaging it for every holiday. Sorry folks, but a Snickers is a Snickers is a Snickers - putting a foil egg wrapper around it does not make it an Easter candy. Years ago, we used to be able to get Easter-specific candies but that no longer seem to be the case. The only ones that seem to remain are the Cadbury Easter Cream eggs, chocolate eggs with a thin candy crust and marshmallow covered-in-chocolate bunnies.
Remember those pan eggs - a hard shell of colorful candy surrounding a soft marshmallowy inside? They could be pretty awful but they were definitely a part of Easter. Couldn't even find them this year. I also couldn't find any cherry cream, maple cream or buttercream eggs this year - but peanut butter eggs are everywhere. Again, that's something I can buy any day of the week - I want the stuff I can only get at Easter.
Maybe these things are still available in the bigger centres but I wish they were still around in my area.

Teatime In My Own Little World

There are times when it becomes very clear that I am living on another planet and am not at all in touch with reality. I was reading a blog early today about an afternoon tea event that sounded really nice and I decided to investigate further. At this particular restaurant, you could get a pot of tea, a sandwich, soup, scone and a few cookies for $25 per person.
Yikes!
At home, you could probably make the whole shebang for well under $5, from stuff in your fridge. And yes, I understand that it's always nice to eat out and have someone else to do the cooking and cleanup - after all, that's why most of us go to a restaurant. There's a further complication for me that has nothing to do with price - you can't even get afternoon tea around here since no restaurants offer it.
It's not so much that I live in the middle of nowhere but you can see it from here.
But I have no intentions of doing without. I'll make it at home. It goes like this.
About once a week, I bake something. Usually muffins or cupcakes, but sometimes cookies or scones. Since there's just two of us and we're both watching our weight, I leave a few out for a dessert and freeze the rest. Then, for those days when afternoon tea seems a necessity, I simply make some sandwiches (egg salad or ham usually) and defrost a few scones, muffins and cookies. Afternoon tea on demand, on budget and not a whole lot of work.
And that's a good thing for a sometimes cheapskate who lives in the middle of nowhere like myself.

Oh well ...

My new tea, the white plum ambrosia from Zhena's Gypsy Teas is rather ho-hum. For one thing, even though it smells like plums, it tastes like melon. Which is sort of nice - first time I've ever had a melon-flavored tea and I do like melons. But I did want a plum flavor in a bag and for my money, the loose black plum blend from the Metropolitan Tea Company is still the best tea out there for those who like plum flavor.