Three water features

I love to sit on the porch swing and listen to the sound of splashing water. My outdoor areas have three water features 

As you walk up to our back door you are greeted by the gurgling pineapple fountain. 

Around the corner is the lion fountain. 

And just a few steps away the water splashes down the slate stone into the pond. 

They do not compete with one another but sing in beautiful harmony. 

Foxgloves

The mystery plant finally bloomed and revealed itself to be....a foxglove. And what a foxglove it is. It is so high and has so many stalks that I was just amazed. 

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Everyday

Walking the dogs

Meet Andy Rooney, (the Schnauzer/poodle) and Maggie, (the greyhound). They belong to my friend Sandy. Every morning Sandy and I have been walking. It’s great to get out in the morning before it gets hot and walk about a mile. Two times a week we take her dogs with us. She was having trouble walking Maggie since she would pull and tug and managing two dogs was hard for her. Someone gave her a harness to try and once Maggie gets that harness on she is as tame as a mouse and walks without pulling. I walk Andy and he prances along so jauntily. I love walking him.

This is me

Hello Summer

Isn’t this crab apple tree absolutely beautiful? It is in the backyard of my friend Lynda who invited the coffee girls to her house for a picnic. 

We sat (social distancing ourselves of course) and chatted and then enjoyed great food on her lovely patio. It was only the second time that the girls have seen each other so we had a lot of catching up to do. 

Finally we have our warm weather and Look! My peonies are going to bloom soon. We are way behind this year (remember the snow we had in May?) 

The world is getting green and I am enjoying watching all the plants begin to grow. 

I caught this hummingbird in flight as I was taking a picture of the chives. 

In one corner of the flower bed the lupine are blooming. In this picture you can see some bachelor buttons on the right side and forget me nots on the left. Behind the lupine I think are foxglove but I’m not sure. 

Here is a better picture. I’m sure my garden friends will let me know what it is. I planted it last summer and it didn’t flower but the leaves grew and grew. They did not die down even though the winter snow covered them. I just removed some dead leaves from the bottom this spring and they continued to grow. I have noticed that I gravitate toward blue flowers. 

The thyme I transplanted last year is doing well by the pond. 

This year looks like a good year for the climatis which grow over the gate. I added a white one to the right side where the blue one looked like it wasn’t doing as well last year. 

And the final picture is the Japanese maple which is growing slowly behind the gate. I love its color. In front of it is yarrow. 

Today I purchased the last of my annuals and will be making my three window boxes tomorrow. I have a few herbs to plant in the portager and I got another lavender for that space too. 

How are your flowers growing?

Bloom

The azalea that was transplanted from the other side of the house last year is in full bloom. Even though summer has begun in most parts of the country here in my town we are having spring. The leaves are just coming out on the trees now and the hills are gloriously green. Some perennials are growing in the flower gardens and the chives are starting to flower. 

   Yesterday Don and I went out to get fast food for the first time since our lockdown on March 15. We ventured to the Tastee Freeze for a burger, fries and a milkshake. It was constantly crowded and almost everyone was wearing a mask. It seemed so normal for a minute. 

    The courtyard is almost ready for summer but the pond still needs cleaned out and the bank mulched. I have been enjoying sitting on my porch swing reading. It is my favorite summer activity. 

The rain is bringing out the leaves

It’s raining here again today. These showers are really making things grow fast. The hills are greening up and the grass is such a bright green. It is so welcoming after the gray hills of winter. Every chance I get I go outside and try to spend some time in the sun. I am not a sun worshiper (2 rounds of skin cancer on my head has taught me better) but I like to feel it a little on my face. Yesterday I made a trip out to a nearby town to buy some flowers and some solar fairy lights. Little by little I am getting my outdoor area ready for enjoying those lovely summer nights. 

    Today I am going on a picnic at my coffee friend’s house. It will be so nice to see all the girls again and chat even though the rain will force us indoors. This is a strange Memorial Day weekend. Usually I would spend it with my family but I haven’t seen them in person since the virus started. They are afraid to come here fearing that they may be carrying the virus asymptomatically. I am grateful for Zoom and FaceTime as well as texting. we can keep in touch. 

      This weekend I think I’ll curl up with a book. I picked up two summer reads yesterday.

Plant stand

This Frenchy  looking plant stand has been a fixture in my living room for a number of years. I love African violets (these are faux) so they currently have a home here. 

Yesterday we had a warm but windy day. The chimes that were hanging under the porch of the breezeway were being blown around and were so loud that I had to move them to a different place where they wouldn’t get so much wind. I carried the heavy gravity chair up the basement steps to put on the courtyard....and that wasn’t easy. I think I finally have everything out for the summer. 

My giggle girl friend Sandy and I have been walking in the afternoon. Marilla lake is so close to my house and the walk around is just a mile. It is a lovely walk and it feels good to be out of the house. 

  

So....what have you been doing?

Hello my friends. Our lockdown is letting up as Pennsylvania goes to yellow status which means that some stores can open. But I am rather cautious about the virus so I think shopping is not on my agenda. I have only been leaving the house to get groceries once a week. This is the most time I have spent staying home and I am getting used to it. I find that I am sleeping in more and definitely cooking more.  We do not order take out so every meal is home cooked. I am using up food from my freezer. We have not seen a shortage of food in my hometown but my sister in Virginia has noticed that there are items that can’t be found there. 

     

I have spent some time painting with acrylics and finished this one yesterday. Now I am going back to practicing with watercolors. I was so looking forward to going back to Mayville for classes this summer but I assume that it won’t be happening. 

  It rained most of the day yesterday so I didn’t get to spend time outdoors. It was a good thing that on Saturday we worked so hard. The forecast calls for rain today also. 

   What are you doing to keep yourself busy? Do you have a routine or just play it by ear each day? Are you getting out? How has your life changed?

    

The ants come out of the anthill

In Spring I always say people come out of their homes like ants coming out of an anthill. They scurry around outside and the first part of the Spring is always spent doing outdoor chores for our warm outdoor season is very short. There are many chores to be done to get ready for summer. 

   Yesterday Don and I spend some hours outside after and before the rain pounding down working. The first thing we did is open the garage door and use the power washer to clean off all the debris from the winter. We also power washed the breezeway. I put out a few plants I bought and hosed off the courtyard. We still have lights to put out, the pond to clean and to get the table out. The weather should be nice this next week so we should be able to do some of the things we want. It is difficult now as we are older to do heavy lifting and things that we once did effortlessly. Our boys are not nearby but we have someone who helps us. 

Linda gave me that cute flag and it looks darling in that planter. 

The climbing hydrangea is leafing out and the peonies underneath are getting taller. 

I planted some bulbs in the picket fence area and hope that I will see color there in the summer. It is one of my favorite garden areas. Today I will put the lights around the pond and on the breezeway. I can’t wait to sit out on my swing and enjoy the weather. 

Slowing down

How are you doing my friends? Is it just me or has life slowed down to a turtle’s pace? These days seem like they creep by. Isolation has had a toll on all of us as we have given up our “normal” routines and stayed in our homes. 

  I did get out yesterday for a doctor’s appointment in Erie, which is one and a half hours away. I was seeing an endocrinologist for a thyroid check to see why I am so cold all the time and in the summer can’t regulate my body temperature so I get way too hot. I have been on thyroid medication forever. With a change in dose and a new med maybe I can get some relief. 

   While I was there I went into two stores. Western Pennsylvania opened up under yellow conditions last Friday. Donning my mask I visited Hobby Lobby and Boscov’s. It seemed almost normal to go into a store. Who would have thought that something I did all the time would now seem strange to me? 

   Meanwhile at home I am spending a lot of time binge watching shows. My new obsession is a show on Prime called Cold Feet. It is a British comedy about friends and the perfect way to lose myself for hours. And last night we watched the finale of Survivor.

   Since the libraries aren’t open I’ve also read some books on my ipad. I just finished a Lisa Scottolini Book and am into something new today. I’ve also been spending a lot of time playing the piano and the practice has improved my skill. I purchased some new piano books last summer with great arrangements of standard classics. 

  I apologize for this slowdown of blogging. I am trying to do other things to keep me busy. I’m currently making last year’s blog into a book. I have been doing this for several years. My fear is that one day Blogger will go out of business and my whole blog since 2006 will be lost. So I’ve transferred most years into a printed form. 

   How are you managing friends? Have you experienced anxiety? I find that I can’t get to sleep at night. And all I want to do is eat. How about you?

     

Again!

It is snowing again...hard. What is it with this crazy weather. It is more like December than May. I am so envious of my southern sisters who have planted flowers already. 

Guess what? It snowed..again.

Spring is coming

It has been so cold and rainy here that I haven’t even thought it was spring. But today it should be in the high sixties.  I go outside every chance I get so yesterday I took all my metal summer decorations out of the shed and distributed them around the gardens. The daffodils are still blooming along with the grape hyacinths and it is so nice to see color. I even bought a selection of bulbs to plant when I was at Aldi’s this week. I also bought a climatis to add to the gate on the right side where the old one doesn’t seem to be flourishing. I will try to keep things simpler this year but I know as soon as I get to the nursery I will go crazy seeing all the colorful flowers. Today I am planning on putting out my small patio table and chairs and planting the bulbs and climatis. 

I called my coffee friends and we are meeting this afternoon in the high school parking lot to social distance and chat. I have missed them so much. We talk on the phone but haven’t seen each other in over two months. 

Corona virus. So we don’t forget

So we don’t forget.... 🦠😷🧤😥

Today is Sunday April 26th 2020

- We are at 41 days of social isolation.

- The President of the United States is Donald Trump

- The dollar is worth $ 5.32(say what??) 😂😂 the euro $ 5.77 and the pound $ 6.54.

- gas is around $1.50/gallon at most places and $1.25/gallon at Sam's however nobody needs gas because there's no place to go.

- Schools have been closed since mid March and are teaching remotely on-line. This will continue for the rest of the school year.

- There are lines / tapes inside the stores to keep people 6 feet apart.

- Bars and restaurants only for home delivery & pick-up.

- Parks, beaches and walk-in places are not accessible to the public.

- Gyms are all closed. You cannot find a weight, weight bench or basically anything workout related in any store.

- All sports competitions have been cancelled.

- All festivals and entertainment events have been banned.

- Weddings, family celebrations and birthdays have been cancelled. Funerals limited to 10-20 people.

- People are doing drive-by parades to celebrate birthdays!

- Young kids can’t understand why they can only see grandparents & other extended family and friends on a screen or thru a window if someone visits in person.

- Hugs and kisses are not given.

- The churches are closed or online.

- We have to stay away from each other 6 ft or more

- Shortage of masks and gloves in hospitals.

- There are fewer ventilators than there should be.

- People are wearing masks, some places even REQUIRE that you wear them to enter! People are even making their own masks for sale or donation to medical facilities!

- Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and anything Lysol or Clorox is in short supply and limited per person.... IF you can even find them!

- Stores are closing early to disinfect everything. (24 hour stores are even closing by 9pm)

- Store check outs, pharmacies and even fast food drive thru windows have added plexiglass between employee and customer. Have to reach around or under to pay!

- Stores have added 🚫 and ⬆️ on the floors to keep foot traffic going only one way down an aisle. Unfortunately no one is following it and it is not being enforced.

- You can't find isopropyl alcohol easily. .. supply per person is limited to one.

- Australia, USA and Europe have closed their borders.

- Western Australia has been divided into 9 territories & an instant $1,500 fine issued for crossing the border without a valid reason. (Transport workers, Essential services etc)

- No one is travelling for leisure. Airports empty. Tourism has the worst crisis in history.

I am posting this because next year & then every year after, this status will appear in my Facebook memories feed. And it will be an annual reminder that life is precious & that nothing should be taken for granted. We are where we are with what we have. Let's be grateful.

This text is anonymous, it's not mine, but I copied because I want to remember it too.

Project

I just realized that I haven’t blogged in almost a week. I think this is the longest that I have gone without blogging. I sometimes feel I’m in a time warp. Days are passing and even though I keep busy the days sometimes seem so long but the week passes fast. The virus has me staying at home all the time and I alternate between doing productive things around the house to mindless scrolling on the iPad to watching way too much tv.  The weather has kept me in and I long to get out for a walk. We did get our bathroom painted. 

It’s a pretty yellow. I now need some new towels. I just put that one there to see how the color looks. 

Comment

Yes, that is me at Ace hardware getting a sweep for the bottom of the kitchen door. I do have a project going on. We are painting our small bathroom. It started with sweeping a few dust bunnies from the ceiling and ended with me saying, “this room really could use a new coat of paint.”

Picture

This is the picture that appeared on the Bradford Era website. 

Poetry to get you through

And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” — Haruki Murakami

Despite the snow all day yesterday there was this one pink cloud floating along among the grey ones. It gave me hope. 

Does this all seem weird to you too?

This world is very strange. All you have to do is step out of your house to see that there isn’t any “normal” any more. I had a doctor’s appointment next Thursday for a checkup and decided that the doctor’s office wouldn’t be a good place for me right now so I gave them a call. They told me that they could do the appointment over the phone which made me happy. But I did need to go for bloodwork. So this morning I went up to the hospital to have a blood draw. As soon as I walked in the door I was stopped by a woman checking temperatures and asking me if I had any symptoms. Since my temperature was 93.6 she made me wait until it went up a little to 95 then she let me proceed. After doing the paperwork in the lab I was directed to sit on the asymptomatic side of the waiting room. What I have noticed that there is an silence everywhere. Even the girl who drew the blood wasn’t that friendly as they usually were. 

  Then I made my weekly trip to Walmart where our governor Wolf has made wearing a mask mandatory for everyone who enters a store and all the workers. Even in Walmart the atmosphere was subdued. I didn’t hear any laughter or even conversation. Everyone was obeying the Walmart rules of going only up and down the marker aisles. There were still empty spaces on the shelves but I did notice the toilet paper aisle was getting stocked. I picked up the things on my list and some paint samples and got out quickly. 

    I am staying right at home and not leaving hardly at all. Last night was my oldest son’s fiftieth birthday and we had planned a big celebration at his house before all the Corona hit. So last night I organized a large Zoom meeting on the computer with his family and friends and we all got to wish him a happy birthday.

     I am happy to obey the requests to stay at home and stay safe but the truth is I’m worried that I may not be able to leave the house for a long time. The push seems to be to get people back to work but as long as this virus is prevalent and there is no vaccine I fear that it will continue to spread, especially with people not social distancing. I don’t trust that people realize the seriousness of this. 

      Please take care my friends.

     

GEt me out of the ho use

Yesterday was one of those days. I have been staying inside the house now for five weeks. Everyone knows how I like to keep on the go and even though I love my home I also like going and seeing new things and being around people more. This Covid is not good for extroverts.

     So I ventured out for a ride. It was only a short one downtown (five minutes), going to the hardware store...where by the way the local paper took my picture...

I never go out shopping except for food but the one time I stop for something I make the paper.

Then I circled around, down the Main Street and out to the Pitt Trail for a short walk. It was only fifty five degrees but the sun was out and I needed to let out a little built up steam. It has been one of those days where it seemed everything was going wrong. (I’m sure you’ve never had one of those, right?)

When I got home I still had some pent up anxiety so I decided to clean up a flower bed and get out my summer garden decorations. I pulled the tarp from the lion fountain and placed some of the planters around the courtyard. I am so anxious for Spring to arrive here. We haven’t had that gloriously warm weather yet. (And it won’t get out of the fifties for the next week)...with rain. 

There is still a lot to do to get ready for summer and maybe I am rushing it just a tad. Being cooped up and inside the house has made me really anticipate the time I can be outdoors. 

How are you coping with Covid? 

Covid 19

I’m staying sane at home by....keeping busy by baking, cooking, cleaning, mindlessly thumbing through Facebook, watching tv

The biggest change in my day to day life is...not going out to meet my friends in the morning. 

I’m stocking up on these foods and items... canned goods, frozen veggies, meat.

We are under these restrictions.....stay home unless it is necessary. 

I’m reading....nothing at the moment. 

Hobbies that are keeping my hands busy...playing the piano. 

I get outdoors and do....I haven’t been able to get out since it is so cold and we have had snow this week 

Covid Coping

I woke up this morning to the ground covered with snow.  Again. It seems Spring doesn’t want to get here any time soon. I am longing to get outside. I have been very faithful to the lockdown only going out of the house once a week. Otherwise I stay right inside. 

   But my heart wants me out. I am longing to get my hands in the dirt, get out all the summer things, and enjoy sitting out on the breezeway. I have been watching gardening videos on YouTube and mentally planning and designing my flower beds. 

     Meanwhile I am keeping myself busy by binge watching one of my favorite series from Amazon Prime.  Wonderland. This romantic show is about four Autralian couples who all live in one apartment building in Sidney. 

Set in an apartment building on the doorstep of one of Australia's most beautiful beaches, Wonderland is a warm, light-hearted and engaging relationship drama revolving around four very different couples as they navigate the pitfalls of love, meet the challenges life presents head on, and pursue their dreams.

With an idyllic beachside as the backdrop, the residents of Wonderland show that holding down a dream relationship, an attractive career and maintaining solid friendships is sometimes anything other than plain sailing.

View this morning

This is the view out my kitchen window this morning. It snowed all day yesterday and this morning the ground is covered. It seems more like Deeember than April. My dreams of walking outside and gardening will have to be put on hold. 

   Am I the only one who is having trouble sleeping? I either can’t get to sleep at night or wake up for hours in the middle of the night. I think my suppressed anxiety during the day shows itself subconsciously at night. There is a lot to worry about now. I am not normally a worrier but I find the state of the world now is tenuous and uncertain. Never before have I had to worry about dying but now I don’t want to leave my safe place at home.

     I need to keep busy but then find that all I want to do is eat out of stress and cuddle up with comforts such as tv and the ipad. I want to avoid the news but can’t help trying to keep informed as the days go on. 

       Today I will try to keep busier and not sit quite so much. When I first stayed at home four weeks ago I was so happy to get organizing and cleaning. There are still things that I can do so I will need to find a project for today. 

    How are you coping? Are you keeping busy?

A bit empty calendar

April’s calendar is completely empty...no appointments, no lunches, no Giggle Girls, no coffee girls in the morning, no celebrations. Just blank. Nothing but staying at home. 

Yesterday’s project was cleaning out my car. I feel as if I can do one thing each day I am productive and gives me some sense of normalcy. Each day I find something to do besides sitting or eating. The weather is improving and I try to get outside as often as I can.  After I cleaned out the inside of the car I took it to the car wash. While I was out I picked up a prescription (only going to the drive through) and stopped for milk. I tried making a mask from a napkin and rubber bands which didn’t work too well so I went on Amazon and ordered some disposable ones. There was only one person in the store wearing one besides the cashiers. I noticed they had put up a plastic barrier in front of the register but with it open on all the other sides I doubt that it offers much protection. I feel sorry for all the workers who come in contact with so many people. My grandson works at Sheetz and I worry about him.

Days go by

These are strange times. We all try to keep a little normalcy in our lives while the world is shut down. My son and his wife sat outside and remarked that there weren’t any jet trails in the sky.  It’s as if everything has been put on pause.  I don’t want to leave the house or have anyone come here either. We usually have landscape help and I don’t want them here as well. I am fighting this virus by not allowing it to invade my home.  But this means a lot of isolation. And I miss people. Zoom and Facebook are keeping me in touch. I will use this time productively.  And just wait this out. 

It doesn’t look like much now

This is my little picket fence area. It doesn’t look like much now of course. Today I weeded and dug in the dirt to get it ready for mulching. The lilies are just coming up. It will be a while before we can plant annuals, not until after Memorial Day are we frost free. It felt so good to clear away the debris of the winter and clear off the dirt. Since we are self quarantining it feels so good to do something productive. 

Flowers and more flowers

I may have overdone it this year. In my quest to have pretty pick me ups around the house I have added faux flowers and arrangements all over the house. The latest is the forsythia and pussy willows that I added to the tall jar in the living room. 

Bunny time

I need a day off. I need a day without the news, the deaths, the warnings. My anxiety is building up like a pressure cooker and I need to let off some steam. I declare this a day of peace. I don’t want to see the news on tv, thumb through Facebook with all its Covid jokes, or worry about my life.

Today I want to think about Peter Rabbit. It’s hard to believe that Easter wil be next Sunday. But there will be no family dinners and seeing grandchildren. All over America people will spend the holiday in isolation. I am lucky to have my husband with me but I know that there are lonely people who will be all by themselves in a house or apartment. We will all stay in to stay safe from this terrible virus.

This is a day to just turn the tv off or use it to watch an escapism movie.This would be a good time to watch the Amazon Prime series Wonderland one more time. It is the story of couples who share an apartment building in Australia. I loved this series. I need something that will make me smile.

It also would be a good day to take a long walk and blow off some of this tension. Getting out in the fresh air would be good for me. 

I know I will be all right. It’s just one of those days. I think we all have them. How are you coping?

Never forget

Just so I NEVER forget..... April 2, 2020

Gas price a mile from home was $1.59

School cancelled - yes cancelled.

Churches are closed.

Self-distancing measures on the rise.

Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.

Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

Restaurants are for take-out only.

Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.

Entire sports seasons cancelled.

Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.

Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.

No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 5 or more.

Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.

Our news casters are broadcasting from home.

Children's outdoor play parks are closed.

We are to distance from each other.

Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.

Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.

Shelves are bare.

Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.

Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.

Fines are established for breaking the rules.

Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.

Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.

Government incentives to stay home.

Barely anyone on the roads.

People wearing masks and gloves outside.

Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Why, you ask, do I write this status?

One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is so precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.

We have so much...

Be thankful...

Be grateful...

Be kind to one another...

LOVE one another, support each other...

AND PRAY for eachother.

What are you watching?

With the solitary confinement imposed on us we are all looking for things to amuse ourselves with. And tv, which always is a go to for mindless (or great) programming, is now more important as we stay connected with world happenings. The tv is working overtime as the news holds more importance now. But we all need escapism. So I turn to the tv for entertainment and to take my mind off of the world’s problems. Each of us has our own specific taste in programs but a lot of us tend to like the same thing. There are my favorites...This is Us, A millions little things,and Blacklist. And Jeopardy for mind improvement. We are Survivor fans and look forward to that each Wednesday night. And I like Bravo programs and am a reality show junkie. Top Chef is currently my fav. Between Netflix and Amazon Prime I try to find good movies. Currently I love Self Made with Octavia Spencer on Netflix. She is perfect for the part. I hope that you are finding a distraction with tv. What are you watching?

“But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea.”

Jane Austen

These days we find comfort where we can. Even tea in a hot cocoa mug. I am finishing up my loose tea, some from a local tea shop (French lemon ginger) and some that my grandson gave me for Christmas from a tea store in Lancaster. There is nothing better than to sit down with a warm cup in your hands. I thought you might enjoy some tea literary quotes. 

As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. Have a cold? Have some tea. Broken bones? There's a tea for that too. Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, was a box of tea that said, 'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'.” 
― Aprilynne Pike, Illusions

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” 

― C.S. Lewis

I shouldn't think even millionaires could eat anything nicer than new bread and real butter and honey for tea.” 
― Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

In Ireland, you go to someone's house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you're really just fine. She asks if you're sure. You say of course you're sure, really, you don't need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don't need a ting. Well, she says then, I was going to get myself some anyway, so it would be no trouble. Ah, you say, well, if you were going to get yourself some, I wouldn't mind a spot of tea, at that, so long as it's no trouble and I can give you a hand in the kitchen. Then you go through the whole thing all over again until you both end up in the kitchen drinking tea and chatting. 

In America, someone asks you if you want a cup of tea, you say no, and then you don't get any damned tea.

I liked the Irish way better.” 
― C.E. Murphy, Urban Shaman

Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” 
― Bill Watterson, The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book

When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?” 
― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.” 
― William Ewart Gladstone