A Woodsy Tea Time

The little plum teapot has been enjoying some elegant tea events on its travels across America. But, being a versatile little teapot, she adapted quite well to roughing it in the mountains! Clad in her warm cozy, she traveled to an elevation of 4,500 feet to enjoy some of the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Sunshine and rain, meadows of flowers with patches of snow, and the warmth of a cozy cabin greeted her. She graciously posed for her picture with a bouquet of alpine shooting stars, Columbia windflowers, and squiggly white lupines. Then, it was time to get ready for tea.

A hollow log sits at the point overlooking beautiful vistas. From this log, many wild animals have been observed. Here live elk, bear, deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, snowshoe hares, hummingbirds, squirrels, wild turkeys and more. Much care is taken by the human occupants not to disturb the natural environment of the wildlife. Peaceful cohabitation results.

On this day, the log was spread with a brown linen tablecloth. This covering set the stage for afternoon tea.

Cabin china, napkins, and flatware was set. The wildflowers became a centerpiece. And the tiered tray became the serving stage for tea-for-two.

Teatime at the cabin is a frequent occurrence. It's not a fussy time, as the cabin's hostess believes in making tea a part of a daily routine. This was a tea party from the pantry type-of-meal. An ice chest was brought from home, filled with food preparation staples like vegetables, spreads, and fresh fruit. A box with a loaf of bread, crackers, and store-bought cookies was packed as well. The cabin cupboards contained a variety of canned and packaged foods that would supplement too. When it came time to prepare tea, the menu was planned as the meal was prepared. Effort was made to chop, stir, and combine with tea-time presentation in mind.

Life is not without additional challenges, and the little plum teapot soon learned that this meal had to be completely gluten-free and using plant-based foods. Sigh. But plum teapot quickly stepped up to the plate.

 

 

 

 

The menu:

Seed Bread ~ gluten free from Costco
Rice crackers

Olive spread ~ made from chopped olives, red chili paste, and Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese ~ for open-faced sandwiches

Vegannaise with spring radishes ~ for open-faced sandwiches

Peppery spring greens chiffonade with sea salt, green onion and Vegannaise ~ for finger sandwiches

Celery boats with Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese and soy Baco-bits

Radishes and spring greens

  

Banana circles with cinnamon and a chocolate chip

Cookies from the Asian market ~ made from tapioca flour ~ coconut and cashew

Pirouette cookies ~ from the cupboard and for the hostess; not gluten-free

Oolong tea from the Asian market ~ delicious!


 

 

Tea time was so pleasant. We moved the lawn chairs from around the fire circle to the point where we could sit and view our surroundings. Huge puffy clouds worked their way across the sky at a steady pace. A bear was thought to be seen on a nearby ridge, but once seen through binoculars, it ended up being a stump! Then darkness could be seen off to the left of us. Rain clouds! They worked their way to the point just as we were finishing our afternoon tea. We cleared things up and headed inside the cabin to finish our cookies and tea by the warmth of the wood stove. Rain fell in torrents, streaming off the eves and making patterning sounds on the metal roof. Such meditative sounds.

 

Little plum teapot seemed to enjoy kicking back and relaxing on this day. Such an accommodating little teapot she is!

Serving Sassily

The little plum teapot went to Sassy Quilters guild meeting at the Grange Hall today. It was a busy sewing day, and the teapot did a good job as ambassador of tea.

The guild makes dozens of quilts for charity and gives them away to people in the community who are facing illness or who've experienced loss by fire. The guild recently gave four quilts to members of a family whose house burned down. Realizing that the quilt reserves were low, it was decided that we'd concentrate on building up the stash again. Someone had donated batik fabric to the guild, so it was decided to use it to make charity quilts.

The process is interesting, as these are truly scrappy quilts. Complementary prints were paired and stitched into 4-squares. Then, they were laid out on the floor and the ladies designed on the fly! Two queen-size quilt tops were completed in this fashion today.

Someone had also donated Sunbonnet Sue quilt blocks to the guild and Louise took them home last month. She brought them back today, stitched into two pretty baby quilts. They will go into the donor stash for charity.

And the Quilt of the Month blocks are steadily increasing as well. This month fifteen were added to the stash. So far we have enough for six charity quilts and we are only half-way through the year. By the end of December we are hoping for enough blocks to make a dozen or more charity quilts. Each month guild members are given a pattern for that months block. It is always fun and interesting to see what color and pattern combinations they create. Each seems to express the personality of each individual so well.

Lunchtime is always potluck. Today's theme was salads and the traveling teapot's story was told around the luncheon table. The tea today was Darjeeling.

I captured Beulah going through line. She is the gracious hostess of each month's business meeting where she always has snacks for the group. She also makes delicious cinnamon chip scones for each month's sewing day and potluck luncheon. Everyone loves her tradition!

Today they went so well with tea!

The little plum teapot today served a group of ladies who have inculcated altruism and exhibit it so well. They have learned that it really is more blessed to give than to receive. I'm so glad the teapot was able to serve them today.

A Full Circle

A full circle has been made. The little plum teapot has returned to its home of origin. In the next few weeks we'll explore it route as it went from home to home where friendly hostesses served tea from its spout.

The teapot's passport is nearly full. Notes and stickers fill its pages, keeping log of the teapot adventures.

Hostess Rainy tucked in some beautiful gifts which I appreciate so much!

Her artistic skills are so readily evident!

And her taste in fine teas superb! She sent tea samples of ~

Harney & Sons
Single Silken Sachet

Dragon Pearl Jasmine Floral Tea
Yunnan Golden Tips
Classic Chamomile
Rooibos Chai

Our little Canadian beaver has enjoyed traveling with the plum teapot ever since he left Ingrid's home. If only he could talk and share about his adventures!

This month, the little plum pot will acclimate to being home again. It will take time to tally up the miles it's gone and to wind down from the excitement of all the tea adventures it has partaken in. Little plum teapot is set to stage a few more teas and then will take a rest until. . .

. . .it is ready to start on another journey. Stay tuned!