Latest china acquisition: Noritake

On Fridays after a long week I like to do one of two things to relax and put a buffer between work and home. I either go driving around the pretty areas and take photos. It relaxes me to view prettiness, animals, clouds, and general green beauty.

I also love to 'play' with the photos when I get home. This means processing, cropping, adding filters, adding quotes or verses, etc.

In the second case, I like to stop in to either the second hand shop, or the vintage shop in town and see what they have for collectibles. The ladies at the 2nd hand store buy from auctions, and the ladies from the vintage shop buy from estate sales. The inventory at both shops rotates frequently and there are always some great finds or good bargains to be had.

I am currently collecting teacups and teapots. Given that I have a microscopic kitchen, this fever to collect tea paraphernalia cannot go too far! But I love to drink tea and I love beautiful things. The magazine Tea Time inspires me to try fancy recipes, and their table settings are always gorgeous. My mother had a wonderful eye for pretty things and she taught me well. Her table was always creative and beautiful.

I mean, come on, who wouldn't love this?

Tea Time Magazine

Yesterday even though it was gorgeous outside again, I decided not to go for a drive but instead go to the vintage shop. It had been many months since I was there. I had seen on their Facebook page that they had gotten a new Tea Service in, and I wanted to take a closer look. When I got there of course there were many beautiful things to look at, including some new art and a sea foam green couch that was in perfect condition for its age.

I looked at the tea set but it was Lefton, which I was not interested in. I did see some Royal Doulton espresso cups, which took me back. Not the espresso, but the pattern was my mother's china, and boy oh boy, did she have good taste. She got married in the 1950s and presumably that was when she got her Royal Doulton china. The pattern definitely stands up to age. It is still classic and beautiful.

I looked carefully around and spotted three other things which I did buy.

Noritake Glenrose pattern china cup and dish (not saucer).

Noritake Glenrose was produced between 1951-1957, which makes it mid-century and vintage. Noritake was a china company founded in 1905 in the Japanese village of Noritake. The company began exporting to the West in 1914. Noritake is good china and much of it is pretty, but if you're collecting the most prestigious, it would be better to look for Royal Doulton, Meissen, Wedgewood, or Portmerion.

Glenrose is a pretty pattern, though not especially collectible since it was very common. I am not interested in re-selling but only collecting if it appeals to my aesthetic taste. Glenrose definitely does, and it was priced well, so I bought it.

Another interesting find I discovered Friday was the cup to match a Kutani teapot I'd bought months ago at the same store.

This Japanese Kutani crackle porcelain teapot has all-over crazing under the clear glaze for a crackle design. The transfer design is an iris and bird motif with gold leaf on both sides and on the lid, with a bamboo or rattan handle. The color is an ivory or cream color. Kutani porcelains are characterized by their elaborate picture decorations in thick gold, red, blue and some other colors. In latter years I understand that these decorations were no longer hand painted but usually transferred by decal.

This teapot and now my new-to-me cup are not vintage but are extremely functional. The pot is the perfect size for three or four cups, it keeps the tea hot, and the design is growing on me more and more.

As for Kutani ware in general, according to Wikipedia,

Kutani ware (九谷焼 Kutani-yaki) is a style of Japanese porcelain traditionally supposed to be from Kutani, now a part of Kaga, Ishikawa, in the former Kaga Province. It is divided into two phases: Ko-Kutani (old Kutani), from the 17th and early 18th centuries, and Saikō-Kutani from the revived production in the 19th century. 

Obviously, the teapot and cup are not the old Kutani but the newer. Google Arts and Culture describes the history of Kutani-ware

The term Kutani ware derives from the name of the village of Kutani in the Daishōji domain. Today, Kutani is a famous hot springs destination, about 13 km from the town of Yamanaka Onsen in the city of Kaga. In the first half of the 17th century, the discovery of China stone (in Japanese, tōseki), the raw material for porcelain, ushered in the establishment of kilns in the Daishōji domain. 

The mark here is a Kutani kaku (inside a square) in a two character mark. I am unsure of the date of the piece but it's likely late 1970s, early 1980s.

I have always loved mid-century patterns of the atomic-Sputnik variety. Yesterday I found some Iroquois-ware designed by the fabulously talented Ben Seibel. Or as this etsy writer says, "pre-eminent mid century ceramic (and dinnerware, home decor) designer." I looked at many of Seibel's designs for many of his ceramic companies he'd worked for, and yes, he was a fabulously creative designer.

Iroquois Informal pattern, Harvest Time, by Ben Seibel. Mid Century mod!

You can read more about Ben Seibel and his work for Iroquois here at Mid2Mod.

The pattern is Informal, the motif is Harvest Time. The leaves were done in vibrant fall colors and deliberately given a stretched look.

Here is the pottery mark:

More about the Iroquois Pottery Company here. Harvest Time was manufactured between 1958 and 1973. I like to think my bowl is from the 1950's. If I decide so, it's true, isn't it? lol.

I am using the vegetable dish for a fruit bowl on my counter. :)

Here is the evolution of my 'Tea Bar'. In this first photo I had a few teas and one pot-

Below, I had acquired a tetsubin (Japanese cast iron teapot) and a Kutani. I also acquired my first bone china, Tuscan in Duchess pattern. Also teacups, saucers, dessert plates, and a sugar bowl in the Duchess pattern. I'd cleaned out one of my two dish cabinets up above, lol, to put my expanding library of teas in. Who needs plates and glasses and dishes, when you have tea to store?

Below is the current status. Top shelf: Tetsubin, Kutani with cup, (English) Whittard teapot in Clipper pattern.

Second shelf, Duchess teacup trio, and Glenrose cup and dish. On the right is Spode butterpat. I use it to place expired teabags in or to rest my teaspoon.

Bottom shelf, the Duchess sugar bowl, and Lefton espresso creamer and cups N saucers. I have had the Lefton demitasse cups since childhood. They are hand painted 1960s classy stripes of green and gold, pottery mark pattern 251 on the bottom. I have three cups. Unfortunately one broke in all my moves from place to place over 40 years.

None of it is especially rare or expensive. But they are pretty, functional, and pleasing. And that's what matters. Thanks vintage ladies for keeping up such a good quality shop. Thanks weekends, for being there for me when I need you. Now I'm going to brew a cup of tea in my pretty kitchen. Shhh, don't wake up the cat.

My first bone china cup: Tuscan "Duchess"

I'd like to announce a new addition to the luxury items I've carefully been collecting over the many years. From the small marble slab I use as a end table top, the Raku vase, vintage Kodak Camera, this or that piece of art ... announcing...

Bone China.

I love hot tea and write about it a lot. I subscribe to TeaTime Magazine and enjoy reading about the history of tea, types of tea, and accessories to brewing it. It is the last part I've been resisting the pull toward. One can begin collecting and never stop. That is OK for some folks, but I live in a 350sf apartment with one closet. I have no room for collections! I have enough books as it is. But tea...

Tea is small. Tea is consumable. But with tea comes ... a teapot. Another teapot. A cozy. A strainer. Perhaps an electric kettle. And teacups.

If a teacup, do I use a glass tumbler with a strainer at the top? A mug? A cup? A porcelain cup? A bone china cup?

In reading edition after edition of TeaTime I became enchanted with all the ritual and history of tea. I admired the lovely table settings charmingly displayed and expertly photographed. I got interested in the discussion of how porcelain, especially bone china, affects the taste of the tea.

Who wouldn't love to sit and sip tea at a charming little teahouse, with the beautiful mismatched china sets lain carefully at table?

current issue of TeaTime photo

I learned that bone china specifically, not porcelain and not ceramic, does enhance the taste of the tea. The UK newspaper Daily Mail had an article in 2013:

They've got it down to a tea! Scientists work out how to make the perfect cuppa... and it needs a china cup 

--Britain drinks 165 million cups of the beverage a year, but there is little agreement on exactly how a proper cuppa should be made
--Scientists say that the cup, freshness and temperature of the water as well as the precise moment the milk is added are all crucial to tea's chemistry

It seems that the bone ash added to the clay mixture plus the thinness of the cup somehow make the tea taste better. They don't really know, but that is the theory.

A friend had given me a Whittard teapot with cup, the Clipper pattern. I wrote about that here.

Whittard of Chelsea has been around since 1886. And I was off and running in loving the charm of a perfectly shaped teapot and cup. Here's Whittard with a lesson on how to brew the perfect cuppa--

Perfect Cuppa Guide

I went a direction of Japanese for a while, acquiring a tetsubin (cast iron pot) and several small Japanese cups. I like it because I like small. The tetsubin is a calming color of deep green. However I am still entranced by the china.

I have a Tea Bar, with selected herb teas, which I love. I come home from school and view the selections and choose a tea to match my mood. I've got Rooibos, a South African red bush tea that is more mellow than Red Zinger, Honey Lavender, Green tea, Chamomile, Hibiscus, Rose Hip, English Breakfast, Paris Breakfast, and Pomegranate. I'm not a huge fan of white tea, nor of fruit teas (except the pomegranate), and I like only a few Black teas. I prefer flowery herb.

I decided to buy a bone china cup and saucer. Not one to just go out and buy something, that would be silly, lol. I researched it thoroughly first. Which manufacturers are sought after, what to look for in bone china. For example, much of bone china has a gold or platinum gilding on the rim. Look for wear - is it dim, or rubbed off in spots? Hold the item to the light and if it is actual bone china it will be slightly translucent. Run your finger along the rim to check for small cracks your eye might not pick up. Learn the marks, the identifiable manufacturer mark on the bottom. Is it embedded (pre-1900, or inked, post 1900). I looked at shapes and kinds and the history of bone china. I looked at tons of pics eBay and Ruby Lane and Replacements.com and CakeStandHeaven.com sites. I made notes, printed out manufacturer marks (so as to ensure I was buying actual china), and THEN sallied forth.

There is one place in town that has vintage and antique items. I also learned the difference between vintage and antique. It cannot be called an antique if it is less than 100 years old. It's a very small town and the block on which the Shabby Chic Cottage is located has a few other stores on it, such as a ceramics gallery, an Asian grocery, and a photography studio. I poked around in the Cottage looking at their many selections of china. The lady proprietors were in absentia, either painting in their warehouse next door or speaking with one of the other store ladies along the block. That's OK, preferable actually. I saw one set I liked very much, and I took note of its properties.

Antique retailers usually sell bone china in something called a trio. It is the cup, the saucer, and a slightly larger dish on which to place your crumpet or petit four you're eating along with sipping the tea. The ladies had a good amount of trios to choose from, but since they have rolling inventory at this moment they had only a few of bone china. I went home to look up the kind I had seen and was interested in purchasing.

It contained the necessary stamp "Made in England", and also the note Bone China, from Tuscan. According to The Potteries, Tuscan was a company located at Stoke-On-Trent, founded in 1898 and sold to Wedgwood in 1966. After that its marks contained the "Royal Tuscan" designation. The entire operation ceased in 2006.

The business was a partnership between Richard Hammersley Plant and his brother Simon Lucas Plant.  They operated from the Tuscan Works in Forrister Street, Longton - which they purchased outright in 1914. The brothers became a Limited Company (R H & S L Plant Ltd.) in 1915.
Harold John Plant (Richard's son) and Frederick Sutton Plant (Simon's son) succeeded their fathers in the management of the business. Frederick died in an accident in 1939 leaving the business in the hands of Harold who continued as manging director and then as chairman until his death in 1960.
Harold's son, Richard Plant, continued the family management of the business until 1966. In 1966 RH & SL Plant were taken over by Wedgwood and the renamed "Royal Tuscan" - the works continued as a manufacturing unit of the  Wedgwood Group - producing mostly hotel ware. The works closed in 2006.

Here is the gorgeous trio I have acquired:

Right now it is 98 degrees and next week it is predicted to go above 100 real temp, so I will not be making hot tea anytime soon! But I am thrilled with the delicate colors, the ladylike pattern of the rose bud with silver leaves, and the two tone baby blue and ivory. I love it and I can't wait to add it to my Whittard and Tetsubin tea accouterments at my tea bar to be loved and admired by me.

Tea time- Dobin style

I love tea. I always have. Even  in High School when the game would go to the creamery after the Big Game and get ice cream sundaes and Coke, I'd order an English muffin an tea. Yes. I was that person. Anyway! I love tea!

Look at what my wonderful friends have given me over time. I've received an annual subscription to Tea Time Magazine, a set of handmade coasters, tea galore, and a Dobin Japanese tea pot with four cups.

Just as with anything, there is a lot to learning the intricacies of tea. No, making a pot of tea isn't as simple as boiling water, splashing it over a run of the mill teabag and steeping. England, China, Japan, India, and other countries all have rituals, ceremonies, implements, and a history with tea.

The basic teacup is called a yunomi. They are usually of cylindrical shape, (tsutsugata), and small, as seen in my photo. Though for especially fine teas or for certain special occasions, there is a smaller version of the teacup, a doll-size, but it's used by people. Teapots are called dobin. They usually have a twisted vine handle, globular body and a disc-like, finial-topped lid, according to this website. The vine or bamboo handle doesn't become hot so it allows for pouring without a potholder.

A Dobin teapot contains a filter-basket either in the spout or hanging down into the belly of the pot. Ceramic is used frequently for the filter, but a fine mesh stainless steel is also used, which is what mine has. As the tea connoisseur grows in experience and knowledge, he or she often turns to loose tea which allows for a better opening of the leaves as the heat and water permeates them. Thus, a filter becomes necessary.

The Tea Time Magazine is charming. Its photographs of tea settings, tea cups filled with steaming, aromatic and colorful teas, and the pages of anecdotes regarding tea history are always interesting. So are the recipes for canapes and sandwiches! I look forward to its arrival in my mailbox each time. The first thing I do when I get home from school each day is put the kettle on and look forward to relaxing with a cup of tea.

My coasters were made by a dear reader and I love them. They are sooo cute! So now I have a tea pot and up set, a tea bar with various teas from which to choose, and coasters to set my cup and a magazine through which to browse. My morning coffee is necessary and utilitarian. My teas, those are for enjoyment, relaxation, and ritual.

Don't fall asleep too late or you'll be up all night

I had a good week, it was enjoyable at work. I was a bit tired when I got home though. I ended up napping for two hours, from 5:30-7:30. Of course that means I'm a tree full of owls now. (It's 12:30 AM on Friday night)

I have a sink full of dishes but I find it helps dampen the cringing guilt of not doing them if I simply DON'T LOOK.

I plan to sleep late on Saturday and then have a slow and relaxing day. Meals this upcoming week will be:

--Cream of Carrot soup
--Spinach-feta quiche
--Roasted potatoes
--Roasted peppers and onions
--Roasted broccoli
--Chewy banana bars

In between there'll be cantaloupe, citrus salad, a mango smoothie, etc. But my main meals and side dishes and dessert is listed above. I bought frozen broccoli and plan to roast that. I am going to try eating some frozen veggies because they are less expensive than fresh, yet are flash frozen at the peak of ripeness, retaining more nutrients. I don't like the sogginess of defrosted frozen veggies, but I think the roasting will remove the moisture and still give the broccoli piece that nice golden color and crunch. The cream of carrot soup likewise will be another experiment with frozen veggies.

I bake with bananas a lot because the local grocery store often packages overripe bananas into a bag and sells a bunch for 99 cents. This is handy.

I had thought all week that the Martin Luther King long weekend was next weekend. Imagine my joy when I discovered it's this weekend. I'll love Monday.

Another thing I love is Georgia. After a week of truly freezing temps, lows in the low teens and wind chills in the single digits, today after a black ice start it was almost 60 degrees and sunny, No-jacket weather at recess. Love it!

Gas is down to $1.88. My tank was 2/3 empty and it only cost me $20 to fill it up. Woot! I may be able to drive for recreation again.

A friend gave me an Amazon gift certificate for Christmas. Today I used part of it. I ordered Talbott Teas. A different friend had given me this new-to-me tea at Christmas, a sampler package. It is smooth and great tasting tea. I learned that Shane Talbott used to run a spa, and wanting to give his customers a refreshing and relaxing experience, he created a line of teas. The tea bar at his spa became very popular. In 2012 he appeared on Shark Tank, wanting to leave the spa behind and concentrate on tea. He won and his teas are going global. As they should, they're really good teas.

I also bought a box of thank you notes and two pairs of socks. I think I was absent the day the passed out the shopping gene to women, but trust me, I'm thrilled with the purchases. Wild with excitement.

Another friend gave me a subscription to a tea magazine. I am very much looking forward to its arrival.

Well I'm starting to get tired now so I think I'll turn in. Have a good weekend everyone.

Hibiscus flower tea: A review

I mentioned a few days ago that I was excited to have bought some new herb teas to try. I am looking for new flavor and perhaps some medicinal value. To that end, I bought rose hip tea (flavor) and hibiscus flower tea, (medicinal).

I purchased Davidson's Tea Hibiscus Flower, 100-Count Tea Bags. USDA Certified Organic and Caffeine-free. Also Organic Rose Hips Alvita Tea 24 Bag, made with premium-quality organic rose hips and produces a light and delightful fruity flavor and aroma. Traditionally used for its antioxidant properties USDA Organic Gluten Free Kosher Suggested Use

I have no sense of smell, but apparently the rose hips are not only tasty but smell like heaven. The aroma of roses lingers and makes the room smell lovely.

The hibiscus is supposed to be powerful flavor but quite astringent and its medicinal properties are supposed to aid digestion.

I made the rose hip tea and it was very lovely tasting. Gentle, flavorful, like small flowers after a dewy summer rain.

The hibiscus blew me out of the water. It was very strong, acidic, and too powerful. I tried to sweeten it with some French vanilla creamer, but the creamer curdled right away. I learned later that hibiscus is the main ingredient in red zinger tea, a tea I’ve never cared for. Oh well, there goes all my careful research. I overlooked a big one.

The problem was, the only packet the rose hips came in (organic, good price) was a 24 pack, and the hibiscus for the same reasons came in a 100 pack. Oh, dear. I goofed. I should have remembered to try first, then invest. I do not want to be stuck with 99 unused, organic hibiscus tea bags, I don’t want to throw them out, no one I know would enjoy them I don't think, and I don’t like wasting.

I’m stubborn, you see.

I could have learned to like the taste, it wasn't awful, just not my cup of tea. I hope you see what I did there. But there had to be an ever better solution.

I googled the issue and I found a great potential remedy. There was a blogger who had the same issues I did, astringent hibiscus flower tea was not so much to her liking, but she found that if she cold brewed it, the taste was gentler. In addition, she made a simple syrup to add to the brew to sweeten it.

Chilled Hibiscus flower tea, and simple syrup

A simple syrup is just that, one part water to one part sugar. Heat to dissolve, while stirring. Store in a clean, covered jar (I have plenty of Mason jars) in the fridge, and it should keep for up to two weeks.

I tried making it the other night. I popped two tea bags in cold water and a large mason jar- 32 oz I think. I poured some yesterday afternoon when I got home from school. The color is jewel-like, cranberry color. Very nice.

I added a few teaspoons of the syrup and voila! Not only drinkable tea, but delicious tea! I really enjoy it. Hibiscus tea is refreshing when chilled! The difference between heating and chilling it, and adding a touch of sweetener, made it a delightful beverage to me. Thank you google. I lift a pretty glass of chilled herb tea to you, and to the lady blogger who gave me the solution.

Tea, cats, cooking, weekend!

COUGH UP A LUNG

I caved in and went to the clinic, and yes, the Doc diagnosed bronchitis. I get it every year, albeit earlier and earlier in the year. Actually this time I had the flu, and it left behind three weeks of fatigue, coughing, and aches that I definitely did not want to turn into pneumonia. So I was a good girl and I went..

I got my meds filled and right away I started to feel better. The inflamed lungs subsided their throbbing, cement-wright feeling. I coughed less, and I got my energy back.

Now after two days, I think I might actually stay awake all day and be somewhat productive.

I worry because the bronchial issues are a job hazard for me, and it takes more out of me each year. That was one of the reasons I quit teaching in the first place. Oh, well, I still think it is the best job in the world. I love helping kids.

NOISE NOISE- GUESS THE NOISE

Murray kept me awake last night. He had gotten a-hold of something I could not identify. I know all his sounds. THUNK mans he's shoved another book off the coffee table. BUMP means he's jumped off the kitty litter bucket onto the floor and the litter barrel thunked against the wall in a rebound from his launch. BAM means he's whacking the pictures against the wall, which means I forgot to put up the pillow barrier to stop him doing that. He has knocked two pictures off the wall and broke them, and they were expensive pieces. Fortunately I could repair them myself.

But last night it was CLINK CLINK CLINK. I dunno. This morning I was doing dishes and I saw him sitting on the buffet and reaching his paw into my dish of rocks and gems and fossils. I think that was what he did last night. He reached in and pushed off an amethyst or a shell or a fossil in my display dish onto the floor and chased it all night. I can only speculate that there is some semi-precious gem stuffed under some bookcase or nook or cranny somewhere that I'll find next year. Sigh. See? This is why I can't have nice things. LOL.

GENTEAL

I ordered some teas to try and they came in today. Hibiscus flower and Rose Hip are two new teas for me. I am steeping rose hip tea now. It is supposed to have a lot of vitamin C and also antioxidents. I'm so excited. I love everything about tea.

THE GOOD EGG

Long ago I had a microwave egg poacher. It cooked two perfect nuked eggs, it only took a minute and they were the right size for English Muffins. But being made of plastic, it eventually got too unsanitary to use and I threw it out.

I have tried making poached eggs the traditional way, in water, but it takes too long, makes a mess in the pan, and the eggs don't come out in a nice circle.

I've looked for a new one ever since but have not found it in stores to my satisfaction (size, price, function). When I made my tea order I added a microwave egg poacher that looked like a good candidate. It's made of durable silicon, and has space for two eggs. The cover lets out steam and retains heat. No adding water is necessary. Here it is:

I'm so relieved they placed the neat schematic in there so I'll know where to place the eggs! LOL. It is a good cooker, the eggs came out the way I like them- with firm whites and slightly runny egg yolk. I just have to experiment with the timing. I cooked them in my 700 watt microwave for 1 min, then another min, then 15 seconds, then 30 seconds...all at half power. I'll cook in its entirety tomorrow and hopefully it won't explode.

PILLOW TALK

Seeing as it is chore day, and I had some energy back from taking the meds, I decided to make hay while the sun shone. I cleaned up the kitchen and then messed it up. I made roasted scallions, cauliflower, carrots (separately) baked some potatoes, and put together an apple crumble. I defrosted some garden tomatoes I'd frozen, to make a vegetarian chili tomorrow, and also got the freshly picked jalapenos and banana peppers out for de-seeding.

It is also 'change the sheets day'.  I love making the bed with fresh sheets because I love fresh sheets when I slide into bed that night. I also enjoy making hospital corners and making the bedspread fringe line up perfectly with the bottom of the bed rail. I fluff the pillows and arrange them just right. When I come into the bedroom after that, it all looks so clean and tidy and cozy and neat and symmetrical. Bliss.

Apparently Murray thinks so too.

Aw, Murray...what am I gonna do wid you? Love you to pieces I guess!

My evening in pictures

Or as Sheldon Cooper, the character from the Big Bang Theory would say, "prevening".

I come home on Fridays and vacuum. My abode is ready for me to enjoy all weekend and I won't be aggravated by looking at something I have to do. It's done, ergo, no aggravation.

Murray the new kitty and Luke my old kitty are snuggling. This is the first time that I'm aware that the two foster brothers feel relaxed enough to rest together. Murray is blending into our family just fine.

Bert, however, is on the table because he wants me to comb him. He is a hussy for being groomed.

My treat this week: a freshly baked batch of chocolate chip cookies and some chai spice tea. Two of those cookies are going into my tummy right now.

It's the weekend. It's Friday night. I like Friday nights best. It is the longest time until Monday work again and the weekend possibilities are still myriad. The sweetness of coming to a full stop after literally 10 hours of constant movement is still deliciously wonderful. It's quiet. I love Friday nights.

Enjoy your weekend. May they be full of whatever it is that you enjoy best.






I also like to have a treat on Friday evenings. Tonight I made chocolate chip cookies.

Weekend brunch

This morning broke clear and cold, but surprisingly, it has warmed up considerably. I went outside to the garage to put in a load of washing and the sun is strong, and it turns out that the day has warmed up to the point that no coat is needed. I heard the birds this morning twirping brightly and I love that sound almost beyond any other.

My Saturday brunches are another thing I enjoy very much. This morning I made a fantastic scrambled egg sandwich on crusty French baguette. I put in tomato, green pepper and mushroom, and sprinkled with finely shredded cheddar cheese. A cantaloupe and banana smoothie topped with peanuts finished me off. It was yummy. Yesterday I'd made pasta fagiole and today the flavors will be blended wonderfully, so that will be linner (lol, lunch-dinner).

I'm all off schedule for eating. During the week I eat my first meal at 11:30, which is lunch. Then when I get home a little something at 4:00 then another little something at 7:30 or 8:00. Three meals, just at weird times. It remains the same during the weekend.

I managed my time well yesterday and today I have a head start on the domestic chores. It feels really good to wake up Saturday morning knowing I have 8-10 hours of writing to do in compiling the Prophecy Newsletter, but that my other tasks are already taken care of. I might actually get to relax this late afternoon and read instead of working straight thru like usual.

I started a new book. A colleague at school had put a big box on the table in the copy room with the alluring word "FREE" on the side. Many of the items inside were books. One was "Amazon Dream" by Roberta Allen. Published in 1993 it tells the tale of a woman (Allen) who traveled to Peru's Amazon alone, just because it had always been a dream of hers. She had been an inveterate traveler prior to her Amazon trip, so she wasn't a newbie. But still...I've been to the fringe of the Amazon with a husband, four locals and a guide and it was still a strange experience. Going it alone seems like a travel biography I'd want to read.

Well, the tea is ready and the newsletter is calling. I will get started with my weekend work. I hope you all have a nice day!