When soothing is needed...

Frenchie and Missy met up on the deck for the first time the other day.
It didn't really go very well...

Missy left with most of what he/she arrived with.
Frenchie was pretty ruffled about the whole thing too.


The white fur was definitely from Missy.

I thought that would be the last time we would ever see Missy dropping by our place.
It wasn't.
Missy still hangs out there all the time.  Frenchie still alternates between being the sweetest cat ever and being a total battle axe.
She charges Hart about once a day, but they are spending time in the same room all the time now. 
We hope they will eventually smooth things over and become old friends.
Often folks that have had serious rumbles at the beginning later become friends after all.

Take the Brits for example.
We Yanks have two wars with them. 
Now the Brits stick sandwich boards on our streets proclaiming the most questionable brags in broad daylight.

Salt Lake's UK district is quite small, but also quite noticable.
A "London Market" is right next to a British Tea room on one of our busy streets.

For two years I have driven past the cute little shops, promising myself I would "pop in" some day soon.
Summer flowers in the front porch bike basket gave way to snowy Christmas plants...and it was time to keep my promise.

Cute enough...although the other room with a glowing fake fireplace was better.
On the cold snowy day that I stopped in, the fireplace area was already packed.

A late lunch of Tomato Basil soup, pickled salad, sausage roll and tea by the window by myself was just the thing for a work week break.
It was the tea that was the big hit out of all the elements of my repast.

The pretty pink toned drink was flavored with cherry blossoms, rose petals, hibiscus and green tea.
It was heavenly.  I could easily have ordered another pot if I didn't have to get back to work.
I asked the waitress where I could purchase some of the tea; she said they didn't sell it and didn't know where I could get some.
Darn it! 

I hoped the London market next door might sell some, but no such luck.
They did have free copies of the Union Jack available however; I got all caught up with the doings in the UK: big storms, soccer scores, lottery winners etc etc.

(Picture above: Frost on a car window... it has nothing to do with this story. Pretty though, isn't it?)


Since January is National Tea Drinking month, I decided I really, really needed to find a source for that delicious tea.
A bit of Internet sleuthing and Ta DAH!
Sakura, AKA Japanese Cherry Blossom Tea.
Blended with rose petals, green tea and hibiscus.

I ordered it a week ago Wednesday and this past Wednesday it arrived.
Love it.
Actually I have found three teas that I love right now, this one, a Tulsi Rose tea from India and Oolong tea, after Dr. Oz said oolong tea helps with weight control.
I didn't need to hear that suggestion spoken twice; I got right out and bought some lickity split.
Brewed up a pot and found that both Bernie and I love the light flavorful oolong tea a lot.
The other night I woke up at 3 am, and wanted a cuppa of oolong of all things.
Didn't make a cup during the night, even though oolong is noted for being very low in caffine, but I sure liked having one first thing the next morning.

Teas that I like:
Peach
Canadian maple tea (with milk, always)
Earl Gray
Constant Comment
Jasmine
Mint in the summer.

Actually that last one has some interesting properties.  I keep a bottle of mint oil in my desk at work for times when I feel a little too warm, if you get my drift.  A quick whiff of the oil cools me right down.  A tea can be made using it too.

Mint oil has a lot of healing properties.  
My Massage Therapist told me that I should smooth a drop of mint oil on the three places on my shoulder where I tore a tiny bit during my stair case fall. 


And he suggested that I smooth mint oil on anywhere else I had bruised, like on my outer thigh for instance.
I've have good reason to be smelling especially minty fresh the past few days...

(And I think I might need to order another bottle of mint oil pretty soon!)