Our first interview on podcast Conscious Discussions

Here is an interview we had with Lillian Brummet of the podcast Conscious Discussions today. Her show focuses on topics that have to do with the environment, community involvement, and writing. Take a listen here.

February 26, Des Moines Franklin Ave. Library, 1 p.m.

I'm all emotive about it and Mom looks usual fabulous. We're excited about talking with the Friends of Franklin Library on February 26, at 1 p.m. Pat Peterson the locally renowned tea consultant will be on hand to discuss aspects of tea and meditation. Mom and I will share ideas on how to slow down and take time for those relationships that matter most and how tea lends itself to that. Look forward to seeing you at this great venue to help get out of the late winter slump.

photos by Cañas photography

We've been noted as cool!

We're delighted to be featured as the cool book of the day over at Dan Janal's PR Leads site. Take a peak at not just our offering but many of the other books that Dan notes to be cool.

Beaverdale Books a book discussion recap

We had a great turnout and book discussion at Beaverdale Books on Sunday afternoon January 20, to hear Jan Davis of Grounds for Celebration talk about the process of creating tea blends. It turns out that she is the ONLY certified tea blender in the state of Iowa.

As the crowd of about 50 warmed up over cups of tea on this frigid afternoon Mom and I talked about the some of the elements of a blended relationship and what it takes to make them work. We then had some terrific discussion with people about relationships and tea of course.

A big thanks to Beaverdale Books for hosting this afternoon of tea and conversation and Jan for sharing her great information about tea and tea blending!

Jan Davis talks tea.

Sheryl Van Weelden the author

One more book signed and more to go!

We all have conversation and tea.

photos by Cañas photography

January 20, 2008 1 to 3 p.m. at Beaverdale Books

We'll be at Beaverdale Books on January 20, from 1 to 3 pm talking about making time for important people and blending family ties. Jan Davis will also talk about the art of blending when it comes to tea. She is the ONLY Certified tea blender in the state of Iowa. Come sample and learn more about this too.

Beaverdale Books is located at 2629 Beaver Ave. Des Moines, IA  phone:  279-5400

Hope to see you there!

The tough work of love

I am a Public Radio addict. One of my favorite radio programs is called This American Life. It is sort of a quirky and brilliantly written offering that always makes me think.

Recently I was listening to an archived episode written by Alix Spiegel about this couple that decides to adopt a Romanian child only to discover in short time that their new son suffers from attachment disorder. This disorder, they learn, is the result of early years of neglect and lack of human contact while living in the Romanian orphanage. As things progress their son becomes more violent and difficult. Nevertheless they forge through raising him even though it is a huge struggle that threatens their safety and marriage.

The adoptive mother, in particular, simply will not give up trying treatments to help her son. In the end the boy does manage to overcome some of the challenges of the disorder. Alix summarizes her thoughts on this love of the mother who keeps trying no matter what. "If you are a person who actually needs love, really needs love, chances are you are not the type of person who has the wherewithal to create it. Creating love is not for the soft and sentimental among us. Love is a tough business."

In our book Under the Tea Leaves, Mom and I reflect on our choice to blend our family, join our efforts, and commit to the tough work of creating love and relationship. We will share our thoughts and read excerpts from the book and join in discussion with guests over tea on January 20, 2008 1 to 3 p.m. at Beaverdale Books.

photo by indieink, powered by flickr

Jan Davis, certified tea blender and owner of Grounds for Celebration, will present information about the art of blending tea and share samples for guests of this event!

the nuances of tea tasting

I'm with Anne Lerch, in her post over at T Ching, on questioning how the many facets of tea preparation can change the flavor of the tea. I understand that details like loose leaves versus tea bags and water temperature can impact flavor, but I wish I had more depth of taste knowledge to really note the differences. Take a look also at the great comments on her post. There is a lot of great information there.

Anne compares her sensory samplings with tasting wine and again I can totally relate.  I've been drinking wine and attending wine tastings for years but my palate is a sad companion when it comes to noting subtle components of flavors. I certainly can't even begin to factor in the difference based on type of glass used for example. It's like I'm a scale with the lever either flipping to good or not good generally.

That being said I do feel inspired to perhaps slow down and make time to note flavor to begin with and perhaps graduate to assessing the differences based on types of tea and type of preparation. For today, I start by taking my cup of Twinings Earl Grey Tea, bag, tap water used, microwave heated and close my eyes to note the tastes.

My thoughtful sip reminds me that in general I prefer Earl Grey but I've never stopped to appraise why. I think it is the aftertaste of something tangy. Could that be Bergamot flavoring that is mentioned on the back of the package?

Step one of true tea sampling. Stop, close eyes, and think about the drink.

photo by slambo_42, powered by flickr

on being Jane Austen

I enjoy Jane Austen stories but confess that my knowledge of this author is limited. In fact, what I do know about her work comes from the many movies that have been released. Today, however, I need not be Jane Austen ignorant any longer because I found this great website with a couple of related blogs that chronicles a wealth of information about Austen, the times in which she lived, and even audio versions of some of her stories.

These days it seems it is very fashionable to be a Jane Austen fan. Ms. Place looks to have been a well researched fan long before it was the cool thing to do. She is dispenses ample material demonstrating her research prowess including this pertinent tea post. Enjoy the lovely getaway and read up on the resources Ms. Place makes available Jane Austen's World .

photo by obenson powered by flickr

Notes on Tea is really lovely

I had planned to kind of space out these tea web finds but this one was so thrilling I had to share it right away. Notes on Tea is a site totally devoted to the experiences of this blogger named Georgia. She tastes and shares her insights on the varieties, preparation, books, and accompanying food. There are lots of lovely photos and appraisals, recipes, and great ideas for teas to consider buying and trying. I particularly enjoyed the post on tea plants to tea which concisely explained the tea plant and the process of creating dried teas.

photo by oolong, powered by flickr

A Nice Cuppa is inviting

Be prepared to drool if you visit A Nice Cuppa. The site is all about food and both coffee and tea. Each post I went to was a fun read and a lovely escape with great description, information, and photos. If you are a connaisseur of all things delicious or wish to be take a look.

I especially enjoyed the review by Erin Nichols of The Tea Experience piece in TeaTime magazine. It alerted me to a magazine I need to learn more about and provided nice photos and a recipe for white chocolate raspberry bars. Let's face it, every tea is just that much better when there is tasty treat as a companion!