voracious violets

I enjoy starting each work day with a cup of tea.  It is also nice at 2:30 "coffee time".  Since my return I've been brewing up cups of Arctic Blends from the box that Amy sent with me.  So far I've only had a few people adventurous to try some Cloudberry, Crowberry, or Juniper tea.  Carol really enjoyed the Cloudberry, Miss R tried some Crowberry with honey, both of which I enjoyed.  Rachel gave me a box of Lemon Ginger tea that has been a repeat offender in my mug. 

It is Yogi brand and each bag has a little piece of enlightenment on the tag.  Good encouragement.

Violets are driving me nuts this spring.  I just can't get enough.  These came from lunch at Eli and Sue's house the other day.

On Tuesday evening, Mom, Jason, and I took a drive to Grandma Lillian's house.  I hadn't been to visit her in quite some time and would be traveling with her husband Mr. Hawley so I had to squeeze in a visit.  I just love going to her house.  It is a great A frame on a lake surrounded by pine trees.  There are big plant growing in front of a window wall.  It has pretty much looked the same since I was little right down to the glitter Grandma had added to the ceiling paint when they build the house when Jason was a baby.  A majority of the trim is pine from the trees they felled to build.  

 

We took a watermelon and some berries to munch on for dessert.  The table cloth was given to her from a friend and is from Irian Jaya (an island in Indonesian).  It is a beautiful example of Batik dying.  Just beautiful.

Jason by on the dock. We spend so much time as children swimming here.  Every summer holiday was celebrated on this water.

 

The front lawn, mostly shaded by pines, was teeming with violets.

 

They are just so beautiful.

Jason and I would like to spend a long weekend at Grandma's sometime this summer.  She has an attic full of things of her past which I would love for her to tell me their stories.

 

Back at home there were even more violets creeping between the rocks.  I would prefer violets to grass any day.

 

I picked a bunch and found a fitting jar.