MHA Victorian Tea in Hutchinson Kansas

I have tons of wonderful photos of people enjoying the MHA (Mental Health America of Reno County) Victorian Tea this past Saturday. This is one of our major fundraisers each year. Greg took photos for me and captured so many great moments.

When people come in the door, they stop and register for a drawing and find out where they're seated. Phyllis, who's closest to the camera behind the table, has worked almost every tea with me. She has become quite the expert.



Our mission is to encourage positive mental health and it's not difficult to see that is definitely happening during the tea. People have a good time.





My friends, Teresa and Susan, were having fun.



Susan drove down from Valley Falls, and brought our friend, Cynthia from Horton with her. I'm guessing they would get the prize for most distance traveled.



It worked out that I had an extra place at the MHA's table, and so Teresa got to sit with Susan and Cynthia, which was great. We've all been to tea together in Hiawatha.

Precisely at 3 p.m. we open the doors so people can look at the tables before tea starts. They are all decorated by different businesses, organizations and individuals. I'm going to show each one. The variety is amazing.

I'll start with the MHA table I did. My theme was Lavendar and Lace.







All That Jazz did a table again this year. They are creative gals. Their theme was daisies.







Carrie Lynn's Flowers did a really elaborate table with a Tea Party on the Beach theme.





Altrusa did a table again this year. Their colors are blue and white...



Shanna Soukup, a former board member, did a table with a butterfly theme.



Absolutely Flowers did a table with help from Andrea Ewert.





Andrea also did the Thanksgiving Table for the Hutchinson High Counseling Center.





The Hutchinson Recreation Commission Elmdale 50+ program did a beautiful table titled, "Gather Me The Rose."







Nancy Murry did a table for Friendship Force that was a 12 Days of Christmas theme.





The Kansas Underground Salt Museum did a table with - appropriately enough - a salt theme.



We are very fortunate to be able to hold our tea at Grace Episcopal Church in Hutchinson. They have been so incredibly gracious in letting us use their facility for the past three years. It is a wonderful setup and they're very generous to host us. I'd like to say a public thank you to the staff and congregation there for their kindness.

Our menu is different each year, although there are some standards I always have. This year it was:


Tea Menu

Sandwiches and Savories
Cucumber Sandwich
Tuna on multi-grain Bread
Egg Salad on Wheat
Carrot Chip
Calla Lily design with herb mix
Pimento Cheese on Rye
Tomato Boat

Bread Course
Scones with Clotted Cream
(from Metropolitan Coffee)
Pumpkin Bread

Sweets
Sugar Cookie
Ginger Cookie
Orange Cake
Lemon Curd Tart
Mini-Eclair
Chocolate Cupcake





We plate the food in the kitchen on clear plastic plates, then we sit those on top of people's china. That way we never have to touch the china people use to decorate the tables. I don't want to take a chance on breaking anything as it's often people's family heirlooms.



Precisely at 3:30 we start tea and begin bringing out the food and the tea. Board members and volunteers help make it all happen. Here Andrea and Sheila are preparing. Also helping Saturday were Hazel, Nancy and Gary - as well as bunches of volunteers.



We had wonderful entertainment this year. Sheila Lisman, a local writer, read some of her work. She had everyone laughing hysterically more than once.



She did one piece about hats, which was very appropriate because we had the Red Hot Lady Bugs joining us for tea.They were incredibly gracious ladies.



My friend, Sondra, came for tea...



and brought her neighbor, Kay.





I'm so fortunate to have great board members who help with the tea in multiple ways from finding people who want to do tables, to pouring tea and cleaning up, and everything in between. Gary Hughes even frosted the sugar cookies that morning and then came back to pour tea.








Sheila poured tea, too.





I love this photo of Joyce Nelson. She was seated at a table with Daisies as the theme, and look at the band on her hat. I had no idea what she was wearing when I made the table assignments, of course. To top it off, she won the prize at her table, which included some dishes with daisies on them.



Mary Hildebrand is the queen of her red hat group. You can tell by the little crown nestled into her hat.



Nancy Murry made the scones and also helped pour tea.





Sonja came with Juanita Bacon. I really like both these ladies.









My friend, Jan, was able to come, too...





Andrea and Linda were having fun... even before things got underway. Love that!





Marcella and Scarlett came for tea.



All in all, people had a good time. At least they seemed to.




I really enjoy that we create a memorable experience for people, but it does wear me out. I cook all the food except the scones. And, this time I bought the mini-eclair. It's a lot of work to cook that much food for 60 people - 62 this time - but I do love the look of it all on the plate. I'm still in love with those mini pumpkin bread loaves.



And, all those little touches that make the event work take time and energy. But, if you don't take care of the little details it's not a well done event. I think I mentioned these little vignettes a few days ago. It's those little things that become significant in their whole.



If I could figure out how to make it so I'm not the only one working on those little details it would be much easier. But, oh my goodness, I have so much help. The Volunteer Center gets a lot of volunteers for me. Amy came and helped on Saturday, and board members jump right in. Not to mention Greg taking photos.

We also had help this year from Zoomdweebies Tea Bar in Wichita, Kansas. They donated the tea, and it was wonderful. We had many comments from folks about it.

They're also offering a 15% discount to MHA folks through the end of the month for orders through the website. Just put in MHA as the discount code. It was delicious and I really appreciated their donation. We serve a large quantity of tea. We have served as many as 400 cups of tea. I'm adamant about keeping the cups full.

I brewed it this year using a concentrate formula so the water was freshly boiling when it was served. Here's the recipe I use:

Tea Concentrate
for 100 Servings:
1 gallon of boiling water
2 cups loose tea

Make the tea and let cool to room temperature, strain at least twice and then pour into sealed containers and store in refrigerator. Use 2 tablespoons of tea concentrate for each cup of tea, filling the remainder of the cup with hot water. So, if you're using a six cup teapot, that is 3/4 cups of concentrate into the pot, then fill it the rest of the way with hot water.

I implore you, please, learn how long to brew the particular tea you are using so you can do it properly. Don't over-brew or it will be bitter. And strain multiple times with a tea strainer, not a kitchen strainer.

If you're using multiple teapots, you'll need to figure out how many cups each one holds so you'll know how much concentrate to use. This is where that algebra will come in handy!

I was really fortunate I had a couple of volunteers who took this job to heart and did it perfectly this time.

Some of the volunteers were talking about me before we opened the doors - not in a bad way. I, who am not a detail person at all, turn into a stickler for every little detail at tea. It's everything - from how the plates are put together (all identical), to how they're placed on the table (cucumber sandwich at the guest's belly button), to how we have to be very quiet in the kitchen so we don't disturb people at the tables near there, to every teacup handle being at 4 o'clock, and every chair being an equal distance from the tables.

I'm convinced all of those little details are what create a memorable event. We gave people an opportunity for relaxation and bonding - two things that are definitely good for mental wellness.

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Hutchinson Kansas on Google Maps

Hutchinson, Kansas, now has street views on Google Maps. Apparently Google comes to your town and drives up and down the streets with a video camera. I've seen these for other places, but I guess Hutch has finally worked its way up on the list to rate this being done.

As soon as I found out I went and looked up my address and breathed a sigh of relief that my lawn had been mowed recently when they did the video. Thank goodness. I hate to mow. Hate it, hate it, hate it. So, I'm glad they caught me at the right time. They should give a person a little warning for heaven's sake. It's like the whole freaking world is dropping by and no one gives you any notice.
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Epiphanies at Applebees

The other night I had an epiphany. I wish it had happened in an exotic locale, which would add another layer of intrigue to the story, but it occurred as I was sitting at Applebees, waiting for my half-priced appetizers to arrive. I know. I hope I haven't ruined it for you.

I was thinking about why I live where I live. There are some cool things about it, and there are some not so cool things about it. There are some neat places - the Cosmosphere, The Underground Salt Museum, Roy's BBQ - and there's nothing especially horrible about it. But, although I've lived her a long time, and there are people here I never want to live very far from, none of us are tied to this area. We could live anywhere. So, why do we live here?

Part of it, of course, is inertia. We're in a rut. It's human nature. Of course, I have a job, but I could get a job in almost any town. So... why here?

It finally hit me. I don't care so much about the specific town where I live as long as there's nothing horrible about it. Why? Because it's not where I stretch myself. I do that when I travel. In addition, when I'm in the town where I make my home, I'm a bit of a homebody. I like to go out to eat with friends and enjoy some gatherings with them, but otherwise I like to be home. It doesn't really make sense for me to be living in an 600 square foot apartment I'm paying thousands of dollars a month for when I can live in four times the space for a fraction of the cost and own the house. So, my home is a bigger deal to me than what town it's in - as long as some basics are met.

As is so often the case, I've been saying this for decades in another way, and just didn't recognize it. I can remember saying in college, "I could live anywhere as long as the house was great." That's why. Because the house is where I'm going to spend most of my time when I'm "home," where ever home is.

Is that a good reason? I don't know. But I figured out it's my reason. And it must be the same reason for a lot of people, because there are people living all over this country in towns much like the one I live in, who have no reason to be there other than there's no compelling reason to be somewhere else. All the research indicates that people no longer look for a job and then go where that job is. Instead they figure out where they want to live, then find a job in that place. That's why people prepare themselves with a broad base of education. Latest estimates are that today's college graduates will have 18 careers.

When this was mentioned at a group I was in the other night someone said, "You can't have 18 careers - 18 jobs, but not 18 careers." I disagree with that. I think you can have 18 careers in a working lifetime. If you're working for 45-50 years, which those folks will be doing, that's between 2-3 years in each one. Naturally, some will be shorter and some longer. I certainly consider that a career. I'm so glad I'm not still in the first job I ever had. I would be a much less well-rounded person and know much less about the world than I know now. We spend a lot of time working

This is yet another of those things people chalk up to age, when it obviously is not. I'm well into the age group of people who have one career, maybe two, and stick with them; who prepare for a job in college and work in that chosen profession. That is not what I've done, however. I'm on my sixth "focus" in my work-life, and working on my seventh. That's much more the norm these days. It's one of those things that the work world is going to have to shift with, or they're going to lose folks.

There's a great deal of talk these days about millenials and how they work to live, not live to work. This has always been my philosophy and I'm glad there's now a whole group of people in the work world who are insisting on being treated with respect for their private lives. I think it's the only healthy approach to life. You're not going to be on your death bed wishing you'd worked an extra 20 hours a week. Do something with those 20 hours that falls into the "living fully" category instead.

Well, again, I'm rambling... This has gotten off track from why I live where I live.

Handwritten letters and recipes

Most days my mailbox is stuffed with a magazine, a bill or two, and some maybe some advertisements. Then, on occasion, there's the most precious of things - a handwritten envelope.

Recently in my Kansas Country Living column I wrote about being over-run with zucchini and asked readers to send me their favorite recipes. I work a little ahead in the column and had forgotten about that request until the envelopes started arriving. What fun!

They come in these innocuous looking envelopes, hand written, often with forever stamps. Inside are precious bits of a person's life they're willing to share with me. That's always how I think about it when someone shares a beloved recipe with me - they're inviting me to be in their world just a little bit. I love that feeling.

I have the same sensation when I'm sharing recipes here - that I'm offering a little bit of myself through that. Food is so intertwined with memories, families and our identities if we're known as a cook. Very interesting to think about.

We'll see how many zucchini recipes arrive. Maybe I'll have to do a zucchini cookbook.

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MHA Tea Photos

This is what I spent the last few days doing, which is why I was so tired I could barely stand at yesterday's tea...



I also decorated one of the 10 tables. Of course, I couldn't let well enough alone and had to come up with a chair cover as well...



We put the food on clear plastic plates and then lay those on top of the china.



I was quite infatuated with the mini pumpkin bread loafs with the butter star on top. The only problem is that each of these things takes time... some of them lots of time. The biggest problem I have in pulling off the tea is that I'm the only one that knows everything that's going on and I don't have a solution for that. It's different every time and I'm literally changing the menu up until just a few hours before tea, depending on what I can buy or get out of my garden. I also do a ton of little things around the church that people don't notice individually but make an impact overall.

For example, in the restroom near the hall where we have the tea, there's a small white table that holds a silk plant and some supplies. I put those on the floor, covered it with a tablecloth I brought from home, and used the church's live plant on it. It still needed something, so I added some doilies and a little note. How could I possibly write all of that down so someone else could do it?



It's not something you do by rote, it's something you do by intuition. It's different every time. You have to be able to sense it. I don't know how to explain that to people.

I still have a lot of photos to work on to post, with photos of each of the tables. I'll try to get it done soon.
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Tea a Success

I've been working every waking moment the last few days preparing for the tea. I've been sleeping way too little - even for me. I'm headed to bed very soon - yes, right after 11 p.m. I know, scandalous.

Greg came today and took photos for me, which of course I"ll be sharing here but I'm way too tired to do that tonight. So, here are a couple of photos from Friday when we were doing the set up. Above are Dolly and Toyla doing the napkins for their beautiful table. Below are Nancy (pink) and Shanna working on Shanna's butterfly table. They were all wonderful.



We have different groups decorate the tables so each one is different. It turned out very cool and we sold out. So, all in all it was successful. Now if we could figure out how to do it without me needing to recuperate!

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Ginger Cookies for Tea

I'm busy preparing for the MHA's tea on Saturday. Today I made ginger cookies. Lots of ginger cookies.

I have a somewhat unnatural love of ginger cookies. They are the perfect accompaniment to tea as far as I'm concerned. Oatmeal cookies and ginger cookies are my two favorite kinds. Chocolate chip just doesn't do it for me in the same way.

This recipe is my favorite for ginger cookies. I've been making it since 1992. How do I know this? Because I wrote the first time I made it on the recipe. I do that sometimes - particularly if I make something for a particular person or event. These made their debut at the 1992 Christmas party.

Oh... and speaking of Christmas... I bought some ornaments at Hobby Lobby today. They're 40% off this week and I know from experience that they usually don't get additional shipments. So, if there's something you want it's the time to pick it up.

I'm sure I'll be making these cookies again before the holiday season is over. Enjoy!

Ginger Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Cream the butter and sugar, add in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Shape the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. These cookies will spread out as they bake, although less if you keep the dough chilled.

This recipe makes about 60 cookies or normal size, more if you're doing bite-sized tea goodies.

I like to mix them the night before and chill overnight in the fridge, but that is not necessary. I just find the dough easier to work with when it’s cold. Today I mixed them this afternoon and baked tonight.
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Tell Me Who You Are

Tonight I ran across this, "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, which remains one of my favorite pieces of writing. It's so simple and yet so poignant.

There's only one stanza I don't agree with - I do care significantly about the truth. Otherwise, every word of it speaks to me on so many levels.

She expresses so beautifully my philosophy of life, which I bumble through when trying to explain to people. She is able to speak it so clearly - with a poet's command of the language.

The things that matter to me are not the things "the world" deems as important. I just cringe when someone asks what I do for a living - as if that's the most valuable piece of information someone could garner about me. Yet, I find myself wanting to ask the same thing sometimes because it's "inappropriate" to ask the things I really want to know.

What I really want is for you to tell me about when you've grieved, lusted, overcome, cried, laughed, given into your whims, marveled at nature, worried about tomorrow or longed for yesterday. I want to know what you think about at night when you can't sleep. I want to know what you fear. What wakes you from a sound sleep with the sweat pouring and your heart pounding? I want to know what you want. What do you desperately, terribly, painfully want - what is the desire that is always on your mind? Tell me about the lost love you still long for all these years later. Tell me about the great aunt you adored. Tell me about the desperation you felt when trying to find your way in the world. Tell me how you manage to get up and go through the day knowing what you know about life.

I long to connect with people in a meaningful way, which I cannot imagine will ever be based on what either of us does for a living. I want to find a way to say, "please, tell me who you are, not what you are."

As the poem says:

I don't care what you do for a living...
I don't care how old you are...
I don't care who you know...
I don't care where you live or how much money you have...

BUT...

I do care so much about...
what you ache for...
if you have touched the center of your sorrow and survived...
if you can dance with wildness...
if you can sit with pain...
if you can be alone with yourself.

The Invitation
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
________________
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Heaven Help Me - a New Collection

Heaven help me, there's a new thing I'm collecting. Okay, "collecting" might be a strong word since I've only picked up two pieces, but I'm suddenly enchanted with it and that usually means more pieces are to follow. At least it's something that seems to be of no real value to anyone else.

Is it something...
...exotic? no
...expensive? no
...that will put a child through college? no
...you probably have? yes
...you're proudly diplaying? no
...worth a lot of money? no
...of antique value? no
... I'm infatuated with? YES

It's Daher Decorated Ware.



Okay, a few days ago I had no freaking clue what that was, and wouldn't now if I hadn't read it on the back of the tray (above) I bought a week or so ago. Then I saw the same thing on a bowl I bought yesterday. My grand total for these two items - $1.49. Like I said - it's not worth a lot. Except I love it. And that makes it worth something to me. At least $1.49.



If you have it, it's probably tucked away in the attic in a dusty box because you couldn't bear to throw it out. Yet. I think these were made in the 1970s. I'm basing that on the fact that there's a 1971 copyright on the back of them, but I have no other info. Although I suppose they do have that distinctive 70s look as far as colors, which wasn't the epitome of home decor, even in the 70s.

But, for some reason, the colors appeal to me. Is it because those were my formative years? Is it because I don't have good taste enough to pack it away and put it in the attic like all reasonable people did by 1977? I don't know. I just suddenly re-discovered it and fell in love. I want more. I love it. I need more. Need, people... NEED... I have needs!

Okay... you are getting sleepy... but not too sleepy... because you are feeling the urge to go to your attic and riffle through boxes... you are feeling the need to pull out decorated trays and bowls and tins and other colorful items... you want to send me all your Daher Decorated Ware so I can love it and enjoy it and display it... you are addressing the box...

Okay, hey, it was worth a shot. I knew I should have finished that psychology degree. Since I don't see you running up the steps, I suppose I'd best go to Goodwill and see if another little treasure has made its way onto the shelves, just waiting to come to my house!
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I lead a charmed existence. I have known this for many years, and today is yet another example of why it's true.



Greg and I spent the evening - a beautiful evening - on a golf course in Wichita watching Air Supply. Forty-eight hours ago, I didn't even know there was an Air Supply concert planned and tonight I was sitting there with die-hard fans enjoying the free concert.








A friend of Greg's gave him tickets. We were a bit wishy-washy on going, but are so glad we did. I wanted to go to Wichita thrift store hopping and Greg decided he wanted to do that, too. We thought since we were there anyway we should check out the concert. This was after Greg had offered the tickets to another friend of his who is a devoted Air Supply fan.



The deal was you were supposed to park at an aircraft factory lot, and busses would run from there to the golf course for a concert that was starting at 8.




Well, at 8 we were finishing up thrift stores. So, we moseyed on over to the parking lot and found where we were supposed to park. But, the security guards told us the last bus had run and we were out of luck. We asked if we could just drive to the golf course and park there and they said no, there was no parking there for the concert.

We thanked them and drove off. I looked at Greg and said, "lets just go over there." He said, "yeah, definitely." So, we drive the 2-3 more miles over to the golf course, where we found another security guard at the gate. In my best southern girl voice I asked if there was anywhere there we could park for the concert. He said to go to the right and if we could find a place we could have it. We found one. A very nice one, actually.








So, we walked on into the event and arrived just as things were getting underway. I still had my lawn chair in the car from last night's Rudy Love concert so I set it up in the back and got comfy and sat back to enjoy the music. Greg, of course, headed right down front to get photos. It was very casual, so even though we had arrived late, he was able to go straight to the stage.  Naturally, all of these photos are his.



After the concert we met up and went and waited in line to meet the guys. They were very gracious with everyone, and even posed for a photo with Ace.





I gotta tell you - these guys put on a show. Even if you're not huge fans, you'll walk away impressed. And, for the record, there were lots of men there without women in tow. Straight men.



I guess if you tour for 30 years, you learn how to put on a show. Or, maybe that's the other way around and you don't get people paying to see you for 30 years unless you know how to put on a show. Regardless of the chicken/egg order, the show is worth seeing.

The crowd was loving it.



Greg tells me multiple women were flashing the band. Poor Greg. One has to suffer for one's art - even including watching women bare their breasts to the band.



Just in case you were wondering, it was a successful day of thrifting, too. Charmed, I tell you... a charmed life... for which I'm incredibly thankful.
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Rudy Love and the Love Family Band in Hutchinson

Rudy Love and the Love Family Band kicked off the weekend long Emancipation Day Celebration in Hutchinson Kansas tonight. It was a free concert, sponsored by the Hutchinson Reno Arts and Humanities Council. There was free music, free hotdogs, free lemonade and ice water. What more could you want on a summer evening?



I've seen Rudy and family perform before, but it's always a treat.



A musical prodigy Rudy formed his first group, the “Junior Canaanites” at his home church when he was in the 5^th grade, by the age of 18 he was touring with Little Richard and in the early 1970s was an established studio artist working for Motown Records and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section appearing on records with such luminaries as Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, and the Temptations.

In 1975 Love became the musical director for Sly and the Family Stone touring the world with that popular group. Later as a soloist and leader of his own band Rudy extensively toured Asia and Europe developing a loyal following of fans that help make his 1997 disc “Out of Rhythm” go platinum.



Rudy has recorded with some of the greatest. This list includes Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Kahn, Van Morrison, Little Richard, Billy Preston, Buddy Miles, Herbie Hancock, Tower of Power, Bill Wyman, Little Richard, Sly and The Family Stone and Isaac Hayes.



Returning to Kansas Love has kept performing, recording and writing music. Examples of Rudy’s more recent work can be found on the sound track of the hit movie “American Gangster” and his collaborations with hip hop impresario Jay Z.




With Wichita as a home base Rudy Love has continued the family tradition of musical performing excellence began by his father Robert Love Sr. who recorded for the Chess Record label and toured the country as a performing musician with noted gospel and R & B artists. Now the next generation is performing as well.




One of the fun things about an event like this is bumping into friends and acquaintances. It was great to see Jocelyn...



When I looked at Greg's pix, I noticed he also had a photo of her family.



That's Jocelyn's mom in the salmon, and that's Theda in the white. With her back to us is Aunt Joyce. I didn't get a chance to visit with any of them tonight, but I know I've mentioned Theda on the blog, so now you get to see a photo. I'm sure you can tell these ladies all come from an amazing gene pool - look how great they look!

Diana was there too...



I also saw Scharlotte, although I didn't get much of a chance to visit with her. That's her on the right. With her are Mark and his wife, Gail. Mark is director of the HRAH council.



I sat with Elsie for quite a while and visited...

Greg got some great pix of these kids dancing... it was hard to choose a photo to use...



I love, love, love this park - right in the heart of downtown. It changed the face of Hutchinson. It's a real jewel.





Of course... almost all of these photos are courtesy of www.thelope.com.
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To Write Love on Her Arms

Today you may run into people who have "Love" written on their arms. It's an event inspired by the "To Write Love on Her Arms" story. The goal is to raise awareness of depression, addiction, self-injury and other mental illnesses. If you want to read more about it, go to http://www.twloha.com/the_story.php. If you want to participate, read more about it on facebook and write love on your arm.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad is one of my summertime recipes. It's incredibly easy.



Start with some goodies from the garden



wash the basil, chop coarsely and pour some olive oil over it to flavor the oil



Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
one bunch fresh basil
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Wash basil and chop coarsely. Pour olive oil over and let sit.

Layer tomatoes and mozzarella and drizzle olive oil over all. Garnish with basil. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

This is plenty to serve two, or four if you're using it as an appetizer.

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