Teacup Tales

"I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded."                           ~Song of Solomon 6:11 When we moved into our home six years ago, I was so happy to learn that the pretty tree with the poppy colored flower buds was indeed a pomegranate tree.   Last Thursday, I took this photo as I planned for a pomegranate post. This year's tree had the most pomegranates on it and the fruits formed early. Usually I pick them in November, but seems to get earlier each year.   Sometime during the night on Friday, half of the tree fell over from being too top heavy with fruit. I was so surprised to wake up and see this. I cut the pomegranates from the fallen branches and hope they will be ripe enough to eat. This is partly my fault. We should have trimmed the tree last spring. I'm just hoping the remainder of the tree will survive. There are so many health benefits a

Probably like many of you, I'm trying to hold back time and grasp any summer delight before it's too late. Granted, I love autumn. It's just that this summer seem to go by way too quickly. Last weekend I was given two very large crooked neck squash. They were so large; I was concerned they would be a bit dry for sauteing or grilling. Since baking bread is a favorite of mine, I decided to bake squash bread. I couldn't find a recipe specifically for crooked neck squash so I used a green or yellow squash recipe from the internet. (I have a nice recipe for zucchini bread but wanted to try something different.) I made a huge loaf and was quite happy with the results. Come join me outside for a cup of tea and a slice or two of squash bread. (The cushion on my chair is getting a bit flat. Too much reading!) Today's featured teacup is Strawberry Ripe.   It's an English bone china produced by Hammersley and Co. which was part o