Wintering

Wintering and Winter Unfiltered were words I saw on Facebook this morning on my iPhone.  I took the photo below from my front porch shortly after I got up this morning. Snow is beautiful to look at from inside a warm, cozy home, but not great for driving in.  I'm glad today isn't a work day for me.  Two days ago a massive 100 car pile-up occurred on an expressway on the western side of the state during a snow squall.

January is National Hot Tea Month and January 12th was National Hot Tea Day, but in wintry weather like we're having, everyday is hot tea day.

  

I did my part to support national hot tea month by ordering a pound of my favorite Green Blueberry tea from Harney & Sons.  It arrived a few days ago.

I got out my snowman teapot and teacup by Gracie China to enjoy it in.

My son from Zeeland texted me a photo of him enjoying a cup of Harney & Son's Victorian London Fog tea during the snow storm.  [No affiliation to Harney Teas except a loyal fan.  I've never had one of their teas I didn't like.]

What do you do when you're homebound during a snow storm? I finally dismantled the Christmas tree to put it away for another year.  I justified keeping it up this long because I didn't get it up until a week before Christmas, but my daughter and daughters-in-law still have their tree up so I don't feel too bad.  My incentive for taking it down now is because I'm having a couple of ladies [two sisters] from church over for tea this coming Tuesday.  I thought it might seem strange having a Christmas tree still up when it's almost Valentine's Day.

January is also National Soup Month.  Campbell's founded it in 1986.  I'm doing pretty good supporting that too.  I've made three different soups so far this month and another [Cream of Cauliflower] is on the agenda. 

Are you enjoying tea and soup this month?

White Horse Inn

Yesterday we met up with our son, Steve, daughter-in-law, Sharon, granddaughter, Brooke, and daughter, Lori, for 3:30 dinner reservations at the historic White Horse Inn in Metamora, MI - about 45 miles from where we live.  It was to celebrate Steve & Sharon's 33rd wedding anniversary [December 26th] and Steve's belated birthday dinner. 

I had been to the White Horse Inn somewhere between 2001-2006 with my girlfriend, Sandy, when we went to Lucy's tearoom on the 2nd floor of the inn.  Regrettably, neither of us took photos.  It was named after Lucy Hoard, the wife of Lorenzo Hoard, who bought the historic building in 1850. The Wilkins family - former owners - established the tearoom to honor her. Sadly it's no longer part of the restaurant.

Because I love history, I spent time today reading articles and watching YouTube videos about the inn and Metamora.  In 2025 the Village of Metamora had a population of 605 people.   The small, quaint, rural village was established in 1836.

The originl building that houses the inn turned resturant was built in 1848 as a general store. It was purchased in 1850 by Lorenzo Hoard and converted into a stage coach stop and inn called Hoard House.  In 1872 Michigan Central Railroad built its line through Metamora and Hoard received the franchise to feed and house overnight passengers on stage coaches or trains as well as stable horses.  It's also rumored that it was a stop on the underground railroad.

There were a few other owners from 1906 to 1923 and its name transitioned from Hoard House to White Horse Inn.  In 2012 the Inn abruptly closed its doors after years of wear, tear and neglect.  The current husband and wife team bought it and completely restored it and reopened it in November 2014.  It holds the title of Michigan's Oldest Restaurant and is said to be haunted by Mr. Hoard.

 ~ East High Street Entrance ~

Sharon made reservations for us to dine in one of the four igloos that are open November thru the first of March.  Each igloo accommodates 6-10 guests for a two hour time period.

The igloos are named and have a theme - ours was Narnia.  I've heard about the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis but have never read the books or watched the series, but I plan to now. To include tea in this post, I read that C.S. Lewis was a significant tea drinker. He viewed it as a simple yet profound comfort and often paired it with his reading and writing. He wrote the well-known quote: "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."

We entered the igloo through a literal wardrobe - a nod to one of the books, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published book in the series.

There were at least three heaters in the igloo so it was warm and comfortable.  When we entered, the table was set for 10 but the server removed four of the place settings for our group. The centerpiece was Aslan the great lion [the good character in the Chronicles of Narnia] and Jadis, the white witch, the evil character.

~ Steve and Sharon ~

Jerry had cataract surgery on both of his eyes in December and doesn't need glasses now.  Dr. says he has 20-20 vision.  He looks a little different without them.

~ Lori and Brooke ~

The food was excellent.  Three of us ordered salmon, Steve got a steak, Sharon got roast beef and Brooke got a shrimp appetizer to share and a burger.  We all enjoyed what we ordered. Below is a picture of Lori's entree.  My sides were sweet potato fries and a green bean/broccoli medley.  I'm hungry just looking at the photo!

If you're a local reader, I highly recomment going to the White Horse Inn.  We hope to go back soon.

Thank You & Year in Review

A warmhearted Thank You for the kind and affirming comments made about my blog in response to my Dec. 31st post, and for visiting.  

2025 had the least amount of posts since my blogging began - only 73, so I had fewer posts/pictures to choose from when putting Year in Review together, but it was a good year.  

~ January ~

Following the death of former President Jimmy Carter, I purchased the Carter Family Favorites cookbook, and made a Peanut Butter Pie in his honor.

~ February ~

A Valentine's Day luncheon for two friends.

~ March ~

A Saint Patrick's Day tea with my hubby and friends.

One of the managers at The Whitney

~ April ~

Ladies Spring Tea at Church

~ May ~

Mother's Day with three of my greatest blessings.

~ June ~

Tea at Clara J's with girlfriend, Sandy.

~ July ~

Celebrating granddaughter Ellie's 13th birthday on July 4th.

~ August ~

A Celebration of two lives... My daughter's 58th birthday and my brother's burial.

~ September ~

A visit with a girlfriend since grade school.  Elaine now lives in Florida.

~ October ~

The Pink House Tearoom with dear friend, Lori.

~ November ~

Thanksgiving at Steve & Sharon's House & Celebrating Hubby's 79th B-day.

~ December ~

Ladies' Christmas Tea at Church - my Nutcracker themed table.

Mary Frances tea time purse - a gift from my children and grandchildren.

Celebrating Jesus' Birthday, our greatest gift of all!

Candlelight service on December 21st as we sang Silent Night.

Here's to another year!

Happy New Year

Did you stay up to watch the crystal ball drop in Times Square at midnight on New Year's Eve?  My hubby and I stayed up until 11:00 o'clockish and then decided the wait wasn't worth the effort.  We wished each other a Happy New Year, sealed it with a kiss, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.

This morning I got Navy Bean soup going in the stock pot.  I soaked the beans last night before going to bed.  I used the ham bone left over from our Christmas Eve dinner, and got a lot of mileage out of the ham.  Aside from serving it on Christmas Eve, I made scalloped potatoes and ham, ground some for ham sandwich spread, and today the soup will be the last of it.  No blackeyed peas were on the menu for good luck in the coming year.  We do like them, but we'll trust Jesus for his favor and blessing.

While it was simmering on low, we drove downtown Detroit to see the giant teddy bear located in Nick Gilbert Way - a pedestrian plaza that runs between the 12-story office building and the massive 685-ft. tower that makes up 'Hudson's Detroit' on Woodward Avenue [the site where the legendary Hudson's Department Store once stood].  Only a couple vendor kiosks were open today and things were very quiet.  Party goers were probably home recouping from last night's festivities, and it was a nippy 19 degrees.

The giant teddy bear was installed October 28th to honor Hudson's Department Store's Santa Bear tradition.  I was happy I got to see him before he comes down tomorrow.

Every year from 1985 to 2007 Hudson's released a new Santa Bear.   Initially they sold for $10 with a $50 purchase.  Just about every house in Metro Detroit [mine included] had one or more Santa Bears from Hudson's that would make their way out during the holiday season.  The giant teddy bear is a symbol that Hudson's Department Store hasn't been forgotten and its memory lives on.

On my way to Hudson's Way I passed the Kern's Clock on Woodward and Gratiot.  The 91 year old clock was installed above the Ernst Kern Department Store and was a famous meeting spot until the store closed in 1959.  The building was demolished in 1966 and the clock was restored and reinstalled in 2003.

Nick Gilbert, the late son of Dan Gilbert, passed away in 2023 at the age of 26 and the pedestrian plaza honors him.

The giant, iconic, and nostalgic teddy bear viewed from front and back.

 I'm sure the vendors were freezing with no customers to keep them busy.

So that's how I spent the first day of 2026.  Now I'm back home in my warm, comfy home, sipping tea.  Tomorrow everything will go back to normal and it will be a regular work day.

Here's to a wonderful 2026!

Perspectives and AI

A few weeks ago while Googling my blog, I stumbled upon two reviews by members of Tea Forum [an online Tea Knowledge & Friendship group that I'm not a member of].  The reviews were written in July and November of 2020 in response to the question, "What are your favorite tea/teaware blogs"?  The reviews pertaining to my blog were quite thought provoking to me.  

The first member said she liked reading my blog because I was a non-internet tea-drinker of the classic older American type, who normally live in an almost completely offline tea-world.  Instead of being exclusively about tea, it is about her family, friends, and tea.  More time is spent on teahouses than on tealeaves... 

The second post was in response to the first post written by a fellow member:  Your post inspired me to try the relevant tea leaf blog.  I find that it is a very personal blog - so personal that reading it made me feel uncomfortable in the same way as if I had read someone's private diary without their permission.  

Wow!  I never thought of my blog as a private diary but I have likened it to a journal of sorts where I've recorded experiences/events with photos to capture memories.  I've never shared private/personal thoughts that I'd be uncomfortable with someone else reading.  As a teen I kept diaries that locked with a key for those kind of things [which I disposed of long ago].   

It prompted me to look up definitions of diaries and journals.  Long story short, they may overlap, but they aren't the same.  A diary is a type of journal but a journal isn't always a diary.

I know blogs aren't as popular now as they were when I began blogging in 2012.  Many blogs that I used to follow don't even exist anymore.  Reader comments are scarce, bordering non-existent these days and there've been times when I've considered abandoning my blog as well.  A post is very time consuming if it includes any research or photos, and time is usually in short supply.  

My blog, however, is just as important to me as anybody who reads it [if not more so] and I've never been driven by how many followers I have.  I eliminated the followers box on the sidebar of my blog early on in my blogging days.   My family and I have referred back to the blog many times over the years looking up outings and events, and it's been invaluable when making Shutterfly photo albums because it's so easy to forget dates and details.   

On Christmas Eve this year my son was wondering what he wore last year so he wouldn't wear it again this year, to which my grandson replied, check the Relevant Tea Leaf blog.  ;-)

 ~ Christmas Eve 2024 ~

Christmas Eve 2025 [below].  As a side note, Jeremy is my only child who is a tea drinker.  He received three tins of tea this year that he specifically asked for.  I haven't given up on the other two kids.   ;-)

I make no apologies if some feel they are reading my private diary without permission.  It's a public blog so no permission is necessary.  Readers can take it or leave it, but it'll be one form of legacy I'll leave behind that will express my passion for tea, hospitality, family, and faith [not in that particular order].   

AI is the big thing in technology these days.  I'm not a techy person so no worries about my posts and pictures being authentic. To be truthful, I'm very skeptical of AI.  My granddaughter, Brooke, is techy and shared these pictures with me on Christmas Eve that she generated through the AI app on her iPhone.  It made me feel like I don't ever want to believe anything on Facebook again because I won't know if photos are legit or AI altered.

The photo below is a photo that was taken of me in 2018 when I first started working at the Whitney, and a photo of my dad in the early 1990's, and an AI photo generated from the two photos to make one.  It's incredible, yet scary at the same time!

 It even has wrinkles and a finger print on the side to make it look old and authentic.

The second photo was taken of my son Steve on his birthday this year and his six-month-old baby picture.  Brooke, with the AI app, turned it into a picture of him holding himself!  She also did one of of my daughter with a recent picture of her and one when she was 5 years old [not shown].

I like the AI smile she put on his baby picture that wasn't the same as the original.

On this last day of 2025 I hope your reflections of this past year reveal God's faithfulness in the good times as well as the difficult times, and may we look forward to the New Year as a blank book with new chapters, keeping in mind the front windshield is much larger than the rearview mirror for a reason!