A Morning Tea at the Belmont Carriage House

The Howard County Conservancy held their annual Volunteer Tea yesterday at the Belmont Carriage House in Elkridge, MD.

I packed up two books to swap, some Zentangle tiles to give away as book marks, and Dark Chocolate Pudding (made with an avocado, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla) as a sweet indulgence among the scones and egg salad sandwiches. I have a picture of one table at the set up….and then about half way through. There was a lot of friendly conversation and enjoyment of food. I intended to come home with fewer books that I took…but there were so many books (many people brought more than 2!) that I came home with three…and have already read the one about Montezuma Castle (I got it because I enjoyed walking around the place during an Arizona visit – see the post here).

On the short walk back to my car, I took a picture of the barn built from stone found in the area; it could be used for a geology lecture!

I’d forgotten about the crocus bulbs that seem to have planted in the lawn around Belmont. They’ll done by the time the grounds need to be mowed.

The front of the Manor House still seems too open without the large English Elm that had to be removed because of Dutch Elm disease.

I’m still savoring the look of my new car (the red Prius Prime!).

Little Luxuries in Winter

What are the little luxuries of your winter day?

Here are some little luxuries I am enjoying this winter:

The first thing I thought of was – getting into a pre-warmed bed at the end of the day. We bought a heated mattress pad a few years ago and I have enjoyed it most for what it does before I get into bed. I turn it on before I brush my teeth; the bed is toasty by the time I climb in and I turn the heat off (or way down).

There are little luxuries that are foods too: dark chocolate for breakfast, lemon curd or ginger preserves on toast for morning snack, beet noodles for salads or stir fries, a juicy orange for afternoon snack. I’ve learned to create a second round of luxury from the orange peel by chopping it up in my mini-food processor and letting it dry….having all the orange zest I want for soups and stir fries and salad dressings.

Hand and foot warmers. When I know I’m going to be out in the cold, I’ve come to appreciate the foot warmers on the bottom of my feet in my hiking boots and the hand warmers inside my gloves. They make photographing birds on winter mornings a lot more comfortable!

Seeing the sunrise is a luxurious way to begin the day – made easier by the long night/short days. Maybe I am channeling birds to think of this as a luxury; they always seem to be at their most vocal just before the sun comes up.