Tea and Poverty

My dd asked me to keep some of her china for her so I just thought I'd share photos. Isn't this pretty. We had a tea party/lunchion for Mother's Day and I got to use my china cups and tea pot.

I've been watching Lark Rise to Candleford. Dorcas the lady Postmistress of Candleford always offers tea to any guests and for those she is trying to impress the table is full of goodies. She also likes to partake of tea at the local hotel. When you visit Lark Rise residents you are usually offered a cup of tea or a mug. They even are able at times to offer some cake. Tea is the universal way to offer succor and sympathy. I think it's one of those very Victorian sounding rituals, but it doesn't have to be. It can be very cozy and easy. My dd's and I love our tea, but we don't feel we have to be fancy when we have a tea party. We've never been ones for making tea parties stuffy, for us they have always been comfortable and full of good food and fun.

I finished the Little House books and really enjoyed the Scottish ones about her great grandmother Martha. I was in the mood for something British so I've started reading the Narnia Chronicles. I never have read them and I decided, on the advise of my gd to read them chronologically, here is the order

1. The Magician's Nephew

2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

3.The Horse and His Boy

4. Prince Caspian

5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

6. The Silver Chair

7.The Last Battle

I know this because she also gave me "a guide through Narnia" with complete index of names and places, plus map and chronology. By Martha C. Sammons. So I found that the second book (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) made much more sense to me after reading the first one, because it tells how Narnia came to be. I've never been a big one for fantasy, but my gd's are really into it and they bring their dvd's for us to watch when they come to see me and so I've come to appreciate it more.

I'm also continuing to read Little Women in between all these other things. I've been thinking alot about poverty seeing it in many different ways in these stories. I realize it comes in different levels. I started out with Little House looking for ways to live with less and make do. As I watched Lark Rise to Candleford it highlights the haves and the have nots in the two communities. The Lark Riser's are very poor and live very much like Laura's family. As I read Little Women they are suppose to be poor and yet they have a fairly nice home a maid and seem to have food on the table. I think sometimes the feeling of being poor depends on who your neighbors are and what you are comparing yourself to. I know that these books do make the point that money doesn't bring happiness. Poverty may be as much in the mind as anything. It's making me look at what I really need and what really makes me happy. I think the real poverty for many is in not being grateful for what we have and in not making the most of what we've been given. I'm not saying there isn't real povery out there I'm just finding that as I have less I have to realize that I still have much.                                                                                                                

I've been  busy decluttering and organizing. I'm pretty much done, it doesn't take me as long because I do it often enough that there isn't that much to get rid of. Also because I don't go shopping I'm not bringing stuff back into my home, but things still get out of order and I start to feel like I can't find things. Now I know where everything is and I'm made room for new projects and let go of old ones that I'm not          interested in anymore.                                                                                                                               

It's beautiful today. I hope it lasts for a while. We are having a local parade this weekend and both my gd's are going to be in it.  LindaWA