Bright Spots in Hard Times: Tea, The affordable Luxury
These are some of the hardest times I recall in my lifetime (which covers quite a few decades now 
; economically, socially, militarily, and politically we are being challenged every day. They call for all of us to gather our resources, make some bright spots in the day for ourselves and those around us, and reach out to others in need. Throughout history, in families, in literature, when faced
CHINA ON MY MIND
In recent days, my thoughts are frequently drawn to China, most specifically Sichuan Provence, the area so horribly affected by the recent devastating earthquakes. When traveling last fall to parts of China with others interested in the culture of the ancient tea leaf, we flew from Beijing into Chengdu, a city of beautiful roof top gardens and home to one of ancient China’s most famous poets. After spending a