Well, according to the calendar, anyway. Today is the Summer Solstice, the official first day of summer, and the longest day of the year.
Actually, we had a BEAUTIFUL day here. I couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous start to the season of sunshine. Warm, bright, brilliant, and in the upper 70s. Okay, I realize that for some of you, that's a chilly day, but for us in the Pacific Northwest, that's a most welcome change.
Ah, summer.It's the time to curl up in the porch swing, swaying in the much welcome breeze cutting through the muggy air. It's the sound of ice clinking in the jam jar, sweet tea swirling within. It's the taste of the sweet strawberries, tart cherries, and the aroma of cocoa butter, baby oil, and suntan lotion.
Something about the summer makes me crave a good book. I think it goes back to my college days where I'd spend 9 months of the year buried in textbooks, and once released, all I wanted to do was wrap myself up in an enjoyable adventure, found in the many stack of dusty paperbacks that had gone untouched for 2/3 of a year.
I started The Hunger Games. Everyone had been talking about it so much, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about before the movie came out. By the time I'd gotten 1/2 through, I was addicted. See, the downside of owning a Nook, or any e-reader for that matter, is that you can immediately download the next book in the series. There's no car trips or finding time to go to the bookstore involved. Two minutes after I'd closed The Hunger Games, I had Catching Fire downloaded. I finished that within a day, and started (and finished!) Mockingjay the following day.
I've jumped back into the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampires Series, which if you've never heard of them, are the books that True Blood is based on. True vampires that drink real blood, not sparkly ones that chase rabbits. I'm also making it a mission to reread every Harry Potter book because ::gasp:: The Deathly Hallows Part Two is less than a month away!!! Can you believe it!? Who here has already squealed AND cried over the trailer? ::waves hand madly in the air::
In the spirit of the lazy, carefree, sweet days of summer, this week's tea is Sweet Cherry Rooibus. It's a crisp, rich, red tea which smells of freshly-picked bing cherries the moment its jar is opened. The flavor is sweet and delightful, and poured over ice, it's the perfect refreshing alternative to plain old sweetened sun tea. I've been told that a sprig of fresh mint leaves would be the perfect addition to the glass, but I have yet to try it.
Let's raise a glass to you, wonderful friends, and the brilliant summer months to come!
Tea of the Day: Sweet Cherry Rooibus
Teatime Topic: What's on YOUR summer reading list?
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldan. I'm about 1/3 of the way through The Outlander & have already downloaded Dragonfly in Amber to the Kindle!
ReplyDelete<3
Christin ~,*
P.S. Instead of sweetening your sun tea w/regular sugar, use brown sugar instead. And do add the mint!
yes, I need to re-read Harry too. I have a month, maybe I can make it? I watched the trailers this weekend and even R, a non-reader was impressed and excited to see the last movie. I just started the Game of thrones series after my husband got me hooked on the HBO series, and I Just finished the most recent Sookie release, I am sad that they seem to be going downhill, I think Charlaine Harris is getting tired and ready to wrap up the series.
ReplyDeleteChristin - OOh, I'll definitely try the brown sugar thing in my next batch. Southern girl! I may have to check out The Outlander series, I know several people reading it, too.
ReplyDeleteHannah - Of COURSE you can make it! And Game of Thrones is on my to-read list, too, but I just found out that they made a series of it on HBO. (I don't have TV at home by choice)I've heard that the SS books get worse as they go along and I find it sort of heartbreaking. I love them, at least the earlier novels.